Seventy (Latter Day Saints)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about usages of the term Seventy within the Latter Day Saint movement. For the priesthood office of Seventy within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, see Seventy (LDS Church).

Seventy is a

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

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 LDS Church, the largest of the

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.[5][6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Main article: Seventy (LDS Church)

Since 2020, the Quorums of the Seventy in the LDS Church have been organized into twelve quorums with a presidency of seven. The seventy act as emissaries of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency of the church in 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.

Members of the

Second Quorums of the Seventy are general authorities
of the church with responsibilities covering the church as a whole.

Members of the Third through Twelfth Quorums of the Seventy are called an

area seventy and are ordained to the priesthood office of seventy, but they are not general authorities of the church. Area seventies generally have authority only within a geographical unit of the church called an area
.

Community of Christ

Within Community of Christ, a seventy is also considered to be an elder but is not a High Priest. Part of the function of the seventy is a missionary role and he or she works closely with the apostle in charge of his or her mission field. Seventies are organized into nine quorums; each quorum being presided over by a president. These presidents make up the Council of Presidents of Seventy and are collectively led by the Senior President of the Presidents of Seventy. All nine quorums are equal with one another. When someone is ordained a seventy, that person automatically becomes a member of one of the Nine Quorums, and remains a member of one of the Quorums (although the specific quorum may change based on residency) so long as that person remains a seventy. In other words, it is not possible to be a seventy and not belong to one of these quorums.

The current roster of Presidents of Seventy include:

  • Africa Quorum - Larry M. McGuire
  • Canada, Dominican Republic, & Mexico Quorum - John F. Glazer
  • Central & South America Quorum - Humberto Rosario del Rosario
  • Eurasia Quorum - Joey S. Williams
  • Pacific Asia Quorum - Adam R. Wade
  • South Central Asia Quorum - Larry M. McGuire
  • Central & Northeast USA Quorum - Joelle Wight
  • North Central & Western USA Quorum - Karin F. Peter, Senior President of Seventy
  • Southern USA Quorum - Larry M. McGuire

Historically, there have always been seven quorums, with a maximum of 70 members each. However, on January 17, 2010, Prophet-President Stephen M. Veazey announced that the number of quorums (and presidents) could be flexible, based on the current needs of the church.[9] The change from seven to ten quorums occurred after the acceptance of Doctrine and Covenants section 164 at the World Conference in April 2010.

The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)

The seventy in this church are called the

The Church of Jesus Christ
.

Apostolic United Brethren

There is currently one functioning Quorum of Seventy in the Apostolic United Brethren. Its members are distributed geographically among AUB congregations, with men ordained to this office 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 107:95
  5. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:26
  6. ^ Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Quorum of the First Presidency", Ensign, Dec. 2005, 47.
  7. ^ The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:27
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Community of Christ". www.cofchrist.org. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21.

References

Further reading

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seventy_(Latter_Day_Saints)&oldid=1183869418"