Church Officers in Great Britain, September 1839–January 1841
Church Officers in Great Britain, September 1839–January
1841
In April 1838, before returning to the ,
and installed a presidency of the church in Great
Britain. That original
presidency remained intact until the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
arrived in in spring 1840.
Presidency
, , and
served as the presidency
of the church in Great Britain beginning in April
1838. At an April 1840
conference, replaced as a counselor to Fielding because Richards
was ordained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On 6 July 1840, the entire presidency
was released in order to allow the three men to focus more fully on
preaching. In their stead, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles assumed
leadership over the church in Great Britain. When
the majority of the apostles returned to in April 1841,
remained in and was appointed the
country’s presiding authority.
1 September 1839
15 April 1840–6 July 1840
President
President
Counselors
Counselors
Patriarch
On 16 April 1840, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles appointed
Peter Melling a and ordained him the following evening. This appointment was in accordance
with an instruction on priesthood published in the 1835 edition of
the Doctrine and Covenants. That instruction stated: “It is the duty of
the twelve in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical
ministers, as they shall be designated unto them by revelation.” In summer 1839, JS taught
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that “an Evangelist Is a
patriarch.”