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Mormon Priesthood Presiding Offices

Offices

How many times have you seen an Elder of the Melchizedek Priesthood conducting a meeting over someone who is a High Priest? I have seen it many times and I often wonder about that. My understanding is the higher the office the more you are to preside. Yet, in the way the modern Church is structured it seems that a calling, not ordination can give you more authority. What is your feelings about this?

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The biggest disparity that I see is that the Bishop is the President of the Aaronic Priesthood, and the Stake President is the President of the High Priesthood (and the High Priests' Quorum). Yet the Bishop has authority over the High Priests within his ward.

I can't think of times when I have seen an Elder holding authority over a High Priest, unless perhaps he is a Branch President. I guess I hadn't thought about that case before.

What kinds of situations have you seen this happening in?

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Isn't it because he is considered the central High Priest over the Ward? The Stake President's jurisdiction is over the Elders Quorum in the Stake and therefore the Elders Quorum President reports directly to him.

Well, in such a young place like this I see it all the time. Let us not even consider the Branch President, let us consider the Counselor in the Branch Presidency, does he conduct and lead meetings and may only be an Elder while a High Priest sits in the congregation?

I believe 'rights' in Priesthood are not as 'strong' as they were before, and may be one reason why those from the Tribe of Levi do not have exclusive hold of the Office of Bishop.

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If you want a twist on this then consider the office of patriarch which is supposed to be higher than a high priest yet he is presided over by a high priest, usually the bishop.

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I hope I still have this clear in my head we just discussed this Sunday in our HP Group meeting.

A visiting authority, a High Priest or Elder, is in authority, if on business, but allows the PH given the calling to preside in that Ward or etc, under Authority from who gave him those keys.

PH authority is about a calling, but more about using the Holy Ghost and being in union.

As was mentioned, Priesthood does not give one authority to conduct or preside, that comes from a calling and possibly keys given them, f from one over them, at that location. You could be a General Authority and be in a Ward, just visiting, he would have no authority to preside, or make changes, unless they are on PH business. In this case, one would most often be recognized by the one presiding and in Authority and asked if he would like to recognized and or be present on the stand, out of respect.

The High Priest Group is a bit different matter, it is a group, not a Quorum like the Elders and Aaronic PH Quorum. There is only one High Priest Quorum in a stake, and the Stake President is ahead of it.

At the Ward level, you have a High Priest Group leader and normally 2 assistants and a secretary. To put it simply, they do not hold any keys, but assist the Stake President, working in conjunction with the Bishop. The Group Leadership works under authority of the Stake President, but get approval for calling members to callings and home teaching assignments, and take assignments from the Bishop. The Elders Quorum operates in the Ward, with regards to working with the Bishop, just like the High Priest Group, and also under authority of the Stake President. The Stake Presidency calls and sets apart or sends one he has given authority to, to set apart the Bishop, High Priest Group Leadership and the Elders Quorum Presidency. The Bishop calls and sets apart Aaronic Priesthood Presidencies and other Ward callings.

The Stake Patriarch is now called by the Stake President, but not sure of the full process. At one time, Bishops and Stake Patriarchs were issued calls and set apart by a visiting General Authority.

When I first joined the Church decades ago, I was made a councilor in the Ward Sunday School, but one of the Bishopric had to be present, for me to have the authority to conduct a meeting.

I have never found any confusion in the Priesthood lines of authority, as all are acting one in the Spirit. Have only found contention and confusion when unrighteous dominion was present, and have only seen that one time in a Ward I was in decades ago.

Mormon Priesthood Presiding Offices

I didn't know that I thought he was recommended by the stake president but actually called by a general authority because being a patriarch is an office and not just a calling.

Mormon Priesthood Presiding Offices

The Patriarch, as I said, not totally sure on this one, but think it is so. As the Church has expanded, duties done by the General Authorities, where possible have been slid down to the Stake President. Not sure, there maybe still some approval action from a General Authority in the process.

Things of late have been slid down in the Ward level. The High Priest Group leadership and Elder Quorum has been asked to step up and do more. That was normally in the past, done by the Bishopric. This was tried a couple decades ago, but did not take off, so they are trying it again. The Lord tries his Saints, if not ready, he pulls back, and tries again. The Lord gives us time to mature and step up to the plate, just like a father and mother trying to teach a young child how to walk.

In the beginning the Word or Wisdom was by advisement, later it became a commandant and binding, under the law of obedience. If the saints had gotten it together in the beginning, the Lord might be here now. In the beginning Joseph Smith welcomed African Americans/Blacks, a few were baptized and a few received the Priesthood, some even served missions. But the public did not like it, and it actually seems to have been the last straw that fired up the locals in MO, which lead to the Mormons being run out and killed. It seemed to slide, and in a short time, the blessing were cut, then years of confusion. The Non Mormons and many in the Church seemed to reject them being members and etc, so it was not opened up again until the late 70s. Everything was not ready, it could of torn the Church apart at that time, before it had time to grow. But one can not be totally sure what was on the Lords mind.

I do know the Lord only gives us what we can accept and handle, to protect us, but also it may be to our condemnation.

I decided I needed to better understand it myself, so did some research, it has never been clear in my mind. I am ADD and often it takes things like this for me to do get the focus to learn new things. I found out that 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. He is 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). A Patriarch retains his priesthood office for life, it is not a calling, he can be release from; sort of figured that much, but was not sure.

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That's confusing. If being patriarch is an office of the priesthood then how can a stake president set him apart being only a high priest?