Priesthood Quorums’ Table: Address to the Priesthood

Priesthood Quorums' Table Address to the Priesthood :— The following suggestions on priesthood were read at the general priesthood meeting at the late annual conference of the Church: Responsibility of Ordinations to the Priesthood. If deference is merited by the honor conferred upon men by man, what can we not say that honor merits which is conferred upon men by the Lord? Such an honor is the priesthood. "It is nothing more nor less than the power of God delegated to man, by which man can act on the earth for the salvation of the human family in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, and act legitimately" — (Pres. Joseph F. Smith). Now, there is a noticeable lack on the part of bishopric- and other presiding authorities in the Church in impressing upon those who are considered worthy to receive it, the sacredness of an ordination to the priesthood. Young boys, for example, are given the Aaronic priesthood without a realization of the responsibility that goes with it. Every deacon should be instructed that an ordination to the priesthood carries with it a requirement of better habits and actions, par ticularly in regard to language, smoking cigarettes, non-attendance at meeting and so on. At the organizing of a deacons' quorum in one of our new wards recently, several boys and young men accepted' the invitation to come forward after the dismissal of the meeting. They varied in ages from 12 to 23. Seven of these had been ordained deacons in other wards. When it was discovered that three were users of tobacco, the eldest was asked how long he had been a smoker. He replied: "About ten years." "Did you use tobacco when you were ordained a deacon.'" "Yes, sir," was his reply. "Did your bishop know you used it.'" "I don't know." "Did he not question you about it?" "No, sir." "Didn't he say anything about your abstaining from the use of tobacco and strong drink?" "No, sir: I do not remember of his saying anything. Our namewere read in the meeting and we were told to go to deacon-' meeting and be ordained." Thus it was learned that through carelessness or neglect that bishop had lost an excellent opportunity to impress upon this young man the dignity and requirements of the holy Tronic priesthood. Regarding the History ok Priesthood. Instruction- should be regard not only to personal habits, but to the history of this g:tven m

656 IMPROVEMENT ERA priesthood among men. Explanation should be made that it is called Aaronic priesthood because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed forever (Doc. and Cov. 107:13); also how the Lord chose the tribe of Levi, from the children of Israel, to be given to Aaron, and to his sons, to minister in the outward ordinances of the Lord's house (Num. 3:5). No one should be ordained before he is told about the restoration of the Priesthood to Joseph Smith by John the Baptist. The account of this heavenly messenger's visit to the youthful prophet and Oliver Cowdery, on the 15th of May, 1829, will not only interest the boys but impress upon them the great truth that "No man taketh this honor to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron." Duties and Powers. Then should follow instructions in regard to the duties and powers of this lesser priesthood, showing that "It holds the keys of the ministering of angels," and gives power "to administer in the outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel — the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments." The Ordination. The ordination itself should be made impressive also, as is clearly indicated in the account given in the Book of Mormon as follows: "After they had prayed unto the Father in the name of Christ, they laid their hands upon them, and said, Tn the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a Priest (or, if he be a teacher, T ordain you to be a teacher'), to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Amen.' And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost which was in them." (Moroni 3:2-4.) Much of the indifference on the part of the young men who now hold the office of deacon, teacher or priest, can be traced back to the neglect on the part of (1st) parents and (2nd) of presiding brethren in properly instructing them in regard to the duty of divine service required of them. It is suggested, therefore, that before young men are given the priesthood they be instructed (1) in regard to their personal habits and actions. (2) In regard to the history of the Aaronic priesthood. (3) In regard to the restoration of the priesthood in this dispensation. (4) In regard to the duties and powers that follow the true exercise of this divine commission. In short, that men who hold the Priesthood should be the very choicest men on earth, and that they consecrate their lives to works of righteousness. So will the children of men be led to honor the representatives of God on earth as they are now pleased to respect the representatives of the established governments among men. Teachers' and Priests' Quorums. One of the most difficult prob-

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE 657 lems the priesthood committee has before it is how to obtain successfull quorums of teachers and priests. The counsel has been given the bishops of the Church, to ordain boys deacons, unless there are good reasons for disregarding the rule, at about the age of twelve, teachers at about fifteen, priests at about eighteen, and elders at about twentyone. Between the ages of 14 and 20 the boy is changing into a man. He does not understand himself and he is rarely understood by others. That the problem is the same difficult one confronting the Young Men's Association and the Sunday School is the best of reasons why the Priesthood should find a solution. The deacons of the Church are generally in fair condition, though there are, astonishing as it may seem, fourteen bishops who have not a single deacon in their wards. Usually, however, it is not hard to start and maintain a deacons' quorum of some kind. That order is extremely hard to keep, and that the teaching is throughout the Church very difficult and very poor, is acknowledged. However this may be, the fact remains that, generally speaking, boys at about the age of twelve are ordained deacons. But when the time comes for the boys to be promoted, for many reasons the logical order of things is changed. One trouble is with the boys themselves. Sometimes their indifference makes the bishops reluctant to advance them. Left without ordination they soon outgrow their fellow deacons and naturally will not associate with them. It is sometimes the fault of the ward authorities. It is still the custom in some places to leave the deacons until they are called on missions, or desire to get married, or for some other reason need to be ordained elders, and then bestow on them the Melchizedek priesthood. Such inexcusable neglect, however, we are glad to say, is disappearing rapidly. There are practically as many youths between the ages of fifteen and eighteen as between twelve and fifteen. The fact that there are only 9,300 teachers as compared with 20,255 deacons is an alarming situation. We believe that the main cause is deeper and more widespread than the neglect of the bishops or the real indifference of the boys. It is in our system itself. The local authorities generally fail to grasp the dignity and importance of the calling of the teacher and priest, and the boys cannot help but feel, as far as quorum work is concerned, that the organization has broken down and that they are being held on a kind of waiting list until they are old enough to be ordained elders. The Lord has urged the necessity of these offices; yet, in sixtyseven wards there is not a single ordained teacher; and in seventy-one there is not a priest. In slightly over one-third of the wards only, is there over half a quorum of teachers, and in only fifty wards is there one-half of a priests' quorum or more. For some reasons that certainly are not sufficient, we have failed in most cases to live up to the Lord's plan.

658 IMPROVEMENT ERA To the youth from fifteen to twenty years of age organization appeals more strongly than at any other period of his life. In this age his heroes are generally military men. And yet at this age our priesthood organization is weakest. What we need is such concentrated attention on this matter that every boy will feel that his ordination to a teacher brings him into as much stronger and more active a quorum as twenty-four is greater than twelve and the office of teacher larger than that of deacon. Every bishop, no doubt, feels a general interest in the welfare of the Church, but he feels a particular interest and responsibility in the welfare of his ward. In much the same way he feels a general interest in the priesthood of his ward, but he should feel a particular interest in those holding the office of priest, for he is the president of this quorum, and is responsible for it. His relation to it is identical to that of the president of the deacons' quorum to his body of twelve deacons. In practice we have generally forgotten that the bishop has a quorum. Where there are priests' classes he often gives them only general attention. The Lord's plan seems a very beautiful one. Under it the little boys, innocent and enthusiastic, enter the holy order of the priesthood in groups of twelve, a unit allowing close companionship, as is natural with the boy. As puberty begins to come, and he feels the mysterious awakening within, a larger field of activity opens before him. He is now becoming a man, a man's work is put upon him and he is allowed to labor in the companionship of men. During this time he feels himself under the watchful eyes of the bishop and his counselors They should be jealously guarding him through this work, preparatory to his becoming a priest. If he falls away and loses interest now, they will have lost him, possibly forever, for this is a critical time indeed. . But if they can keep him active and interested and thus prepare him to enter their own quorum, the ship of his soul will have passed safely through its first great storm, possibly the very greatest of its voyage. As the youth is ordained to the office of priest, he should feel himself in a different atmosphere. How greatly his powers have been enlarged! He has now the authority to baptize for the remission of sins, to bless the emblems of the body of Jesus, and for the first time he is given that wonderful creative power, the privilege of transmitting to others the authority of the Lord which he holds. His presiding officer is not now one of his own number merely; it is the bishop of the ward himself. Where in the world could be found choicer leaders of young men than the bishops of the Church? They should draw from their band of forty-eight priests the loyalty of a guard of honor. They should make this to the young men of the ward the most instructive period of their lives, a period of close companionship and warm sympathy that will last as long as they live. What quorum presidents in all the body of the Church are so well fitted to establish the gospel in the hearts of young men at an age when skepticism begins to attack

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS' TABLE them as are the bishops? For the sake of such leadership it would he better rather to hold the young men back than to hurry them on to ordination in the Melchizedek priesthood. Responsibility of Quorum Presidents. What is said in regard to the responsibility of the bishop as president of the priests' quorums is equally applicable to other presidencies. There are today in the Church 62 quorums of high priests, 164 quorums of seventy, 302 quorums of elders, (there should be) 49 quo rums of priests,274 quorums of teachers, and 1,142 quorums <>i deacons, comprising a membership of over 80,000. Over each of these quorums men are specially chosen and set apart; to preside, whose duty it is to sit in council with them and to teach them their duties according to the covenant-. If in an army of 200,000 and over, every man's duty can lie assigned ami his daily actions known, as was the case in Napoleon's army. Grant's and others; surely in the war against evil and unrighteousness every man in this army of priesthood divinely organized, may also be taught his daily responsibility to himself and his fellowmen. Officers are too prone to leave this instruction to stake presidents and bishoprics, when in reality the Lord explicitly states that it is the duty of the respective quorum presidencies to instruct their members. Such officers are among those set in the Church "for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man. unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that we henceforth lie no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness — whereby they lie in wait to deceive." In this "work of the ministry," then, let quorum officers be more active. If there be a man in your organization who, for instance, is violating the word of wisdom, teach him according to the covenants. If there be one ''.tossed to and fro," by the so-called "Higher Criticism," or by a mistaken conception of the theory of evolution, teach him the gospel to the convincing of his vascilating mind that to be a true follower of Jesus Christ is to be in harmony with all truth. Teach tithing to the non-tithepayers, respect of the authorities to the fault-finder; industry to the idler; temperance to the intemperate, etc. But let the quorums do much of this as quorums and not leave all such teachings to the bishops and stake authorities. In this way the high priests, seventies, and elders will be qualified for the service required of them, as directors of the young in Mutual Improvement work, in the Sunday School and Religion Class, and particularly as class instructors in Priesthood meetings. Class Instructors. In this connection, it is urged that any member of a class or quorum should be readily excused from attendance at his particular class recitation whenever the bishop requires his ser-

660 IMPROVEMENT ERA vices as a teacher in another department; for that quorum has attained the highest record whose members are all serving either as missionaries, presiding officers or instructors. If this idea be kept in mind, bishops will have less difficulty in securing efficient help. Quorum books should indicate just what service each member is rendering the Church. As a means of qualifying to be a successful class instructor, "How to Teach Religion," will be found helpful. Fellowship. If, then, all members of a quorum be employed as teachers in other quorums, how, it may be asked, can we foster the spirit of brotherhood ? We answer, by daily ministry among the members. The fraternal spirit and true brotherly love develop and flourish best in an atmosphere of kind deeds, such as: (1) Quorum members teaching one another as suggested above. (2) Rendering each other help and comfort in time of misfortune or sickness. (3) Expressions of sympathy and love from the quorum when a member is in bereavement. (4) Sending letters and means to missionaries. (5) Administering to the needs and comfort of missfe^iaries' families. In these and many other ways try to make each of your members say: "I think, am sure, a brother's love exceeds all the world's loves in its mnworldliness." True brotherhood in quorums demands common interests, mutual service, and lofty purposes. Indeed the bond of priesthood alone should be sufficient, for "Great souls by instinct to each other turn, Demand alliance, and in friendship burn." Summary. In conclusion, then, brethren, let the interests of the priesthood be fostered by teaching the importance and sacredness of an ordination to the priesthood, and by so doing make higher the character of membership, and lessen the spirit of indifference now manifest. Let special attention be given to the organization, duties, and privileges of teachers' and priests' quorums, so that during the year every ward in the Church may be profited by the services of this army of young men now left, in too many instances, undisciplined, untrained. May the 3,000 presiding officers in quorums be more diligent in the work of the ministry among their own members, and by a hundred deeds of kindness, thought out and acted upon each week, foster the spirit of true fellowship — the brotherhood of Christ. f David O. McKay, 1 Signed } David A. Smith, ^ Committee. I Joseph J. Cannon. J In behalf of the General Priesthood Committee.