Seventy (LDS Church): Difference between revisions

{{short description|Ecclesiastical body in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

{{About|the priesthood office of Seventy within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|usages of the term Seventy within the broader Latter Day Saint movement|Seventy (Latter Day Saints)}}

'''Seventy''' is a [[Priesthood (LDS Church)|priesthood]] office in the [[Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Melchizedek priesthood]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister"<ref>{{sourcetext|source=The Doctrine and Covenants|book=Section 107|verse=97|showsource=x}}</ref> and an "especial witness"<ref>{{sourcetext|source=The Doctrine and Covenants|book=Section 107|verse=25|showsource=x}}</ref> of [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]], charged with the mission of preaching the gospel to the entire world under the direction of the Twelve [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|Apostles]].<ref>{{sourcetext|source=The Doctrine and Covenants|book=Section 107|verse=34|showsource=x}}</ref> The church teaches that the office of seventy was anciently conferred upon the [[Seventy Apostles|seventy disciples]] mentioned in the [[Gospel of Luke]] {{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|chapter=10|verse=1|range=-2|nobook=}}. Multiple individuals holding the office of seventy are referred to collectively as '''seventies'''.

 

{{main|Seventy (Latter Day Saints)}}

 

 

===Area seventies and additional quorums of seventy===

At the church's April 1995 [[General Conference (LDS Church)|general conference]], Hinckley announced the creation of a new leadership position known as the '''[[List of area seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|area authority]]'''.<ref>[[Gordon B. Hinckley]], [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1995/05/this-work-is-concerned-with-people?lang=eng “This Work Is Concerned with People”], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', May 1995, p. 51.</ref> The area authorities were to replace the [[regional representatives of the Twelve|regional representatives]] who had served as bridge of leadership between the general authorities and the local [[Stake president|stake]] and [[mission president]]s. 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.<ref>[[Gordon B. Hinckley]], [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/05/may-we-be-faithful-and-true?lang=eng “May We Be Faithful and True”], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', May 1997, p. 4.</ref> Later, the title "area authority seventy" was shortened to '''area seventy''', which is the title currently in use.

 

By August 2019, with new areas having been created or existing areas consolidated with others, the Third Quorum then included area seventies in Africa and Europe, with the Fourth Quorum including those serving in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America Northwest areas. The Fifth Quorum had been composed of those area seventies serving in the North America West and Utah areas, with the Sixth Quorum composed of the North America Central, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest areas. The Seventh Quorum included those serving in the Brazil and South America South areas, while the Eighth Quorum was composed of area seventies serving in the Asia, Asia North, Philippines, and Pacific areas.

 

 

*'''Third Quorum'''–Africa Central,<ref>The creation of this area was announced through [https://news-za.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/africa-southeast-area-to-be-divided-into-two-areas this article]</ref> Africa South, and Africa West areas.

|1976–85

|First Quorum of the Seventy; <br/>Presidency of the Seventy (1980–85)

|-

|

| Presidency of the Seventy (2013–2018)<br>First Quorum of the Seventy (2005–2018)

| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (2018–)

|}

 

===Other noteworthy seventies===

! width="75" |

! width="160" | Name

|

|[[Gladden Bishop]]

|Local seventy

|Abandoned the church in 1842 and established his own Latter Day Saint sect after 1844

|[[File:Clayton Christensen World Economic Forum 2013.jpg|70px]]

| style="white-space:nowrap;" | [[Clayton M. Christensen]]

|Area Seventy; Sixth Quorum of the Seventy

|Professor at [[Harvard Business School]]

|[[File:Zenas H. Gurley, Sr.jpg|70px]]

|[[Zenas H. Gurley]]

|Local seventy

|Led a group of dissenters after 1844 and in 1853 became an apostle in the [[Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]]

|

|A. Roger Merrill

|Area seventy

|General President of the [[Sunday School (LDS Church)|Sunday School]] (2004–09)

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 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 General Authority Seventies.<ref name = tingey>Earl C. Tingey, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2005/08/the-quorums-of-the-seventy?lang=eng “The Quorums of the Seventy”], ''[[Liahona (magazine)|Liahona]]'', August 2005, pp. 30–32.</ref>

 

 

In April 2018, church leaders announced that, effective August 1, 2018, three-man presidencies composed of General Authority Seventies would once again oversee areas in the US and Canada. These areas will continue to be administered from church headquarters. The church indicated this will enable the Presidency of the Seventy to more fully assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and to fill other assignments as needed.

The Presidency of the Seventy is unique in the church in that not only are there seven members but all seven hold the priesthood "keys" of presidency.<ref>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles/priesthood-principles?lang=eng "Priesthood Keys"], ''[[Handbook (LDS Church)|Handbook 2: Administering the Church]]'' (2010, Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church) § 2.1.1.</ref> 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.

 

* Jose A. Teixeira (August 1, 2018).<ref name="Aug 2018 changes" >[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/church-adds-area-presidencies-for-us-and-canada-announces-other-2018-assignments?lang=eng Church Adds Area Presidencies for U. S. and Canada, Announces Other 2018 Assignments], churchofjesuschrist.org, 5 April 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.</ref><ref name="Oaks Apr 2018" >In an unusual move, President [[Dallin H. Oaks]] led the Church in sustaining these changes during the April 2018 General Conference, 4 months before they would go into effect, marking perhaps the first time this occurred in Church history. That can be verified [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/the-sustaining-of-church-officers?lang=eng here]).</ref>

 

===First Quorum of the Seventy===