LDS Mormon Church
June 12, 2008 by admin
Filed under Church Organizations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is officially called, represents the Kingdom of God on earth with a “foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20). In the Mormon Church there is no professional clergy. All work together to do the work of the Kingdom, and every position in the Church is filled by members of the congregation who receive no salary.
In Ephesians Paul says, “And he [Jesus Christ] gave some apostles; some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). This means that the true Church of God has all these various positions to help perfect the saints, which means members of Christ’s church, and spread the Gospel. The Mormon Church has all these offices. The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
~Article of Faith 6
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the President of the Church are prophets and apostles to the whole world. Pastors, called bishops by Mormons, are the leaders of congregations in the Mormon Church. The following will explain the various positions in the Church and where they have responsibility.
Presidency of the Church: This is the President of the entire Mormon Church, often referred to simply as the Prophet, since he is a prophet and apostle, too. He has two counselors who assist him and he works with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They preside over the whole Church, and the prophet with his two counselors is called the First Presidency.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Twelve Apostles, who are also prophets, make up the Quorum of the Twelve. They have the responsibility to teach about Jesus Christ to the whole world, and with the President of the Church, they oversee all aspects of the Mormon Church.
Quorum of the Seventy: There are several quorums of the seventy. The First and Second Quorums oversee the whole Church, with groups of members within the Quorum overseeing various areas like Western Europe, Central America, and so on. The other quorums of the Seventy are Area Authorities, because they only preside over their local areas.
Stake Presidency: Each area of the Mormon Church is divided into Stakes overseen by a Stake President and two counselors. They are also part-time leaders and have jobs in the community. A stake contains several congregations, called wards.
Bishopric: A Bishop and his two counselors oversee each ward, or congregation, of the Church. He is responsible to give callings to members, arrange for speakers on Sunday, interview and counsel with members who have questions or need help, and so on.
Parents: A father and a mother by design should preside over every family, though this is not always possible because of death, divorce, or abandonment. The family, however it is made up, is the basic unit of the Mormon Church and the focus of many Church activities. Families are encouraged to attend worship services together, pray and read the scriptures together, and so on.
