When the LDS President and Prophet ages, speculation inevitably focuses on who will replace him and how. There is no need for speculation on this issue. Divine instruction makes the process knowable and automatic.

Succession Factors Currently in Force

Former Prophet and President Gordon B. Hinckley was often asked how someone becomes the Mormon prophet. His secular answer was twofold:

1. You get appointed to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.

1. Then, you outlive all the other Apostles.

Mormons believe Heavenly Fatherinspires his current leaders to select future leaders. The First Presidency and the current Quorum of the 12 Apostles select new Apostles. This follows the example set in the New Testament church, when Matthias was selected to replace Judas Iscariot.

Knowing the Lord's choice is the determining factor, and this comes by inspiration. We cannot presume to know the mind of God, so no other explanation can be offered here. Apostles have generally served for years in various leadership positions, before being called to the Quorum.

Each Apostle currently has a place in the pecking order. With 12 Apostles and two Apostles serving in the First Presidency, we can accurately determine who the next prophet will be with no difficulty.

However, It was not always this way.

History of Succession Was More Troublesome

Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the modern church in this dispensation, was martyred in 1844. Who would replace him resulted in a succession crisis in those early days.

The disagreements that ensued produced several splinter groups. Some still exist and some have splintered further. Most members coalesced behind Brigham Young and the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. Those that did traveled west and established the Church in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA) where church headquarters remains today.

Brigham Young directed the Church as the President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. He was later formally installed as the second Prophet and President. Other slight time gaps occurred between when a prophet died and when the new prophet was formally installed. However, now the process takes place instantly.

Members all assume that Heavenly Father manages this process through inspiration and when He chooses to have leaders die.

What Happens When the Prophet Dies

When a Prophet dies, the First Presidency is automatically dissolved. The counselors take their place again in the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. The most senior Apostle becomes the Prophet and President. He then chooses his counselors, which make up the First Presidency.

The Quorum later meets and formally validates what has already happened informally. This normally happens within days. Until it takes place, the Quorum operates as the highest governing body in the Church.

Whoever is the second most senior Apostle becomes the President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. If the second most senior Apostle is serving in the First Presidency as a counselor, then the next most senior Apostles becomes the Acting President of the Quorum.

In the next General Conference, the new leadership is sustained by the entire Church membership in what is called a Solemn Assembly. It differs slightly from the usual sustaining of church leaders that always takes place during Conference time.

Secular Speculation is Irrelevant

There is no politicking, angling or other maneuvering to become Prophet and President, despite what you may read elsewhere.

Each Apostle's place in the leadership line of authority is fixed when he is ordained. For example, Spencer W. Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson were ordained on the same day to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. However, because Kimball was older than Benson, his name was read first, elevating him above Benson. This small detail resulted in Kimball serving as President and Prophet before Benson.

Toward the end of Kimball's life, some news media reported Benson was angling to replace him. This was uninformed and irresponsible, since the order had been determined since 1943 when they were both ordained. Everyone knew Benson would follow Kimball.

This divine procedure could theoretically change. However, media preoccupation with a theoretical possibility should not overshadow what Mormons know to be a divinely established, and uniform, procedure.