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.