Common Council of the Church
Encyclopedia
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Common Council of the Church is a body of the church that has the power to discipline or remove the President of the Church or one of his counselors in the First Presidency
due to misbehavior. Its existence and status are uncertain and controversial, and the body has only been formally convened twice, once to try Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1834 and in 1844 when it excommunicated Sidney Rigdon
in absentia
. The Common Council of the Church is sometimes confused with the Council of the Church
.
that was given to Joseph Smith, Jr. on March 28, 1835:
Church commentators have interpreted this to mean that the council that would have the power to discipline or remove the President of the Church or a member of the First Presidency
would be composed of the Presiding Bishopric
of the church and twelve other high priests asked by the Presiding Bishop to assist in the disciplinary procedures. For example, Apostle John A. Widtsoe
stated:
The twelve counselors could be composed of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; however, there is no formal requirement that these individuals be chosen.
against Joseph Smith, Jr. after the return of Zion's Camp
. Bishop Newel K. Whitney
presided at the Council, with John P. Greene
, John Smith, Reynolds Cahoon
, Isaac Hill
, Samuel H. Smith, Isaac Story, Amasa Lyman Peter Shirts, Truman Wait, Roswell Evans, Alpheus Cutler
, and Thomas Burdick acting as the twelve high priests; Oliver Cowdery
and Orson Hyde
also participated as clerks to the Council, and Sidney Rigdon
participated as a member of the First Presidency
. The Council determined that Joseph Smith had "acted in every respect in an honorable and proper manner with all monies and properties entrusted to his charge."
Joseph Smith, Jr. is the only president of the church to have been tried before the Common Council.
convened a public meeting of the council with Brigham Young
, Heber C. Kimball
, Parley P. Pratt
, Orson Pratt
, Orson Hyde
, George A. Smith
, John Taylor, Amasa M. Lyman, William W. Phelps, William Marks, Charles C. Rich
, and Ezra T. Benson
acting as the twelve counselors. The purpose of the council was to discuss possible discipline for Sidney Rigdon
, who was a counselor to Joseph Smith in the First Presidency prior to Smith's death
in June 1844. Since Smith's death, Rigdon had claimed the right to lead the church and be its "guardian" until a new First Presidency could be organized. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, led by Brigham Young
, had also been claiming the right to lead the Latter Day Saints. At the trial,
Rigdon had been asked to appear before the council but had refused to appear. After a discussion of Rigdon's behavior by the members of the council, Whitney presented a motion to excommunicate Rigdon from the church "and deliver [him] over to the buffetings of satan until he repents". The motion was unanimously carried. The Latter Day Saints in attendance at the public meeting were then invited by Young to ratify the decision of the council. The vote was "nearly unanimous", with ten individuals voting in favor of Rigdon's cause.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The 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...
due to misbehavior. Its existence and status are uncertain and controversial, and the body has only been formally convened twice, once to try Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1834 and in 1844 when it excommunicated Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
. The Common Council of the Church is sometimes confused with the Council of the Church
Council of the Church
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Council of the Church is the supreme governing body of the church which holds the power to make the final decision on any spiritual matter that will affect any member of the church. Its existence and status are uncertain and controversial, and...
.
Origin and duties
The council was first spoken of in a revelationRevelation (Latter Day Saints)
Latter Day Saints teach that the Latter Day Saint movement began with a Revelation from God . They also teach that revelation is the foundation of the church established by Jesus Christ and that it remains an essential element of His true church today...
that was given to Joseph Smith, Jr. on March 28, 1835:
And inasmuch as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the common council of the church, who shall be assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood; And their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him. Thus, none shall be exempted from the justice and the laws of God".
Church commentators have interpreted this to mean that the council that would have the power to discipline or remove the President of the Church or a member of the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The 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...
would be composed of the Presiding Bishopric
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
of the church and twelve other high priests asked by the Presiding Bishop to assist in the disciplinary procedures. For example, Apostle John A. Widtsoe
John A. Widtsoe
John Andreas Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1921 until his death. Widtsoe was also a noted author, scientist, and academician.-Early life:...
stated:
"Should occasion ever arise that one of the First Presidency must be tried for crime or neglect of duty, his case would come before the Presiding Bishop with his counselors, and twelve High Priests especially chosen for the purpose. This would be a tribunal extraordinary from which there is no appeal."
The twelve counselors could be composed of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; however, there is no formal requirement that these individuals be chosen.
Trial of Joseph Smith, Jr.
On 11 August 1838, the Council formally convened for the first time to consider charges made by Sylvester SmithSylvester Smith (Latter Day Saints)
Sylvester Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and one of the inaugural seven Presidents of the Seventy.-Biography:Smith was born in Tyringham, Massachusetts.Birth Date:...
against Joseph Smith, Jr. after the return of Zion's Camp
Zion's Camp
Zion's Camp was a paramilitary expedition of Latter Day Saints, led by Joseph Smith, Jr., from Kirtland, Ohio to Clay County, Missouri during May and June 1834 in an unsuccessful attempt to regain land from which the Saints had been expelled by non-Mormon settlers...
. Bishop Newel K. Whitney
Newel K. Whitney
Newel Kimball Whitney was a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an American businessman. He served as Bishop of Kirtland, Ohio, Far West, Missouri, and Nauvoo, Illinois. He also served as the second Presiding Bishop of the Church from 1847 until his death...
presided at the Council, with John P. Greene
John P. Greene
John Portineus Greene was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement.Greene was born in Herkimer, New York. He was a Methodist minister at Mendon, New York. He was friends with Heber C. Kimball and they claimed to witness "signs in the heavens" on September 22, 1827...
, John Smith, Reynolds Cahoon
Reynolds Cahoon
Reynolds Cahoon was an early leader in Latter Day Saint movement and later, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was one of the inaugural members of the Council of Fifty, organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1844....
, Isaac Hill
Isaac Hill
Isaac Hill was an American publisher, editor, and politician from Concord, New Hampshire. Born in 1789 in West Cambridge, Massachusetts, he represented New Hampshire in the United States Senate and later served as governor...
, Samuel H. Smith, Isaac Story, Amasa Lyman Peter Shirts, Truman Wait, Roswell Evans, Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement who served in several church positions under Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
, and Thomas Burdick acting as the twelve high priests; Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
and Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
also participated as clerks to the Council, and Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
participated as a member of the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
. The Council determined that Joseph Smith had "acted in every respect in an honorable and proper manner with all monies and properties entrusted to his charge."
Joseph Smith, Jr. is the only president of the church to have been tried before the Common Council.
Trial of Sidney Rigdon
The Common Council of the Church has only been formally convened once since Joseph Smith's trial. On September 8, 1844, Presiding Bishop Newel K. WhitneyNewel K. Whitney
Newel Kimball Whitney was a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an American businessman. He served as Bishop of Kirtland, Ohio, Far West, Missouri, and Nauvoo, Illinois. He also served as the second Presiding Bishop of the Church from 1847 until his death...
convened a public meeting of the council with Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
, Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
, Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...
, Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
, George A. Smith
George A. Smith
George Albert Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the church's First Presidency.-Childhood:Smith was born in Potsdam, St...
, John Taylor, Amasa M. Lyman, William W. Phelps, William Marks, Charles C. Rich
Charles C. Rich
Charles Coulson Rich was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, and Ezra T. Benson
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
acting as the twelve counselors. The purpose of the council was to discuss possible discipline for Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
, who was a counselor to Joseph Smith in the First Presidency prior to Smith's death
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
in June 1844. Since Smith's death, Rigdon had claimed the right to lead the church and be its "guardian" until a new First Presidency could be organized. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, led by Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, had also been claiming the right to lead the Latter Day Saints. At the trial,
"Very serious charges were made against Elder Rigdon for insubordination, for claiming to hold keys and authority above any man or set of men in the church, even superior authority and keys thereof than those held by the Twelve; and likewise he had ordained men to positions—places and offices not recognized as properly belonging to this church. Among other things he somewhere about this time predicted that the building of the [Nauvoo] Temple would cease and prophesied that there would not be another stone raised upon the walls of the Temple."
Rigdon had been asked to appear before the council but had refused to appear. After a discussion of Rigdon's behavior by the members of the council, Whitney presented a motion to excommunicate Rigdon from the church "and deliver [him] over to the buffetings of satan until he repents". The motion was unanimously carried. The Latter Day Saints in attendance at the public meeting were then invited by Young to ratify the decision of the council. The vote was "nearly unanimous", with ten individuals voting in favor of Rigdon's cause.
See also
- Disciplinary councilDisciplinary councilIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a disciplinary council is an ecclesiastical trial during which a member of the church is tried for alleged violations of church standards. If a member of the LDS Church is found guilty of an offence by a disciplinary council, he or she may be...
- Council of the ChurchCouncil of the ChurchIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Council of the Church is the supreme governing body of the church which holds the power to make the final decision on any spiritual matter that will affect any member of the church. Its existence and status are uncertain and controversial, and...
- Council on Disposition of the Tithes
External links
- "Conclusion of Elder Rigdon's Trial", Millennial StarMillennial StarThe Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star was the longest continuously published periodical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being printed from 1840 until 1970....
(supplement), December 1844 : a contemporary account of the Common Council's trial of Sidney Rigdon