Question
Gramps,
What are the criteria for advancement to the office of an Elder to a High Priest in the Melchizedek priesthood? In my ward, it seems almost random. There are high priests who are relatively young and inactive or do not fulfill callings, and there are elders who are well into their 50s and are faithful and diligent. It seems that age and faithfulness are not factors; however, it almost seems like personality and popularity are. This is what I’m struggling to understand and reconcile.
Aaron
Answer
Aaron,
This is a great question, and you’re certainly not the only person who has wondered about it.
Fortunately, the restored gospel offers a much better way to view it.
The first thing to understand is that being ordained a high priest is not a promotion. In the Lord’s Church, priesthood offices are never intended to recognize seniority, reward faithfulness, or elevate one person above another. They exist because the Lord has organized His Church to accomplish His work in different ways.
The Lord revealed:
“There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood.” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:1)
Within the Melchizedek Priesthood are several offices, including the offices of elder and high priest. Each office carries different responsibilities, but neither office makes one faithful priesthood holder more valuable to the Lord than another. Both are essential to accomplishing His work.
The current General Handbook explains when a man is ordinarily ordained a high priest:
“Men are ordained high priests when they are called to a stake presidency, high council, or bishopric. They may also be ordained at other times as determined by the stake president through prayerful consideration and inspiration.”
The handbook also explains:
“The stake president holds the priesthood keys for conferring the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordaining to the offices of elder and high priest. However, the bishop usually provides recommendations for these ordinations.”
Those two statements answer much of the question.
Most ordinations to the office of high priest occur because a calling requires it. For example, men are typically ordained high priests when they are called to serve in a bishopric, on a high council, or in a stake presidency. However, the General Handbook intentionally leaves room for other ordinations as directed by the stake president through prayerful inspiration. In other words, there is a general pattern, but there is no rigid checklist that says a man becomes a high priest after reaching a certain age or after serving faithfully for a certain number of years.
Before the 2018 reorganization that combined the ward high priests groups and elders quorums into one elders quorum, it was more common for faithful older elders to be ordained high priests even if they were not serving in stake leadership. Today, ordinations generally occur when a calling requires the office or when the stake president feels inspired to authorize one.
That means two faithful men sitting next to each other in the elders quorum may have very different priesthood histories simply because they have served during different periods of Church administration.
We also rarely know someone’s complete story.
A brother who is inactive today may have faithfully served years ago in a bishopric, on the high council, or in a stake presidency. Those callings required him to be ordained a high priest. Once ordained, he remains a high priest even if he is later released or becomes less active.
Meanwhile, another brother who has faithfully served for decades may simply never have received a calling that required ordination to that office.
In other words, what we see today is only one chapter of a much longer story.
Does faithfulness matter?
Absolutely.
Every priesthood ordination requires personal worthiness. But faithfulness alone is not the determining factor for whether someone becomes a high priest.
Imagine two worthy elders. One is called to serve in a bishopric and is ordained a high priest. The other continues faithfully serving as an elder’s quorum instructor, ministering brother, temple worker, or Gospel Doctrine teacher.
Has one become more important in the Lord’s eyes? Not at all. They simply have different assignments.
An elder already holds the Melchizedek Priesthood and is authorized to fulfill the responsibilities associated with that office. Being ordained a high priest does not mean receiving “more priesthood.” Rather, it is an ordination to a different office within the same Melchizedek Priesthood, generally because of responsibilities connected with a particular calling or as directed by the stake president through inspiration.
Sometimes people wonder if personality or popularity influences these decisions. While it’s understandable to ask that question, it’s also important to remember that we don’t see everything a stake president sees.
He may know confidential circumstances. He may be preparing someone for future service. Most importantly, he has priesthood keys and seeks revelation for those within his stewardship.
President Russell M. Nelson also taught:
“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)
If every member needs that guidance, how much more does a stake president as he prayerfully makes decisions affecting the Lord’s kingdom?
Of course, stake presidents are mortal men. Like all disciples, they strive to recognize and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. They are not perfect, but the Lord governs His Church through the priesthood keys and can guide His servants as they sincerely seek His will.
Perhaps the most helpful perspective is to ask a different question. Instead of asking, “Why isn’t that faithful elder a high priest?” we might ask, “How can I better magnify the priesthood I already hold?”
King Benjamin taught that greatness in God’s kingdom comes through humble service. Likewise, the Savior taught His Apostles:
“Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:27)
The Lord has never measured disciples by titles. He measures hearts.
A faithful elder who quietly blesses his family, ministers to others, honors his covenants, and magnifies his calling is every bit as valuable in the Lord’s kingdom as a high priest serving in stake leadership.
Both are needed. Both are trusted. Both are building the kingdom of God.
So if you’ve struggled to reconcile what you’ve observed, you’re certainly not alone. From our limited perspective, some ordinations may seem difficult to explain. But the Lord’s pattern is actually quite simple.
Ordination to the office of high priest is generally based on priesthood responsibility and the inspiration of the stake president who holds the keys—not on age, seniority, personality, popularity, or as a reward for years of faithful service.
In the end, what will matter most isn’t whether our membership record says “elder” or “high priest.” What will matter is whether we loved the Lord, kept our covenants, and faithfully magnified every opportunity He gave us to serve.
That is the kind of discipleship the Savior honors, regardless of the office we hold.
Gramps
