The World Church Leadership Council is a leadership body of
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...
. It encompasses the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
, the
Council of Twelve Apostles
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the Council of the Twelve, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Council of the Twelve Apostles, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies or ( quorums) of the church hie ...
, and the
Presiding Bishopric. The group convenes at the church headquarters in the
Independence Temple
The Temple in Independence, Missouri, is a house of worship and education "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". It dominates the skyline of Independence and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the Community of Christ (formerly the Re ...
. With the adoption of a new set of church
bylaws
A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...
at the 2002
World Conference, this body replaced the predecessor council known as the Joint Council. Bylaw provisions allow for additional members to be added to the World Church Leadership Council.
Overview
Since its formation, the World Church Leadership Council has been the deliberative and consensus forming body for a number of important decisions, such as the 2002 "Statement on Homosexuality", formation of mission centers, and setting of dates for specially called World Conferences. The World Church Leadership Council assisted with the recommendation to the World Conference by the Council of Twelve that
Stephen M. Veazey be ordained as Prophet-President of the church. In 2006, the World Church Leadership Council deliberated significant restructuring of the church's headquarters operations and reduction in the number of paid field ministers. It has contributed to development of a new format for the 2007
Community of Christ World Conference.
Prior history of the Joint Council
Before the adoption of the 2002 bylaws, the predecessor body known as the Joint Council served essentially the same role as the new World Church Leadership Council. During their deliberation of the vision and mission statements of the church at a 1994 Joint Council retreat, President
Wallace B. Smith first suggested a new name for the church, ''Community of Christ''.
Community of Christ Name
webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 The Joint Council was often designated as the policy approval body in legislation passed at World Conferences over a period of many decades.
See also
*Council on the Disposition of the Tithes The Council on the Disposition of the Tithes is a leadership body in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), composed of the First Presidency, the Presiding Bishopric, and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The council determines ...
Notes
Community of Christ
Latter Day Saint hierarchy
2002 in Christianity
2002 establishments in Missouri
{{LDS-stub