who are the leaders of the mormon church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men . Latter - day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man , called `` the Prophet '' or President of the Church , as his spokesman on the earth . While there have been exceptions in the past , he and two counselors are normally ordained apostles and form the First Presidency , the presiding body of the church ; twelve other apostles form the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . When a president dies , his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve ( the one who has been an apostle the longest ) , who reconstitutes a new First Presidency . Following the death of Thomas S. Monson on January 2 , 2018 , senior apostle Russell M. Nelson became the presumptive successor to the church presidency ; he formally was named president on January 14 . These men , and the other male members of the church - wide leadership ( including the first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric ) are called general authorities . They exercise both ecclesiastical and administrative leadership over the church and direct the efforts of regional leaders down to the local level . General authorities and mission presidents work full - time and typically receive stipends from church funds or investments . 
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men . Latter - day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man , called `` the Prophet '' or President of the Church , as his spokesman on the earth . While there have been exceptions in the past , he and two counselors are normally ordained apostles and form the First Presidency , the presiding body of the church ; twelve other apostles form the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . When a president dies , his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve ( the one who has been an apostle the longest ) , who reconstitutes a new First Presidency . Following the death of Thomas S. Monson on January 2 , 2018 , senior apostle Russell M. Nelson became the presumptive successor to the church presidency ; he formally was named president on January 14 . These men , and the other male members of the church - wide leadership ( including the first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric ) are called general authorities . They exercise both ecclesiastical and administrative leadership over the church and direct the efforts of regional leaders down to the local level . General authorities and mission presidents work full - time and typically receive stipends from church funds or investments .
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men . Latter - day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man , called `` the Prophet '' or President of the Church , as his spokesman on the earth .When a president dies , his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve ( the one who has been an apostle the longest ) , who reconstitutes a new First Presidency .
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men . Latter - day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man , called `` the Prophet '' or President of the Church , as his spokesman on the earth . When a president dies , his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve ( the one who has been an apostle the longest ) , who reconstitutes a new First Presidency .
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men. Latter day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man, called ``the Prophet'' or President of the Church, as his spokesman on the earth. When a president dies, his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve (the one who has been an apostle the longest), who reconstitutes a new First Presidency. The first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric are called general authorities.
The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical priesthood structure administered by men . Latter - day Saints believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation and has chosen a single man , called `` the Prophet '' or President of the Church , as his spokesman on the earth . When a president dies , his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve ( the one who has been an apostle the longest ) , who reconstitutes a new First Presidency . These men , and the other male members of the church - wide leadership ( including the first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric ) are called general authorities .