Church presidency (including JS), Minutes, , Geauga Co., OH, 22 Feb. 1836. Featured version copied [between ca. 4 Apr. and ca. 16 May 1836] in Minute Book 1, p. 139; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
Historical Introduction
At a meeting on 12 February 1836, JS proposed two resolutions to standardize the of men to offices. The afternoon following JS’s proposal, the considered the resolutions; they agreed with the first resolution but objected to the second, which altered the method for ordinations in “ of said abroad.” The Twelve had jurisdiction over ordinations of church officers in all nations, but the proposed 12 February resolution required that “the heads of the church” in a given branch call a to ratify the recommendation of the branch to ordain a church member to a priesthood office. The Twelve offered an amendment to the resolution that would maintain their authority. The Twelve’s proposed change contained the following language: “That none be ordained to any office in the branches to which they belong to a general conference, appointed by those, or under the direction of those who are designated in the Book of Covenants as having authority to ordain and set in order all the Officers of the church abroad”—that is, by the authority of the Twelve.
On 17 February, the discussed JS’s 12 February resolutions and the Twelve’s proposed amendment. That entity unanimously endorsed the earlier resolution and agreed that the amendment “should be rejected.” The next day, the high council of also discussed the resolutions and voted unanimously that the 12 February resolutions should remain “without any alteration or amendment.” On 22 February 1836, as described in the minutes presented here, JS and the other members of the church’s met again to confer on the subject of ordinations and affirmed the original resolutions. Two days later, the several met in the and implemented the new guidelines for approving ordinations. Notwithstanding the decision in the 22 February presidency meeting, members of the Twelve continued to support their proposed modification. However, nine of the Twelve Apostles joined with other ecclesiastical bodies in approving the resolutions on 3 March 1836, and the remaining three eventually withdrew their objections in a meeting with the presidency on 19 March 1836.
wrote the original minutes (no longer extant), likely on a loose sheet of paper. The minutes were later recorded into Minute Book 1 by .
Minute Book 1, 18 Feb. 1836. The presidents of the Seventy explicitly concurred with the presidency at the 12 February meeting at which the two resolutions were presented and thus, unlike the high councils, may not have held any separate meeting to discuss the amendment proposed by the Twelve. (Minutes, 12 Feb. 1836.)
This meeting considered the “propriety or impropriety of ordaining a large number of individuals who wish to be ordained to official stations in the church— each individual’s nam[e] was presented and the voice of the assembly called.” Participants at the meeting approved seven men for ordination and rejected nineteen others. (JS, Journal, 24 Feb. 1836; Minute Book 1, 24 Feb. 1836.)
The of the met and took into consideration the foregoing resolutions previously presented to the , (Dated Feb. 12th 1836) the Presidents of the , The of the church for & for and after due deliberation it was unanimously agreed that the original resolutions be adopted without amendments.