What Is an Apostle?

A special witness of the name of Christ — not a title, but an office with a specific calling

The word "apostle" gets used loosely in Christianity. Some Protestant churches call their founding pastors apostles. Charismatic movements speak of a new apostolic age. Catholics speak of apostolic succession in ways that focus on episcopal lineage rather than the nature of the office itself. The word has been stretched so many ways that it has largely lost its definition.

LDS doctrine is precise about this. An apostle is not a title of honor or a designation for any particularly influential church leader. It is an office in the priesthood with a specific, defined calling: to be a special witness of the name of Christ in all the world. The office carries authority, not merely honor. And it does not self-appoint.

Understanding what an apostle actually is — by the scriptural definition — clarifies both what the original twelve were and why their successors are necessary today.

The Biblical Definition

When Judas died and the eleven apostles needed to replace him, the criteria Peter laid out for his replacement were specific to the circumstances of that moment. Because men who had personally accompanied Christ throughout His ministry were still available, Peter called upon one of them — someone present from the baptism of John through the ascension, and therefore able to serve as an eyewitness of those events.

Acts 1:21–22

“Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Those criteria were appropriate to that specific occasion — eyewitnesses were available, and Peter used them. But LDS doctrine does not define the apostolic office as requiring that every apostle physically see the resurrected Lord. The authoritative LDS scriptural definition of the office is broader: apostles are called to be “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (D&C 107:23). The nature of that witness — whether through divine manifestation, the consummate witness of the Holy Ghost, or another sacred means — is personal and sacred, not publicly prescribed.

The calling also requires divine appointment — not human selection. Paul is emphatic about his own apostleship: "Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father" (Galatians 1:1). He did not receive his calling from the twelve, though he later conferred with them. He received it through direct divine call and was sustained by revelation.

The writer of Hebrews also establishes that no person takes this calling upon himself — it must come from God:

Hebrews 5:4

“And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

Aaron did not choose to be High Priest. God called him, through Moses, through revelation. The same principle applies to apostles. The office must be filled by divine call — not human appointment, not institutional succession alone, not administrative need.

Why Apostles Are Necessary — Ephesians 4

Paul's letter to the Ephesians contains what is arguably the most important passage on Church structure in all of scripture. He describes the offices God placed in the Church and why they are there:

Ephesians 4:11–14

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

Paul gives the purpose: to prevent members from being tossed about by every wind of doctrine. And he gives the duration: until we come in the unity of the faith. That unity has not arrived. The fourteen thousand Christian denominations, most of which contradict each other on central points, are evidence enough that the unity of faith has not come. The need for apostolic guidance has not ended.

Cessationism — the doctrine that apostles ended with the original twelve — requires reading Paul's "till we all come in the unity of the faith" as if it were already accomplished. It is not. The argument that scripture now replaces apostles misses Paul's point entirely: apostles are given specifically to prevent doctrinal confusion, and doctrinal confusion has never been more rampant than in the centuries since their office supposedly ceased.

What "Special Witness" Means

The Doctrine and Covenants defines the apostle's calling precisely:

D&C 107:23

“The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world — thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.”

Special witnesses of the name of Christ. Not special administrators. Not special speakers. Not senior pastors with a larger office. The defining feature is the witness — a witness of the name of Christ that is categorically different from the witness available to ordinary members.

What the nature of that witness is — whether it involves physical appearance of the Savior or the consummate witness of the Spirit — is considered sacred and is not publicly detailed. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve have been consistent and deliberate: they are witnesses. They know. The nature of how they know is between them and God.

What they testify publicly — in General Conference, in missions, in every continent of the earth — is the reality of Jesus Christ and His name. That is their calling. That is what the office exists to bear.

How Apostles Are Called Today

When a vacancy occurs in the Quorum of the Twelve, it is filled by revelation — not by election, not by committee, not by seniority within the Church's administrative ranks. The President of the Church, who holds all the keys of the kingdom, receives the name of the person to be called. That person is then ordained an apostle by the laying on of hands by the existing members of the Quorum.

The authority they receive is real authority — not honorary or ceremonial. It is the same authority Christ gave to the original twelve when he called them:

Luke 6:12–13

“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.”

Christ spent the night in prayer before naming the twelve. The calling of apostles is not casual or administrative. It is prayerful, deliberate, and revelatory. LDS doctrine holds that the same process — prayer, revelation, divine appointment — governs the calling of apostles today as it did in the meridian of time.

The Quorum of the Twelve

The Church is currently governed by a First Presidency (the President and two counselors) and a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Together they constitute the presiding quorums of the Church — equal in authority, though different in function. The Quorum of the Twelve carries authority to govern the whole Church and has done so in the interim periods when there was no First Presidency (as when a President dies and a new one has not yet been set apart).

The President of the Quorum of the Twelve, upon the death of the Church President, automatically becomes the new President — not by election, but by seniority of apostolic ordination. This succession has been consistent for over 175 years, through every leadership transition in the Church's history. It is orderly, peaceful, and clear.

Key Scriptures on Apostolic Authority

• Matthew 16:19 — The keys of the kingdom given to Peter — authority that binds in heaven what is bound on earth
• Acts 10:40–41 — The resurrected Christ appeared specifically to witnesses chosen before of God, not to all the people
• D&C 107:35–37 — The Twelve hold the keys to open the door of the gospel to all nations

The apostolic keys — the authority to act in God's name in governing His Church — are not simply passed from person to person in an unbroken institutional chain. They were lost from the earth with the apostasy and restored through Joseph Smith. That restoration is what makes the LDS claim to apostolic authority categorically different from the Catholic claim to apostolic succession: it is not a chain of ordinations going back to Peter, but a direct restoration of keys through divine messengers (specifically Peter, James, and John).

Why This Matters for the Church's Authority

The question of apostolic authority is ultimately a question about whether the Church is administering genuine ordinances in genuine authority, or performing ceremonies with no binding power in heaven. Baptism performed without priesthood authority is symbolic water. A sacrament blessed without proper authority is ritual bread. The keys are everything.

LDS doctrine holds that the apostles hold those keys today — restored, not invented. The Quorum of the Twelve is not a board of directors. It is the body of men called of God, ordained by revelation, holding the keys to bind on earth and in heaven — the same keys Christ gave to Peter and that have now been restored for the final dispensation.

For a seeker, this is one of the central questions: does the Church you belong to have authority from God, or authority from men? If from men, the ordinances are human ceremonies. If from God, they carry eternal weight. LDS doctrine claims the latter — not because the Church is large or old or influential, but because God restored His apostles and gave them His keys.

That claim deserves serious examination. It is either true or it is the most significant false claim in religious history. There is no comfortable middle ground.