President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
highest office of the LDS church
The president of the church is the highest office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was the office originally held by Joseph Smith, the church's founder. The church's president is its leader and is head of the First Presidency, its highest governing body. Latter-day Saints consider the president of the church to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" and refer to him as "the Prophet", a title that was originally given to Smith. When the name of the president is used by adherents, it is usually prefaced by the title "President".
Latter-day Saints consider the church's president to be God's spokesman to the entire world and the highest priesthood authority on earth, with the exclusive right to receive revelations from God on behalf of the entire church and the entire world.
The president of the church serves as the head of both the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes and the Council of the Church. The president of the church also serves as the ex officio chairman of the Church Boards of Trustees/Education.
History
Joseph Smith
The concept that the Church of Christ would have a single presiding officer arose in late 1831. Initially, after the church's formation on April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith referred to himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ, and elder of the church".
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” is highest office of the LDS church. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through President, Church and Jesus, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “highest office of the LDS church” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17000892. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1831 and 1830.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints primary sources, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints archive and President research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.