Thomas S. Monson: 16th LDS President
This Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Became President Early in 2008
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been lead by 16 people since Joseph Smith, Jr. founded the Restorationist movement in the 1830s. The Mormon church is lead by a prophet and two counselors, called the First Presidency. The quorum of the 12 apostles serves under the first presidency.
When a prophet dies, the ruling body disbands and the twelve apostles rule the church until a new prophet is chosen. The practice of the Mormon church has been to select the most senior member of the twelve apostles as the next president of the church, according to a Newsweek article that ran on January 22, 2008. The current president of the Salt Lake City based Mormon church, Thomas S. Monson, was selected to lead the church after the death of the former prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley in 2008.
Thomas S. Monson's Church Career
The current Mormon prophet has had a distinguished career in business working for the Deseret News and serving on Reagan's task force on private sector initiatives, but the 80 year old gentleman has a longer history in service of the church. At the age of 36 he was set apart as second counselor for President Howard W. Hunter. Monson would serve as second counselor for Ezra Taft Benson and Gordon B. Hinckley, according to his biography on the official LDS website.
Thomas S. Monson has served as a general authority of the church since 1963, and served as a mission president in Canada before that. His administration of the church has already seen some departures from that of previous prophets. Since becoming the prophet, seer, and revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monson has met with the gay Mormon group Affirmation, and he has encouraged people who have left the church to return.
Monson's Role as the Head of the Church
The prophet is supposed to lead the Mormon church in temporal or spiritual matters. He is also the conduit for continuing revelation. As such, he can clarify matters of doctrine or receive new commandments from the Lord. He also serves as the final arbiter on matters of church doctrine, although future prophets may override his edicts, because a living prophet is more important than a dead one, according to Ezra Taft Benson's Fourteen Fundamentals of Following a Prophet.
Many of his Thomas S. Monson's predecessors served as prophet, seer, and revelator for a short time before their death. The Mormon Wiki web site lists the 16 prophets and their terms of service. Most prophets since the time of Brigham Young have served for a term of 10 years. The shortest prophet's term, Howard B. Hunter lasted a year before his death. Once called, the president of the church serves as the leader of the Mormon church for the rest of his life.
