Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency announced this afternoon that Elder Carl B. Cook has officially succeeded Elder Patrick Kearon as Senior President of the Seventy, following Elder Kearon's call last month to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Further, to fill the existing vacancy in the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Marcus B. Nash, a GA Seventy who had been serving as the Exectuvie Director of the Church's Missionary Department, will now serve in that Presidency.
The biographies of these men speak for themselves. While I was a little surprised that the Church appointed an American-born individual rather than an international GA Seventy to fill the vacancy caused by the call of Elder Kearon, as has been the case for years now, the moment I read about these changes, I knew they were in harmony with the Lord's will for the Church at this time.
I should also note that I don't know who has succeeded Elder Nash as Exectuvie Director of the Church's Missionary Department, but I assume we will find out in the days ahead. I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now.
All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
The Church News also covered this update. in addition, the Church News has shared the following additional updates: 4 siblings are preparing to attend the Urdaneta Philippines Temple together; Elder K. Brett Nattress spoke at this week's BYU-Provo devotional; a 1931 Canadian census is now in the public domain; and FamilySearch offers a preview of what's to come from that organization this year. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News also reported on Elder Bednar's next live Q&A on Instagram. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAn update has been noted today on the construction status of the Pttsburgh Pennsylvania Temple. And in case I didn't mention this before, the Antofgasta Chile Temple has now been moved ahead of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple, with both now projected to be competed in mid-2024. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Thursday, the Church News has shared 3 new reports: Trent Toone shares what recent snowstorms have taught him about the joy of Christlike service; how JustServe is helping Utah Valley residents serve those in need, and the passing of Sister Phyllis Squire Snow, the wife of Elder Steven E. Snow, an emeritus General Authority Seventy who formerly served as Church Historian and Recorder. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteA new Church News video featured President Jeffrey R. Holland's thoughts about rededicating the St. George Utah Temple, in addition to how temple construction and attendance is becoming a worldwide blessing. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd a status update has been noted for the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteJames, on the LDS Church Growth blog, you stated: Anonymous, unless I am mistaken, it takes the keys of the apostleship (under the direction of the President of the Church) to be authorized to dedicate a temple. So to have GA Seventies authorized to dedicate temples would take a major doctrinal overhaul. And yes, I am aware that GA Seventies are authorized to dedicate Church buildings and site locations at temple groundbreakings, but those things aren't directly related to the apostolic authority and keys of the President of the Church to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. I don't think GA Seventies dedicating temples will ever happen. That being said, depending on how dedications are planned out, there could easily be a scenario where one or more apostles or apostolic groups are sent out to dedicate temples in geographic clusters at the same time. But we may not get to that point until groundbreakings and temple construction ramp up significantly.
ReplyDeleteMy response: General Authorities are often delegated apostolic authority. That's how Stake President's are set called and set apart. In fact, stake patriarchs are typically ordained as a patriarch by stake presidents who don't hold that office -- because the stake president does so by apostolic delegated authority.
"Until a few years ago, every stake patriarch was called and ordained by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When the number of stakes increased, this responsibility was delegated to the stake president."
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2002/10/the-stake-patriarch?lang=eng
See the Church General Handbook, Chapter 3 "Priesthood Principles" for more info: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/3-priesthood-principles?lang=eng
Anonymous, you are correct about apostolic authority, which your sources address. But in my comment that you quoted verbatim, I did not mention apostolic authority, but rather apostolic keys. The President of the Church holds all the keys, including the keys of the apostleship, and he can delegate any task to the Fother members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in whom the apostolic keys are vested but are only used as authorized by the prophet.
DeleteThe Church must have a head, which is why the prophet holds all the keys. The other members of the First Presidency and the Twelve have all the keys as well, but can only use them as authorized by the Church President. No GA Seventy currently has apostolic keys, dormant or otherwise, as that is not within their doctrinal authority.
I'd encourage you to go back and read the last few temple dedicatory prayers. In each of them, the presiding apostle uses language that mentions they are either acting by assignment from the President of the Church, or, more particularly, that they are acting under the keys of the President of the Church by assignment to do so. There is no current doctrinal provision of which I'm aware for any GA Seventy to be granted any keys that iinherently belong to the apostles, by assignment from the President of the Church.
So that's where the difference is between what you rightly observed about apostolic authority, which can be delegated to GA Seventies, and what I mentioned in my comment about apostolic keys, which can only be used by duly ordained apostles, who can only use the keys of the President of the Church as those are delegated to them. The latest dedicatory prayers make that absolutely clear. And there is no provision for the keys inherent to the apostleship to be delegated to the Seventy, which is why it would require a major doctrinal overhaul. Hope that additional context helps explain my comment better. Thanks for stopping by to comment on this. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Deseret News published an article on the New York Wards leasing from the other denomination: https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/1/18/24042373/new-york-lds-congregations-will-share-building-with-another-church
ReplyDeleteThanks for this additional resource, Chris! I always appreciate hearing from you.
DeleteOn this Friday, 9 men have been added to the Young Men General Advisory Council, the biographies of 16 incoming mission leader couples have been shared, and a preview of the upcoming upcoming Worldwide Youth Broadcast has been shared. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News has also shared updates on the integration of service missionaries into teaching missions, the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults in February will feature Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Rosana, and the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has been published.
DeleteIn the newest installment of that ongoing series, the following general Church leaders had content featured: President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Elders Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson; Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Young Men General President Steven J. Lund (who collaborated with Elder Stevenson on a joint post on Instagram Live); Sister Amy A. Wright, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency; Brother Milton Camargo, First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency; Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency; and the entire Young Men General Presidency (President Lund, Brother Wilcox, and Brother Michael T. Nelson, the Second Counselor), who announced the launch of Young Men Worldwide, a new social media channel for Young Men.
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Saturday, the Church News has shared two new reports so far. 1 apostle (Elder D. Todd Christofferson) will have dedicated two temples on two continents on two consecutive Sundays. The Church News also looked back at when similar temple milestones previously occurred. Also, Brother John G. Bytheway of the Young Men General Advisory Council writes about the discipline of disciples of Jesus Christ.Meanwhile, the Newsroom has reported on Church leaders' ministry to a Liberian mayor who lost his son in a gas tanker explosion. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteDuring a recent BYU-Provo Symposium, Sister Reyna I. Aburto, formerly Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, spoke about Book of Mormon promises that are relevant to our day. And the text of the message that will be given tomorrow during the English and Spanish broadcasts of "Music & the Spoken Word" has also been published. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe newest GA Seventy, Elder Alexander Dushku, spoke about religious freedom at the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual Fireside. Elder Dushku has been navigating religious freedom issues on behalf of the Church for a while now,. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAn update has been noted on the status of the Phnom Pehn Cambodia Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has covered the Newsroom report that I mentioned in my first comment today. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Sabbath Day, the Orem Utah Temple has been dedicated. Official reports are still pending. It is the 188th temple in operation. As I have previously mentioned, I have no doubts the Church will have at least 300 dedicated temples by Saturday, April 6, 2030 (which will mark the Church's bicentennial). With roughly 6.21 years between today and that date, and 112 temples left to dedicate, that goal could easily be reached if 18.03 temples are dedicated per year between now and then. And that average will likely go down a lot between now and the end of June. I will be sure to pass along updates on Orem's dedication as they cross my radar.
ReplyDeleteIn the interim, 1 new stake in Angola and 20 existing stakes have recently had new leaders appointed. For the first time since his bout with ill health last year, President Jeffrey R. Holland is on a ministry assignment outside of Utah, where he and Elder Gary E. Stevenson visited Arizona. The top 9 developments of the last week were covered in "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review". And teachings from Church leaders help to contextualize this week's "Come Follow Me" study, which will focus on 1 Nephi 11-15. My thanks once again to you all.
A "reel" message from President Nelson has been posted to his social media channels.
DeleteThe Church News has published a report on the Orem Utah Temple dedication. As previously mentioned, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided thereover, accompanied by his wife, Sister Katherine J. Christofferson. Also in attendance were Elder Patrick Kearon, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Jennifer H. Kearon; Elder Hugo E. Martinez, First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, and his wife, Sister Nuri Alvarez de Martinez; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, Executive Director of the Temple Department and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; and Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt, Assistant Executive Director of the Temple Department and his wife, Sister Alexis Scmitt. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Newsroom has also reported on the Orem Utah Temple dedication. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Monday, the next anticipated major temple construction announcement is just over an hour away. In the interim, I am pleased to report that the ambassador of Iceland visited Church headquarters recently. She met with the entire First Presidency, suggesting perhaps that President Nelson is back at Church Headquarters full-time now. And thankfully, President Eyring is looking much better than he was at the First Presidency's Christmas devotional.
DeleteAside from the First Presidency, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was present for that meeting, which may suggest that he may have apostolic oversight for the Europe North Area. Also present was Elder Carl B. Cook who, as noted in the above blog post, is now the Senior President of the Seventy. Aside from Church headquarters, the ambassador visited the Pioneer Memorial and also spoke at BYU-Provo.
In addition to the Newsroom report, the text of the prayer offered by Elder D. Todd Christofferson yesterday to dedicate the Orem Utah Temple has been released. Again, I anticipate the next major temple construction announcement in about an hour. Stay tuned for my coverage on that. My thanks once again to you all.