In light of the recent passing of Pres. Monson, I thought it would be appropriate to speak a little about the way the next president of the church is chosen. Pres. Monson was an amazing servant of God, who will be remembered for, among many things, his changing of the age for missionary service, and his great example of service to others. But now we will experience something like what happened when Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire - the mantle of prophet fell to Elisha. The mantle of president of the church will fall on another. The priesthood will never again be taken from the earth, that is the promise, so we will always have a prophet.
One more note about Pres. Monson: In the Oct 2015 conference, Elder Bednar told of an experience he had with Elder Hales, whose health was failing. Elder Hales told Elder Bednar that “When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.” If that is true, we should carefully examine the last messages delivered by Pres. Monson. Though his health was already failing over a year ago, he mustered the strength to speak in conference in April 2017. His messages of the importance of the Book of Mormon and charity are well worth our most careful consideration.
There have been a few talks given in the past about how succession works in the First Presidency, but not any recently that I can remember. So I will reference those talks and sources with the hope that you will find time to study them in depth on your own.
The first talk I remember hearing about how the next president of the church is chosen was from Bruce R. McConkie. I had a companion on my mission who really enjoyed listening to Elder McConkie speak, and through that I grew to love his talks as well. This particular talk, called Succession in the Presidency, was given by Elder McConkie at BYU in 1974. The occasion was the passing of Pres. Harold B. Lee, so it seems that many back then, as now, had questions concerning how the mantle would pass to the next prophet. As Pres. Lee was in the hospital, it was his counselors, Pres. N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney, who were in charge of the affairs of the church. However, as Pres. Lee passed away, “in harmony with the system and the established tradition and custom of the Church, [Pres. Romney] stepped aside, and President Spencer W. Kimball was then in complete charge and had total direction. President Kimball was at that moment the senior apostle of God on earth. And as the last heartbeat of President Lee ceased, the mantle of leadership passed to President Kimball, whose next heartbeat was that of the living oracle and presiding authority of God on earth. From that moment the Church continued under the direction of President Kimball.”
This pattern was established after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The quorum of the twelve met to discuss what should be done. In response, “The voice of God came from on high, and spake to the Council. Every latent feeling was aroused, and every heart melted. What did it say unto us? “Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of the presiding Priesthood in my Church and kingdom.”...Men, women, and children came running together where we were, and asked us what was the matter. They said that their houses shook, and the ground trembled, and they did not know but that there was an earthquake. We told them that there was nothing the matter — not to be alarmed; the Lord was only whispering to us a little, and that he was probably not very far off.”
Although a couple of years passed between the death of Joseph Smith and the appointment of Brigham Young, this event established the pattern that the most senior apostle, in terms of the number of years serving as an apostle, will be appointed as the next president of the church.
Some of you may wonder how all of this works with the keys of presidency. If the prophet dies before another is set apart, who will give the next prophet the keys of the priesthood? Elder McConkie also answered this question: “Every key is given to each apostle who is set apart a member of the Council of the Twelve. But because keys are the right of presidency, they lie dormant, as it were, in each man unless and until he becomes the senior apostle and is thus in a position of presidency to direct the labors and the work of all others.” (see also Pres. Hinckley's response)
In addition to this witness by Elder McConkie, there have been more modern witnesses. There is an article on the Mormon Newsroom that has laid out, step by step, exactly what happens after the passing of the president of the church. There are also two different lesson manuals that I found that address this subject. Let me quote from one of them: “Seniority among the Apostles is determined not by age but by the date and order of their ordination as Apostles….and since the death of his servants is in the power and control of the Lord, he permits to come to the first place only the one who is destined to take that leadership.” You should also read the section in this lesson called “What is a solemn assembly?”
While we mourn the passing of Pres. Monson, whose funeral services will be held on Friday, I look forward with faith to the future, knowing that the Lord will not leave us without a prophet to guide us. We can always rely on them to speak what God would have us hear.
One more note about Pres. Monson: In the Oct 2015 conference, Elder Bednar told of an experience he had with Elder Hales, whose health was failing. Elder Hales told Elder Bednar that “When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.” If that is true, we should carefully examine the last messages delivered by Pres. Monson. Though his health was already failing over a year ago, he mustered the strength to speak in conference in April 2017. His messages of the importance of the Book of Mormon and charity are well worth our most careful consideration.
The first talk I remember hearing about how the next president of the church is chosen was from Bruce R. McConkie. I had a companion on my mission who really enjoyed listening to Elder McConkie speak, and through that I grew to love his talks as well. This particular talk, called Succession in the Presidency, was given by Elder McConkie at BYU in 1974. The occasion was the passing of Pres. Harold B. Lee, so it seems that many back then, as now, had questions concerning how the mantle would pass to the next prophet. As Pres. Lee was in the hospital, it was his counselors, Pres. N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney, who were in charge of the affairs of the church. However, as Pres. Lee passed away, “in harmony with the system and the established tradition and custom of the Church, [Pres. Romney] stepped aside, and President Spencer W. Kimball was then in complete charge and had total direction. President Kimball was at that moment the senior apostle of God on earth. And as the last heartbeat of President Lee ceased, the mantle of leadership passed to President Kimball, whose next heartbeat was that of the living oracle and presiding authority of God on earth. From that moment the Church continued under the direction of President Kimball.”
This pattern was established after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The quorum of the twelve met to discuss what should be done. In response, “The voice of God came from on high, and spake to the Council. Every latent feeling was aroused, and every heart melted. What did it say unto us? “Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of the presiding Priesthood in my Church and kingdom.”...Men, women, and children came running together where we were, and asked us what was the matter. They said that their houses shook, and the ground trembled, and they did not know but that there was an earthquake. We told them that there was nothing the matter — not to be alarmed; the Lord was only whispering to us a little, and that he was probably not very far off.”
Although a couple of years passed between the death of Joseph Smith and the appointment of Brigham Young, this event established the pattern that the most senior apostle, in terms of the number of years serving as an apostle, will be appointed as the next president of the church.
Some of you may wonder how all of this works with the keys of presidency. If the prophet dies before another is set apart, who will give the next prophet the keys of the priesthood? Elder McConkie also answered this question: “Every key is given to each apostle who is set apart a member of the Council of the Twelve. But because keys are the right of presidency, they lie dormant, as it were, in each man unless and until he becomes the senior apostle and is thus in a position of presidency to direct the labors and the work of all others.” (see also Pres. Hinckley's response)
In addition to this witness by Elder McConkie, there have been more modern witnesses. There is an article on the Mormon Newsroom that has laid out, step by step, exactly what happens after the passing of the president of the church. There are also two different lesson manuals that I found that address this subject. Let me quote from one of them: “Seniority among the Apostles is determined not by age but by the date and order of their ordination as Apostles….and since the death of his servants is in the power and control of the Lord, he permits to come to the first place only the one who is destined to take that leadership.” You should also read the section in this lesson called “What is a solemn assembly?”
While we mourn the passing of Pres. Monson, whose funeral services will be held on Friday, I look forward with faith to the future, knowing that the Lord will not leave us without a prophet to guide us. We can always rely on them to speak what God would have us hear.
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