Succession or secession? Beneath the stable hierarchical edifice of the Mormon church lies a destabilising dynamic
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — more commonly known as the Mormon Church — is one of the most rigidly hierarchical institutions in the world. According to Mormon cosmology and belief, ecclesiastical leaders are directly appointed from God and communicate, quite literally, with the deity. Every six months, Latter-day Saints sustain their leaders as “prophets, seers, and revelators”.
Mormon tenets claim that only the ecclesiastical leaders within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold the authority from God to perform salvation-granting ordinances, such as baptism and temple rites.
Currently, the leader of the Mormon Church — known as “the Prophet” — is Russell M. Nelson, a former surgeon who has been involved with the church’s governing body (called the Twelve Apostles) since the 1980s. Nelson turned 100 last year and is reportedly in poor health. Recent appearances have seen him struggling to communicate with his followers, and some of his bi-annual sermons have been pre-recorded.
This inevitably raises the question: what happens to the church’s leadership once the Prophet dies?
The Mormon hierarchy
Before answering this, it is worthwhile to delineate the ecclesiastical bodies that govern the Mormon Church. As I’ve indicated, the church is led by the Prophet, who has two counsellors — this is referred to as the First Presidency. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sits both next to and beneath the First Presidency in terms of ecclesiastical authority.
While the Prophet is the leader and public face of the church, his status is confirmed by the Twelve Apostles once a previous prophet has died. Unlike other Christian denominations — such as the Catholic Church, where there is discussion and voting about who is to be the next pope — it is the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is always the most senior member by confirmation, that will become the next Prophet. Prophets are not released from their station; it is a role that ends at death.
Content retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/succession-or-secession-leadership-dynamics-mormon-church/105673702.
