Quorums of the Seventy
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The Quorums of the Seventy are groups whose members are area and General Authorities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and, to a lesser extent, the First Presidency. With authorization from the Quorum of the Twelve, they have priesthood authority equal to that of an apostle.
The Seventy form a quorum equal in authority to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles[1] (http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/107/24#23), although no disagreement between any of these three bodies has ever existed in the church.
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1.1 Primitive Church |
History
Primitive Church
The Seventy were originally found in the church set up by Jesus Christ as found in the gospel of Luke chapter 10. They were initially appointed to go two by two into the world to teach the gospel of peace. This initial position of the seventy was restored with the church founded by Joseph Smith, [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints].
Early church
Historically, the First Quorum of the Seventy came into being in 1835 when seven men were set apart as the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy. These men held the priestly order of seventy, which then ranked above that of elder and below that of high priest (see Priesthood (Mormonism)). In 1837 the six men other than Joseph Young (1797-1881), older brother of Brigham Young, were released to become High Priests and replaced by others, though as Levi Ward Hancock was not in fact ordained a high priest he returned to his office among the Seven Presidents of the Seventy. Joseph Young remained Presiding President of the First Seven Presidents for the rest of his life.
Expanding membership
By the time Joseph Smith was martyred, he had already organized 3 1/2 quorums of seventy. By 1845, there were ten quorums of seventy, including the First Quorum of the Seventy. The seventies in the first quorum became the seven presidents for each of the other quorums. That is, there were 63 presidents, 7 for each of the 9 other quorums. The seven remaining members were the presidency of the first quorum. The members of the first quorum were thus spread out across the church, making meetings of the first quorum rare.
Elders were often ordained a seventy before their missions. Quorums were not restricted to geography, so individual quorums would be scattered all over the world.
In 1883, President John Taylor localized the quorums. Each stake had a quorum of the seventy, and seventies in that stake would belong to that quorum. He also prescribed that the senior president of the first 63 quorums could meet with the seven presidents of the first quorum and that would constitute a meeting of the first quorum. This never happened, however. This organization continued until President Spencer W. Kimball's reorganization in 1976.
Though the number of Seventies in the church grew, the number of Presidents remained at seven. In the 1930s the First Seven Presidents were renamed the First Council of the Seventy.
Eventually, the stake quorums of seventy were no longer numbered. The growth of the church and the number of high priests in them rendered them an anomaly that a body of General Authorities supervising high priests should be required to hold an order of priesthood lower than that of high priest. Accordingly, in 1961 Church President David O. McKay removed this ban and ordained those of the First Council of the Seventy who wished it as high priests. (The then Presiding President Levi Edgar Young (1874-1963), grandson of Joseph Young, did not).
First Quorum of the Seventy formed
In 1975, under the direction of President Spencer W. Kimball, as the growth of the Church necessitated more General Authorities, the First Quorum of the Seventy was reconstituted with new members alongside the First Council of the Seventy. And in 1976, the First Council of the Seventy, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Assistants to the Twelve (a body of General Authorities created in 1941) were all merged into a new First Quorum of the Seventy under a seven-member Presidency of the Seventy. While members of each body served for life and ranked by seniority, the opportunity was taken to name as members of the Presidency, whose membership rotated, men younger and more active than the senior members of the old Assistants and Council. In 1978, some of the older members were retired as the first Emeritus General Authorities. However, members appointed through 1981 were still granted life tenure.
Second Quorum of the Seventy
In 1984, the next step in reforming the Quorums of the Seventy was taken when for the first time members were appointed to the First Quorum of the Seventy who were not to serve for life, but for terms of several years. In 1989, these members were set aside as the Second Quorum of the Seventy (all other Quorums of Seventy having been discontinued in 1986). At the same time, the practice was instituted of retiring all members of the First Quorum at the October General Conference following their 70th birthdays, or earlier in the case of serious health problems.
Since then, the First Quorum, usually serving to age 70, and the Second Quorum, whose members generally serve five and a half years (most often appointed at an April General Conference and retiring at an October General Conference) have continued as General Authorities of the Church. Sometimes members are promoted from the Second Quorum to the First Quorum, and Seventies are the most usual candidates to become members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Some flexibility on the terms of service has emerged in recent years.
Additional Quorums of Seventy
In the 1990s, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums of the Seventy, who would serve as Area Authorities replacing the former Regional representatives of the Quorum of the Twelve who had served as an echelon of leadership above the local stake presidents. The Area Authority Seventies serve in the various Areas in which the Church is governed by Area Presidencies composed of members of the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy. (In exceptional cases, Area Authority Seventies may be called as Counselors to an Area President; by reverse exception, Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland of the Twelve Apostles have recently personally served as Area Presidents, rather than only supervising Area Presidents;in 2004 they returned to the United States while Apostle L. Tom Perry became Area President for Central Europe). In 2004, the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy was divided to create the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy.
The members of the Presidency of the Seventy serve as heads of important church departments, and lately one is always General President of the Sunday School. They are always members of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Members of the First Quorum are Emeritus General Authorities after their retirement while those in the other Quorums are unconditionally released from being General Authorities when they leave those Quorums.
In 2004 the Presidency of the Seventy were placed over the area presidencies in the United States,which had previously reported directly to the Twelve Apostles.
In May 2005, the Seventh and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy were created. The Fourth Quorum which had served Mexico, Central and South America had grown to 72 members, and was split into the Fourth and Eighth Quorums. The Eighth Quorum was created to allow better geographic organization of the Third Quorum (not because the number of members exceeded seventy). The Third Quorum previously covered all of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the western islands of the Pacific. The new Eighth Quorum serves Southern Asia, Australia and the western islands of the Pacific. The Third Quorum continued to serve Africa, northern Asia and Europe. [2] (http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,40-1-3077-2,00.html) [
Current Organization
As of 2005, the Quorums of the Seventy are organized into six quorums with a presidency of seven. Up to seven quorums may be formed, with up to 70 in each quorum, for a total of 497 seventies. The seventy fill an important role as emissaries of the twelve apostles and presidency of the church, allowing the group of 15 apostles to efficiently organize, train, proselyte, and administer to hundreds of millions of people scattered all across the globe. They are the layer between local church administration and general church administration.
In general, seventies must be elders in the Melchizedek Priesthood, but are usually high priests. Although the office of seventy is below the office of high priest, they are given authority to act as apostles and behave as apostles when sent by the apostles. This means that they may have the power to do anything that is required to organize and administer the church, as long as they are under the direction of an apostle.
Today, with more than ten million members in the church, most members will not be able to have face-to-face contact with an apostle, or even sit in the same room with one, with any regularity. However, the seventies are able to meet and greet members throughout the world, and thus they become the personal face of the general church administration to many members across the world.
The Presidency of the Seventy
Seven members of the First Quorum of the Seventy are called to serve as the Presidency of the Seventy. They provide direction for the seventies and serve the apostles and president of the chuch. They are called by President of the Church and serve until released, usually for life, health permitting. Among the members of the seven presidents, all are equal; however, one of the seven is designated president of the presidents. Generally, this is the member with the longest term of uninterrupted service in the presidency. The Seven Presidents of the Seventy now are directly responsible for supervising the Church in North America.
- Earl C. Tingey
- D. Todd Christofferson
- David E. Sorensen
- Charles Didier
- Merrill J. Bateman
- John H. Groberg
- Robert C. Oaks
First Quorum of the Seventy
The First Quorum of the Seventy are general authorities, meaning they have authority throughout the church. They are called and generally serve until their 70th birthday, or until their health fails them, at which time they are given emeritus status and released. Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve and the Presidency of the Seventy. They do not visit except under their explicit direction, and they do not teach or give talks except with permission. Oftentimes, members of the seventy will accompany the twelve on their visits to missions and stakes throughout the church. Other times, they will be sent to act in behalf of the Quorum of the Twelve to stake conferences and to provide training and support to stakes, missions, areas, and temples.
In addition to the seven presidents named above, the following are also members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (as of the April 2005 General Conference):
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Second Quorum of the Seventy
Members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy serve a similar role to that of the First Quorum. They are general authorities, which means they have authority throughout the church. They are called for approximately six years instead of until they turn 70.
The following are members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (as of the April 2005 General Conference):
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Third to Eighth Quorums of the Seventy
Members of the Third - Eighth Quorums of the Seventy are not general authorities, and they must maintain their current job. Members of these quorums are called Area Seventies. They are called to preach the gospel and to be special witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. As assigned, they train stake presidencies, serve in Area Presidencies, tour missions, train mission presidents, and complete other assigned duties.
- Third Quorum of the Seventy
- The Third Quorum members live and serve in Africa, Europe, and northern Asia.
- Fourth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Fourth Quorum members live and serve in Mexico, Central America, and the northern and western portions of South America.
- Fifth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Fifth Quorum members live and serve in the North America Northwest, North America West, Idaho, Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas.
- Sixth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Sixth Quorum members live and serve in North America Central, North America East, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest Areas.
- Seventh Quorum of the Seventy
- Members of the Seventh Quorum are drawn from the Brazil North, Brazil South, Chile, and South America South Areas.
- Eighth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Eighth Quorum of the Seventy is composed of Area Seventies from the Asia, Asia North, Australia, New Zealand/Pacific islands, and Philippines Areas.
See Also
- The Reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy (http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1976.htm/ensign%20november%201976.htm/the%20reconstitution%20of%20the%20first%20quorum%20of%20the%20seventy%20.htm)
- The First Quorum of the Seventy: A Conversation with Elder S. Dilworth Young (http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1975.htm/ensign%20december%201975.htm/keeping%20pace.htm)
- A History of the Latter-day Seventy (http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/2000.htm/ensign%20august%202000.htm/a%20history%20of%20the%20latterday%20seventy.htm)