Supreme Directional Control
Encyclopedia
The Supreme directional control controversy refers to a term commonly used within portions of the Latter Day Saint movement
to describe a dispute between the primary leadership quorums of the Community of Christ
(then known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the movement's second largest denomination, that began in the 1920s and had repercussions within that church for decades to come. The controversy centered upon the assertion of Frederick Madison Smith
, who was then President of the church, that the First Presidency
possessed "supreme directional control" over the church, as opposed to the church's General Conference
. The ensuing controversy led to the departure of many church leaders and hundreds of adherents, many of whom resigned from the Community of Christ in protest and joined other Latter Day Saint churches, most notably the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
. Although Dr. Smith was initially successful in asserting the authority of the church's First Presidency over the Council of Twelve Apostles
and Presiding Bishopric, the ensuing schism proved hard to heal, and the administrative changes proved to be short-lived. By 1931, the church's debts and the onset of the Great Depression
allowed the Bishopric to reassert its authority over church finances.
and social welfare to his church's concept of Zion. Holder of a Ph.D. in psychology
from Clark University
, Smith was deeply interested in the Social Gospel
movement, which endeavored to apply Christian
ethics to problems including social justice, health care, and care for the poor, for the orphans, and the elderly. In broad terms, Smith felt the need to address these issues as part of the overall call to "build Zion," which had formed a cornerstone of the Latter Day Saint movement since its inception under Smith's grandfather, Joseph Smith Jr.. In this way, Smith hoped to modernize his predecessor's vision of building a literal city of Zion in Independence, Missouri.
However, since many church members did not share Smith's modernistic vision of Zion, the RLDS leader faced the possibility that his dreams might be stymied through the opposition of other church authorities, or of the biennial General Conference. In contrast to the larger and better-known LDS church, the Community of Christ had a longstanding tradition of dissention and debate within its organization based upon its interpretation of the concept of "common consent
". In contrast to the Utah LDS membership, who tend to stress unquestioning conformity to the directives of church leadership, some RLDS laity and clergy held that even after adoption of a policy, members might continue to debate or even ignore its provisions if they felt it to be wrong. More authoritarian and blunt-spoken than his father, Joseph Smith III
, Frederick Smith accepted the right of members to debate church policy prior to its formulation, but not afterwards.
was the highest authority of the church, and furthermore insisted that the Presiding Bishopric—not the First Presidency—had full authority over church finances between conferences. The ongoing dispute spilled over from the presiding quorums into the membership, with some laity siding with President Smith, and others with the dissidents.
The crisis came to a head during the April 1925 General Conference. Smith's brother Israel A. Smith, a member of the Presiding Bishopric (who would later succeed his brother as church president), feared terrible consequences if President Smith forced a vote on his Supreme Directional Control document. In a letter to his brother dated April 5, Israel wrote: "If you, because of the mere force of numbers, drive out the strong belief and feelings of the opposition, you shall become responsible to that degree of falling away, the loss of faith, the division which may ensue." The document was debated for a full five days, April 7–11, and finally passed on a vote of 915 to 405, becoming General Conference Resolution (GCR) 849. In response, the Presiding Bishopric resigned, along with Apostle John Rushton; the conference also failed to sustain a second opposition apostle, Thomas W. Williams, ending his ministry in that office. On April 18, Smith issued a revelation (enshrined as Section 135 in the Community of Christ's Doctrine and Covenants
) indicating divine approval of his course of action with regard to the Supreme Directional Control document and the resignation of the Bishopric.
The First Presidency's successful assertion of Supreme Directional Control allowed Frederick M. Smith to commence his Zionic endeavor. He began by increasing the church's administrative apparatus, expanding its social programs, and initiating a series of building programs. New projects included the Auditorium
and a rebuilt Independence Sanitarium hospital
. The church borrowed heavily to finance these programs, with its debt reaching $1.9 million by 1931 ($25,484,664.60 in 2010 dollars). The concurrent onset of the Great Depression
caused revenues from tithes and offerings to drop precipitously, which led the 1931 General Conference to pass a resolution returning control over all financial matters to the Presiding Bishopric, whose members became answerable solely to the Conference. This resolution, GCR 915, effectively reversed Supreme Directional Control. The Bishopric instituted a series of severe austerity measures, drastically cutting church staff and services, and the debt was finally retired in 1942.
...." The Protest Movement and its church organization dissolved within a decade, with many of its members joining the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
or other Latter Day Saint bodies.
Beginning in 1918, the Community of Christ and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) had entered into an "Agreement of Working Harmony." The agreement included mutual recognition of each church's priesthood, allowing members to transfer their membership from one church to the other without needing to be rebaptized, in contrast to the prevailing standard practice within the Restoration Movement (then and now). In April 1925, Daniel Macgregor, a vigorous opponent of Supreme Directional Control, transferred his membership from the Community of Christ to the Temple Lot church, where he was ultimately named an Apostle. Macgregor was followed by hundreds of other RLDS opponents of Supreme Directional Control. By the time of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)'s October 1925 General Conference, its membership had grown from about 100 to about 500, mostly at the expense of the Community of Christ. However, further membership losses dropped to a trickle with the passing of the controversy, and the Community of Christ would not face a serious challenge to its leadership or membership figures until the emergence of a 1980's controversy over the ordination of women, which ultimately led to the formation of the Restoration Branches
movement. Debate continued within the church during the following decades over the propriety of Smith's assertions concerning presidential authority, together with his vision of Zion as compared to that of his predecessors. Today, members of the Community of Christ tend to subscribe to the social gospel advocated by Smith, while rejecting his authoritarian approach to church administration.
Supreme Directional Control is no longer advanced by the members of the Community of Christ's First Presidency, though it remains a controversial issue within the Restoration Branches
movement.
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...
to describe a dispute between the primary leadership quorums of 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"...
(then known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the movement's second largest denomination, that began in the 1920s and had repercussions within that church for decades to come. The controversy centered upon the assertion of Frederick Madison Smith
Frederick Madison Smith
Frederick Madison Smith , generally known among his followers as "Freddie M.", was an American religious leader and author and the third Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , serving from 1915 until his death.Smith's paternal grandfather was Joseph Smith,...
, who was then President of the church, that the First Presidency
First Presidency (Community of Christ)
The First Presidency of the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the church's highest-ranking priesthood quorum. It is composed of the president and two counselors, and they preside over the whole church under the principles of "theocratic...
possessed "supreme directional control" over the church, as opposed to the church's General 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...
. The ensuing controversy led to the departure of many church leaders and hundreds of adherents, many of whom resigned from the Community of Christ in protest and joined other Latter Day Saint churches, most notably the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
. Although Dr. Smith was initially successful in asserting the authority of the church's First Presidency over the Council of Twelve Apostles
Council of Twelve Apostles (Community of Christ)
In the Community of Christ, The Council of Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. They are disciples who hold the priesthood office of Apostle, and are responsible for the evangelistic witness of the church...
and Presiding Bishopric, the ensuing schism proved hard to heal, and the administrative changes proved to be short-lived. By 1931, the church's debts and the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
allowed the Bishopric to reassert its authority over church finances.
Origin of the controversy
From its beginnings, the Latter Day Saint movement has been concerned with the idea of Zion, though the exact nature of this concept has varied from denomination to denomination and even from generation to generation. Frederick Smith, president of the Community of Christ during the 1920's, wished to apply principles of the newly emerging fields of sociologySociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and social welfare to his church's concept of Zion. Holder of a Ph.D. in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, Smith was deeply interested in the Social Gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
movement, which endeavored to apply Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ethics to problems including social justice, health care, and care for the poor, for the orphans, and the elderly. In broad terms, Smith felt the need to address these issues as part of the overall call to "build Zion," which had formed a cornerstone of the Latter Day Saint movement since its inception under Smith's grandfather, Joseph Smith Jr.. In this way, Smith hoped to modernize his predecessor's vision of building a literal city of Zion in Independence, Missouri.
However, since many church members did not share Smith's modernistic vision of Zion, the RLDS leader faced the possibility that his dreams might be stymied through the opposition of other church authorities, or of the biennial General Conference. In contrast to the larger and better-known LDS church, the Community of Christ had a longstanding tradition of dissention and debate within its organization based upon its interpretation of the concept of "common consent
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...
". In contrast to the Utah LDS membership, who tend to stress unquestioning conformity to the directives of church leadership, some RLDS laity and clergy held that even after adoption of a policy, members might continue to debate or even ignore its provisions if they felt it to be wrong. More authoritarian and blunt-spoken than his father, 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...
, Frederick Smith accepted the right of members to debate church policy prior to its formulation, but not afterwards.
Core dispute
In April 1924, at a meeting of the Joint Council of Community of Christ leaders, composed of members of the First Presidency, Council of Twelve, and Presiding Bishopric, Frederick M. Smith presented a document, which became known as the "Supreme Directional Control document." In it Smith asserted that "there must be recognized grades of official prerogative and responsibility, with supreme directional control resting in the Presidency as the chief and first quorum of the church." Although Smith assured fellow leaders that "this control is presumed to be beneficent," he insisted that "effective administration is imperative, and organic solidarity is maintained only by effective discipline." Four apostles and the entire Presiding Bishopric disputed Smith's assertions and authored a critical "open letter", which was published in the June 1924 issue of the Saints' Herald, the official church magazine. These leaders asserted that the General ConferenceWorld 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...
was the highest authority of the church, and furthermore insisted that the Presiding Bishopric—not the First Presidency—had full authority over church finances between conferences. The ongoing dispute spilled over from the presiding quorums into the membership, with some laity siding with President Smith, and others with the dissidents.
The crisis came to a head during the April 1925 General Conference. Smith's brother Israel A. Smith, a member of the Presiding Bishopric (who would later succeed his brother as church president), feared terrible consequences if President Smith forced a vote on his Supreme Directional Control document. In a letter to his brother dated April 5, Israel wrote: "If you, because of the mere force of numbers, drive out the strong belief and feelings of the opposition, you shall become responsible to that degree of falling away, the loss of faith, the division which may ensue." The document was debated for a full five days, April 7–11, and finally passed on a vote of 915 to 405, becoming General Conference Resolution (GCR) 849. In response, the Presiding Bishopric resigned, along with Apostle John Rushton; the conference also failed to sustain a second opposition apostle, Thomas W. Williams, ending his ministry in that office. On April 18, Smith issued a revelation (enshrined as Section 135 in the Community of Christ's Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
) indicating divine approval of his course of action with regard to the Supreme Directional Control document and the resignation of the Bishopric.
Auditorium (Community of Christ)
The Auditorium is a house of worship and office building located on the greater Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri...
and a rebuilt Independence Sanitarium hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. The church borrowed heavily to finance these programs, with its debt reaching $1.9 million by 1931 ($25,484,664.60 in 2010 dollars). The concurrent onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused revenues from tithes and offerings to drop precipitously, which led the 1931 General Conference to pass a resolution returning control over all financial matters to the Presiding Bishopric, whose members became answerable solely to the Conference. This resolution, GCR 915, effectively reversed Supreme Directional Control. The Bishopric instituted a series of severe austerity measures, drastically cutting church staff and services, and the debt was finally retired in 1942.
Schisms
After leaving the Council of Twelve in 1925 because of his opposition to Supreme Directional Control, Thomas W. Williams and other leaders formed a "Protest Movement," which later organized as a separate church known as the "Church of Jesus Christ (Thomas W. Williams)." Williams and his group issued a "Protest Document", charging that "this change from a theocratic democracy to an autocracy—a hierarchy with final and supreme directional control in the hands of one man strikes at the very heart of the principles of church government contained in our standard booksStandard Works
The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon.* The Holy Bible * The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ...
...." The Protest Movement and its church organization dissolved within a decade, with many of its members joining the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
or other Latter Day Saint bodies.
Beginning in 1918, the Community of Christ and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) had entered into an "Agreement of Working Harmony." The agreement included mutual recognition of each church's priesthood, allowing members to transfer their membership from one church to the other without needing to be rebaptized, in contrast to the prevailing standard practice within the Restoration Movement (then and now). In April 1925, Daniel Macgregor, a vigorous opponent of Supreme Directional Control, transferred his membership from the Community of Christ to the Temple Lot church, where he was ultimately named an Apostle. Macgregor was followed by hundreds of other RLDS opponents of Supreme Directional Control. By the time of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)'s October 1925 General Conference, its membership had grown from about 100 to about 500, mostly at the expense of the Community of Christ. However, further membership losses dropped to a trickle with the passing of the controversy, and the Community of Christ would not face a serious challenge to its leadership or membership figures until the emergence of a 1980's controversy over the ordination of women, which ultimately led to the formation of the Restoration Branches
Restoration Branches
The Restoration Branches movement is a Christian/Latter Day Saint religious sect which was formed in the 1980s by members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in a reaction against the events of the RLDS 1984 world conference...
movement. Debate continued within the church during the following decades over the propriety of Smith's assertions concerning presidential authority, together with his vision of Zion as compared to that of his predecessors. Today, members of the Community of Christ tend to subscribe to the social gospel advocated by Smith, while rejecting his authoritarian approach to church administration.
Supreme Directional Control is no longer advanced by the members of the Community of Christ's First Presidency, though it remains a controversial issue within the Restoration Branches
Restoration Branches
The Restoration Branches movement is a Christian/Latter Day Saint religious sect which was formed in the 1980s by members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in a reaction against the events of the RLDS 1984 world conference...
movement.