The following was sent to bishops on August 4, 2015, after a gospel doctrine class wrongly concluded that members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles choose new Apostles, following the recent death of President Boyd K. Packer and Elder L. Tom Perry.
Bishops,
Your gospel doctrine class has or will soon teach Lesson 28: “We Are Witnesses.” There is a passing reference in that lesson to the selection of a new apostle (see Acts 1:21-26).
In light of the fact that there are two vacancies in the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, this may (and probably should) get more than a passing reference.
We know of at least one ward where this came up in the gospel doctrine class and was discussed at length. The teacher and class arrived at the conclusion that new Apostles are chosen by the Twelve meeting together and casting “forth their lots” or, in other words, voting until they reached a unanimous selection (see Acts 1:26).
Because of the current vacancies, will you please teach in your ward the procedure for calling an Apostle in the Church today? We recommend you or your counselor give a brief explanation at the beginning of the gospel doctrine class or, if you feel appropriate, even teach briefly in sacrament meeting.
Here is the official procedure:
All members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are called by the First Presidency under the direction of the President of the Church. The current members of the Twelve are then asked to sustain--but they do not vote on or elect--those chosen.
There are several resources that may help support this instruction:
1. D&C 107:22 reminds us that one of the distinctions of the modern Church of Jesus Christ is that we have a First Presidency that is a quorum in itself. While Peter, James and John appear prominently together in the New Testament, there is no indication they were a quorum separate from the Twelve.
2. D&C 107:33 explains that the Twelve officiate under the direction of the Quorum of the First Presidency; therefore the keys for calling and ordaining new Apostles rests solely with the First Presidency under the direction of the President of the Church.
3. This brief video clip of President Hinckley, in an April 1994 general conference address, explains that the Twelve are invited to recommend candidates for the Twelve, but the responsibility rests solely with the First Presidency to receive the revelation as to who should be called. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-10-1700-how-apostles-are-called?lang=eng
4. The following two links have lots of support information about the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, including how members are chosen: https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/calling-an-apostle-of-god?lang=eng and http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles.
5. Last month (July) the stake presidents in the Oregon Portland Mission were invited to a dinner with Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Twelve, who was visiting his son and family. Elder Ballard conducted a brief Q&A session with us. At one point he asked and answered one question on his own: “Question: When will the new Apostles be called?” “Answer: When President Monson decides they should be called.”
We hope this is helpful. Normally this would not be a matter that needs to be addressed. But where there is such interest in the subject, with two vacancies in the Twelve, will you please make sure your ward members understand the procedure for calling new Apostles and that they don’t assume there is an “election” or voting by the members of the Twelve, as was the case in ancient times (Acts 1:26)?
Gratefully,
The Stake Presidency
