CHAPTER III.
The Church Organization.
An Incomparable System.—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is conceded to be an almost perfect system, even by men outside its pale. Such a one has said of it: "It is the most perfect organization in existence, except the German army." The eulogy involves an anticlimax—as if one were to affirm: The sun is the brightest luminary in the heavens—except the moon. The German army represents, perhaps, the quintessence of human military wisdom: but like the moon, it borrows its brilliance. The case is different with the Church of God. Like the sun, it shines with original light, with divine intelligence, of which it is the product. Between it and any creation of man's, no comparison is possible.
A Counterpart of the Church in Heaven.—The Church of Christ on earth is a counterpart, so far as conditions will permit, of the Church of Christ in heaven. How it came hither was indicated by Joseph the Seer while giving direction for the organization of the various councils and quorums of the Priesthood. Thus: "And it is according to the vision, showing the order of the seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them."—(D. and C. 107:93.) Mark the words, "It is according to the vision." Evidently the Prophet organized the Priesthood after some model that he had seen in vision: and what more probable than that this model was the Church of the First Born, as it exists in all its perfection in the celestial worlds? While the Church on earth is not yet as perfect as it will one day be, it is approximating toward that perfection, and is destined to attain it. It is doubtful that the Church, in any former dispensation, had so perfect an organization as it possesses at the present time. This admirable and wonderful scheme of spiritual-temporal government was revealed from above and established here below, that the will of God might be done on earth even as it is done in heaven.
The Original Offices.—The original offices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were elder, priest, teacher, and deacon; all, except elder, callings in the Aaronic Priesthood. Other offices, pertaining to the Priesthood of Melchizedek, were evolved as fast as they became necessary. For instance, the first bishops were ordained in 1831, nearly a year after the Church was organized. There was no First Presidency until 1832, and no stake organization until 1834. The twelve apostles were not chosen until 1835, nor the first quorums of seventy. But all these offices and callings were inherent in the Priesthood, conferred upon Joseph Smith before the Church had any organization at all. They who find fault with the Church,—as some who have left it do,—on the ground that the Lord organized it with elders, priests, teachers and deacons, and that men have added such titles and dignities as high priest, president, patriarch, etc., would be no more inconsistent were they to criticize a human being for not remaining a child, for growing up to manhood or womanhood and fulfiling their measure of creation.
First Lesser, then Greater.—As already shown, the first priesthood that came to earth in this dispensation was the Aaronic Priesthood, conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, May 15, 1829. According to the critical wiseacre, that should have ended the matter: there should have been no further ordination, no organization of the Church, no further development in the work of the Lord. But there was to be, nevertheless. As in the case of John the Baptist, who ordained Joseph and Oliver, it is the mission of the Lesser Priesthood to go before the Greater, preparing the way. In due time came the Melchizedek Priesthood, conferred by Peter, James and John, and under this dual authorization the Church was organized, on the sixth of April, 1830. It has had a marvelous history, and a wonderful growth. Never so strong, or so well equipped, as now, its future is rife with glorious promise.
Epitome of Church Government.—The Aaronic Priesthood administers in all outward ordinances, such as baptism, the sacrament of the Lord's supper, etc. The higher ordinances, such as confirmations, sealings, adoptions, and other ceremonies of the Temple, must be administered by the Priesthood of Melchizedek.
The offices of the Aaronic Priesthood, graded upward, are deacon, teacher and priest, and the presidency of that priesthood is the bishopric. The bishop has charge of the Church property, and he receives and disburses the tithes, fast offerings, and other revenues, under the direction of the higher authorities. There is a presiding bishopric, who have general charge of the funds provided for the support of the poor, for the building of temples, and for other purposes. They also have in custody the general financial records of the Church. A bishop must either be a lineal descendant of Aaron, in which event he can act without counselors, or he must be a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, having as his counselors two other high priests of that order. Under the jurisdiction of the presiding bishopric, in temporal matters, are the bishoprics of the wards. The ward is a division of the stake, as the stake is a division of the Church.
A stake, in territorial extent, often corresponds to a county, though in populous districts there may be several stakes in one county. There are four stakes in Salt Lake City. Each stake has a presidency of three and a high council of twelve, and these have jurisdiction over all members and organizations in the stake, including the ward bishoprics. The ward bishopric constitutes a court for the trial of members who transgress the Church laws and regulations. From the decision of the bishop's court either party in the case may appeal to the high council; and from a decision of the high council an appeal may be taken to the First Presidency, who review the evidence, and if any injustice has been done, they remand the case for a new trial. If a President of the Church were tried, it would have to be before "the common council of the Church," assisted by "twelve counselors of the high priesthood." The extreme penalty imposed by any Church tribunal is excommunication.
The Melchizedek Priesthood comprises, in an ascending scale, the offices of elder, seventy, and high priest. There are also the callings of patriarch, apostle, and president, who must all be high priests after this order. Each specific body of high priests, seventies, elders, priests, teachers, or deacons, is called a quorum, but most of the general priesthood organizations are termed councils.
The Council of the First Presidency is composed of three, one of them the President, and the other two his first and second counselors. These three high priests preside over the entire Church. The President is prophet, seer and revelator, and likewise trustee-in-trust for the Church, holding the legal title to its property.
Next in authority to the First Presidency is the council of the twelve apostles, whose special mission is to preach the gospel, or cause it to be preached, in all nations. The apostles have the right to regulate and set in order the Church throughout the world, but they act under the direction of the First Presidency, and exercise presidential power only in the absence of the higher council. The death of the President of the Church dissolves the First Presidency, rendering necessary a new organization of that council. It is the privilege of the apostles to nominate the President of the Church, who then chooses his two counselors.
Next to the twelve apostles stands the presiding patriarch; it is his duty to bless the Church, to give individual blessings to its members, and comfort them with spiritual ministrations. He also assists the apostles in visiting the stakes, attending conferences, and performing other duties as required.
Presiding over the great body of the seventies, are seven presidents, known as the first council of the seventy. They are next in authority to the council of the twelve. These seven, with the senior presidents of the first sixty-three quorums of seventy, form a council equal in authority to either of the two higher councils: but they can exercise authority to the extent of presiding over the Church, only in the absence of the First Presidency and the twelve apostles.
Next comes the presiding bishopric, already mentioned, composed of three high priests, having jurisdiction over the temporalities of the Church. The First Presidency, the twelve apostles, the presiding patriarch, the first council of the seventy, and the presiding bishopric, constitute the general authorities. The names of all general officers, from the President down, are submitted to the general conference, held twice a year, to be voted upon by the members of the Church. They are also presented at the stake conferences, held quarterly, to be voted upon, with the stake officers, in like manner.
Under the presidency and high council of each stake, are one or more patriarchs, whose ministry, so far as blessings are concerned, is similar to that of the presiding patriarch. They minister, however, only in their own stakes. Each stake has a quorum of high priests, indefinite in number, presided over by three of its members. The high priesthood holds the inherent right of presidency, and it is from the high priests that presidencies are selected, such as the First Presidency, the council of the twelve, a stake presidency, or a bishopric. While the seventies, as an entire body, are presided over by their first council, they are divided into quorums of seventy, each quorum having seven presidents of its own. The special duty of the seventies is to assist the apostles in preaching the gospel, and they labor under the direction of the twelve. Unlike the high priests, elders, and lesser priesthood, the seventies are independent of the jurisdiction of the stake presidency, as quorums, though not as individual members. They are the "minute men" of the Church, subject to sudden calls into the mission field. A stake has one or more quorums of elders, each composed of ninety-six members, three of whom preside. Each ward should have one or more quorums of priests (forty-eight), teachers (twenty-four), and deacons (twelve), each with a presidency of three. A ward bishopric presides in a general way over all the quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood in the ward, and over all Church members, as individuals, residing therein. The bishop of the ward is ex-officio president of the priests' quorum.
The elder's office is the lowest in the Melchizedek Priesthood proper. The duties of an elder are similar to those of a seventy, though they are exercised more at home than abroad. Next under the office of elder, is that of priest, the high est office in the Aaronic Priesthood, excepting the bishop, who, however, is a priest, and officiates as such when sitting as a judge, but as a high priest, in presiding over his ward. The priest may preach, baptize, and administer the sacrament, but has not the right to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. That is a function of the Melchizedek Priesthood, to be exercised only by the elders and those above them. The teacher is a peace-maker. It is his duty to settle difficulties arising between Church members in his district, or, if he cannot settle them, to report them to the bishop under whose jurisdiction he labors. A ward is divided into districts, and in each district two or more teachers labor regularly. It is incumbent upon them to visit from house to house, to see that no iniquity shall exist among the members, that they attend their meetings faithfully, and do all things required by the laws and regulations of the Church. The teachers report monthly, or as often as required, to the bishopric. The deacons have charge of the ward property, and are to assist the teachers, as the teachers assist the priests, when necessary.
There are at present sixty-five stakes of Zion, all located in the region of the Rocky Mountains. Two of these stakes are in Canada, and until recently there was another in Mexico. The stakes organized in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, were abandoned when the Saints were compelled to flee from their former homes. In addition to the sixty-five stakes, there are twenty-one outside missions, comprising most of the countries of the globe. There is also a central bureau of information, at Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Church. The Latter-day Saints, in all the world, number about half a million.
All the organizations named are strictly within the place of the Priesthood: but in addition there are auxiliary organizations, such as Relief Societies, Sabbath Schools, Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, Primary Associations, and Religion Classes. The Relief Societies, which form a vast net-work over all the stakes, wards, and most of the missions, are women's organizations, for the care and comfort of the sick and the needy. The Deseret Sunday School Union has a membership of over 150,000. The Mutual Improvement Associations are what their name implies: the sexes meet separately, except in monthly conjoint sessions, and study systematically religion, history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences. The Primaries are for the training of children too young for membership in the Mutuals; and the Religion Classes are for special instruction to the youth of both sexes. Church schools exist in many of the stakes, the most notable being the Brigham Young University of Provo, the Brigham Young College of Logan, and the Latter-day Saints University of Salt Lake City. Old folks' committees, for the entertainment of the aged, regardless of sect or creed, are another institution of the Church, and are found in most of the stakes and wards throughout Zion.
For further information on Priesthood and Church government, the reader is referred to D&C 20,68,84,107,112, and 114 of the Doctrine and Covenants; also to the "History of the Church," Volume III, page 385: and Volume IV, page 207.