Priesthood Leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ

When the Savior was on the earth, He organized His church by giving “some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” And this He did “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”1 Because there is still much work to be done and we still need perfecting and edifying, it only stands to reason that His Church would be the same today as when He organized it anciently – with apostles and prophets and leaders to carry on His work. In Chapter 19, Priesthood Leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ, Gordon B. Hinckley reminds us, “The Lord is watching over this work. This is His kingdom. We are not as sheep without a shepherd. We are not as an army without a leader.” Indeed, it is one of the great blessings of living in the dispensation of the fullness of times to have prophets and apostles again on the earth.

Having a prophet to lead and guide us is the most distinguishing and differentiating trait of our Church. It is at the very core of our beliefs and something we cannot imagine living without. Yet do we fully appreciate it? President Hinckley stated, “If we have a prophet, we have everything. If we do not have a prophet, we have nothing. We do have a prophet.” In the January 2017 Ensign, there is an article entitled “The Case for a Living Prophet.” It is a small part of a talk given by President Hugh B. Brown to the students at BYU in October of 1955 in which he shares an experience he had about 16 years earlier with a former justice of the supreme court of England. The man found Hugh B. Brown’s religion fascinating but could not accept the fact God still spoke to man. As they talked, it was established that the man believed that God had once spoken to man, as recorded in the Bible. His belief was that this was no longer the case. Such communication, he was certain, had ended “shortly after the first century of the Christian era.” However, he could give no reason why he thought this would be the case. Hugh B. Brown shared the exchange that followed:

“May I suggest some possible reasons? Perhaps God does not speak to man anymore because He cannot. He has lost the power.”

He said, “Of course that would be blasphemous.”

“Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps He doesn’t speak to men because He doesn’t love us anymore and He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.”

“No,” he said, “God loves all men, and He is no respecter of persons.”

“Well, then, if He could speak, and if He loves us, then the only other possible answer, as I see it, is that we don’t need Him. We have made such rapid strides in science and we are so well educated that we don’t need God anymore.”

And then he said—and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war—“Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why He doesn’t speak.”

My answer was: “He does speak, He has spoken; but men need faith to hear Him.”2

That was more than sixty years ago. The voice of God was needed then. And it is needed today more than ever! How blessed we are that God does indeed speak to man. He speaks to His living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Do we have faith to hear Him? Do we have faith to heed His word given to us through the living prophet? Oh how we should! For as President Hinckley taught, “God will never permit an imposter to stand at its head. He will name his prophets, and he will inspire and direct them.” Not only does God inspire and direct them, He also prepares them. I can’t think of anyone who has had more experience in being prepared to become the prophet than President Hinckley. He served as counselor to Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson and Howard W. Hunter. His responsibilities were great with the declining health of each of those prophets. In response to concerns that the President of the Church will most likely be “a rather elderly man,” President Hinckley would reply, “What a blessing! … To my mind there is something tremendously reassuring in knowing that … we shall have a President who has been disciplined and schooled, tried and tested, whose fidelity to the work and whose integrity in the cause have been tempered in the forge of service, whose faith has matured, and whose nearness to God has been cultivated over a period of many years.”

David A. Bednar spoke directly to that subject a couple of years ago, at the time having served as the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve for eleven years. He gave us insight into the things he had learned from the older Brethern with whom he served. He said, “The limitations that are the natural consequence of advancing age can in fact become remarkable sources of spiritual learning and insight. The very factors many may believe limit the effectiveness of these servants can become some of their greatest strengths. Physical restrictions can expand vision. Limited stamina can clarify priorities. Inability to do many things can direct focus to a few things of greatest importance. “I have observed in my Brethren at least a part of the Lord’s purpose for having older men of maturity and judgment serve in senior leadership positions of the Church. These men have had a sustained season of tutoring by the Lord, whom they represent, serve, and love. They have learned to understand the divine language of the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s patterns for receiving revelation. These ordinary men have undergone a most extraordinary developmental process that has sharpened their vision, informed their insight, engendered love for people from all nations and circumstances, and affirmed the reality of the Restoration.”3

As we look at the lives of our prophets, past and present, we can see that “extraordinary developmental process.”

When he passed away at the age of 97, President Hinckley was our oldest living prophet. Unlike the three prophets he had served with in the First Presidency, his health allowed him to perform all his duties until the very end, still going into his office the week before his passing. Indeed President Hinckley was a rare exception. Once again we are seeing the effects of age and health problems on the prophet. In May, the Church issued a statement saying, “Because of limitations incident to his age, President Monson is no longer attending meetings at the Church offices on a regular basis. He communicates and confers with his counselors on matters as needed. President Monson is grateful that the work of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles continues without interruption. He appreciates the prayers and support of Church members.”4 President Hinckley’s reminder in 1992 when President Benson’s health declined is especially appropriate now, “The head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His Church. But our earthly head is our prophet. … President Ezra Taft Benson … has reached an age where he cannot do many of the things he once did. This does not detract from his calling as a prophet. But it places limitations on his physical activities.” Then in April 1994 General Conference, the month before President Benson passed away, President Hinckley said, “It is important … that there be no doubts or concerns about the governance of the Church and the exercise of the prophetic gifts, including the right to inspiration and revelation in administering the affairs and programs of the Church, when the President may be ill or is not able to function fully.”

Because Jesus Christ is the head of this Church, a system of governance is perfectly set in place. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are each called as prophets, seers and revelators. When the prophet dies, “transition of authority is beautiful in its simplicity. It is indicative of the way the Lord does things. Under His procedure a man is selected by the prophet to become a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. … The years pass. He is schooled and disciplined in the duties of his office. He travels over the earth in fulfilling his apostolic calling. It is a long course of preparation, in which he comes to know the Latter-day Saints wherever they may be, and they come to know him. The Lord tests his heart and his substance. In the natural course of events, vacancies occur in that council and new appointments are made. Under this process a particular man becomes the senior Apostle. Residing latent in him, and in his associate Brethern, given to each at the time of ordination, are all of the keys of the priesthood. But authority to exercise those keys is restricted to the President of the Church. At the prophet’s passing, that authority becomes operative in the senior Apostle, who is then named, set apart, and ordained a prophet and President by his associates of the Counsel of the Twelve.”

At the present moment, that senior Apostle would be Russell M. Nelson. It is amazing the rigorous schedule he keeps. It could easily be said that he is being schooled and disciplined in his duties. He travels the earth to fulfill his apostolic calling, coming to know the Latter-day Saints wherever they may be. The Lord is testing him. But the same can also be said of each of the apostles. Anciently when the Savior called His apostles, they “forsook all, and followed him.”5 Today is no different. When He calls His apostles, they still forsake all and follow Him. President Hinckley explains, “Apostles … place first in their lives, above all other considerations, the responsibility to stand as special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world. … [F]or the remainder of their lives, as long as they remain faithful, their one chief concern must be the advancement of the work of God on the earth. They must be concerned with the welfare of our Father’s children, both those within the Church and those out of the Church. They must do all that they can to give comfort to those who mourn, to give strength to those who are weak, to give encouragement to those who falter, to befriend the friendless, to nurture the destitute, to bless the sick, to bear witness, not out of belief but out of a certain knowledge of the Son of God, their Friend and Master, whose servants they are.”

Next week we have the opportunity to raise our hand to sustain our prophet, the apostles and the general authorities and general auxiliary leaders of the Church. As the newly-called prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley reminded the saints, “Your uplifted hands … became an expression of your willingness and desire to uphold us, your brethren and your servants, with your confidence, faith, and prayer.” Russell M. Nelson explained, “You and I do not ‘vote’ on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them. … Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us.”6

Jesus Christ stands at the head of this Church. He watches over it and guides it. Boyd K. Packer reminded us, “He is no stranger to His servants.”7 The prophet and apostles are His devoted and dedicated servants. May we sincerely think of the commitment we are making as we raise our hand to sustain our leaders. Let it truly be an expression of our desire to uphold them with our confidence, faith and prayers and a willingness to uphold their prophetic priorities.