General Authority - Composition and Distinction From General Officers

Composition and Distinction From General Officers

By definition, general authorities are members of the church's priesthood, which does not include women. The most common definition of the general authorities includes the members of the following leadership organizations:

Organization Membership Title given to members
(e.g., Title Smith or Title John J. Smith)
Tenure
First Presidency President of the Church and his chosen counselors President President of the Church: Life
counselors: Until own death, death of the President of the Church, or release at the discretion of the president
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 12 Apostles Elder;
President or Acting President of the Quorum
Typically life; may be removed from Quorum to join First Presidency; on rare occasions may be removed from the Quorum due to an excess of Apostles
Presidency of the Seventy 7 Seventies, typically drawn from the First or Second Quorums of the Seventy Elder Variable (usually 5-8 years); until release at the discretion of the church president; will typically remain a member of the First or Second Quorums of the Seventy when released
First Quorum of the Seventy Up to 70 Seventies Elder Life; will typically be relieved of active duties and granted emeritus status around age 70
Second Quorum of the Seventy Up to 70 Seventies Elder Variable (usually 5-7 years); until release at the discretion of the Church President
Presiding Bishopric 3 Bishops: one presiding bishop and two counselors Bishop Variable (usually 9-12 years); until release at the discretion of the church president; will typically become a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy upon their release
Presiding Patriarch 1 Patriarch, usually a descendant of Joseph Smith, Sr. Elder Life; current presiding patriarch has been released of active duties and given general authority emeritus status
Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Defunct (was variable) Defunct (was Elder) All Assistants to the Twelve were added to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976 and the position was eliminated

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