President Gordon B. Hinckley, his counselors Thomas S. Monson (left), and James E. Faust (right), 1995.

The president of the church is considered to be the prophet, seer, and revelator for Jesus Christ’s church on earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is also a corporation sole, giving the current prophet control of the church’s assets.

The First Presidency and apostles all reside in Salt Lake City, Utah, the “Headquarters” of the church and though they are not paid for their service, each receives a “living allowance” (estimated to be at least $120k) and are usually enjoying the benefits of retirement from a successful career in medicine, law, etc. The First Presidency meets with all the General Authorities—the members of the Twelve, the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric—on the first Thursday of every month. The members of the Twelve travel the world giving talks and dedicating buildings. The presidency and quorum of the twelve all each speak at the church’s General Conference which happens twice per year in Salt Lake City and is broadcast across the world. Members are encouraged to watch all ten hours of the five sessions over two days to hear the latest in what God wants to tell them.

Only a man can be “called” to the position of prophet (when a prophet dies, the quorum of the twelve typically selects the longest-serving among them to take his place) as well as the governing bodies that extend from him to the Quorum of the Twelve, the twelve quorums of the 70, the presiding bishopric, mission presidencies, stake presidencies, local bishoprics, and more. Women are allowed to serve in Primary (Children’s org), Young Women, and Relief Society (Women’s org) leadership positions within the church as of this writing in 2024.

My generation was taught that the prophet, his two counselors, and the quorum of the twelve apostles literally spoke to Jesus on a frequent basis, just as prophets from the Bible and Book of Mormon did. I remember watching a 2000 video called Special Witnesses of Christ and my brother told me that when someone is “a special witness” of Christ, that means they have literally met Jesus and can testify of his reality. Nowadays, the language around how the prophet and apostles speak to god has been made much more vague.