rongo Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 14 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said: If you want my conjecture, I'll give it to you. Sure! I'm all ears.
Alan Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 My understanding is that the 1st and 2nd quorums of Seventy are general authorities and serve until they either die or are retired. The other quorums are made up of Area Seventy's who serve for 5 years and often have regular jobs at the same time. They are regional leaders and not general authorities. This has been the case for some time and I don't think it has changed.
rongo Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 Yes, but what "changed" (if it even was a change) is that, for the first time, they weren't sustained as members of the 1st or 2nd Quorums of the Seventy, but simply "General Authority Seventies." They probably still are, say for example, in the 2nd Quorum, but they weren't knowingly sustained as such. 1
Scott Lloyd Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 (edited) 9 hours ago, rongo said: Sure! I'm all ears. OK. Best guess. In every meaningful and material way that they interact with rank-and-file Church members, there is no difference between members of the First Quorum and members of the Second Quorum. So far as I am aware, there is no separate leadership or administrative structure in place for any of the quorums. They never meet, for example, as a separate First Quorum or a separate Second Quorum. All of the quorums are led and presided over severally by the seven men in the Presidency of the Seventy. There is, however a distinction between members of the First and Second Quorums (General Authority Seventies) and the members of all the other quorums (Area Seventies). Members of the first two have general jurisdiction (for want of a better term) over all of the Church. Each of the Third through the Eight Quorums have regional jurisdiction over a specific geographical area of the Church; hence, they are Area Seventies and not General Authority Seventies. Perhaps it is to convey this understanding to the members of the Church that the Church leaders ceased drawing a public distinction between members of the First Quorum and members of the Second Quorum. Edited April 19, 2016 by Scott Lloyd 1
Scott Lloyd Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 (edited) 8 hours ago, Alan said: My understanding is that the 1st and 2nd quorums of Seventy are general authorities and serve until they either die or are retired. The other quorums are made up of Area Seventy's who serve for 5 years and often have regular jobs at the same time. They are regional leaders and not general authorities. This has been the case for some time and I don't think it has changed. Seventies don't actively serve past age 70. They are either released or granted emeritus status. The only General Authorities who serve until death anymore are members of the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Edited April 19, 2016 by Scott Lloyd
Alan Posted April 20, 2016 Posted April 20, 2016 19 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said: Seventies don't actively serve past age 70. They are either released or granted emeritus status. The only General Authorities who serve until death anymore are members of the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Unless they die before they're 70 of course.
Scott Lloyd Posted April 27, 2016 Posted April 27, 2016 (edited) On 4/19/2016 at 5:46 PM, Scott Lloyd said: Seventies don't actively serve past age 70. They are either released or granted emeritus status. The only General Authorities who serve until death anymore are members of the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Just got some clarification on this from a knowledgeable source. Henceforth, there is no designation as to who is in the First Quorum of the Seventy and who is in the Second Quorum of the Seventy. In theory, there could be a total of 140 men (70 per quorum) designated as General Authority Seventies, but there will be no distinction as to who is in which quorum. No distinction by alphabetical order or by seniority or by anything else. From now on, they all serve until age 70, at which time they are given emeritus status. And this is something new I learned: The policy is retroactive. That is to say, all former members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy now have emeritus status, even if they haven't had it heretofore. The policy is still the same as it has been, though, with Area Seventies, who serve part time and are then released after a period of service. They are not given emeritus status. Edited April 27, 2016 by Scott Lloyd 4
JulieM Posted April 27, 2016 Posted April 27, 2016 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said: From now on, they all serve until age 70, at which time they are given emeritus status. And this is something new I learned: The policy is retroactive. That is to say, all former members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy now have emeritus status, even if they haven't had it heretofore. The policy is still the same as it has been, though, with Area Seventies, who serve part time and are then released after a period of service. They are not given emeritus status. Thank you for the information, Scott. Can you tell me the benefit or advantage to being able to have emeritus status? Is it just that they keep the title of this office or is there a financial benefit too (like retirement benefits)? Edited April 27, 2016 by JulieM
Scott Lloyd Posted April 27, 2016 Posted April 27, 2016 9 minutes ago, JulieM said: Thank you for the information, Scott. Can you tell me the benefit or advantage to being able to have emeritus status? Is it just that they keep the title of this office or is there a financial benefit too (like retirement benefits)? Beats me. I could give you my best guess, but that wouldn't be worth much.
JulieM Posted April 27, 2016 Posted April 27, 2016 Just now, Scott Lloyd said: Beats me. I could give you my best guess, but that wouldn't be worth much. ha! That's ok, just thought I'd ask!
CMZ Posted May 10, 2016 Posted May 10, 2016 I spoke with Doug Callister one time after a fireside when he was an Area Seventy and when he was in the Fifth Quorum of Seventy (before he became a General Authority Seventy) and he said that the Fifth Quorum had in-person meetings once a year and that the next one he was going to was going to be held in Denver.
Kenngo1969 Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 One thing I like, though, is that often, these Brethren are given opportunities to serve even after they are granted Emeritus status. It's not uncommon for Emeritus Seventies, for example, to be called as Temple Presidents. Elder Albert Choules, Jr., formerly of the Second Quorum of the Seventy when calls to that Quorum lasted circa five years, was my Bishop when I first moved to Salt Lake City to go to law school. After he was released as my Bishop, he and his wife were called as President and Matron of the Mesa Temple.
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