Church Historian and Recorder#Church Historical Department
{{Short description|Priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}
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File:Church Historians Office ca 1875.PNG
Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities. His office gathers history sources and preserves records, ordinances, minutes, revelations, procedures, and other documents. The Church Historian and Recorder also chairs the Historic Sites Committee and Records Management Committee, and may act as an authoritative voice of the church in historical matters.{{Cite journal|title=There Shall Be a Record Kept among You|journal=Ensign|pages=28–33|date=December 2007|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/12/there-shall-be-a-record-kept-among-you}}
History
This office is based on revelations to Joseph Smith calling for keeping records and preparing a church history.Doctrine and Covenants 21:1, 47:1, 69:3, 85:1 Oliver Cowdery, the first in this position, originally recorded meeting minutes, patriarchal blessings, membership information, priesthood ordinations, and a kind of narrative church history. For a time, the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were separate, but in 1842 these callings were merged and now the Church Historian also acts as the Church Recorder.
In 1972, the Church Historian's Office was renamed to become the Historical Department.{{cite book|author=Leonard J. Arrington|author-link=Leonard J. Arrington|title=Adventures of a Church Historian|page=74|year=1998|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=0-252-02381-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZr9lMg5zGwC&pg=PA74|access-date=2008-06-06 }} In 2000, this department was merged with the Family History Department to become the Family and Church History Department.{{Cite news|title=Family History, History departments joined|newspaper=Church News|date=June 10, 2000 | url=https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2000-06-10/family-history-history-departments-joined-17806 | access-date=2009-07-17}} On March 12, 2008, the Church Historian separated again from the Family History Department to become the Church History Department.{{cite web|author=Jared T|title=Breaking News: Changes in Family and Church History Department Organization|publisher=Juvenile Instructor|date=March 12, 2008|url=http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/breaking-news-changes-in-church-history-department-organization/|access-date=2008-06-06 }}
While the majority of Church Historians and Recorders have been general authorities of the church, there have been some exceptions to the practice.
Chronology
In the following tables, general authorities are listed in bold. The date ranges span from the sustaining date to the release date unless otherwise indicated.
=Church Historian and Church Recorder=
=Church Historian and Recorder=
Church Historical Department
In 1972, the Church Historian's Office was renamed to become the Historical Department. In 2000, this department was merged with the Family History Department to become the Family and Church History Department. On March 12, 2008, the Church Historian separated again from the Family History Department to become the Church History Department.
= Executive Director of the Historical Department =
Larsen was also the first Executive Director of the Historical Department, in which he was replaced by John K. Carmack in 1989. Larsen then moved on to other assignments, such as serving in the Temple Department and Area Presidencies and was not active in any historical role, though he was still technically the Church Historian until his release from the Seventy in 1997.
While holding the office of Church Historian, and afterward, others succeeded Larsen as Executive Directors of the Historical Department. During this time, these men stood in for the Church Historian and were sometimes referred to with that title.{{cite journal | author=Anderson, Lavina Fielding | author-link=Lavina Fielding Anderson | title=The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership - A Contemporary Chronology | journal=Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought | date=Spring 1993 | volume=26 | issue=1 | pages=11 | url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/dialogue,22668 | access-date=2008-12-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613221914/http://content.lib.utah.edu/u/?%2Fdialogue%2C22668 | archive-date=2011-06-13 | url-status=dead }}{{cite news | title=History of the fraternity for returned missionaries is presented to Church | date=March 30, 1991 | work=Church News | publisher=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City, Utah | url=https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1991-03-30/history-of-the-fraternity-for-returned-missionaries-is-presented-to-church-3595 | access-date=2008-12-15}}
| class="wikitable" |
| No.
! Dates ! Executive Directors of the Historical Department ! Notes |
|---|
| 12b
| 1989–91 | John K. Carmack | Carmack was given the position of the department's Executive Director, but he was not called as the Church Historian. |
| 12c
| 1991–93 | |
| 12d
| 1993–96 | |
| 12e
| 1996–98 | During this time (1997), Larsen was finally officially released as Church Historian, and the office was left unfilled. |
| 12f
| 1998–99 | John K. Carmack | |
| 12g
| 1999–2000 | |
| 12h
| 2000–04 | Organizational changes during this time changed Christofferson's title to the Executive Director of the Family and Church History Department. |
| 12i
| 2004–05 | Jensen retained his position as Executive Director when he was called to be Church Historian in 2005.{{cite news | author=Joseph Walker | title=Emeritus general authorities welcome the chance to practice what they've preached | work=Deseret News | date=October 2, 2012 | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563554/Emeritus-general-authorities-welcome-the-chance-to-practice-what-theyve-preached.html?pg=all | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006003053/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563554/Emeritus-general-authorities-welcome-the-chance-to-practice-what-theyve-preached.html?pg=all | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 6, 2012 | access-date=2014-05-22}} Since the office of Church Historian had been revived, after this time the Executive Director was no longer standing in as a substitute. |
See also
Notes
{{Reflist|40em}}
References
- {{Cite journal
| last1 = Arrington
| first1 = Leonard J.
| author1-link = Leonard J. Arrington
| title = The Search for Truth and Meaning in Mormon History
| journal = Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
| volume = 3
| issue = 2
| pages = 56–66
| date = Summer 1968
| doi = 10.2307/45227258
| jstor = 45227258
| doi-access = free
}}
- {{cite news
| last1= Jenson
| first1= Andrew
| author1-link = Andrew Jenson
| title= Church Chronology: A Record of Important Events Pertaining to the History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
| url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/BYUIBooks,1066
| edition= 2nd
| place= Salt Lake City, Utah
| newspaper= Deseret News
| year= 1914
}}
- {{citation
| last1 = Lund
| first1 = Anthon H.
| author-link = Anthon H. Lund
| contribution = Remarks § Church Historians
| title = Eighty-eighth Semi-annual Conference Of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Report of the Discourses
| place = Salt Lake City
| publisher = LDS Church
| year = 1917
| contribution-url = https://archive.org/stream/conferencereport1917sa#page/n11/mode/2up
| pages = 10–12
}}
- {{cite book |first= Howard C. |last= Searle |contribution-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/3760 |contribution= Historians, Church |pages= 589–592 |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |title= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= Macmillan Publishing |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 }}
Further reading
{{Portal|LDS Church}}
- {{cite book |last1= Bitton |first1= Davis |author1-link= Davis Bitton |last2= Arrington |first2= Leonard J. |author2-link= Leonard J. Arrington |year= 1988 |title= Mormons and Their Historians |place= Salt Lake City |publisher= University of Utah Press |isbn= 0874802806 |oclc= 17649801 }}
- {{cite news |last= De Groote |first= Michael |date= March 3, 2009 |title= Assisting Mormon history |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705288418/Assisting-Mormon-history.html?pg=all |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141108023840/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705288418/Assisting-Mormon-history.html?pg=all |url-status= dead |archive-date= November 8, 2014 |work= MormonTimes |publisher= Deseret News }} — summary of the role of the Assistant Church Historian
- {{cite journal |author= Smith, Joseph Fielding |author-link= Joseph Fielding Smith |date= October 1968 |title= The Church Historian's Office |url= https://archive.org/stream/improvementera7110unse#page/n35/mode/2up |journal= Improvement Era |volume= 71 |issue= 10 |pages= 34–39 |display-authors=etal}}
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{{LDSpriesthood}}
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Category:1831 establishments in the United States
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Category:History of the Latter Day Saint movement
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