We believe...Article 6

"We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."



Resurrected Christ with His Apostles



This particular Article comes directly from the New Testament where it is found in a letter from Paul to the Ephesians as well as a letter to those in Corinth:

     "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;

     and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and

     teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the

     work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body

     of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Jesus had set up, by example and by pattern, how He expected His Church to be run. Their were definite positions and roles that were to be issued and to be carried out.

What happened to the twelve apostles once the Savior ascended? That was one of my primary questions as I grew up in another faith. Jesus hand picked 12 men to become leaders of His Church. One of them, Judas, betrayed Him. This left only eleven. Was Judas replaced or did the remaining apostles stumble along?

In reading the Book of Acts one finds out that Judas was replaced by another. In so doing the Apostles had their full complement again. In chapter 1 of Acts it details the replacing of Judas by a man named Matthias. Was this the only replacement that occurred during this time? Not necessarily. In reading the New Testament I have been able to read that their were others who were referred to as apostles. One of those was Saul/Paul who was referred to as the apostle to the Gentiles. It would seem then that their was a continuation of the Lord's Church in a manner that He had set up.

What of today? Are there apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers etc. today? One of the premises of the Church of Latter-Day Saints is that the Church that Jesus set up during his life became corrupt shortly after the death of the Apostles. This corruption came from several sources. One source was outside persecution from Rome and also the Jewish Hierarchy. Another major issue was division and false teachings that infiltrated the Church, especially when the Apostles were no longer around to correct false teachings. As you read Paul's letters you can get a sense of some of these false teachings as he writes to correct the teachings that he sees creeping into the Church. Paul continues the above writings:

     "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 be no
     more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight
     of men, and conning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Ephesians 4:13-14)

The Church that Jesus set up no longer existed. Eventually it became corrupt and over the years has splintered into various different churches. Most have evolved from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther and others tried to reform the Catholic Church. In their attempts to do so other Churches were created. In the early 1800s the Lord stepped in and began the process to restore His Church as He had originally meant for it to be. Part of that restoration was the return of "...apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."

Current LDS Prophet- Thomas S. Monson

Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has prophets and apostles. The Church is guided and directed by the Person whose name it bears- Jesus Christ. He does so through a living prophet-Thomas S. Monson- who is assisted by  the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...

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Current 12 Apostles