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The General Authorities

No study of the Church's progress in the modern era would be complete without a consideration of the General Authorities. The "Brethren" play a special role in directing Latter-day Saint affairs. Not only do they possess the usual qualifications of organizational executives, but all are accepted as inspired leaders and some are specifically sustained as "prophets, seers, and revelators." Although the basic structure of the Church's hierarchy was defined by revelations through the Prophet Joseph Smith during the early 1830s, there have been significant developments in later years, including the twentieth century.

Presiding Councils

At the time of the Church's sesquicentennial in 1980, four specific groups were sustained as General Authorities: the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. During earlier years two other positions-Patriarch to the Church and Assistants to the Twelve-had also been included. Each of these offices had its specific responsibilities and functions in Church government.

The First Presidency

President Joseph Fielding Smith explained that the First Presidency constitutes the "supreme governing power of the Church," presiding over all other councils and quorums. He testified that members of the Presidency are the "living oracles of God" authorized to proclaim and interpret the doctrines and laws of the Church. "No part of the work of the Church is beyond their authority," he declared. 1 The pattern of a presidency at the head of the Church was seen in the New Testament. Three of the Twelve-Peter, James, and John- received special keys of authority on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-3; see also D&C 7:7).

Latter-day revelations shed further light on the calling and authority of the mortal head of the Church. He actually holds two offices at once: President of the Church, and President of the High Priesthood or Presiding High Priest. He is to "preside over the whole church" and to be recognized as a "seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the Church." (See D&C 107:9, 65-66, and 91-92.) The First Presidency, came into being in this dispensation in 1832 when Joseph Smith called two counselors to assist him in presiding over the Church.

The principles governing the selection of a new President of the Church were clarified just before the turn of the century. These were considered in chapter 1. Although the established pattern of succession is regarded as inspired, the Twelve still seek confirming inspiration each time they approach the selection of a new President. For example, Elder Bruce R. McConkie described the temple meeting following President Harold B. Lee's unexpected death in 1973:

Each member of the Council in turn, specifically and pointedly, expressed himself to the effect that now was the time to reorganize the First Presidency of the Church, that there should not be further delay, that the effective and proper operation of this great organization that we have from the Lord needed this administrative arrangement. Each one in turn expressed himself that President Spencer W. Kimball [the senior Apostle and President of the Twelve] was the man whom the Lord wanted to preside over the Church; there was no question whatever about that. There was total and complete unity and harmony. The prayer that was in the heart of every person present was "Lord, show unto thy servants whom thou hast chosen to be President of the Church." We did not want to do anything other than what the Lord wanted done.