Presiding Bishopric
The Presiding Bishopric is an office in the hierarchy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It consists of a Presiding Bishop and his two counselors. The members of the Presiding Bishopric are General Authorities of the Church and act under the direct supervision of the First Presidency. They oversee the temporal affairs (buildings, properties, commercial corporations, etc.) of the Church, administer programs to assist the poor and needy, and oversee the bishoprics of wards (congregations) throughout the world. The Presiding Bishopric is a part of the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes (along with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), which oversees and authorizes the expenditure of all tithing funds.
A man recognized as a "literal descendant of Aaron" can, under the direction of the First Presidency, hold the office of Presiding Bishop alone, without counselors. To date, no man in Latter-day Saint history has held the office of Presiding Bishop under these conditions. Edward Partridge was the first man ordained to the office of bishop in the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints on February 4, 1831. This office became known as the First Bishop and later the "Presiding Bishop," when subordinate bishops were called in the Nauvoo period (1839–1844).
The current Presiding Bishop of the church is Gerald Causse. His First Counselor is Dean M. Davies and his Second Counselor is W. Christopher Waddell.
