Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity.
The president is assisted by two male counselors and together they compose the temple presidency. Normally the wife of the temple president serves as the temple matron, and the wives of the president's counselors as assistants to the matron. The matron and her assistants share in the responsibilities of the temple presidency. All members of a temple presidency are ordained high priests of the church.
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Temple President Welcomes the Class of 2017
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Transcription
>>Theobald I congratulate each member of the Class of 2017 on your choice to become Temple Owls. You could not have made a better choice. [music] >> The incoming class is exceptional, both in terms of diversity and academics. These four years if we do our job and then they follow through and do their job can be the four best years of students' lives. I still remember my undergraduate experience very fondly. [music builds] >> My wife Sheona and I are teaching a class for incoming freshman. The title is called Organizational Change at Temple University. The course will go through each of the pieces of the campus, determine how do you figure out what's going well, what isn't, how are we going to implement that change? It's a year-long course. We meet every Monday night. I can't wait. [music] >>How do you implement change. Now, at Temple we're bringing in master planners to help us with this process, talking with faculty, to staff, students, gathering information online. What should Temple University be doing over the next decade? Now they're job is to take these ideas and turn it into a plan. How do you implement those ideas? We're going to take the space we have- Anderson, Gladfelter, Paley Library - and convert them into something that meets the needs of the current students. [natural sound of wheel] >>The demand for on-campus housing from students is tremendous and Morgan Hall gives us the opportunity to provide state-of-the-art housing, academic facilities. It does everything we're looking to do here at Temple University. It's a tremendous addition. [music builds] >>We've had 250,000 people over the years come through Temple University. They're now leaders in their fields and what they can bring back to campus to our current students is immensely important. We have 6,000 students living on campus now. This is really a wonderful university in the same setting they know, but I'm not sure they'd recognize it. [music builds] >>We have 580 wonderful student athletes and the opportunities this provides for these young people to participate, compete, that's the best part of college athletics in my view. American Conference is a very good peer group for us. These are academic institutions that are dealing with the same kinds of issues. In Dallas, Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Hartford, that we're dealing with in Philadelphia so it gives us a chance to tell our story to students elsewhere, to faculty elsewhere, to alumni who don't happen to live in the Philadelphia region. It extends our reach and allows people to know all of the great things that are going on here. [music builds] >>This is a very urban-focused campus that is looking towards moving forward in life, moving up in life, exactly what public education is intended to do. [music fades]
Selection
Temple presidents and matrons, the president's counselors, and the matron's assistants are appointed by the First Presidency. Their background in church leadership varies, yet they are couples who are considered by LDS Church leaders as spiritually mature and capable of handling both the administrative and spiritual matters necessary for the successful operation of a temple.
During a training seminar for new temple presidents, held in the Salt Lake Temple, Thomas S. Monson told a group of newly selected temple presidents and their wives:
"We looked over the entire Church. ... We looked for men of God, wherever they might be. We found willingness to serve – not putting yourselves forward to volunteer, but being willing to serve. What a sweet experience this has been."[1]
They may be selected from a geographical area near the temple or from another area. In larger temples, the president and matron usually serve for a period of three consecutive years. In smaller temples, they "have an indefinite period of appointment."[2] Most temple presidencies serving in smaller temples are selected from church membership living within the temple district.
Administrative responsibilities
The administrative responsibilities of a temple president include ensuring all ordinances are performed by proper authority and documented correctly; securing a sufficient number of ordinance and service workers to meet the needs of temple patrons; overseeing the instruction of patrons, ordinance, and service workers; maintaining relationships with local church leaders; overseeing budgetary matters, property, and temple maintenance; and in larger temples the operation of cafeterias and visitor centers.[3]
Spiritual responsibilities
For Latter-day Saints, temples are considered literal houses of God the Father and Jesus Christ, a sacred space where mortals may commune directly with heaven. As such the greatest responsibilities of the temple president are those associated with LDS concepts of expanding divine contact within the temple. They include setting apart ordinance and service workers by the laying-on of hands; submitting recommendations to the First Presidency for counselors in the temple presidency and for additional sealers; performing ordinances; instructing first time patrons and youth groups on the sacred nature of temple work; privately answering various doctrinal and personal questions presented by temple patrons and workers; ensuring that the reverence and harmony required for temple worship is constantly maintained; and seeking inspiration and divine guidance on every aspect of his duties.[4]
Additional responsibilities
Temple presidents and matrons, or their representatives, attend stake conference meetings within the temple district. They sit on the stand and are often invited by the presiding authority to speak to the congregation.[5] In these and other speaking assignments the topic is typically devoted to matters central to temple worship and devotion to deity.
References
- ^ Hart, John L. "Temple presidents 'bridge the veil':21 new leaders and wives hear counsel at seminar.Church News, August 25, 1990
- ^ Hinckley, Gordon B."Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service," Ensign, November, 1997. p.49
- ^ Simpson, Robert L. “Temples: Administration of Temples”, Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992. pp. 1456-1458.
- ^ Temple Yarn, Marilyn S., Yarn, David H., Jr. "President and Matron" Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992. pp. 1445-1446.
- ^ "18.3.1 Stake Conference", Handbook 2: Administering the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2010.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2024, at 08:34