V
CHURCH ORGANIZATION
1.
The orderliness with which Mormon people are governed under laws of their church has never failed to evoke wonderment.
It has enabled them to do, as a group, what has at many times seemed impossible. It assembled them in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois from many widely scattered parts of the world. It brought whole shiploads of them over from England. It enabled them to stand together in the face of a violent and bloody persecution that is one of the foulest blots on American history. It took them across the plains. It enabled them to build a civilization in the midst of a desert, and since that time has provided the means for a steady growth through economic and political upsets that would have killed off a less-prepared people.
What kind of an organization do they have?
There is no parallel to it anywhere else in the science of government.
It is not a democracy. The results which it achieves often are more democratic in effect than any so-called democracy in existence.
It is not a patriarchy, although the first president of the church is revered and honored among Mormons as are few other men on earth, and his every word is taken with the greatest value.
It cannot be defined as a pure theocracy, because it is not merely a machine for carrying out rigidly-defined oraculations from above. It is administered by men each in his own office and own identity exercising free agency, although the guiding policy of the whole church is taken from inspired messages of the first president, or even in the form of a direct revelation through him from God.
It is not an oligarchy, although policy and administration invariably are in the hands of some form of council.
It is a strong enemy to bureaucracy, and its exact antithesis in effect, although it is always striving to create new jobs and responsibilities.
It is just the Mormon church. It has to be studied in its own light to be understood or appreciated. The Mormons believe that the form of their church was given in a direct revelation from God, and that their prophet Joseph Smith was so delegated to reconstitute on earth the church of Jesus Christ as it existed before its decay into the Middle Ages. They maintain that they now have the form, function and apostolic power of the primitive Christian church, as conveyed to Joseph Smith by the laying on of hands of the original apostles who revsiited the earth from a spiritiual abode for that purpose.
Here it might be contended by non-Mormon, or anti-Mormons, that Joseph Smith was not a prophet, and had no revelations from God or visitations by beings from a spiritual sphere.
That may be so, but to advance such a thesis is to give Joseph Smith credit for being the greatest statesman, the most astute politician, the wisest ruler, the greatest authority on government of people, that ever lived. If, in setting up this organization, he relied solely upon powers inherent in his own brain, on thoughts gained from study and other earthly sources, then indeed he was such a genius as he has never been credited with being. No other philosopher, no other statesman, has ever been able to envision so perfect an organization, and to actually put it into effect so that it would weather the stress of a century and be stronger than ever, more flexible than in the beginning, and potentially more powerful than at any other time in its career.
Government of the church is vested in its priesthood. Since nearly every worthy male member may become a priest, the church government is therefore in the hands of the people. Offices are filled by priests who are selected by priests of equal or higher rank, but before they assume their office, their names are placed in nomination before the people, who have the right to sustain or reject, as they see fit, by popular vote.
The veto power is not very frequently exercised by the people, although all officers above them stand to be sustained or rejected at every official conference in the church, at least every three months. Think of the effect upon the United States government if the president and all his cabinet had to face a similar vote-of-confidence test before an assembly of the people four times each year, sometimes more often!
Voting usually is unanimously in favor of nominations made by the authorities in that particular jurisdiction, though the people are under no compulsion or coercion so to vote. Their actions are emblematical of the usual solidarity of these people, who have learned to a high degree the art of living and working together in harmony. A person would not rise in assembly to voice his objection to a particular person who has been nominated for a position of authority unless there were some very grave moral or other ethical reason why the nominated one ought not to fill office. Then the objecter is expected to follow through his complaint by putting it in writing and standing by it in front of a tribunal called to try the one against whom he has complained. To speak ill of another, either publicly or privately, is one of the great sins of Mormonism, unless such speech is absolutely justified in the best interests of the people and the church, and can be upheld in a court.
Problems that come before any official meeting, whether ward, stake or general conference, have been previously passed upon by authorities in council. There is no need for the bickering, debating and parliamentary jockeying that usually are associated with the meetings of self-governing people. Each conference presents a constructive program to coordinate and guide them all through the ensuing period. The people meet to inspire each other, to learn from each other, and the bitter spirit so characteristic of the conclusions of many religious parliamentary sessions at which opposing parties have battled their ideals out to a finish, is mostly absent from Mormon gatherings.
The governmental structure is so malleable that a good idea can travel from the newest or youngest member to the first presidency, or in reverse, in a matter of a few days. Something begun, discovered or originated in one ward, if of sufficient value and urgency, could be placed into operation in every other ward of the entire church in less than a month. The structure is amenable to almost perfect control, either vertically or laterally.
The secret of success in the Mormon church government would seem to rest in the feeling that there ought to be a position of responsibility and duty for every person in every congregation, according to his gifts, skills and fullness of faith.
By regular attendance at church, every member knows that he will have his time at the speaker's atand to air his views, expound his ideas and observations, and to exhort his fellow-believers to do things the way he thinks best. With everyone securing an equal opportunity to express himself, there is small need for "office politics" or for petty jealousies that arise in most organizations, even those of churches, over some one person holding a position that others covet.
The Mormon ward has many of the aspects of a huge happy family, with every member taking an intense interest in the accomplishments, welfare, and ideas of all the others. When students of the Primary association enact a program in the chapel, nearly everybody turns out to see and encourage them. In the opening exercises, before the tiny tots take over the stage, their service is honored by the three members of the bishopric sitting with them in all the solemn dignity they would assume in any other meeting of the church.
When the Genealogical society, which is mostly composed of elderly people, presents the results of its studies to the ward, young people and middle-aged people attend in their interest of the subject. And when the young people throw a get-together, likely as not, there will be as many grandmothers dancing in the ward recreation hall as there are young people.
Harmony lies in a just division of labors, honors and responsibility. The greater the honor, the heavier the responsibility.
It was this marvelously cohesive organization that aroused much of the persecution of the church. Non-Mormons have never understood it, and have feared it. In the early days, when church members were inspired with the zeal and personality of Joseph Smith, with the sense of the nearness of divine revelation to them, the faith, and the organization that accompanied it were responsible for large bodies of people leaving the places where they had spent their lives, to gather with the saints at a place designated by the prophet. They were not an obscure sect of small numbers when they were robbed, mobbed, and driven from Illinois.
By then, they already had built one of the largest cities wast of the Alleghenies and the biggest one at that time in Illinois. Their center, Nauvoo, Ill., had a population of 20,000 when Chicago had less than 5,000.
The manner in which people flocked to the prophet, his electric personality, and the ease with which the people were governed made them a power in the land and their leader a man to be feared by men whose minds were too narrow or were unwilling to grasp his teachings. Expulsion of the Mormons was abetted by political leaders of Illinois and Missouri who thought that the prophet would supplant them in office with his followers, as indeed he soon could have done had the test been by a fair, legal and peaceful means.
Marvels at what the Mormon "machine" has accomplished, and alternate dread of what it could do were its efforts directed against them have characterized the thinking of non-Mormons and anti-Mormons who have come into contact with these people for more than a century.
Mormon leaders generally appear to have become very self-conscious on this subject, and during the last generation or so have bent over backwards in the other direction, seeking to avoid even any appearance of using their organization for any purpose except to care for their own people and spread the gospel, at the same time retaining a healthy respect for the beliefs of others. In doing this, it is probable that they have gone too far, have been too eager to accept and at once rectify all criticisms thrust at them, whether in kindness or malice. Those offered in kindness, it must be admitted, have been few. Mormon leaders cannot forever attempt to please everyone. They must inevitably face the day when they will have to once more strike out vigorously on their own course and let the dust fall where it may.
A great weakness of the church lies in the fact that so many who have been born and brought up within it are in high positions. These, too, often, are unable to grasp the significant differences between the Mormon church and the many sects and denominations of faith. Not having personally experienced membership in these other groups, they have no deep-seated emotional basis for contrast or comparison. They know that their church is better because they have been taught so from infancy - not because they themselves have compared it and come to that conclusion under their own power.
This, I believe, is the main reason the church is not today making the wholesale conversion that it did in the beginning.
For greatest effectiveness, many of the general authorities, general officers, and stake presidents, ought to be converts. Having personally experienced the ecstasy of finding a complete, all-inclusive way of life after being raised in another religion, converts are better able to recognize and make best use of this feeling in others.
Too often, the person coming into the Mormon church where it already is well established has to spiritually and emotionally batter his way in, because the Mormon who is instrumental in teaching him the faith has very little of the exalted feeling that the person coming in possesses. This tendency toward stodginess in the more settled Mormon congregations even has a discouraging effect upon many who are beginning to turn to the church - unsolicited - through their own studies and observations.
Since the greatest job of the church is to spread the gospel, which involves contacts with thousands of people who are outside the faith, it stands to reason that the person best qualified to convince outsiders is most likely the one who has himself been an outsider and who knows how the newcomer is feeling and thinking.
The trend toward ossification seems to exist only in units of the church which are located in the home country of the Mormons, where it is a terribly disillusioning experience to converts, or to investigators of the faith who come to Salt Lake City or to other Mormon strongholds from all parts of the world.
About the only way that this stolidity can be broken up and leavened with a more effervescent spirit would be for the church to just about double its membership in its home country, bringing into the fold many people with fresh and new ideas about Mormonism.
There are hundreds of thousands who do not profess to belong to any kind of church who reside in Utah, Idaho and Arizona, as well as southern California. These people are perfectly legitimate targets for Mormon missionary work, and a huge campaign to bring them in could be undertaken without attacking any other organization at all. If they were brought in, their presence would revitalize the church where it is most in need of new strength, at home.
Even with its elaborate stake missionary system, the Mormon church is comparatively weak in its ability to convert those people who live in the same communities where the church is strong. This is largely due to the fixed idea that before a person should do missionary work he ought to be called and set apart by the general authorities. There is none of the strong personal missionary zeal that is characteristic of many other churches, such as the Baptists, for instance. Many families have lived for years in Mormon areas, and having come to like the church and admire the effect that it has upon their communities, have desired to go into the church, but no one ever got around to asking them, or to inviting them to attend a service, even.
This weakness is an almost inexcusable oversight in the Mormons, because it has created the impression, entirely false of course, that they do not want the non-Mormons in their home communities to join them.
It has enabled them to do, as a group, what has at many times seemed impossible. It assembled them in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois from many widely scattered parts of the world. It brought whole shiploads of them over from England. It enabled them to stand together in the face of a violent and bloody persecution that is one of the foulest blots on American history. It took them across the plains. It enabled them to build a civilization in the midst of a desert, and since that time has provided the means for a steady growth through economic and political upsets that would have killed off a less-prepared people.
What kind of an organization do they have?
There is no parallel to it anywhere else in the science of government.
It is not a democracy. The results which it achieves often are more democratic in effect than any so-called democracy in existence.
It is not a patriarchy, although the first president of the church is revered and honored among Mormons as are few other men on earth, and his every word is taken with the greatest value.
It cannot be defined as a pure theocracy, because it is not merely a machine for carrying out rigidly-defined oraculations from above. It is administered by men each in his own office and own identity exercising free agency, although the guiding policy of the whole church is taken from inspired messages of the first president, or even in the form of a direct revelation through him from God.
It is not an oligarchy, although policy and administration invariably are in the hands of some form of council.
It is a strong enemy to bureaucracy, and its exact antithesis in effect, although it is always striving to create new jobs and responsibilities.
It is just the Mormon church. It has to be studied in its own light to be understood or appreciated. The Mormons believe that the form of their church was given in a direct revelation from God, and that their prophet Joseph Smith was so delegated to reconstitute on earth the church of Jesus Christ as it existed before its decay into the Middle Ages. They maintain that they now have the form, function and apostolic power of the primitive Christian church, as conveyed to Joseph Smith by the laying on of hands of the original apostles who revsiited the earth from a spiritiual abode for that purpose.
Here it might be contended by non-Mormon, or anti-Mormons, that Joseph Smith was not a prophet, and had no revelations from God or visitations by beings from a spiritual sphere.
That may be so, but to advance such a thesis is to give Joseph Smith credit for being the greatest statesman, the most astute politician, the wisest ruler, the greatest authority on government of people, that ever lived. If, in setting up this organization, he relied solely upon powers inherent in his own brain, on thoughts gained from study and other earthly sources, then indeed he was such a genius as he has never been credited with being. No other philosopher, no other statesman, has ever been able to envision so perfect an organization, and to actually put it into effect so that it would weather the stress of a century and be stronger than ever, more flexible than in the beginning, and potentially more powerful than at any other time in its career.
Government of the church is vested in its priesthood. Since nearly every worthy male member may become a priest, the church government is therefore in the hands of the people. Offices are filled by priests who are selected by priests of equal or higher rank, but before they assume their office, their names are placed in nomination before the people, who have the right to sustain or reject, as they see fit, by popular vote.
The veto power is not very frequently exercised by the people, although all officers above them stand to be sustained or rejected at every official conference in the church, at least every three months. Think of the effect upon the United States government if the president and all his cabinet had to face a similar vote-of-confidence test before an assembly of the people four times each year, sometimes more often!
Voting usually is unanimously in favor of nominations made by the authorities in that particular jurisdiction, though the people are under no compulsion or coercion so to vote. Their actions are emblematical of the usual solidarity of these people, who have learned to a high degree the art of living and working together in harmony. A person would not rise in assembly to voice his objection to a particular person who has been nominated for a position of authority unless there were some very grave moral or other ethical reason why the nominated one ought not to fill office. Then the objecter is expected to follow through his complaint by putting it in writing and standing by it in front of a tribunal called to try the one against whom he has complained. To speak ill of another, either publicly or privately, is one of the great sins of Mormonism, unless such speech is absolutely justified in the best interests of the people and the church, and can be upheld in a court.
Problems that come before any official meeting, whether ward, stake or general conference, have been previously passed upon by authorities in council. There is no need for the bickering, debating and parliamentary jockeying that usually are associated with the meetings of self-governing people. Each conference presents a constructive program to coordinate and guide them all through the ensuing period. The people meet to inspire each other, to learn from each other, and the bitter spirit so characteristic of the conclusions of many religious parliamentary sessions at which opposing parties have battled their ideals out to a finish, is mostly absent from Mormon gatherings.
The governmental structure is so malleable that a good idea can travel from the newest or youngest member to the first presidency, or in reverse, in a matter of a few days. Something begun, discovered or originated in one ward, if of sufficient value and urgency, could be placed into operation in every other ward of the entire church in less than a month. The structure is amenable to almost perfect control, either vertically or laterally.
The secret of success in the Mormon church government would seem to rest in the feeling that there ought to be a position of responsibility and duty for every person in every congregation, according to his gifts, skills and fullness of faith.
By regular attendance at church, every member knows that he will have his time at the speaker's atand to air his views, expound his ideas and observations, and to exhort his fellow-believers to do things the way he thinks best. With everyone securing an equal opportunity to express himself, there is small need for "office politics" or for petty jealousies that arise in most organizations, even those of churches, over some one person holding a position that others covet.
The Mormon ward has many of the aspects of a huge happy family, with every member taking an intense interest in the accomplishments, welfare, and ideas of all the others. When students of the Primary association enact a program in the chapel, nearly everybody turns out to see and encourage them. In the opening exercises, before the tiny tots take over the stage, their service is honored by the three members of the bishopric sitting with them in all the solemn dignity they would assume in any other meeting of the church.
When the Genealogical society, which is mostly composed of elderly people, presents the results of its studies to the ward, young people and middle-aged people attend in their interest of the subject. And when the young people throw a get-together, likely as not, there will be as many grandmothers dancing in the ward recreation hall as there are young people.
Harmony lies in a just division of labors, honors and responsibility. The greater the honor, the heavier the responsibility.
It was this marvelously cohesive organization that aroused much of the persecution of the church. Non-Mormons have never understood it, and have feared it. In the early days, when church members were inspired with the zeal and personality of Joseph Smith, with the sense of the nearness of divine revelation to them, the faith, and the organization that accompanied it were responsible for large bodies of people leaving the places where they had spent their lives, to gather with the saints at a place designated by the prophet. They were not an obscure sect of small numbers when they were robbed, mobbed, and driven from Illinois.
By then, they already had built one of the largest cities wast of the Alleghenies and the biggest one at that time in Illinois. Their center, Nauvoo, Ill., had a population of 20,000 when Chicago had less than 5,000.
The manner in which people flocked to the prophet, his electric personality, and the ease with which the people were governed made them a power in the land and their leader a man to be feared by men whose minds were too narrow or were unwilling to grasp his teachings. Expulsion of the Mormons was abetted by political leaders of Illinois and Missouri who thought that the prophet would supplant them in office with his followers, as indeed he soon could have done had the test been by a fair, legal and peaceful means.
Marvels at what the Mormon "machine" has accomplished, and alternate dread of what it could do were its efforts directed against them have characterized the thinking of non-Mormons and anti-Mormons who have come into contact with these people for more than a century.
Mormon leaders generally appear to have become very self-conscious on this subject, and during the last generation or so have bent over backwards in the other direction, seeking to avoid even any appearance of using their organization for any purpose except to care for their own people and spread the gospel, at the same time retaining a healthy respect for the beliefs of others. In doing this, it is probable that they have gone too far, have been too eager to accept and at once rectify all criticisms thrust at them, whether in kindness or malice. Those offered in kindness, it must be admitted, have been few. Mormon leaders cannot forever attempt to please everyone. They must inevitably face the day when they will have to once more strike out vigorously on their own course and let the dust fall where it may.
A great weakness of the church lies in the fact that so many who have been born and brought up within it are in high positions. These, too, often, are unable to grasp the significant differences between the Mormon church and the many sects and denominations of faith. Not having personally experienced membership in these other groups, they have no deep-seated emotional basis for contrast or comparison. They know that their church is better because they have been taught so from infancy - not because they themselves have compared it and come to that conclusion under their own power.
This, I believe, is the main reason the church is not today making the wholesale conversion that it did in the beginning.
For greatest effectiveness, many of the general authorities, general officers, and stake presidents, ought to be converts. Having personally experienced the ecstasy of finding a complete, all-inclusive way of life after being raised in another religion, converts are better able to recognize and make best use of this feeling in others.
Too often, the person coming into the Mormon church where it already is well established has to spiritually and emotionally batter his way in, because the Mormon who is instrumental in teaching him the faith has very little of the exalted feeling that the person coming in possesses. This tendency toward stodginess in the more settled Mormon congregations even has a discouraging effect upon many who are beginning to turn to the church - unsolicited - through their own studies and observations.
Since the greatest job of the church is to spread the gospel, which involves contacts with thousands of people who are outside the faith, it stands to reason that the person best qualified to convince outsiders is most likely the one who has himself been an outsider and who knows how the newcomer is feeling and thinking.
The trend toward ossification seems to exist only in units of the church which are located in the home country of the Mormons, where it is a terribly disillusioning experience to converts, or to investigators of the faith who come to Salt Lake City or to other Mormon strongholds from all parts of the world.
About the only way that this stolidity can be broken up and leavened with a more effervescent spirit would be for the church to just about double its membership in its home country, bringing into the fold many people with fresh and new ideas about Mormonism.
There are hundreds of thousands who do not profess to belong to any kind of church who reside in Utah, Idaho and Arizona, as well as southern California. These people are perfectly legitimate targets for Mormon missionary work, and a huge campaign to bring them in could be undertaken without attacking any other organization at all. If they were brought in, their presence would revitalize the church where it is most in need of new strength, at home.
Even with its elaborate stake missionary system, the Mormon church is comparatively weak in its ability to convert those people who live in the same communities where the church is strong. This is largely due to the fixed idea that before a person should do missionary work he ought to be called and set apart by the general authorities. There is none of the strong personal missionary zeal that is characteristic of many other churches, such as the Baptists, for instance. Many families have lived for years in Mormon areas, and having come to like the church and admire the effect that it has upon their communities, have desired to go into the church, but no one ever got around to asking them, or to inviting them to attend a service, even.
This weakness is an almost inexcusable oversight in the Mormons, because it has created the impression, entirely false of course, that they do not want the non-Mormons in their home communities to join them.
2.
The highest office in their organization is that of president. He chooses two counselors to assist him. All together, they form the first presidency.
The people sustain the president as a prophet, seer and revelator. He possesses the keys to the priesthood, which were given in revelation to Joseph Smith and passed by him to his successors.
Each Mormon believes that he personally has the power to receive revelation directly from God for the governing of his own life, but that only the president, inheritor of the original prophet's power, has the authority to receive guidance from God for the whole church.
One of the counselors of the first president usually handles the vast amount of work connected with the missionary activity, and the other primarily devotes his efforts to investments and bsuiness matters, leaving the president with somewhat of a choice as to where to apply his own personaltiy in supervising the entire organization.
The first presidency directly appoints presidents of missions and receives their reports. There are many other phases of the church's work which stem from the highest office, and which cannot be easily delagated.
The volume of mail which members of the first presidency conscientiously read and answer is astounding.
Next in authority is the council of the twelve apostles. Their senior member is their president. In the theory of theocratic government, these apostles also hold the keys to the priesthood, but may not exercise these powers unless the president has passed away, been deposed, or his position otherwise becomes vacant. Thus it is seen the council of twelve elects the president. It has been their practice to name the senior member of the council to the church presidency, although there is no canon that directs such action. The church's most comprehensive work on government states that the senior apostle is usually named to the presidency "if qualified." Any one of the apostles may act as first president of the church, although only one of them at a time may act as such, and all the others must acquiesce in his decisions under the rule of unanimity.
Apostles function as a sort of general staff for the first president. They frequently attend stake conferences and other gatherings as official visitors from the president. In the Roman Catholic church, such duties ordinarily would fall to the papal legate. The apostles are some of the country's most brilliant and successful men. Each is selected for some outstanding or long-time service to the church, or for some specialized ability or gift badly needed in the church organization. At the present time, many of them are elderly men and some are just approaching middle age. In the earlier days, comparatively young men held these posts, and through long years of on-the-job training, were in a position later to supply the brilliant leadership necessary in the presidency through many trying times. Theirs is not a purely honorary position. They are as hard working a lot as any group of men in America. Their schedule of activity would make a weak man quail and a strong man weary.
They divide their time between traveling all over the world to keep the church closely knit in fellowship, and the administrative work necessary to keep the huge organization functioning smoothly. Most explanatory theological works, tracts, interpretations of scriptures, Sunday school lessons and texts used to amplify the teachings of Mormonism are written personally by the apostles. A collection of the literary labors of all of them who are members at any one time would make a very valuable library.
The patriarch to the church occupies a position that seems unique to non-Mormons. His right of his office is hereditary, but no patriarch can assume the office unless he is regularly appointed by authority and sustained by the people. His jurisdiction extends throughout the church. He counsels and supervises the duties of patriarchs of limited jurisdictions.
The patriarch has a special calling, that of declaring lineage of church members and of pronouncing blessings upon them. He holds the evangelical office in the church. It is his business and right to bestow blessings upon the heads of those who seek them, to comfort them in hours of sorrow and trouble, and to strengthen their faith by promises that shall be made to them through the spirit of God. He holds the keys to the patriarchal office and like the apostles, "Unto him the promise is given that whatsoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whosoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Since the church has grown to such comparatively large proportions, several assistants to the council of twelve apostles have been called. These for the most part are young men or men just reaching middle age who are especially fitted in some administrative specialty, such as administration of the welfare plan, coordinating the priesthood work, etc. Unlesss specifically and personally designated to make visits or do other temporary tasks by the first presidency, their efforts and authority are expressed solely through the apostles to whom they are assigned as assistants.
Next in order of authority come the seven members of the first council of seventy. This group presides ofver the activities of all the traveling elders, or ministers, in the quorums of seventy throughout the church. The seventies are responsible for missionary activity. The first council is a traveling high council for jurisdiction in this field, or for any other work that might be assigned to it by the first presidency. If the first presidency and the council of twelve should become simultaneously vacated, the first council of seventy then would take charge of the whole church until such time as a reorganization of the higher offices could be effected.
When vacancies occur in the first council of seventy they are filled by appointment of the first presidency and ordained under its direction. The apostles, however, are frequently asked to make suggestions as to the filling of these offices. This council is the most flexible administrative device in the church and could be expanded very rapidly if necessary. Its members are traveling representatives of the first presidency and the twelve apostles. Provision has been made for the calling of many others under the jurisdiction of this council, to rapidly enlarge its work, with each member of the council a president of a big group of seventies.
The presiding bishop and two counselors form the presiding bishopric of the church which, by authority over the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood, has control of all business affairs not handled directly by the first presidency.
Tithing, donation and offerings, both in receipt and distribution, are under the care of members of the presiding bishopric. They are receiving and disbursing agents, centralizing all financial activities of the church in one body.
The first presidency has the sole right to appoint members of the presiding bishopric, with the appointment, of course, subject to being sustained or rejected by the saints in a general conference.
The presiding bishopric, with twelve high priests as counselors, acts as a body of judges to try any charges that might be made against a member of the first presidency. This is the only body in the church that has such authority. The function of this court was tested in 1844 when Sidny Rigdon, who had been one of the counselors of Joseph Smith, was tried before the presiding bishopric, and condemned.
If any charges are brought against the presiding bishop, he can be tried only by a similar court headed by the first presidency.
Known as the "general authorities of the church" are the first presidency, the council of twelve, patriarch to the church, the first council of seventy and the presiding bishopric.
All others who hold church-wide jurisdiction are known as officers of the church. These are the church historian and recorder, and his assistants; members of the general church board of education, the church auditing committee, the general boards of auxiliary organizations and other special callings.
The historian maintains custody of all historical documents of significance to the Mormons and keeps official records of events from every jurisdiction.
A day-by-day journal of all happenings of importance to the whole of Mormondom has been kept from the earliest years, and in the historian's archives in Salt Lake City is a first-hand account of most of the colorful history of the early west. There are to be found reports of missionaries sent from all parts of the world, all accurately and conveniently catalogued for easy reference.
Included in the historian's library, too, is a copy of nearly every book, pamphlet, sheet or article ever published about Mormonism, whether favorable, unfavorable, or even scurrilous. As an example of this collection's completeness, there can be taken the case of a writer whose recently published book about Joseph Smith required more than five years for the gathering of material. When the finished work was obtained and checked against references available in the church library, nearly every quoted source was to be found there, within the space of a few feet on adjacent shelves!
Appointments to most positions within the church are for an indefinite period, with the appointees subject to removal by the appointing authority. In effect, calling to an apostleship seems to be for life, conditional of course, upon faithful performance.
Releases from duty usually are so arranged that there is no stigma connected with stepping down from a job. The provision for counselors in most important positions very smoothly takes care of this matter. If a leader proves to be a flop, he can be upheld, assisted and guided by his counselors until such time as he can be released with honor and the thanks of the people.
General authorites and officers of the church devote full time to its activities. The remuneration wihich they receive is a pittance compared with salaries that services of such a high order would command in any other field. When a man is called to this duty, he frequently relinquishes an income many times greater than the allowance given him by the church for maintaining his family. Some of those who are more wealthy do not accept the allowance.
Members of the first presidency and the twelve apostles receive salaries that are very small, compared to what similar duties would command in business or industry.
The people sustain the president as a prophet, seer and revelator. He possesses the keys to the priesthood, which were given in revelation to Joseph Smith and passed by him to his successors.
Each Mormon believes that he personally has the power to receive revelation directly from God for the governing of his own life, but that only the president, inheritor of the original prophet's power, has the authority to receive guidance from God for the whole church.
One of the counselors of the first president usually handles the vast amount of work connected with the missionary activity, and the other primarily devotes his efforts to investments and bsuiness matters, leaving the president with somewhat of a choice as to where to apply his own personaltiy in supervising the entire organization.
The first presidency directly appoints presidents of missions and receives their reports. There are many other phases of the church's work which stem from the highest office, and which cannot be easily delagated.
The volume of mail which members of the first presidency conscientiously read and answer is astounding.
Next in authority is the council of the twelve apostles. Their senior member is their president. In the theory of theocratic government, these apostles also hold the keys to the priesthood, but may not exercise these powers unless the president has passed away, been deposed, or his position otherwise becomes vacant. Thus it is seen the council of twelve elects the president. It has been their practice to name the senior member of the council to the church presidency, although there is no canon that directs such action. The church's most comprehensive work on government states that the senior apostle is usually named to the presidency "if qualified." Any one of the apostles may act as first president of the church, although only one of them at a time may act as such, and all the others must acquiesce in his decisions under the rule of unanimity.
Apostles function as a sort of general staff for the first president. They frequently attend stake conferences and other gatherings as official visitors from the president. In the Roman Catholic church, such duties ordinarily would fall to the papal legate. The apostles are some of the country's most brilliant and successful men. Each is selected for some outstanding or long-time service to the church, or for some specialized ability or gift badly needed in the church organization. At the present time, many of them are elderly men and some are just approaching middle age. In the earlier days, comparatively young men held these posts, and through long years of on-the-job training, were in a position later to supply the brilliant leadership necessary in the presidency through many trying times. Theirs is not a purely honorary position. They are as hard working a lot as any group of men in America. Their schedule of activity would make a weak man quail and a strong man weary.
They divide their time between traveling all over the world to keep the church closely knit in fellowship, and the administrative work necessary to keep the huge organization functioning smoothly. Most explanatory theological works, tracts, interpretations of scriptures, Sunday school lessons and texts used to amplify the teachings of Mormonism are written personally by the apostles. A collection of the literary labors of all of them who are members at any one time would make a very valuable library.
The patriarch to the church occupies a position that seems unique to non-Mormons. His right of his office is hereditary, but no patriarch can assume the office unless he is regularly appointed by authority and sustained by the people. His jurisdiction extends throughout the church. He counsels and supervises the duties of patriarchs of limited jurisdictions.
The patriarch has a special calling, that of declaring lineage of church members and of pronouncing blessings upon them. He holds the evangelical office in the church. It is his business and right to bestow blessings upon the heads of those who seek them, to comfort them in hours of sorrow and trouble, and to strengthen their faith by promises that shall be made to them through the spirit of God. He holds the keys to the patriarchal office and like the apostles, "Unto him the promise is given that whatsoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whosoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Since the church has grown to such comparatively large proportions, several assistants to the council of twelve apostles have been called. These for the most part are young men or men just reaching middle age who are especially fitted in some administrative specialty, such as administration of the welfare plan, coordinating the priesthood work, etc. Unlesss specifically and personally designated to make visits or do other temporary tasks by the first presidency, their efforts and authority are expressed solely through the apostles to whom they are assigned as assistants.
Next in order of authority come the seven members of the first council of seventy. This group presides ofver the activities of all the traveling elders, or ministers, in the quorums of seventy throughout the church. The seventies are responsible for missionary activity. The first council is a traveling high council for jurisdiction in this field, or for any other work that might be assigned to it by the first presidency. If the first presidency and the council of twelve should become simultaneously vacated, the first council of seventy then would take charge of the whole church until such time as a reorganization of the higher offices could be effected.
When vacancies occur in the first council of seventy they are filled by appointment of the first presidency and ordained under its direction. The apostles, however, are frequently asked to make suggestions as to the filling of these offices. This council is the most flexible administrative device in the church and could be expanded very rapidly if necessary. Its members are traveling representatives of the first presidency and the twelve apostles. Provision has been made for the calling of many others under the jurisdiction of this council, to rapidly enlarge its work, with each member of the council a president of a big group of seventies.
The presiding bishop and two counselors form the presiding bishopric of the church which, by authority over the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood, has control of all business affairs not handled directly by the first presidency.
Tithing, donation and offerings, both in receipt and distribution, are under the care of members of the presiding bishopric. They are receiving and disbursing agents, centralizing all financial activities of the church in one body.
The first presidency has the sole right to appoint members of the presiding bishopric, with the appointment, of course, subject to being sustained or rejected by the saints in a general conference.
The presiding bishopric, with twelve high priests as counselors, acts as a body of judges to try any charges that might be made against a member of the first presidency. This is the only body in the church that has such authority. The function of this court was tested in 1844 when Sidny Rigdon, who had been one of the counselors of Joseph Smith, was tried before the presiding bishopric, and condemned.
If any charges are brought against the presiding bishop, he can be tried only by a similar court headed by the first presidency.
Known as the "general authorities of the church" are the first presidency, the council of twelve, patriarch to the church, the first council of seventy and the presiding bishopric.
All others who hold church-wide jurisdiction are known as officers of the church. These are the church historian and recorder, and his assistants; members of the general church board of education, the church auditing committee, the general boards of auxiliary organizations and other special callings.
The historian maintains custody of all historical documents of significance to the Mormons and keeps official records of events from every jurisdiction.
A day-by-day journal of all happenings of importance to the whole of Mormondom has been kept from the earliest years, and in the historian's archives in Salt Lake City is a first-hand account of most of the colorful history of the early west. There are to be found reports of missionaries sent from all parts of the world, all accurately and conveniently catalogued for easy reference.
Included in the historian's library, too, is a copy of nearly every book, pamphlet, sheet or article ever published about Mormonism, whether favorable, unfavorable, or even scurrilous. As an example of this collection's completeness, there can be taken the case of a writer whose recently published book about Joseph Smith required more than five years for the gathering of material. When the finished work was obtained and checked against references available in the church library, nearly every quoted source was to be found there, within the space of a few feet on adjacent shelves!
Appointments to most positions within the church are for an indefinite period, with the appointees subject to removal by the appointing authority. In effect, calling to an apostleship seems to be for life, conditional of course, upon faithful performance.
Releases from duty usually are so arranged that there is no stigma connected with stepping down from a job. The provision for counselors in most important positions very smoothly takes care of this matter. If a leader proves to be a flop, he can be upheld, assisted and guided by his counselors until such time as he can be released with honor and the thanks of the people.
General authorites and officers of the church devote full time to its activities. The remuneration wihich they receive is a pittance compared with salaries that services of such a high order would command in any other field. When a man is called to this duty, he frequently relinquishes an income many times greater than the allowance given him by the church for maintaining his family. Some of those who are more wealthy do not accept the allowance.
Members of the first presidency and the twelve apostles receive salaries that are very small, compared to what similar duties would command in business or industry.
3.
The principal administrative unit of the Mormon church organization is the stake. Roughly, it corresponds in size to the average diocese of the Episcopal or Roman Catholic churches, or to conferences or districts of other denominations. Due to the all-embracing policy and structure of the L.D.S. church, however, the stake has much added significance above these parallel ecclesiastical units.
In the earlier days, there was only one big church, with its apostles, high priests, elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. As it grew very rapidly, branches were established, and somewhat later the prophet revealed the idea of stake organization. Stakes are administered directly from the general church offices. There are more than 150 of them, and this seems to be about the top number that can be handled in this manner.
A further decentralization seems to be indicated as the next evolutionary step in church expansion, with regional offices standing between the stakes and the general offices. This already is taking place as far as handling the welfare plan is concerned, but has not as yet been extended to cover any other matters of the church. If any sudden expansion of the church membership becomes possible through greatly increased missionary, exhorting, or prophetic power, it is certain that a more complete development of the regional idea would come in short order. As the stakes now report directly to the main headquarters, they seem to be loading down the first presidency and the council of twelve with about the limit of administrative load that they can handle by direct personal action.
The increasing of administrative assistance at general headquarters at Salt Lake City to take care of further increase in the load does not seem to be in keeping with the history of the decentralization of power and responsibility. It might well be that the next decade or two will see the growth of regional administrative and spiritual headquarters that would have the general nature of arch-dioceses. This could be easily accomplished by merely assigning one of the assistants to the twelve apostles as head of a region, and by the extension of the number of these assistants.
A stake is a geographical, numerical and governmental division of the church. This particular meaning and connotation of the word "stake" was given by Joseph Smith after the church had been a going concern for several years, when he was putting the last touches on the powerful organization he had seen come into being on the earth. The prophet envisioned stakes in, "The great cities of Boston and New York, etc." This dream today is being realized as missions develop one area after another into stake status.
The stake is the largest conveniently organized territorial division, both at home and in the more advanced areas formerly served by missions. There is a stake in Hawaii, for instance, in addition to the big remaining territory there administered by the Hawaiian mission.
The number of wards and branches in a stake varies. It may be few, or many, whichever is most convenient for any given geographical district. The stake may be divided when it has become so populous that its officers and committees cannot well handle the business of coordinating all its wards and branches.
No limit has been set to the number of stakes that may be organized.
The stake encourages many inter-ward social and religious activities, fostering the development of acquaintanceships beyond the restrictions of wards, and serving to cohere a larger community into a unanimity effective for as many purposes as the goals of the church itself. Stepping up the line, inter-stake social events are sometimes scheduled, and inter-stake cooperation in the welfare plan, under guidance of the regional council, has become an accepted feature of administration.
A stake is headed by a presidency, or a council, of three high priests formed by the president, first counselor and second counselor. All church auxiliary organizations have their counterparts in the stake government. These are such as Sunday schools, Mutual Improvement associations, Relief Society, Primary associations, etc.
The church demands a man of very high caliber for stake president, and he would correspond in position to a general in the army, an admiral in the navy, or the bishop of a large Roman Catholic diocese. However, few receive any pay whatever from the church. Very often, their abilities have made them wealthy men long before they have reached middle age, though personal integrity, wisdom, sound judgment, ability to receive and act upon inspiration from God and possession of high spiritual qualities are the qualifications demanded, without regard to personal finances.
Stake presidents are selected by general authorities of the church, often by the whole council of twelve, or even the first president, although any one member of the council might exercise such authority.
Some of the duties of the stake presidency are: to hold regular council meetings; choose a stake clerk, recommend bishops of wards, choose the presiding heads of stake auxiliary organizations and see that the stake organizations are kept intact, hold ward conferences, audit reports of ward bishops, attend to the monthly meeting of the high priests' quorum, make all necessary arrangements for the holding of quarterly stake conferences under the direction of the general authorities of the church, interview personally every missionary recommended to represent the church in the mission field, approve or disapprove all who are recommended by the bishops to go to the temple, or to receive blessings from the patriarch to the church, recommend elders to be either seventies or high priests, recommend seventies to be ordained high priests, supervise the several stake priesthood committees, manage stake budgeting and finance, and all other duties as the general authorities may dictate.
There is a precise division of responsibilities among the three members of the stake presidency. A church handbook on the priesthood's duties sets out the specific committees which each of the three is to oversee, and the exact functions that otherwise fall to each.
Presidents of stakes and bishops of wards are the two representatives that have been authorized by the church to perform civil marriages where the church is regularly organized, although this function is also managed by elders in the missionary fields, according to the several laws of states, provinces and counties in which they are laboring. Mission presidents usually do this work.
The job of stake clerk is a real one. The clerk must be a good accountant, a skilled penman, and generally systematic and thorough. It is policy that he ought not to be a member of the stake presidency, high council, or of a ward bishopric, and not a member of the immediate family of any presiding stake officer. This provision is one of those wise safeguards that the church has imposed throughout its system to guarantee a perfection of checking, balancing and auditing.
Each stake has a standing high council. This council is equal in authority in respect to all of its decisions in affairs of the church to the quorum of the stake presidency.
Twelve high priests constitute this body, over which presides the stake president with the assistance of his counselors. The original high council of a stake is organized by the first presidency of the church. AFter that, however, the stake presidency makes appointments to fill vacancies, but these appointments must be sanctioned by a council of the priesthood convened for that purpose, or by the voice of all church members at a stake conference.
The stake high council's functions are mostly judicial, although it has important legislative and executive powers if it is wise or necessary to use them.
The stake presidency lays its nominations for bishops and stake officers, and new stake policies before this council for concurrence.
When a new member joins the high council, he takes the number twelve, and all of those senior to him in point of service advance their numbers in the group accordingly. In some stakes, there is a policy of appointing alternates to fill temporary vacancies in the council, since it cannot sit for business unless twelve members are present. However, this is not necessary, since the council may call any high priest within the stake jurisdiction to sit in the vacant chair. This is another check-and-balance that is not often seen in any other governmental organization. The requirement that there must be twelve high priests every time the council does business assures that a strong minority, or even a majority, cannot arbitrarily exercise the powers of the council in the absence of one or serveral members. The council can have no certain way of knowing just how the temporary members are going to vote on any given question, and therefore ordinary human political perspicacity would make them all stick to general constructive principles and avoid the political shenanigans so often prevalent in almost any council where membership is fixed and the character of each man's vote often can be determined in advance by his previous actions and expressions.
Think what a radical change there would be in government of the average city if, in the absence of Alderman Blimp, the mayor and other members of the city council could call in any qualified voter of the city to fill in his chair for that day's session!
Each division of the priesthood has its own stake quorum or quorums and every phase of church work has its own highly developed stake committee that oversees its variety of activity throughout the stake, with members of the stake committees and quorums frequently visiting around to all the wards, stimulating growth and interest by their presence and guidance.
Stake patriarchs hold their appointments, not from the stake presidency, but directly from the first presidency of the church, or from the council of the twelve apostles. If a stake is a large one, or if its units are widely scattered, it may have more than one patriarch. Church members who desire patriarchal blessings first must secure a recommend from their bishop, and present this to the patriarch before they may receive the blessings. Here, again, is another check and balance situation. The bishop is the man who collects the tithes, and is in excellent position to know who is diligent in all the affairs of the church! It would be unfair to impute that a bishop would refuse to reommend a member for blessing unless he had paid his tithes, and it is not likely that he would take such an arbitrary stand. Still, tithe-payign is one of the means of a member's worthiness being judged. There also is a cross-check on the bishop, though, because each church member must sign the statement of his tithe-collection status.
Functions of the stake welfare organization and stake missions are described in other chapters.
Every stake holds a conference every three months. The conference usually consists of one meeting on Saturday (a priesthood conference) and two on Sunday. The Sunday morning session is usually divided into three parts. At first the mothers and daughters meet in one hall while the fathers and sons meet in another, for work peculiar to their own places in the Mormon religious structure; then they join for a general session together. The evening session is attended throughout by members of both sexes. The visiting general authority presides at all these conferences.
Stake priesthood conferences are called whenever they are needed. There are often other stake gatherings of a social nature, or in connection with welfare work.
The ward in the Latter-day Saints organization corresponds in size to the average denominational church, having from one hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred members.
It generally has geographical limitations rather well defined, similar somewhat to the districting idea used in locating parishes of a highly organized Roman Catholic or Church of England diocese. It is a rather close parallel to the parish. The attendance of members at the ward meeting houses in the district in which their homes happen to be located is not absolutely mandatory, but is strongly encouraged by church authorities for the sake of easier administration.
The bishop is the senior church officer of a ward, and is its spiritual and temporal administrator. The size and location of a ward is aimed primarily at making it feasible for the bishop to personally know every person in it.
The ward is a complete functional unit, and is the one in most direct and immediate contact with the people. In church theory and practice, it is second only to the family in importance as a spiritual, educational, social and business unit. All operations and goals of the ward are predicated upon the theory that it is itself a big family, with the duties, rights and responsibilities of all members fitting into a comparative family order.
All meetings of a ward are so staggered that none interferes with the others. Sacramental meetings come first in importance, and after that, meetings of the various priesthood quorums. When the demands of these services have been met, then all other organizations take their respective amoung of time left in a month. A schedule of all meetings in a ward is settled well in advance in a council called for that pupose by the bishop. With no conflicting dates, it is expected that the whole body of the church will lend its support by attendance at functions of the various units, thus furthering the family spirit, with each group being keenly interested in the accomplishments and endeavors of every other group.
The ward has a court, over which the bishop with his two counselors as associates, presides.
Each ward has a quorum of forty-eight priests, provided there are enough members in that category to complete the organization. The bishop is president of the priests' quorum. There also often is one or more quorums from the deacons and teachers. When fully organized, each ward has a Relief Society, a Sunday School, a Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association, a Primary Association, a Genealogical class and ward units of all other auxiliary organizations of the church, such as welfare or board of education.
In no other church does the basic unit of organization occupy such a great part in the lives of all members as does that of the L.D.S. ward, and immediately above it the L.D.S. stake. Neither the stake nor the ward confines itself to purely ecclesiastical functions, nor to the dispensation of alms and charity, as do parishes and dioceses of even the most strongly organized of other churches. They fill the whole lives of their members, taking all social and other time that is not actually spent in earning a livign or in securing an education. Indeed, they highly influence and color even these activities.
A devout and active Mormon has little need for clubs. His membership in secret societies, such as the Masons, Klu [sic] Klux Klan, and similar groups, is discouraged, and this becomes more of a mandate to him as he climbs higher in authority and responsibility in the church. This matter, as well as all other qualifications for office, can easily be controlled since leaders are chosen by appointment of higher authority and not by direct popular election.
When a ward becomes too populous to be properly handled as one unit, the stake presidency makes a study of the matter, and if actual need is indicated, recommends to the first presidency that a new ward be formed. When approval from the first presidency is obtained, then the stake presidency proceeds with the organization of the new ward, and the selection of its officers, including members of the bishopric, under the direction of the general authorities.
Independent branches are similarly raised to ward status.
The bishop's authority extends over all officers and members of the ward. With his counselors, he also has supervision of all ward organizations. He directs and controls all ward affairs in conformity with laws and regulations of the church. He receives the tithes of the people, directs in the ordinances of baptism and the confirming of new members, conducts funerals, signs recommendations for worthy members to enter temples or to receive patriarchal blessings, gives certificates of membership to those who remove to other wards, and performs a myriad other duties. He usually maintains an office at the ward meeting house and spends many hours there carrying out the work of the church. The paid minister of no congregation in another church ever did a harder, more thorough, more time-consuming job than that of the Mormon bishop. He receives only about $24 annually, but performs all these duties in addition to making his daily living at whatever his line of employment or business may be.
The bishop meets regularly, usually once a week, with his counselors and the ward clerk to chart the course and discuss the affairs of the ward. This is not a hasty meeting sandwiched in between some service and another, but usually takes place in mid-week and occupies most of an evening.
The bishop is presiding officer of the ward and cannot delegate this responsibility, although he may direct his counselors to perform many duties under his supervision. When the counselor is carrying out an order, or fulfilling the wish of the bishop, he is not doing it as a bishop, but as a representative of the bishop. When the bishop is released from his duties by higher church authorities, his counselors are automatically released at the same time. This holds true with all other presidencies throughout the church.
While the bishop has the sole right of appointment of all officers of all organizations within his ward, in practice he often consults with his presidents of auxiliary units, or even takes with little question their recommendations for officers within their groups.
Every member of the church is charged with strict allegiance to his bishop and to the ward in which he dwells or to which he belongs. This applies even to the general officers of the church, or to others holding high rank.
The ward maintains a record of members, in which is the name of every one in the ward, and registration of all blessings, baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, marriages, divorces, excommunications and deaths.
When a member in good standing moves from one ward to another, his record of membership is automatically transferred via the Presiding Bishop's Office. If a person who claims membership can produce neither records nor witnesses, he is re-baptized and re-confirmed, and his association with the church becomes as a new convert at that time.
Every five years each ward takes a complete census of all members in its jurisdiction and forwards a copy of this to the general church offices. This is the only permanent and complete record of membership that is maintained at church headquarters at Salt Lake City, but no other religious body in America has a more complete or accurate system of registration.
The wards, in pursuit of their block-teaching systems, maintain up-to-the-minute card files of all members at all times. The accuracy, of course, is dependent upon the diligence of the ward clerk and the ability and sense of duty of ward teachers, as well as the wisdom of the bishop.
In the earlier days, there was only one big church, with its apostles, high priests, elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. As it grew very rapidly, branches were established, and somewhat later the prophet revealed the idea of stake organization. Stakes are administered directly from the general church offices. There are more than 150 of them, and this seems to be about the top number that can be handled in this manner.
A further decentralization seems to be indicated as the next evolutionary step in church expansion, with regional offices standing between the stakes and the general offices. This already is taking place as far as handling the welfare plan is concerned, but has not as yet been extended to cover any other matters of the church. If any sudden expansion of the church membership becomes possible through greatly increased missionary, exhorting, or prophetic power, it is certain that a more complete development of the regional idea would come in short order. As the stakes now report directly to the main headquarters, they seem to be loading down the first presidency and the council of twelve with about the limit of administrative load that they can handle by direct personal action.
The increasing of administrative assistance at general headquarters at Salt Lake City to take care of further increase in the load does not seem to be in keeping with the history of the decentralization of power and responsibility. It might well be that the next decade or two will see the growth of regional administrative and spiritual headquarters that would have the general nature of arch-dioceses. This could be easily accomplished by merely assigning one of the assistants to the twelve apostles as head of a region, and by the extension of the number of these assistants.
A stake is a geographical, numerical and governmental division of the church. This particular meaning and connotation of the word "stake" was given by Joseph Smith after the church had been a going concern for several years, when he was putting the last touches on the powerful organization he had seen come into being on the earth. The prophet envisioned stakes in, "The great cities of Boston and New York, etc." This dream today is being realized as missions develop one area after another into stake status.
The stake is the largest conveniently organized territorial division, both at home and in the more advanced areas formerly served by missions. There is a stake in Hawaii, for instance, in addition to the big remaining territory there administered by the Hawaiian mission.
The number of wards and branches in a stake varies. It may be few, or many, whichever is most convenient for any given geographical district. The stake may be divided when it has become so populous that its officers and committees cannot well handle the business of coordinating all its wards and branches.
No limit has been set to the number of stakes that may be organized.
The stake encourages many inter-ward social and religious activities, fostering the development of acquaintanceships beyond the restrictions of wards, and serving to cohere a larger community into a unanimity effective for as many purposes as the goals of the church itself. Stepping up the line, inter-stake social events are sometimes scheduled, and inter-stake cooperation in the welfare plan, under guidance of the regional council, has become an accepted feature of administration.
A stake is headed by a presidency, or a council, of three high priests formed by the president, first counselor and second counselor. All church auxiliary organizations have their counterparts in the stake government. These are such as Sunday schools, Mutual Improvement associations, Relief Society, Primary associations, etc.
The church demands a man of very high caliber for stake president, and he would correspond in position to a general in the army, an admiral in the navy, or the bishop of a large Roman Catholic diocese. However, few receive any pay whatever from the church. Very often, their abilities have made them wealthy men long before they have reached middle age, though personal integrity, wisdom, sound judgment, ability to receive and act upon inspiration from God and possession of high spiritual qualities are the qualifications demanded, without regard to personal finances.
Stake presidents are selected by general authorities of the church, often by the whole council of twelve, or even the first president, although any one member of the council might exercise such authority.
Some of the duties of the stake presidency are: to hold regular council meetings; choose a stake clerk, recommend bishops of wards, choose the presiding heads of stake auxiliary organizations and see that the stake organizations are kept intact, hold ward conferences, audit reports of ward bishops, attend to the monthly meeting of the high priests' quorum, make all necessary arrangements for the holding of quarterly stake conferences under the direction of the general authorities of the church, interview personally every missionary recommended to represent the church in the mission field, approve or disapprove all who are recommended by the bishops to go to the temple, or to receive blessings from the patriarch to the church, recommend elders to be either seventies or high priests, recommend seventies to be ordained high priests, supervise the several stake priesthood committees, manage stake budgeting and finance, and all other duties as the general authorities may dictate.
There is a precise division of responsibilities among the three members of the stake presidency. A church handbook on the priesthood's duties sets out the specific committees which each of the three is to oversee, and the exact functions that otherwise fall to each.
Presidents of stakes and bishops of wards are the two representatives that have been authorized by the church to perform civil marriages where the church is regularly organized, although this function is also managed by elders in the missionary fields, according to the several laws of states, provinces and counties in which they are laboring. Mission presidents usually do this work.
The job of stake clerk is a real one. The clerk must be a good accountant, a skilled penman, and generally systematic and thorough. It is policy that he ought not to be a member of the stake presidency, high council, or of a ward bishopric, and not a member of the immediate family of any presiding stake officer. This provision is one of those wise safeguards that the church has imposed throughout its system to guarantee a perfection of checking, balancing and auditing.
Each stake has a standing high council. This council is equal in authority in respect to all of its decisions in affairs of the church to the quorum of the stake presidency.
Twelve high priests constitute this body, over which presides the stake president with the assistance of his counselors. The original high council of a stake is organized by the first presidency of the church. AFter that, however, the stake presidency makes appointments to fill vacancies, but these appointments must be sanctioned by a council of the priesthood convened for that purpose, or by the voice of all church members at a stake conference.
The stake high council's functions are mostly judicial, although it has important legislative and executive powers if it is wise or necessary to use them.
The stake presidency lays its nominations for bishops and stake officers, and new stake policies before this council for concurrence.
When a new member joins the high council, he takes the number twelve, and all of those senior to him in point of service advance their numbers in the group accordingly. In some stakes, there is a policy of appointing alternates to fill temporary vacancies in the council, since it cannot sit for business unless twelve members are present. However, this is not necessary, since the council may call any high priest within the stake jurisdiction to sit in the vacant chair. This is another check-and-balance that is not often seen in any other governmental organization. The requirement that there must be twelve high priests every time the council does business assures that a strong minority, or even a majority, cannot arbitrarily exercise the powers of the council in the absence of one or serveral members. The council can have no certain way of knowing just how the temporary members are going to vote on any given question, and therefore ordinary human political perspicacity would make them all stick to general constructive principles and avoid the political shenanigans so often prevalent in almost any council where membership is fixed and the character of each man's vote often can be determined in advance by his previous actions and expressions.
Think what a radical change there would be in government of the average city if, in the absence of Alderman Blimp, the mayor and other members of the city council could call in any qualified voter of the city to fill in his chair for that day's session!
Each division of the priesthood has its own stake quorum or quorums and every phase of church work has its own highly developed stake committee that oversees its variety of activity throughout the stake, with members of the stake committees and quorums frequently visiting around to all the wards, stimulating growth and interest by their presence and guidance.
Stake patriarchs hold their appointments, not from the stake presidency, but directly from the first presidency of the church, or from the council of the twelve apostles. If a stake is a large one, or if its units are widely scattered, it may have more than one patriarch. Church members who desire patriarchal blessings first must secure a recommend from their bishop, and present this to the patriarch before they may receive the blessings. Here, again, is another check and balance situation. The bishop is the man who collects the tithes, and is in excellent position to know who is diligent in all the affairs of the church! It would be unfair to impute that a bishop would refuse to reommend a member for blessing unless he had paid his tithes, and it is not likely that he would take such an arbitrary stand. Still, tithe-payign is one of the means of a member's worthiness being judged. There also is a cross-check on the bishop, though, because each church member must sign the statement of his tithe-collection status.
Functions of the stake welfare organization and stake missions are described in other chapters.
Every stake holds a conference every three months. The conference usually consists of one meeting on Saturday (a priesthood conference) and two on Sunday. The Sunday morning session is usually divided into three parts. At first the mothers and daughters meet in one hall while the fathers and sons meet in another, for work peculiar to their own places in the Mormon religious structure; then they join for a general session together. The evening session is attended throughout by members of both sexes. The visiting general authority presides at all these conferences.
Stake priesthood conferences are called whenever they are needed. There are often other stake gatherings of a social nature, or in connection with welfare work.
The ward in the Latter-day Saints organization corresponds in size to the average denominational church, having from one hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred members.
It generally has geographical limitations rather well defined, similar somewhat to the districting idea used in locating parishes of a highly organized Roman Catholic or Church of England diocese. It is a rather close parallel to the parish. The attendance of members at the ward meeting houses in the district in which their homes happen to be located is not absolutely mandatory, but is strongly encouraged by church authorities for the sake of easier administration.
The bishop is the senior church officer of a ward, and is its spiritual and temporal administrator. The size and location of a ward is aimed primarily at making it feasible for the bishop to personally know every person in it.
The ward is a complete functional unit, and is the one in most direct and immediate contact with the people. In church theory and practice, it is second only to the family in importance as a spiritual, educational, social and business unit. All operations and goals of the ward are predicated upon the theory that it is itself a big family, with the duties, rights and responsibilities of all members fitting into a comparative family order.
All meetings of a ward are so staggered that none interferes with the others. Sacramental meetings come first in importance, and after that, meetings of the various priesthood quorums. When the demands of these services have been met, then all other organizations take their respective amoung of time left in a month. A schedule of all meetings in a ward is settled well in advance in a council called for that pupose by the bishop. With no conflicting dates, it is expected that the whole body of the church will lend its support by attendance at functions of the various units, thus furthering the family spirit, with each group being keenly interested in the accomplishments and endeavors of every other group.
The ward has a court, over which the bishop with his two counselors as associates, presides.
Each ward has a quorum of forty-eight priests, provided there are enough members in that category to complete the organization. The bishop is president of the priests' quorum. There also often is one or more quorums from the deacons and teachers. When fully organized, each ward has a Relief Society, a Sunday School, a Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association, a Primary Association, a Genealogical class and ward units of all other auxiliary organizations of the church, such as welfare or board of education.
In no other church does the basic unit of organization occupy such a great part in the lives of all members as does that of the L.D.S. ward, and immediately above it the L.D.S. stake. Neither the stake nor the ward confines itself to purely ecclesiastical functions, nor to the dispensation of alms and charity, as do parishes and dioceses of even the most strongly organized of other churches. They fill the whole lives of their members, taking all social and other time that is not actually spent in earning a livign or in securing an education. Indeed, they highly influence and color even these activities.
A devout and active Mormon has little need for clubs. His membership in secret societies, such as the Masons, Klu [sic] Klux Klan, and similar groups, is discouraged, and this becomes more of a mandate to him as he climbs higher in authority and responsibility in the church. This matter, as well as all other qualifications for office, can easily be controlled since leaders are chosen by appointment of higher authority and not by direct popular election.
When a ward becomes too populous to be properly handled as one unit, the stake presidency makes a study of the matter, and if actual need is indicated, recommends to the first presidency that a new ward be formed. When approval from the first presidency is obtained, then the stake presidency proceeds with the organization of the new ward, and the selection of its officers, including members of the bishopric, under the direction of the general authorities.
Independent branches are similarly raised to ward status.
The bishop's authority extends over all officers and members of the ward. With his counselors, he also has supervision of all ward organizations. He directs and controls all ward affairs in conformity with laws and regulations of the church. He receives the tithes of the people, directs in the ordinances of baptism and the confirming of new members, conducts funerals, signs recommendations for worthy members to enter temples or to receive patriarchal blessings, gives certificates of membership to those who remove to other wards, and performs a myriad other duties. He usually maintains an office at the ward meeting house and spends many hours there carrying out the work of the church. The paid minister of no congregation in another church ever did a harder, more thorough, more time-consuming job than that of the Mormon bishop. He receives only about $24 annually, but performs all these duties in addition to making his daily living at whatever his line of employment or business may be.
The bishop meets regularly, usually once a week, with his counselors and the ward clerk to chart the course and discuss the affairs of the ward. This is not a hasty meeting sandwiched in between some service and another, but usually takes place in mid-week and occupies most of an evening.
The bishop is presiding officer of the ward and cannot delegate this responsibility, although he may direct his counselors to perform many duties under his supervision. When the counselor is carrying out an order, or fulfilling the wish of the bishop, he is not doing it as a bishop, but as a representative of the bishop. When the bishop is released from his duties by higher church authorities, his counselors are automatically released at the same time. This holds true with all other presidencies throughout the church.
While the bishop has the sole right of appointment of all officers of all organizations within his ward, in practice he often consults with his presidents of auxiliary units, or even takes with little question their recommendations for officers within their groups.
Every member of the church is charged with strict allegiance to his bishop and to the ward in which he dwells or to which he belongs. This applies even to the general officers of the church, or to others holding high rank.
The ward maintains a record of members, in which is the name of every one in the ward, and registration of all blessings, baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, marriages, divorces, excommunications and deaths.
When a member in good standing moves from one ward to another, his record of membership is automatically transferred via the Presiding Bishop's Office. If a person who claims membership can produce neither records nor witnesses, he is re-baptized and re-confirmed, and his association with the church becomes as a new convert at that time.
Every five years each ward takes a complete census of all members in its jurisdiction and forwards a copy of this to the general church offices. This is the only permanent and complete record of membership that is maintained at church headquarters at Salt Lake City, but no other religious body in America has a more complete or accurate system of registration.
The wards, in pursuit of their block-teaching systems, maintain up-to-the-minute card files of all members at all times. The accuracy, of course, is dependent upon the diligence of the ward clerk and the ability and sense of duty of ward teachers, as well as the wisdom of the bishop.
5.
The efficiency of the block-teaching methods of the Latter-day Saints make them worthy of serious study by any church or any political organization which is primarily interested in keeping in close contact with all its members, strengthening weaker persons in their faith, regaining active service of those who have drifted away from full participation, gaining full and accurate social casework information for ministering to the poor, the ferreting out and stopping of malicious gossip and rumors, and generally fostering a brotherly spirit among the whole body of membership.
It is policy that every family which belongs to the church shall be officially visited at least once a month. This work is called teaching. It is the primary function of the youthful members of the Aaronic priesthood who hold the office of teacher, although the work is so heavy that it always demands the time of many others. To this end, all who do not have a full schedule of other duties are encouraged to devote time to teaching.
The geographical area of the ward is divided into small teaching zones, also on a geographical basis, so that the maximum number of contacts can be made with the minimum expenditure of time and expense in traveling. The names and addresses of all families within one of these units are ascertained and the job of visiting them and keeping them in contact with the main body of believers is given to a pair of teachers.
The most recently revised plan of operation of this system, adopted for all the church in the early part of 1946, is reproduced here in precisely the same wording as it appeared when distributed in bulletin form to all church officers in a stake
1. The ward area should be divided into three divisions. Each of these divisions should be again broken down into smaller block areas containing approximately six to ten L.D.S. families.
2. One member of the bishopric should assume personal and individual supervision over each of these divisions. The member of the bishopric cannot delegate these personal executive responsibilities to anyone else.
3. Selected capable men should be called to act as special representatives to the member of the bishopric in charge of their district, as ward teachers, to be assisted in each case by a less capable brother or member of the Aaronic priesthood. Each of these pairs of block teachers should be placed in charge of a block area to visit the L.D.S. families at least once each month and perform such other duties as specified in the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter 20, verses 53-55, and Chapter 42, verses 12-13.
4. Each pair of ward teachers should be requested to report directly to the personnel supervisor in charge of their division, personally, by phone, letter, or report blank, their progress and such other information required of such special representatives; these reports are to be made each week, or at the longest, once each month.
5. Each member of the bishopric is to keep a record book in which to record these reports received from his assisting personnel supervisor, which he will then compile and pass on to the assistant ward clerk.
6. In each ward a capably efficient brother should be called and set apart as an assistant ward clerk, whose particular duties will be to care for the vital statistics, including the reports of the ward teachers. He will recapitulate the figures given him by the members of the bishopric and forward their totals to the secretary of the stake ward teaching committee, weekly.
7. A faithful brother should be selected to assist each member of the bishopric as a personnel supervisor. His special duties will be to take the initiative in seeing that each block area is constantly supplied with two brothers who have been previously called and appointed by the bishopric to do this ward teaching. He will weekly receive reports from the pairs of ward teachers in his district, and pass them on to the supervising member of the bishopric. He will always have on hand a list of outstanding ward teachers who will not be definitely asssigned, but who will be ready on call to take a particular assignment, who can fill in with the regular teachers when vacancies occur. He will keep in touch with incoming members at all times with a view to recommending them to the ward bishopric for ward teaching service. He will be ready at all times to assist his member of the bishopric in any way possible.
8. The tie-in between the church service and activity committee of the priesthood quorums and the ward teaching set-up will consist of the priesthood quorum committee members confining their efforts to the preparation and recommendation of their members for such teaching service.
For the benefit of non-Mormons, the portion of the Doctrine and Covenants referred to above reads as follows:
Chapter 20, Verse 53. The teacher’s duty is to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them;
Verse 54. And see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evilspeaking;
Verse 55. And see that the church meet together often, and also see that all the members do their duty.
Chapter 42, Verse 12. And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel.
Verse 13. And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to dothem, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit.
Next: The Priesthood
It is policy that every family which belongs to the church shall be officially visited at least once a month. This work is called teaching. It is the primary function of the youthful members of the Aaronic priesthood who hold the office of teacher, although the work is so heavy that it always demands the time of many others. To this end, all who do not have a full schedule of other duties are encouraged to devote time to teaching.
The geographical area of the ward is divided into small teaching zones, also on a geographical basis, so that the maximum number of contacts can be made with the minimum expenditure of time and expense in traveling. The names and addresses of all families within one of these units are ascertained and the job of visiting them and keeping them in contact with the main body of believers is given to a pair of teachers.
The most recently revised plan of operation of this system, adopted for all the church in the early part of 1946, is reproduced here in precisely the same wording as it appeared when distributed in bulletin form to all church officers in a stake
1. The ward area should be divided into three divisions. Each of these divisions should be again broken down into smaller block areas containing approximately six to ten L.D.S. families.
2. One member of the bishopric should assume personal and individual supervision over each of these divisions. The member of the bishopric cannot delegate these personal executive responsibilities to anyone else.
3. Selected capable men should be called to act as special representatives to the member of the bishopric in charge of their district, as ward teachers, to be assisted in each case by a less capable brother or member of the Aaronic priesthood. Each of these pairs of block teachers should be placed in charge of a block area to visit the L.D.S. families at least once each month and perform such other duties as specified in the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter 20, verses 53-55, and Chapter 42, verses 12-13.
4. Each pair of ward teachers should be requested to report directly to the personnel supervisor in charge of their division, personally, by phone, letter, or report blank, their progress and such other information required of such special representatives; these reports are to be made each week, or at the longest, once each month.
5. Each member of the bishopric is to keep a record book in which to record these reports received from his assisting personnel supervisor, which he will then compile and pass on to the assistant ward clerk.
6. In each ward a capably efficient brother should be called and set apart as an assistant ward clerk, whose particular duties will be to care for the vital statistics, including the reports of the ward teachers. He will recapitulate the figures given him by the members of the bishopric and forward their totals to the secretary of the stake ward teaching committee, weekly.
7. A faithful brother should be selected to assist each member of the bishopric as a personnel supervisor. His special duties will be to take the initiative in seeing that each block area is constantly supplied with two brothers who have been previously called and appointed by the bishopric to do this ward teaching. He will weekly receive reports from the pairs of ward teachers in his district, and pass them on to the supervising member of the bishopric. He will always have on hand a list of outstanding ward teachers who will not be definitely asssigned, but who will be ready on call to take a particular assignment, who can fill in with the regular teachers when vacancies occur. He will keep in touch with incoming members at all times with a view to recommending them to the ward bishopric for ward teaching service. He will be ready at all times to assist his member of the bishopric in any way possible.
8. The tie-in between the church service and activity committee of the priesthood quorums and the ward teaching set-up will consist of the priesthood quorum committee members confining their efforts to the preparation and recommendation of their members for such teaching service.
For the benefit of non-Mormons, the portion of the Doctrine and Covenants referred to above reads as follows:
Chapter 20, Verse 53. The teacher’s duty is to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them;
Verse 54. And see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evilspeaking;
Verse 55. And see that the church meet together often, and also see that all the members do their duty.
Chapter 42, Verse 12. And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel.
Verse 13. And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to dothem, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit.
Next: The Priesthood