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Seventy (Latter Day Saints)

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Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of several denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Traditionally, a Latter Day Saint holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister"[1] and an "especial witness"[2] of Jesus Christ, charged with the mission of preaching the gospel to the entire world under the direction of the Twelve Apostles.[3] The office of seventy is based on the seventy disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-2. Multiple individuals holding the office of seventy are referred to collectively as seventies.

Place in Latter Day Saint hierarchy

In practical terms, the priesthood office of seventy is one which has varied widely over the course of history. As originally envisioned by Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr. in the 1830s, the seventy were to be a body composed of several separate quorums of up to 70 seventies each, all of which would be led by seven presidents. These presidents, chosen from the first quorum, would appoint and direct the other quorums of seventy.[4]

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest of the Latter Day Saint denominations, the quorums of the seventy are directed and supervised hierarchically by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who are in turn directed by the First Presidency. As introduced by Joseph Smith, the apostles and the seventy had authority only outside the main body of Latter Day Saints in Zion and in the outlying stakes. Members in Zion and the stakes were led by the High Council of Zion (under the direction of the First Presidency) and stake high councils.

As a body, the seventy in the LDS Church are considered to be equal in priesthood authority with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This presumably means that if the apostles were killed or incapacitated, the seventy could take over the function of the apostles. However, in such circumstances, the seventy would be required to act unanimously.[5]

Early Latter Day Saint quorums of seventy

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.

In 1837, six of the seven presidents were released because it was discovered that they had previously been ordained high priests. Five of these men were ultimately replaced by others. The other two—Levi W. Hancock and Joseph Young—remained members of the First Seven Presidents for the rest of their lives.[6]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the members of the First and the Second Quorums of the Seventy are general authorities of the church with responsibilities covering the church as a whole, including areas of the church where stakes are established.

A member of the additional Quorums of the Seventy (currently numbered Third through Eighth) is called an area seventy. Members of these quorums are ordained to the priesthood office of seventy, but they are not general authorities of the church. Area seventies have authority only within a geographical unit of the church called an area.

History of the seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Expanding membership

By the time Joseph Smith was killed, he had already organized four incomplete quorums of seventy. By 1845, there were ten quorums of 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, and 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 to the office of seventy immediately before they left on a mission. Quorums were not restricted to geography, so individual quorums were scattered all over the world.

In 1883, church president John Taylor localized the quorums of seventy. Each stake was given a quorum of seventy, and seventies in that stake would belong to that quorum. Taylor 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.[citation needed] This never happened, however. This organization continued until church president Spencer W. Kimball's reorganization of the seventies 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 and in 1936 they were put under the local responsibility of stake presidents. Subsequently, in 1961, church president David O. McKay ordained those of the First Council of the Seventy who wished it to be high priests.[7]

First Quorum of the Seventy formed

In 1975, under the direction of church president Spencer W. Kimball, the First Quorum of the Seventy was reconstituted. The First Quorum was composed of the former members of the First Council of the Seventy as well as new individuals selected by Kimball. The reason for the change was that the growth of the church necessitated the call of more general authorities. In 1976, the First Council of the Seventy, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were all merged into a new First Quorum of the Seventy under a seven-member Presidency of the Seventy.[8] In 1978, some of the older members of the seventy were retired as the first general authorities to be given emeritus status. However, members appointed through 1981 were still granted life tenure.

Discontinuance of local quorums of seventy

In 1986, all stake quorums of seventy were abolished. The church encouraged local leaders to have ordained seventies meet with the local elders quorum or to ordain them as high priests.

Second Quorum of the Seventy formed

In 1984, some seventies 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 limited-term members were separated into a new Second Quorum of the Seventy . At the same time, the practice was instituted of retiring all members of the First Quorum at the autumn general conference following their 70th birthdays, or earlier in the case of serious health problems.

Since 1989, members of the First Quorum and the Second Quorum have continued as general authorities of the church. Sometimes members are called from the Second Quorum into the First Quorum, and seventies are the most usual candidates in the popular imagination to become members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.[citation needed] Some flexibility on the terms of service has emerged in recent years.

Area seventies and additional quorums of seventy

At the April 1995 general conference of the church, church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of a new leadership position known as the area authority.[9] The area authorities were to replace the regional representatives of the Twelve who had served as bridge of leadership between the general authorities and the local stake and mission presidents. In 1997, it was decided that area authorities would be ordained to the office of seventy. As a result, these area authorities were renamed area authority seventies, and the church announced that these new seventies would become members of the newly-created Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums of the Seventy.[10] Later, the title "area authority seventy" was shortened to area seventy, which is the title currently in use.

The area seventies serve in the various geographic regions of the world called areas in which the church is governed by area presidencies. An area presidency is typically composed of members of the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy.[11]

In 2004, the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy was divided to create the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy.[12]

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 Seventh 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.[13]

Current organization

As of 2007, the Quorums of the Seventy are organized into eight quorums with a presidency of seven. The seventy fill an important role as emissaries of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency of the church in efficiently organizing, training, proselytizing, and administering to millions of people scattered all across the globe. The seventy are the layer between local church administration and general church administration.

In general, seventies must first be at least elders in the Melchizedek priesthood, but in practice most have previously been ordained to the office of high priest. Seventies may act in the place of apostles, but a seventy does not hold apostolic authority. 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. Apart from the seven presidents of the seventy, seventies do not hold priesthood "keys".

Presidency of the Seventy

Historically, seven members of the First Quorum of the Seventy were called to serve as the Presidency of the Seventy. This precedent was broken, however, when in 2004 Robert C. Oaks of the Second Quorum of the Seventy was sustained to the Presidency to fill the vacancy created by Dieter F. Uchtdorf's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The church now states that the seven presidents are drawn from the "members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy".[14]

The members of the Presidency of the Seventy often serve as heads of important church departments. In 2004, all area presidencies in the United States and Canada were dissolved; these areas were put directly under the jurisdiction of the Presidency of the Seventy.[15] The management of these areas is currently the primary responsibility of the Presidency of the Seventy.

The Presidency of the Seventy is unique in the church in that not only are there seven members but all seven hold the "keys" of presidency. The man with the longest tenure of uninterrupted service in the presidency is called to preside over the other six as the presiding president or senior president of the seventy.

The current Presidency of the Seventy and their areas of responsibility (as of August 2007) are:

North America East, North America Northeast Areas
North America Northwest, North America West Areas
North America Southwest Area
Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, Utah South Areas
Idaho Area
North America Central Area
North America Southeast Area

First Quorum of the Seventy

The First Quorum of the Seventy are general authorities, meaning they have authority throughout the church. They usually serve until their 70th birthday or until their health fails them, at which time they are given emeritus status and released from active service as a general authority.[14] Emeritus general authorities may, however, be asked to be temple presidents or mission presidents, and they remain members of the First Quorum.[citation needed]

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 local units of the church except under explicit direction, and they do not teach or give sermons in church meetings except with permission. Often, members of this quorum 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. As general authorities, members of the First Quorum are often asked to speak at church general conferences.

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 and are frequently asked to speak in general conference. They are called to serve for approximately five to six years.[14] Upon their release, they cease to be general authorities or members of the Second Quorum. However, they do retain the priesthood office of seventy.

Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy

Members of the Third through Eighth Quorums of the Seventy are not general authorities, and generally maintain their temporal vocations. Unlike apostles and members of the First and Second Quorums, they are not required to relocate to Salt Lake City in order to be close to church headquarters. Members of these quorums are area seventies. As assigned, they carry out the duties typically carried out by members of the First and Second Quorums of Seventy,[14] which include reorganizing and creating stakes, training stake presidencies, presiding at stake conferences, serving in area presidencies, touring missions, and training mission presidents. They serve in their callings for approximately six to ten years. Upon their release, they cease to be area seventies and members of a quorum of the seventy, but they retain the priesthood office of seventy.

  • Third Quorum of the Seventy
The Third Quorum members live and serve in the Africa Southeast, Africa West, Europe Central, Europe East, and Europe West Areas of the Church.
  • Fourth Quorum of the Seventy
The Fourth Quorum members live and serve in the Mexico North, Mexico South, Central America, Caribbean, South America North, and South America West Areas of the Church.
  • 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 of the Church.
  • Sixth Quorum of the Seventy
The Sixth Quorum members live and serve in the North America Central, North America East, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest Areas of the Church.
  • Seventh Quorum of the Seventy
Members of the Seventh Quorum live and serve in the Brazil North, Brazil South, Chile, and South America South Areas of the Church.
  • Eighth Quorum of the Seventy
The Eighth Quorum of the Seventy live and serve in the Asia, Asia North, Australia, New Zealand/Pacific islands, and Philippines Areas of the Church.

Seventies who became apostles and/or members of the First Presidency

Other noteworthy seventies

Sealing authority

Members of the First and Second Quorums of Seventy receive the sealing power which authorises them to seal husbands to wives, and children to their parents, in any of the church's temples. Members of the other quorums of seventy do not receive this as part of their calling.

The Community of Christ

Within the Community of Christ, a seventy is also considered to be an elder. Part of function of the seventy is a missionary role and they work closely with the apostle in charge of the mission field they are in. They are organized into seven quorums, each quorum is presided over by a president. These presidents make up the Council of Presidents of Seventy, and are collectively led by the President of the Presidents of Seventy.

The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)

The seventy in this church are called the Seventy Evangelists and strictly limited to that number. They are ordained evangelists, not seventies. Missionary work is the focus of this calling in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Apostolic United Brethren

There is currently one functioning Quorum of Seventy in the Apostolic United Brethren, and its members are geographically split between different congregations. All men ordained to this office are called for life.

Notes

  1. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:97
  2. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:25
  3. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:34
  4. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:27
  5. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Covenant 107:27
  6. ^ Hancock was originally one of the six who were removed, but he was reinstated when it was discovered that he in fact had not been ordained a high priest.
  7. ^ The then-presiding president Levi Edgar Young (1874–1963) did not.
  8. ^ Spencer W. Kimball, “The Reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy”, Ensign, Nov. 1976, 9.
  9. ^ Gordon B. Hinckley, “This Work Is Concerned with People”, Ensign, May 1995, 51.
  10. ^ Gordon B. Hinckley, “May We Be Faithful and True”, Ensign, May 1997, 4.
  11. ^ In exceptional cases, an area seventy may be called as a counselor to an area president; by reverse exception, Apostles Dallin H. Oaks, Jeffrey R. Holland, and L. Tom Perry have all recently served as area presidents.
  12. ^ “First Presidency Announces Creation of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy”, Ensign, July 2004, 74.
  13. ^ “Seventh and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy Announced", Ensign, July 2005, 74.
  14. ^ a b c d Earl C. Tingey, “The Quorums of the Seventy”, Liahona, Aug. 2005, 30–32.
  15. ^ “New Area Leadership Assignments”, Ensign, Aug. 2004, 76–77.
  16. ^ "Changes in the Presidency of the Seventy", Ensign, Aug. 1996, 71.
  17. ^ "Changes in Seventy Leadership", Ensign, Nov. 1998, 105.
  18. ^ a b "Elder Andersen, Elder Rasband Called to the Presidency of the Seventy", Ensign, Aug. 2005, 76.
  19. ^ a b “Three Called to Serve in Presidency of the Seventy,” Ensign, Aug. 2007, 76–77.
  20. ^ "New Presidency of the Seventy Sustained", News Release, 2007-10-06.

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