Choosing a Prophet
In Mormonism, after a Mormon prophet's death the process of choosing who will be the next prophet is known as the Order of Succession. The Lord Himself chooses who will be the president of His church. He does so in a revealed, orderly fashion through the line of succession.
In the Lord's plan, the senior apostle, the one who has been in the quorum the longest, stands next in line to become president. In this way, the president will be a man who has served many years in the leading councils of the Church, knows the responsibilities associated with the office, and is thoroughly prepared to lead the Church when the Lord calls him. For example, current President Gordon B. Hinckley served in the First Presidency for 14 years and prior to that served as an apostle for 20 years. Another benefit of the Order of Succession is that when a prophet dies there is no confusion, waiting, or wondering concerning whom the mantle of authority will pass to (although this was not the case during the early days of the Church when the system was new).
When a prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved and the counsellors take their places (according to seniority) in the Quorum. All of the members of the Quorum will meet together in a solemn assembly to reorganize the First Presidency. The new prophet will be sustained and then ordained by the apostles and the president will choose his counsellors. Later, another apostle will be called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Lord's Hand in the Order of Succession
It is truly the Lord who calls a man to be prophet and President of the Mormon Church. The Lord controls who His president will be in the following ways:
- The Lord determines who is called to be an apostle and when they will be called. This includes who will be ordained first if two men are called at the same time (See articles on Harold B. Lee and Spencer W. Kimball).
- The Lord controls who will live and who will die.
- The Lord, through revelation, established the system.
