In most denominations of the
Latter Day Saint movementThe Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, a
high priest is a member of the priesthood within the Melchizedek priesthood order. High priests are typically older and more seasoned leaders within the priesthood. The term derives in part from the
Epistle to the HebrewsThe Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Its author is not known.The primary purpose of the Letter to the Hebrews is to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The central thought of the entire Epistle is the doctrine of the Person of Christ and his...
which describes
JesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
as "a high priest after the order of
MelchizedekMelchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
." (5:10; see also 6:20). Movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr. ordained the first high priests in 1831.
High priests are organized into quorums. The first president of a high priests quorum of the church was Joseph Smith, Jr.'s younger brother
Don Carlos SmithDon Carlos Smith was the youngest brother of Joseph Smith, Jr. and a leader, missionary, and periodical editor in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement....
.
High priests in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In the LDS Church, high priests are primarily responsible for the spiritual welfare of the members and the administration of local church units called
wards and
stakesA stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...
.
Like other priesthood offices in the LDS Church, high priests are organized into
quorumsIn the Latter Day Saint movement, a quorum is a group of people ordained or endowed with priesthood authority, and organized to act together as a body. The idea of a quorum was established by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. The High Priests Quorum, however, is organized at the
stakeA stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...
level, with the president of the quorum being the stake president. In contrast, priesthood quorums for the offices of deacon, teacher, and priest are organized at the ward level. In consultation with the
bishopBishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. A bishop is usually the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations,...
, the stake president organizes a high priests "group" in each ward. Each group is provided with a
group leader who typically selects two assistants and a secretary to assist him. Assignments made to the group include
home teachingHome teaching is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Home teaching is a church program designed to allow families to be taught in their own homes, in addition to weekly church services...
and assisting adult males who are not yet elders prepare to receive the
Melchizedek priesthoodThe Melchizedek priesthood is the greater of the two orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. The others are the Aaronic priesthood and the rarely recognized Patriarchal priesthood...
. High priests are also responsible for
templeIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
and
family historyGenealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
work within a ward. Members assigned to be home taught by the Bishop of a ward or the President of a Branch are generally more apt to be widows, widowers, single sisters, and other part member families.
In a
districtA district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
, there is no high priests quorum. Men holding the office of high priest join the elders quorum of the branch that they live in.
There are a number of positions in the LDS Church which may only be filled by a high priest. Among these are stake president and his counselors, member of a stake
high councilIn Mormonism, a high council is one of several different governing bodies that have existed in the church hierarchy on many Latter-day Saint denominations...
, and
mission presidentMission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
. A bishop must be a high priest unless he can prove a right-by-lineage to the calling (see
D&C 107:69). Bishops' counselors are usually high priests, but this is not required and counselors in a student ward are not ordinarily ordained high priests to fill this position. A branch president and his counselors need not be high priests. Any high priest is eligible to be called as a member of the
First PresidencyThe First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
, but in recent practice most members of the First Presidency have been apostles.
External links