1. Home >
  2. 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.”
16 April 1840
Peter Melling
  1. 1

    Joseph Fielding, Diary, 10 Apr. 1838, 59–60.  

    Fielding, Joseph. Diary. Typescript. FHL. Available at familysearch.org.

  2. 2

    Joseph Fielding, Diary, 10 Apr. 1838, 59–60.  

    Fielding, Joseph. Diary. Typescript. FHL. Available at familysearch.org.

  3. 3

    Woodruff, Journal, 15 Apr. 1840.  

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  4. 4

    Millennial Star, July 1840, 67–71.  

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  5. 5

    Millennial Star, Apr. 1841, 304–305.  

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  6. 6

    Woodruff, Journal, 16 Apr. 1840.  

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  7. 7

    Instruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:39].  

  8. 8

    Discourse, between 26 June and 2 July 1839.  

Contact Us FAQ Follow Us on Facebook

Request for Documents

Do you know of any Joseph Smith documents that we might not have heard about? Tell us

The Church Historian’s Press is an imprint of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, and a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

© 2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Updated 2021-04-13 | Privacy Notice Updated 2021-04-06 |