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In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations, members of which are considered to be Apostles. The Quorum was originally designated to be a body of "traveling councilors" equal in authority to the First Presidency as well as to the Seventy , the standing High Council of Zion and the High Council s of the various Stakes of Zion ( Doctrine & Covenants 107:25-27, 36-37). The jurisdiction of the Twelve was limited to areas of the world outside of Zion or its outlying Stakes.Within the Latter Day Saint movement today, many denominations have organized Quorums of the Twelve.
1 The Quorum in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the President of the Quorum of the Twelve was Brigham Young. Assuming control of the church, Young elevated the status of the Quorum as the supreme governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some years later, after a new First Presidency was formed, the Quorum of the Twelve assumed a place within a hierarchy subordinate to the First Presidency and higher in authority than the Seventy.
Each member of the Quorum is considered to be an Apostle. Each is also sustained as a "Prophet, Seer and Revelator". Thus, each Apostle is considered to hold the rights ("keys of the Priesthood") to use all powers granted by God to the Church. Individually and collectively, the Twelve hold the keys and have confirmed the authority to exercise all of the keys upon the senior Apostle, the one man who is to preside over the Church. Thus, officially, only the President and Prophet of the Church is entitled to receive revelation for the entire Church. When the President of the Church dies, the most senior member of the Quorum is ordained as the President and Prophet of the Church.
The most senior remaining member of the Quorum is then invariably called as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; if he is a Counselor in the First Presidency, the most senior member of the Quorum who is not in the First Presidency is designated Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
As vacancies arise within the Quorum, all of the Apostles, including the First Presidency, meet to pray and to come to a unanimous decision as to whom among the rank and file of the Church will be called to fill the vacancy. The chosen man is generally ordained an Apostle by the President of the Church,or failing him by a Counselor in the First Presidency or President of the Twelve. Depending on circumstances this may occur before or after a sustaining vote is held at a General Conference of the Church, which is sometimes the occasion for the new Apostle to be publicly announced.
Presently, the members of the Quorum are as follows:
- President Boyd K. Packer - (ordained Apostle 1970) Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve since 1994
- Elder L. Tom Perry (ordained 1974)
- Elder Russell M. NelsonRussell Marion Nelson was born September 9, 1924 ins Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were Marion C. Nelson and Edna Anderson Nelson. He was known for his perfect pitch and musical abilities. He married Dantzel White on August 31, 1945 in the Salt Lake T (1984)
- Elder Dallin H. OaksDallin Harris Oaks (born August 12, 1932) was born in Provo, Utah. He is a former professor of law at the University of Chicago's school of law, former president of Brigham Young University, and former justice of Utah's Supreme Court. In 1984 he was ordai (1984)
- Elder M. Russell BallardMelvin Russell Ballard, Jr. born October 8, 1928) was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 1985, and ordained an apostle on October 10, 1985 following the death of Bruce R. He was the grandson of apostles Melvin J. Ballard and Hyru (1985)
- Elder Joseph B. WirthlinJoseph Bitner Wirthlin (born June 11, 1917) was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 4, 1986, and ordained an apostle on October 9, 1986, following the death of President Spencer W. Kimball of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day (1986)
- Elder Richard G. ScottRichard Gordon Scott (born November 7, 1928) was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 1, 1988 and was ordained an apostle on October 6, 1988 following the death of Marion G. Scott, Richard G. Scott, Richard G. (1988)
- Elder Robert D. Hales (1994)
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (1994)
- Elder Henry B. Eyring (1995)
- Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2004)
- Elder David A. Bednar (2004)
