Apostle (Latter Day Saints)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, an apostle is a "special witness of the name of Jesus Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others.

In the Latter Day Saint tradition, apostles and prophets are believed to be the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

Alvin R. Dyer, for example, was ordained an apostle in 1967; although he served as a counselor in the First Presidency between 1968 and 1970, upon the death of David O. McKay, he returned to his previous position as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve.

Joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young, Jr., and Sylvester Q. Cannon had each been ordained as apostles before eventually being called into the Quorum of the Twelve.

Following their calling to the apostleship, members of the Quorum are sustained in general conference as apostles and prophets, seers, and revelators.

The calling of an apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of his divinity and of his bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:22; D&C 107:23).

When a vacancy occurred with the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was divinely appointed to that special office as a member of the council (Acts 1:15–26).

The title was also applied to others who, though not of the number of the original twelve, yet were called to serve as special witnesses of the Lord.

The New Testament does not inform us whether these three brethren also served in the council of the Twelve as vacancies occurred therein, or whether they were apostles strictly in the sense of being special witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ordinarily those so ordained are also set apart as members of the Council of the Twelve and are given all of the keys of the kingdom of God on earth.

Christ "chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" (Luke 6:13), and upon their shoulders the burden of the kingdom rested after he ascended to his Father (1 Cor.