Can An Apostle Retire?

[mfbukowski]

So when do you progress to the level when you lose your agency? Q12, GA, AA, Mission President?

It's an academic question in my case but I'd like to warn my SP to not accept any "higher" callings to avoid being made an offer he literally CAN'T refuse.

Telling him to avoid wanting to become like Christ might not be received well.

 

 

Human and Divine Dispositions

It is good to contrast our human dispositions with the divine disposition of Jesus Christ. During His earthly ministry the Savior humbly acknowledged, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, … for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28–29). In the Garden of Gethsemane, in the depths of agony, He compliantly prayed, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42), thus reflecting “the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father” (Mosiah 15:7).

After Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, he demonstrated to the Lord and to his posterity that he had a disposition to do good continually, as he “rose up early in the morning” (Gen. 22:3; emphasis added) to make necessary preparations for the sacrifice he anticipated would be required of him.

 

Edited March 16, 2015 by mfbukowski

[Boanerges]

It is public record that there have been Apostles outside of the 12. The three witnesses were given the apostleship to choose the 12 but were never part of the 12. One of Brigham Young's sons was ordained an apostle but never joined the Quorum. It has not happened to my knowledge for at least a century.

 

There are no revelations prohibiting it happening again. There is no revelation stopping a new policy from going in to place where an apostle is released from the Quorum of the 12 and/or their First Presidency responsibilities. There is precedent in the Bible for similar actions. Aaron made his eldest son the High Priest of the Aaronic Priesthood and stepped down and he lived for several more years afterwards.

 

This would obviously require some revelation (written or unwritten) from the Prophet but it could happen. It may or may not.

 

Not only has it happened, it has happened as recently as the 1980s. It happens whenever an additional counselor is called to the first presidency (as in GBH in the 80s). At one point David O. McKay had seven counselors.