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The Apostle who is next in seniority is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, unless he is serving in the First Presidency, in which case the Apostle next in seniority serves as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority among the Apostles is determined not by age but by the date and order of their ordination as Apostles. Kimball being ordained first. Kimball — explained that because succession in the Presidency is based on seniority, the Lord alone controls the order of succession:.
Death and life become the controlling factors. Hinckley — described the process of seniority and succession that begins when a man is called to the Quorum of the Twelve:.
It is indicative of the way the Lord does things. Under His procedure a man is selected by the prophet to become a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. He does not choose this as a career. He is schooled and disciplined in the duties of his office.
He travels over the earth in fulfilling his apostolic calling. It is a long course of preparation, in which he comes to know the Latter-day Saints wherever they may be, and they come to know him. The Lord tests his heart and his substance. In the natural course of events, vacancies occur in that council and new appointments are made. Under this process a particular man becomes the senior Apostle. Residing latent in him, and in his associate Brethren, given to each at the time of ordination, are all of the keys of the priesthood. But authority to exercise those keys is restricted to the President of the Church.
Monson became the President of the Church. Packer — of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the certainty of the senior Apostle becoming the President of the Church:. Hinckley, the 14 men, Apostles, who had had conferred upon them the keys of the kingdom, gathered together in the upper room of the temple in order to reorganize the First Presidency of the Church. There was no question about what would be done, no hesitancy. We knew that the senior Apostle was the President of the Church. Kimball — explained the transition of authority to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after the death of the current prophet:.
Even when a powerful leader dies, not for a single instant is the Church without leadership, thanks to the kind Providence who gave his kingdom continuity and perpetuity. The appointments have long been made, the authority given, the keys delivered. What a divine plan! The Quorum of the Twelve led the Church for a little more than three years following the death of President Brigham Young and for nearly two years following the death of President John Taylor. More recently, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has led the Church typically for only a few days before the First Presidency is reorganized and a new President is set apart.
Cannon — of the First Presidency spoke about the organization of the First Presidency after the death of President Wilford Woodruff on September After hearing their views, President Snow then arose and stated to the brethren that he had, since the death of President Woodruff, felt led to present himself before the Lord, clothed in his priestly robes, in the Temple, and the Lord had revealed to him that the First Presidency should be organized, and also revealed to him who his counselors should be.
He did not give any expression to this, however, until after the Apostles had spoken on the subject. This statement of President Snow was evidence to them that the Spirit of God had inspired the remarks which they had made, and approved of the work which they had proposed to do, and it caused them to rejoice greatly.
In , President N. President Romney had been called to the hospital and as they talked, President Lee, realizing that he might be incapacitated for some time, said to President Romney: I am at your disposal and prepared to do anything I can to help. Immediately President Kimball, as president of the Twelve, became the presiding authority of the Church. Those who had been counselors to the President—that is, President Romney and myself—took their respective places in the Quorum of the Twelve. Kimball was the one whom the Lord wanted to preside at this time.
The sweet Spirit of the Lord was present in rich abundance and there was complete unity and harmony in the minds and spoken words of the Brethren. Kimball be sustained, ordained, and set apart as the president, prophet, seer, revelator, and as trustee-in-trust of the Church. This motion was seconded and unanimously approved. He emphasized the fact that he had prayed sincerely with his lovely wife, Camilla, that this position would never come to him and that he felt sure that President Lee would certainly outlive him.
Romney, each of whom expressed himself in all humility and pledged himself to support and sustain President Kimball as the president of the Church and to fill his office to the best of his ability, and prayed for the blessings of the Lord to attend him. President Kimball then took his seat in the middle of the room, and as all those present placed their hands upon his head, we felt the Spirit of the Lord was truly with us, and this sweet Spirit filled our hearts.
Haight — of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talked about what a solemn assembly is and the sacredness of such a momentous gathering:. As in olden times, there has been much fasting and prayer offered by the Saints throughout the world that they may receive an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord, which is so much in evidence here on this occasion this morning. Solemn assemblies are used for three purposes: When someone says your name, what do they think of?
Does anyone ever call you by a nickname? Explain that nicknames may We adorn the walls of our homes with art and decor that reflects who we are and what we believe. We have compiled 15 of our favorite Christ-centered pieces of artwork that will beautify your home and invite the reverent spirit of the Savior.
Wagner - As I have been reading and studying the Teachings of President Nelson since last general conference—and trying to better understand the counsel our Heavenly Parents have given to us through this inspired prophet—I came across a story striking in its simplicity. This short holiday story encompasses the meaning of Christmas in less than words, yet it helped redirect me and refocus me on that which matters most. They represent that which is good and noble.
When they returned to America, the Prophet Joseph increased their responsibilities in both temporal and ecclesiastical affairs. He emphasized the fact that he had prayed sincerely with his lovely wife, Camilla, that this position would never come to him and that he felt sure that President Lee would certainly outlive him. Established principles, however, require 1 that a revelation directing any other course of action must come through the senior apostle in the presiding quorum and approved by unanimous vote of the members of the quorum and 2 that the senior apostle in the presiding quorum by virtue of that position immediately presides over the Church following the death of the president. Representing the Twelve, Brigham Young also reminded the Saints in of Joseph Smith's "last charge to the Twelve," stipulating that in the event something happened to him, the Twelve were responsible for carrying on the work he had begun Esplin, pp. This statement of President Snow was evidence to them that the Spirit of God had inspired the remarks which they had made, and approved of the work which they had proposed to do, and it caused them to rejoice greatly.
They often carry flags or other symbols to express identity, purpose, and unity. Tell us what your Sabbath includes, and we will tell you the uplifting movie that best fits your day of worship.
December 14, To: After several private meetings during which leaders reviewed the options, on August 8, , thousands of Church members gathered in the grove near the Nauvoo Temple to decide by a public sustaining vote see Common Consent whether Sidney Rigdon or the Twelve would lead the Church. Rigdon, an eloquent speaker, took the stand first and spoke at length of his right and position.
President Gordon B Hinckley declared: 'I would hope that in all we do, we would somehow constantly nourish the testimony of our people concerning the. Prophets, Priesthood Keys, and Succession - Kindle edition by Brewster Jr; Hoyt W.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets.
Then Brigham Young, with less polish but confident that the Twelve held authority and that they were prepared to "direct all things aright," presented the other view. The result was overwhelming support recognizing the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as the authorized leaders of the Church, specifically with the keys to act as the First Presidency and with the power to reorganize the First Presidency.
Although that decision was clearly sanctioned by the revelation and was in harmony with the position of the Twelve in Nauvoo, many Latter-day Saints claimed a further deciding factor: Wilford Woodruff, one who was present, later said that if "I had not seen him with my own eyes, there is no one that could have convinced me that it was not Joseph Smith" Deseret News , Mar.
For the next three years the Church was governed by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with Brigham Young as president of the quorum. Though the right of the Quorum of the Twelve to reconstitute the First Presidency was firmly established, there have been other short periods when the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles governed the Church before a new First Presidency was organized. John Taylor, president of the quorum when Brigham Young died in , did not have the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles formally reorganize the First Presidency until A similar interim existed after his death in Wilford Woodruff as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles directed the affairs of the Church on the basis of that position until Several years later, he instructed Lorenzo Snow, then President of the Twelve Apostles, that it was the will of the Lord that the First Presidency should be organized without delay upon the death of the president Lorenzo Snow Notes, Dec 3, , Church Archives.
Lorenzo Snow, therefore, was named President of the Church in a new First Presidency eleven days after President Woodruff's death, a precedent of reorganizing the presidency without delay that has since been followed. Since a fundamental doctrine of the Church is the reality of continuing revelation, and since the Twelve Apostles are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, there is no apparent reason that the Quorum of the Twelve could not depart from this precedent and select someone other than the senior apostle to lead the Church, if so directed by revelation.
Established principles, however, require 1 that a revelation directing any other course of action must come through the senior apostle in the presiding quorum and approved by unanimous vote of the members of the quorum and 2 that the senior apostle in the presiding quorum by virtue of that position immediately presides over the Church following the death of the president.