Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)

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Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)

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In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve Apostles, or simply the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are apostles, with the calling to be prophets, seers, and revelators, evangelical ambassadors, and special witnesses of Jesus Christ.

The quorum was first organized in 1835 and designated as a body of "traveling councilors" with jurisdiction outside areas where the church was formally organized, equal in authority to the First Presidency, the Seventy, the standing Presiding High Council, and the high councils of the various stakes.^[2] The jurisdiction of the Twelve was originally limited to areas of the world outside Zion or its stakes. After the apostles returned from their missions to England, Joseph Smith altered the responsibilities of the quorum: it was given charge of the affairs of the church, under direction of the First Presidency.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Role of the quorum

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The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles claims a leadership role second only to that of the First Presidency. At the time of the death of Joseph Smith, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was Brigham Young. Young emphasized what he said was Smith's authorization that the Quorum of the Twelve should be the central governing body of the church after Smith's death.^[7] In 1847, the Twelve reorganized the First Presidency with Young as church president, and the Twelve took on a supporting role within a chain of command under the First Presidency,^[8] a role that continues to the present.

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the LDS Church has some general similarities to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church, primarily in its duty to choose a successor upon the death of a church president.^[9] There are differences, due in part to the President and the Twelve having life tenure, which may lead to an older or infirm President of the Church, but also provides considerable training of apostles to take over the office of the Presidency:^[10] Church policy decisions are made unanimously, with consultation among the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and where appropriate, the Seventy, each of which has its own responsibility. Effort is made to ensure that the organizations are united in purpose and policy.

Each member of the quorum is accepted by the church as an apostle, as well as a "prophet, seer, and revelator." Thus, each apostle is considered to hold the "keys of the priesthood", "the rights of presidency, or the power given to man by God to direct, control, and govern God's priesthood on earth."^[11] Individually and collectively, the Twelve Apostles hold the keys and have conferred the authority to exercise all of the keys upon the President of the Church. Thus, as outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants, only the President of the Church is entitled to receive revelation or dictate policy for the church.

A major role of the Twelve is to appoint a successor when the President of the Church dies. Shortly after this occurs, the apostles meet in a room of the Salt Lake Temple to appoint a successor. Invariably the successor has been the most senior member of the Twelve, with seniority determined by the longest continuous duration of service. The apostles lay their hands on his head and ordain him and set him apart as President of the Church. The president then chooses two counselors in the First Presidency, who are high priests (usually apostles). The second most senior surviving apostle becomes the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. In cases when the President of the Quorum is simultaneously called to be a counselor in the First Presidency, or is unable to serve due to health considerations, an Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is called to fill the position. This has invariably been the most senior member of the quorum who is not a member of the First Presidency.

As vacancies arise within the quorum, the Twelve and counselors in the First Presidency are invited to meet and counsel together in prayer in order to recommend to the President of the Church whom will be called to fill the vacancy. The final decision rests with the President of the Church, but is formally voted on by the Twelve and the counselors in the First Presidency. The chosen man is generally ordained an apostle by the President of the Church, a counselor in the First Presidency, or the President of the Twelve. Depending on circumstances, this may occur before or after a sustaining vote is held at a church general conference. Any Melchizedek priesthood holder is eligible to be called as an apostle. Generally, new apostles have considerable experience in church government and have served faithfully as bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, or seventies.

As a matter of policy, apostles are generally asked to retire from their professional careers and devote themselves to full-time church service, including memberships of boards and professional organizations. Some apostles receive assignments to become members of boards of church-owned for-profit corporations and trustees of the church's educational institutions. (Some exceptions have been made to this rule, as when quorum member Ezra Taft Benson was permitted to serve as United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1953 to 1961 and when quorum member Reed Smoot was permitted to serve in the United States Senate from 1903 to 1933.) The calling of an apostle is typically a lifetime calling.

Current members

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As of December 2023, the current members of the quorum are:

	Name:	Jeffrey R. Holland
	Born:	(1940-12-03) December 3, 1940 (age 84)
	Positions:	Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Russell M. Nelson, November 15, 2023 (2023-11-15) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Howard W. Hunter, June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23) LDS Church Apostle, called by Howard W. Hunter, June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Ezra Taft Benson, April 1, 1989 (1989-04-01) – June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23)
	Notes:	A former president of Brigham Young University.
	Name:	Dieter F. Uchtdorf
	Born:	(1940-11-06) November 6, 1940 (age 84)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, January 2, 2018 (2018-01-02) – present Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Thomas S. Monson, February 3, 2008 (2008-02-03) – January 2, 2018 (2018-01-02) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2, 2004 (2004-10-02) – February 3, 2008 (2008-02-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 7, 2004 (2004-10-07) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, 15 August 2002 (2002-08-15) – 2 October 2004 (2004-10-02) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 7, 1996 (1996-04-07) – October 2, 2004 (2004-10-02) Second Quorum of the Seventy, called by Ezra Taft Benson, April 2, 1994 (1994-04-02) – April 7, 1996 (1996-04-07)
	Notes:	The eleventh apostle to be born outside the United States.^[12]
	Name:	David A. Bednar
	Born:	(1952-06-15) June 15, 1952 (age 72)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2, 2004 (2004-10-02) LDS Church Apostle, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 7, 2004 (2004-10-07)
	Notes:	A former president of Brigham Young University–Idaho.
	Name:	Quentin L. Cook
	Born:	(1940-09-08) September 8, 1940 (age 84)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 6, 2007 (2007-10-06) LDS Church Apostle, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, August 1, 2007 (2007-08-01) – October 6, 2007 (2007-10-06) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 5, 1998 (1998-04-05) – October 6, 2007 (2007-10-06) Second Quorum of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 6, 1996 (1996-04-06) – April 5, 1998 (1998-04-05)
	Name:	D. Todd Christofferson
	Born:	(1945-01-24) January 24, 1945 (age 79)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) LDS Church Apostle, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, August 15, 1998 (1998-08-15) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Ezra Taft Benson, April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)
	Name:	Neil L. Andersen
	Born:	(1951-08-09) August 9, 1951 (age 73)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 4, 2009 (2009-04-04) LDS Church Apostle, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 9, 2009 (2009-04-09) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) – April 4, 2009 (2009-04-04) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Ezra Taft Benson, April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) – April 4, 2009 (2009-04-04)
	Name:	Ronald A. Rasband
	Born:	(1951-02-06) February 6, 1951 (age 73)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 8, 2015 (2015-10-08) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) – October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1, 2000 (2000-04-01) – October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03)
	Name:	Gary E. Stevenson
	Born:	(1955-08-06) August 6, 1955 (age 69)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 8, 2015 (2015-10-08) Presiding Bishop, called by Thomas S. Monson, March 31, 2012 (2012-03-31) – October 9, 2015 (2015-10-09) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) – March 31, 2012 (2012-03-31)
	Name:	Dale G. Renlund
	Born:	(1952-11-13) November 13, 1952 (age 72)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 8, 2015 (2015-10-08) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 4, 2009 (2009-04-04) – October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03)
	Name:	Gerrit W. Gong
	Born:	(1953-12-23) December 23, 1953 (age 70)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Russell M. Nelson, March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31) LDS Church Apostle, called by Russell M. Nelson, April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, October 6, 2015 (2015-10-06) – March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 3, 2010 (2010-04-03)^[13]^[14] – March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31)
	Notes:	First apostle of Asian descent.
	Name:	Ulisses Soares
	Born:	(1958-10-02) October 2, 1958 (age 66)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Russell M. Nelson, March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31) LDS Church Apostle, called by Russell M. Nelson, April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, January 6, 2013 (2013-01-06) – March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2, 2005 (2005-04-02) – March 31, 2018 (2018-03-31)
	Notes:	The twelfth apostle to be born outside the United States. First apostle from South America.
	Name:	Patrick Kearon
	Born:	(1961-07-18) July 18, 1961 (age 63)
	Positions:	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Russell M. Nelson, December 7, 2023 (2023-12-07) LDS Church Apostle, called by Russell M. Nelson, December 7, 2023 (2023-12-07) Presidency of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, August 2017 (2017-08) – December 7, 2023 (2023-12-07) First Quorum of the Seventy, called by Thomas S. Monson, April 3, 2010 (2010-04-03) – December 7, 2023 (2023-12-07)
	Notes:	The 13th apostle born outside the United States. British and Irish national raised in the UK and Middle East. Convert to the church at age 26.

Notes

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^ As seen in this photograph, in September 1898 there were only 11 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (shown here with the three members of the First Presidency). Church president Wilford Woodruff had recently died and Lorenzo Snow left the Quorum to assume the presidency. Rudger Clawson would be called the next month, in October 1898, to complete the Quorum.
^ Doctrine and Covenants 107:25–27, 36–37.
^ Baugh & Holzapfel 2010
^ Holzapfel 2010
^ Arrington, Leonard J. (1985), Brigham Young: American Moses, New York: Knopf, pp. 109–110, ISBN 0394510224, OCLC 11443615
^ Major, Jill C. "Artworks in the Celestial Room of the First Nauvoo Temple" Brigham Young University Studies, vol. 41, no. 2, Brigham Young University, 2002, pp. 47–69, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43044321.
^ Saints The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days Volume 1 The Standard of Truth 1815–1846 (1/18 ed.). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah. 2018. pp. 565–566. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
^ Saints The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days Volume 2 No Unhallowed Hand 1846–1893 (11/16 ed.). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2020. p. 94. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
^ Joyner, James (January 28, 2008). "Mormon President Gordon Hinckley Dies". Outside the Beltway (blog). Retrieved November 7, 2012.
^ Ostling, Richard and Joan (2007). Mormon America: The Power and the Promise. HarperCollins. p. 151. ISBN 9780060663728.
^ "Keys of the Priesthood".
^ Concurrent with his service as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to Thomas S. Monson between 2008-2018, he also served as Second Vice Chairman of the CES Board.
^ Scott Taylor, "Mormon church names new seventies, Primary presidency" Archived July 7, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Deseret News, April 4, 2010
^ Hill, Greg (May 1, 2010), "Elder Gerrit W. Gong: 'A nice guy' — A man of faith and learning", Church News, p. 11^{[permanent dead link‍]}

References

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Baugh, Alexander L.; Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel (2010), "'I Roll the Burthen and Responsibility of Leading This Church Off from My Shoulders on to Yours': The 1844/1845 Declaration of the Quorum of the Twelve Regarding Apostolic Succession", BYU Studies, 49 (3): 5–19, archived from the original on September 8, 2015, retrieved November 12, 2012.
Bergera, Gary James (2010), "Church Organization and Government", in Reeve, W. Paul; Parshall, Ardis E. (eds.), Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 227–234, ISBN 9781598841084, OCLC 699490059.
Bergera, Gary James (Spring 1992), "Seniority in the Twelve: The 1875 Realignment of Orson Pratt", Journal of Mormon History, 18 (1): 19–58.
Bushman, Richard Lyman (2008), "Chapter 4: Priesthood: How the Mormon priesthood is both hierarchical and democratic", Mormonism: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press, pp. 49–63, ISBN 978-0-19-531030-6, OCLC 179802646.
Compton, Todd (Winter 2002), "John Willard Young, Brigham Young, and the Development of Presidential Succession in the LDS Church" (PDF), Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 35 (4): 111–134, doi:10.2307/45226902, JSTOR 45226902, S2CID 254404200.
Ehat, Andrew F. (1982). Joseph Smith's Introduction of Temple Ordinances and the 1844 Mormon Succession Question (MA thesis). Department of History, Brigham Young University. OCLC 9417550.
Esplin, Ronald (Summer 1981), "Joseph, Brigham and the Twelve: A Succession of Continuity", BYU Studies, 21 (3), archived from the original on August 12, 2015, retrieved November 12, 2012.
Flake, Lawrence R. (2001), "The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: An Introduction", Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, ISBN 1573457973, OCLC 46943088.
Heath, Steven (Summer 1987), "Notes on Apostolic Succession", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 20 (2): 44–57, doi:10.2307/45216003, JSTOR 45216003, S2CID 254390532, archived from the original on October 22, 2016, retrieved November 12, 2012.
Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel (2010), "The Prophet's Final Charge of the Twelve, 1844", in Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel; Jackson, Kent P. (eds.), Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, ISBN 9780842527538, OCLC 495616860.
Mecham, Travis Q. (2009). Changes in Seniority to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (MA thesis). Department of History, Utah State University. OCLC 696332667.
Nelson, William O. (1992), "Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 1185–1189, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140.
Quinn, D. Michael (Winter 1976), "The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844", BYU Studies, 16 (2), archived from the original on August 12, 2015, retrieved November 12, 2012.
Quinn, D. Michael (1994), The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, pp. 143–262, ISBN 1-56085-056-6.
Quinn, D. Michael (1997), The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, pp. 21–65, ISBN 1-56085-060-4.
Turley, Richard E. Jr. (2005), "The Calling of the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy in 1835", Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration: the 34th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, ISBN 1-59038-489-X, OCLC 60589119.
Walker, Ronald W. (2004), "Grant's Watershed: Succession in the Presidency, 1887–1889", BYU Studies, 43 (1): 195–229, archived from the original on October 21, 2014, retrieved November 12, 2012.

External links

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Prophets and Apostles Speak Today at LDS.org (Official)
Official Biographies for leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Newsroom, LDS Church — includes biographical sketches of current members of the Quorum

v t e Priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Prophet, seer, and revelator General authority
Priesthood callings	President of the Church President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Acting President) Presiding Bishop Stake president Bishop Temple president Mission president Church Historian and Recorder Branch president
Priesthood quorums and bodies	First Presidency Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Council on the Disposition of the Tithes Common Council of the Church Council of the Church High council Stake and ward council meetings Disciplinary council
Melchizedek priesthood	Apostle Seventy Patriarch High priest Elder
Aaronic priesthood	Bishop Priest Teacher Deacon
Defunct	Assistant President of the Church Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Regional representative of the Twelve Presiding Patriarch Patriarch emeritus
Latter Day Saint Movement

v t e The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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