Following Joseph Smith’s death, several men vied for control over the church.
- James Strang claimed an angel visited him and ordained him prophet. He also claimed Joseph wrote him a letter authorizing him as the new leader.
- Sidney Rigdon, the lone surviving member of the First Presidency felt he should be the next prophet. His church is the 3rd largest branch of Mormonism and maintains headquarters in Pennsylvania.
- Brigham Young, as president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles led the church for 3 years, before officially claiming the church presidency.
- Many in Nauvoo felt that the next prophet should be from the Smith family. Joseph Smith III finally felt called of God in 1860 and organized the LDS Church, and continued with lineal succession, whereas the next leaders were descendants of Joseph Smith.
- Joseph’s brother William also made a claim for leading the church.
- Granville Hedrick bought the Temple Lot in Independence, and believes he was the successor to Joseph. They maintain a white church on the original temple lot in Missouri.
There are other claimants to church leadership. The RLDS Church officially renounced lineal succession when Wallace B. Smith (who is still alive and is great grandson of Joseph Smith) retired in 1995 and named Grant McMurray as the next president of the RLDS Church (now known as Community of Christ.) McMurray has since been replaced by Stephen Veazey.
In the LDS Church, tradition has maintained that the next prophet will be the oldest serving apostle, but this is not written in scripture, and could change.
[poll id = 515]
Wheat & Tares 
I don’t think that the most senior member of the Q12 is a bad way to choose, but I do think there needs to be an emeritus status option for unhealthy Q12 members.
Most senior apostle is the best way for God to make it unanimous.
i think they should also have white smoke come out of Moroni’s trumpet when the new leader is selected.
I think Sidney Rigdon had the best legal claim as the surviving member of the leading priesthood council. If Hyrum had survived, there is no doubt he would have been the unanimous leader. Had Samuel Smith survived, he may have become prophet based on family lineage (William was too unstable for the membership). The Twelve gained the most followers because they had the best leadership and had been part of Joseph’s inner circle at the end (polygamy, Council of 50, Council of the Anointed), and Sidney was considered by many to be an outsider at that point. Strang had a claim based on prophetic gifts.
I don’t ever see the succession of the Brighamite branch changing. It has to be the senior apostle because their authority as the rightful successor of Joseph Smith depends on it. Also, I think everyone likes that there is no controversy in succession, no need for campaigning or politics.
It may not be scripture, but the succession rule of the title president going to the most senior living apostle is writen into the corporate charter of the church. Since the corporate church holds the purse strings and all the property it may as well be scripture.
There have been a series of posts @ http://zelophehadsdaughters.com/2015/04/09/predicting-who-will-be-church-president-now-continuously-updated/
In comment #8 there is a list of the ages at which our present Apostles might become Prophet. To me this is a problem when 33% of 90 year olds have dementia. Its still 25% for 85 year olds.
Ziff on 10 April 2015 at 3:23 pm said:
Geoff, I don’t think I’m going to add to the table, but here are the average ages at becoming President for all Q15 members who are not already President:
Packer 92.6
Perry 95.8
Nelson 95.2
Oaks 89.1
Ballard 93.9
Scott 94.9
Hales 92.1
Holland 86.2
Eyring 93.7
Uchtdorf 88.9
Bednar 80.2
Cook 93.5
Christofferson 91.3
Andersen 86.7
Is there a relationship between the vitality/youth of the Prophet, and his ability to lead, and receive revelation? JS was ver young but was still exhausted by the experience.
My father is 90 and he no longer leads, he is helped. I am nearly 70 and not sure how much leading I have left either? It is just not possible to be over 80 and still in your prime, Why not let them retire, and have a vital leader?
I think that Elder Uchtdorf would take the church to a more Christlike place, but now, not when he is 90.
How is the Lord involved if we know who the next Prophet will be? Would he be more involved if the 12 choose who would be be best for the future of the church (with inspiration of course), or could we even vote on line?
I read in some Mormon history book (Rough Stone Rolling,? or David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, maybe?) that in April of 1899 is when the Q12 formally made the rule that the longest serving member of the quorum would be the next president.
This formalization was forced by the fact that the earliest ordained apostle was one of 2-3 of Brigham Young’s sons that he had ordained when they were young–as did Joseph, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff. This son didn’t want the job and had a checkered past, the details of which I don’t recall. Several of these prophets’ sons never served in the Q12.
FYI
Delina, the charter doesn’t dictate who becomes the president of the church, it just provides for an interim control of the corporation that holds church property, until a new church president is appointed. See here: http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2015/08/19/guest-post-about-that-corporation/
And even if the charter said what you think it says, it would be a trivial matter to make changes if needed.
When I was in primary, I was told that Joseph was prophet because he won the stick-pull contest. It always seemed like BY was the rightful successor by that criteria, but that things went to hell in a hand basket afterwards. In any case, reading RSR made me question everything I had learned. And now I am here and I just don’t know how God chooses prophets anymore.
As I understand the process of choosing a new prophet, the Q12 meet together, fasting and praying, and each speaks on who they feel should be the next prophet. The fact that the senior member of the Q12 has always been chosen is irrelevant. Another member could be called
From LDS.org
When the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passes away, the following events take place:
1. The First Presidency is automatically dissolved.
2. The two counselors in the First Presidency revert to their places of seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by the date on which a person was ordained to the Twelve, not by age.
3. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, now numbering 14 and headed by the senior apostle, assumes Church leadership.
4. The senior apostle presides at a meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve to consider two alternative propositions:
i. Should the First Presidency be reorganized at this time?
ii. Should the Church continue to function with the Quorum of the Twelve presiding?
5. After discussion, a formal motion is made and accepted by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
6. If a motion to reorganize the First Presidency is passed, the Quorum of the Twelve unanimously selects the new president of the Church. The new president chooses two counselors and the three of them become the new First Presidency. Throughout the history of the Church, the longest-serving apostle has always become the president of the Church when the First Presidency has been reorganized.
7. Following the reorganization of the First Presidency, the apostle who has served the second longest is sustained as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve. When the second-longest-serving apostle has also been called into the First Presidency as a counselor, the third-longest-serving apostle becomes acting president of the Twelve.
At the end of 6 it says it has always been the longest serving Apostle chosen. It doesn’t say this is anything but tradition.
Unless we are happy to have a Prophet who is over 90 when chosen, it is time to question this tradition.
Is this what the Lord wants? Would he want the best person for the job, or someone who is too old to function as a Prophet?
I agree Sparks. It has been irrelevant to keep with the tradition, and I can’t imagine there being a “wrong” answer. Seriously, could any of the Q15 not be prophet and lead the church?? I can’t imagine thinking any of them could not do the job.
Sometimes the prophet in old age gets to where he is very limited, and almost incapacitated and relies on counselors I would find it fascinating sometime if the Senior apostle was actually in that state…if the Lord would find it time to skip the tradition and go with the most senior apostle that is healthy and capable of the job.
It could happen someday. It would be interesting, because as Sparks correctly states…it could happen…another member could be called, which is smart to have that option.
Maybe Jesus Christ (or God) should chose the next prophet?
Why succession? Why a pecking order? The Bible and Book of Mormon make it clear that seniority means nothing.
Joe Sm:
“Maybe Jesus Christ (or God) should chose the next prophet?”
Who says He hasn’t been choosing them?
Maybe in the final dispensation God likes seniority. With righteousness men it should work just fine.
I don’t care who gets it as long as I don’t.