Presiding Patriarch (Mormonism) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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...

, the Presiding Patriarch (also called Presiding Evangelist, Patriarch over the Church, Patriarch of the Church, or Patriarch to the Church) is a church-wide leadership office within the priesthood. Among the duties of the Presiding Patriarch are to preside in council meetings, ordain other patriarchs, and administer Patriarchal Blessings.

Originally, the office of Presiding Patriarch was one of the highest and most important offices of the church's priesthood. The role was equated by Joseph Smith, Jr. with Biblical

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

patriarch

Patriarch

Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...

s from Adam to Abraham

Abraham

Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...

, Isaac

Isaac

Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...

, and Jacob

Jacob

Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...

, and it was expected that the office would descend through lineal succession from father to son. This precedent was set when 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....

, Joseph Smith's brother, became the second Presiding Patriarch because he was the eldest surviving son of the first Presiding Patriarch, Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...

When the office was given to Hyrum, he was given "keys of the patriarchal priesthood over the kingdom of God on earth, even the Church of the Latter Day Saints". Thus, some have argued that Presiding Patriarch is 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...

. However, the existence and meaning of the Patriarchal Priesthood is controversial and uncertain.

The Community of Christ

In the major denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement

Latter Day Saint movement

, the role of the Presiding Patriarch diminished substantially after the death of Hyrum Smith

Hyrum Smith

. Today, the Community of Christ

Community 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"...

, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, ordains a Presiding Evangelist who plays an important role as a world church leader, but it is not required that the person be a descendant of Joseph Smith's family. That tradition was discontinued in 1958 when RLDS

RLDS

The initials RLDS can refer to:*Community of Christ, from 1872 to 2001 known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or RLDS Church*A number of more conservative churches that broke with the RLDS Church, including:...

Church President W. Wallace Smith

W. Wallace Smith

William Wallace Smith was a grandson of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , from October 6, 1958 to April 5, 1978, when he retired to "emeritus" status....

, a grandson of Joseph Smith, Jr., presented 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...

as a successor to Elbert A. Smith

Elbert A. Smith

Elbert Aoriul Smith was an American leader in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...

. Unlike Elbert A. Smith, Cheville was not a descendant of Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith, Sr.

. Prior to 1984 Presiding Patriarch and Presiding Evangelist were used interchangeably for the one presiding over the Order of Evangelists. In 1984, the Community of Christ dropped the use the name Presiding Evangelist for this role, along with the change of name of the local office of Evangelist-Patriarch to simply Evangelist

Evangelist (Latter Day Saints)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, an evangelist is an ordained office of the ministry. In some denominations of the movement, an evangelist is referred to as a patriarch . However, the latter term was deprecated by the Community of Christ after the church began ordaining women to the priesthood...

. The current Presiding Evangelist of the Community of Christ is David R. Brock.

Role within the Community of Christ

Within the international leadership Councils, Quorums, and Orders of the Community of Christ, the Presiding Evangelist serves as a spiritual companion, counselor and guide to the church and its leaders, and to the Order of Evangelists in fulfilling the significant ministry they provide, especially what the church considers "a time of transformation and change".

According to the church, Evangelists are ordained to be ministers of blessing, witnessing of Jesus Christ and responsive to the reconciling and redeeming influence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of persons, serving in multiple ministries according to the unique gifts and callings of each evangelist.

Chronology of the Presiding Patriarchs/Evangelist of The Community of Christ

Date	Presiding Patriarch	Notes
18 December 1833 – 14 September 1840	Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...	Father of Joseph Smith, Jr.
14 September 1840 - 27 June 1844	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....	Oldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...
24 May 1845 – 19 October 1845	William Smith	Oldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr... . Also referred to as "Petitioner for RLDS Patriarchate" from 1872 to 1893 by the Community of Christ (RLDS).
April 1897 – 12 August 1909	Alexander H. Smith Alexander Hale Smith Alexander Hale Smith was the third surviving son of Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith. Alexander was born in Far West, Missouri and eventually became a senior leader of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . Alexander served as an apostle and as Presiding Patriarch of...	Brother of Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and Emma Hale Smith...
12 August 1909 – 20 April 1913	Joseph R. Lambert	Acting Presiding Patriarch
20 April 1913 – 10 April 1938	Frederick A. Smith	Son of Alexander H. Smith.
10 April 1938 – 4 February 1958	Elbert A. Smith Elbert A. Smith Elbert Aoriul Smith was an American leader in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...	Grandson of Joseph Smith, Jr. Son of David Hyrum Smith David Hyrum Smith David Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader, poet, painter, singer, philosopher, and naturalist. The youngest son of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Emma Hale Smith, he was an influential missionary and leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was born approximately five months after the murder of...
4 February 1958 – 4 April 1974	Roy A. 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...	Left his professorial career at Graceland College to accept ordination. In 1974 he, became "Patriarch Emeritus" First person to serve in that office who was not a direct descendant of Joseph Smith, Jr.
4 April 1974 - 29 March 1982	Reed M. Holmes
29 March 1982 – 5 April 1992	Duane E. Couey
5 April 1992 – 5 April 1994	Paul W. Booth	Presiding "Evangelist” became preferred title.
5 April 1994 – 2000	Everett S. Graffeo
2000 – 6 March 2006	Danny A. Belrose
1 May 2006 – 27 March 2007	Richard E. Kohlman	Acting "Presiding Evangelist”
26 March 2007 –	David R. Brock David R. Brock David Brock is an American leader in the Community of Christ. Brock has been the President of Seventy, a member of the church's Council of Twelve Apostles and the church's Presiding Patriarch.Brock was born in Kansas City, Kansas...

Duties within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) effectively discontinued the office of Presiding Patriarch in 1979, without publishing any known revelation to that effect. Until that time, the role and duties of the office had varied. The Presiding Patriarch sometime appointed local patriarchs

Patriarch (Mormonism)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, Patriarch is an office of the Priesthood whose main duty is to give Patriarchal blessings to church members. It is considered to be either an office of the Patriarchal Priesthood or the Melchizedek priesthood...

in the stakes

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...

of the Church and presided over them as a loose "Quorum of Patriarchs." Like the local Patriarchs, the Presiding Patriarch was also empowered 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...

History of the Presiding Patriarch within the LDS Church

In the history of the LDS Church, there have been eight Presiding Patriarchs, three Acting Presiding Patriarchs, and one Patriarch Emeritus. When a Presiding Patriarch has existed, the church has sustained the person 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...

The first Presiding Patriarch was Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...

, father of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. The elder Smith was ordained to the office by his son on December 18, 1833 in Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

.

When the senior Smith was on his deathbed, he ordained his eldest son, 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....

, to succeed him in the office by right of lineal succession
Lineal succession (Mormonism)
Lineal succession was a doctrine, largely abandoned in many denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, whereby certain key church positions are held by right of inheritance. Most frequently the offices connected with lineal succession are those of the President of the Church and the Presiding...

.

When Hyrum was assassinated with his brother Joseph, their only surviving brother, William Smith
William Smith (Mormonism)
William Smith was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Smith was the eighth child of Joseph Smith, Sr...

asserted his lineal right to the Patriarchate. William was duly ordained to the office by senior Apostle 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...

in 1845. Later that same year, William was excommunicated from the Church by Young for apostasy. After joining himself with a rival faction of the Church led by James J. Strang, William was sustained as Presiding Patriarch for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement with around three hundred members as of 1998...

. He later left Strang's organization and asserted his own claim to be successor by right of lineal succession to the Presidency of the Church (after joining himself with other factions for short periods of times).

In the meantime, Young called John Smith
John Smith (1781-1854)
John Smith , known as Uncle John, was an early leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....

, a brother of Joseph Smith Sr. known as "Uncle John", to be Presiding Patriarch of the largest Latter Day Saint Church faction, which is known today as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John Smith served from 1847 until his death in 1854.

John Smith was succeeded by Hyrum's son, John Smith
John Smith (1832-1911)
John Smith , was the fifth Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . His father was Hyrum Smith, the older brother of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism....

, who was ordained in 1855 and served until his death in 1911.

This John Smith was followed by his grandson, Hyrum G. Smith, who was ordained in 1912 and served until his death in 1932.

Officially, the office was left vacant from 1932 until 1937. However, some Church sources state that Nicholas G. Smith
Nicholas G. Smith
Nicholas Groesbeck Smith was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, Smith was the son of LDS Church Apostle John Henry Smith and Josephine Groesbeck...

and Frank B. Woodbury
Frank B. Woodbury
Frank Bartlett Woodbury was a leader of and an Acting Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , one of only three Latter-day Saints to hold this position in church history....

served as Acting Presiding Patriarch from 1932 to 1934 and from 1934 to 1937, respectively. These two patriarchs were not direct descendants of Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr.
Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...

, were not sustained
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...

to their positions in general conference
General conference (Mormonism)
In the Latter Day Saint movement, a general conference is a meeting for all members of the church for conducting general church business and instruction....

, and it is unknown whether they were ordained or set apart
Setting apart
Setting apart is an ordinance or ritual in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whereby a person is formally chosen and blessed to carry out a specific calling or responsibility in the church....

as Acting Presiding Patriarchs. It is clear, however, that they fulfilled the duties normally performed by the Presiding Patriarch between 1932 and 1937.
In 1937 George F. Richards
George F. Richards
George Franklin Richards was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9, 1906 until his death...

, a member of 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...

, was officially called, sustained, and set apart to the office of Acting Presiding Patriarch. Like Nicholas Smith and Woodbury, Richards was not a descendant of Joseph Smith, Sr., and therefore had no right to the Patriarchate based on descent. It is for this reason that he was considered to be merely "acting" in the capacity of Presiding Patriarch.
In 1942, Richards was released from his duties as Acting Patriarch and Church President Heber J. Grant
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...

called Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith (presiding patriarch)
Joseph Fielding Smith was presiding patriarch and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1942 until 1946....

to be the Presiding Patriarch. Smith was the son of Apostle Hyrum M. Smith
Hyrum M. Smith
Hyrum Mack Smith was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....

and a grandson of his namesake, former Church President Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

, who himself was the son of Hyrum. Therefore, the new Presiding Patriarch qualified as a direct descendant of Joseph Smith, Sr. However, this was nevertheless the first time since the call of "Uncle John" that the Church had departed from the practice of father-to-son or father-to-grandson lineal succession, for Joseph Fielding Smith was not a descendant of Hyrum G. Smith, who was in 1942 the most recent Presiding Patriarch that was not considered to be merely acting in the calling. Joseph Fielding Smith was released from the position of Presiding Patriarch in 1946 by Church President George Albert Smith
George Albert Smith
George Albert Smith, Sr. was the eighth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...

when it was discovered that he was having a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

relationship with another Latter-day Saint man.

In 1947, the Church returned to the practice of father-to-son lineal succession by calling Hyrum G. Smith's son 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...

to the office of Presiding Patriarch. In 1979, 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...

announced that 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...

had been honorably released and designated Patriarch Emeritus. This administrative action has effectively discontinued the office within the LDS Church. Upon Smith's death, if the Church were to fill the position by continuing the practice of father-to-son lineal succession, Eldred's son E. Gary Smith would become Patriarch to the Church, which is considered unlikely Gary Smith has co-authored a book expressing his agreement with the necessity and inevitability of the elimination of the office, and he believes the church has discontinued the office. The church has not stated whether or not it will appoint a new Presiding Patriarch upon Smith's death.

Chronology of the Presiding Patriarchs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints