Patriarch (Mormonism)
Encyclopedia
In the Latter Day Saint movement
, Patriarch (also called Evangelist) is an office of the Priesthood whose main duty is to give Patriarchal blessing
s to church members. It is considered to be either an office of the Patriarchal Priesthood
or the Melchizedek priesthood
. In some denominations, there is only one Patriarch, the Presiding Patriarch, who in some cases holds the highest office of the church organization.
or Patriarch to the Church
, exercised his office throughout the whole Church. This office passed down through the male descendants of Hyrum Smith
, who were among the Church's General Authorities
. In 1979 Presiding Patriarch Eldred G. Smith
was given emeritus
status, meaning he retired from performing his duties. No successor was called to replace Smith as Presiding Patriarch.
With the organization of each stake
, a Patriarch is ordained and called to serve the members of that stake. A Patriarch is chosen by the stake presidency and each selection is approved by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
. The selected man must be married, hold the Melchizedek priesthood
, and normally be at least 55 years old. He must be ordained to the office of patriarch by an Apostle or the president of the stake where he lives (if the stake president has written permission from the Quorum of the Twelve
to do so). A Patriarch retains his priesthood office for life. Though he can be released from his responsibilities because of age, illness, or other circumstances, he will still be able to function as a Patriarch if again called to do so. If a Patriarch who has previously been released is called to serve as a stake Patriarch again, he does not have be re-ordained, only set apart again, since holders of priesthood offices retain that office for life.
A Patriarch's primary responsibility is to give Patriarchal Blessings to members in his stake. He also has the authority to give such blessings to all of his descendants, regardless of what stake they are in. Unlike other priesthood blessings, patriarchal blessings are recorded and archived at Church headquarters. Under ordinary circumstances, a member will receive only one such blessing in his or her lifetime.
, was released from his duties and given general authority
emeritus
status. Unlike the position of Presiding Patriarch, the Patriarch emeritus is not sustained by the church as a "prophet, seer, and revelator
". Smith is the only Presiding Patriarch in LDS Church history to have been designated Patriarch emeritus. It is unknown what the status of the position of Patriarch to the Church will be after Smith's death.
retains the position of "Presiding Patriarch" or "Presiding Evangelist"; the ordination of women led the church to stop using the term "Presiding Patriarch" and to refer to those of the "Order of Evangelists" using only the term "evangelists" rather than using the terms "patriarchs", or "patriarch and evangelists" to refer to the members of that order. The Community of Christ practiced lineal succession in the office of Presiding Patriarch until the ordination of Roy Cheville
to that office in 1958.
In the Community of Christ, calls to the office of evangelist originate from members the Council of Twelve Apostles following consultation with the Presiding Evangelist. They are approved by the Council of Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency, and vote is taken by either the World Conference
or by a Mission Center conference to sustain and approve that call.
Evangelists give various kinds of blessings, including blessings on families, on congregations, and on individuals.
Latter Day Saint movement
The 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...
, Patriarch (also called Evangelist) is an office of the Priesthood whose main duty is to give Patriarchal blessing
Patriarchal blessing
In the Latter Day Saint movement, a patriarchal blessing is a blessing or ordinance given by a patriarch to a church member. Patriarchal blessings are modeled after the blessing given by Jacob to each of his sons prior to his death...
s to church members. It is considered to be either an office of the Patriarchal Priesthood
Patriarchal Priesthood
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the patriarchal priesthood is sometimes understood as one of types or "orders" of priesthood. The two commonly known orders are the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood. The patriarchal priesthood should not be confused with the...
or the Melchizedek priesthood
Melchizedek priesthood
The 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...
. In some denominations, there is only one Patriarch, the Presiding Patriarch, who in some cases holds the highest office of the church organization.
Patriarch in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In the early days of the Church, a single patriarch, known as the Presiding PatriarchPresiding Patriarch (Mormonism)
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Presiding Patriarch is a church-wide leadership office within the priesthood...
or Patriarch to the Church
Presiding Patriarch (Mormonism)
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Presiding Patriarch is a church-wide leadership office within the priesthood...
, exercised his office throughout the whole Church. This office passed down through the male descendants of Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
, who were among the Church's General Authorities
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
. In 1979 Presiding Patriarch Eldred G. Smith
Eldred G. Smith
Eldred Gee Smith holds the position of patriarch emeritus to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held the calling of Patriarch to the Church of the same church between 1947 and 1979. In 2009, Smith surpassed Joseph Anderson as the oldest-lived general authority in the history of...
was given emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
status, meaning he retired from performing his duties. No successor was called to replace Smith as Presiding Patriarch.
With the organization of each stake
Stake (Mormonism)
A 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...
, a Patriarch is ordained and called to serve the members of that stake. A Patriarch is chosen by the stake presidency and each selection is approved by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
. The selected man must be married, hold the Melchizedek priesthood
Melchizedek priesthood
The 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...
, and normally be at least 55 years old. He must be ordained to the office of patriarch by an Apostle or the president of the stake where he lives (if the stake president has written permission from the Quorum of the Twelve
Quorum of the Twelve
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve was one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., and patterned after the twelve apostles of Christ In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the...
to do so). A Patriarch retains his priesthood office for life. Though he can be released from his responsibilities because of age, illness, or other circumstances, he will still be able to function as a Patriarch if again called to do so. If a Patriarch who has previously been released is called to serve as a stake Patriarch again, he does not have be re-ordained, only set apart again, since holders of priesthood offices retain that office for life.
A Patriarch's primary responsibility is to give Patriarchal Blessings to members in his stake. He also has the authority to give such blessings to all of his descendants, regardless of what stake they are in. Unlike other priesthood blessings, patriarchal blessings are recorded and archived at Church headquarters. Under ordinary circumstances, a member will receive only one such blessing in his or her lifetime.
Patriarch emeritus
The priesthood calling Patriarch emeritus was created in October 1979, when the Patriarch to the Church, Eldred G. SmithEldred G. Smith
Eldred Gee Smith holds the position of patriarch emeritus to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held the calling of Patriarch to the Church of the same church between 1947 and 1979. In 2009, Smith surpassed Joseph Anderson as the oldest-lived general authority in the history of...
, was released from his duties and given general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
status. Unlike the position of Presiding Patriarch, the Patriarch emeritus is not sustained by the church as a "prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is currently applied to the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
". Smith is the only Presiding Patriarch in LDS Church history to have been designated Patriarch emeritus. It is unknown what the status of the position of Patriarch to the Church will be after Smith's death.
Fathers as patriarchs
In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considers a father to be a patriarch in his household, meaning that it is his duty to preside within his own family, taking the lead in spiritual matters within the home. This holds true even when the father is not a member of the church. Accordingly, it is proper for priesthood representatives who are visiting a home to defer to him. If he is worthy and holds the proper priesthood authority, it is likewise customary for the church to invite or allow him to officiate in priesthood ordinances for his own family, including giving his children "father's blessings", which are similar to patriarchal blessings. Such blessings may be recorded like patriarchal blessings, but are not forwarded to the LDS Church archives.Patriarch in the Community of Christ
The Community of ChristCommunity of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
retains the position of "Presiding Patriarch" or "Presiding Evangelist"; the ordination of women led the church to stop using the term "Presiding Patriarch" and to refer to those of the "Order of Evangelists" using only the term "evangelists" rather than using the terms "patriarchs", or "patriarch and evangelists" to refer to the members of that order. The Community of Christ practiced lineal succession in the office of Presiding Patriarch until the ordination of Roy Cheville
Roy Cheville
Roy A. Cheville was a religious leader, theologian and educator in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Community of Christ, as it is known today. Cheville graduated from Graceland University in 1921 with an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts and religious education...
to that office in 1958.
In the Community of Christ, calls to the office of evangelist originate from members the Council of Twelve Apostles following consultation with the Presiding Evangelist. They are approved by the Council of Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency, and vote is taken by either the World Conference
World Conference (Community of Christ)
World Conference is the highest legislative body in the Community of Christ and is empowered to act for the entire church. It operates according to a principle known as "common consent" and is presided over by the First Presidency...
or by a Mission Center conference to sustain and approve that call.
Evangelists give various kinds of blessings, including blessings on families, on congregations, and on individuals.