203:, allowing members to transfer their membership from one church to the other without needing to be rebaptized, in contrast to the prevailing standard practice within the Restoration Movement (then and now). In April 1925, Daniel Macgregor, a vigorous opponent of Supreme Directional Control, transferred his membership from the Community of Christ to the Temple Lot church, where he was ultimately named an Apostle. Macgregor was followed by hundreds of other RLDS opponents of Supreme Directional Control. By the time of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)'s October 1925 General Conference, its membership had grown from about 100 to about 500, mostly at the expense of Community of Christ. However, further membership losses dropped to a trickle with the passing of the controversy, and Community of Christ would not face a serious challenge to its leadership or membership figures until the emergence of a 1980s controversy over the ordination of women, which ultimately led to the formation of the
158:, a member of the Presiding Bishopric (who would later succeed his brother as church president), feared terrible consequences if President Smith forced a vote on his Supreme Directional Control document. In a letter to his brother dated April 5, Israel wrote: "If you, because of the mere force of numbers, drive out the strong belief and feelings of the opposition, you shall become responsible to that degree of falling away, the loss of faith, the division which may ensue." The document was debated for a full five days, April 7–11, and finally passed on a vote of 915 to 405, becoming General Conference Resolution (GCR) 849. In response, the Presiding Bishopric resigned, along with Apostle John Rushton; the conference also failed to sustain a second opposition apostle, Thomas W. Williams, ending his ministry in that office. On April 18, Smith issued a revelation (enshrined as Section 135 in the Community of Christ's
142:
that "there must be recognized grades of official prerogative and responsibility, with supreme directional control resting in the
Presidency as the chief and first quorum of the church." Although Smith assured fellow leaders that "this control is presumed to be beneficent," he insisted that "effective administration is imperative, and organic solidarity is maintained only by effective discipline." Four apostles and the entire Presiding Bishopric disputed Smith's assertions and authored a critical "open letter", which was published in the June 1924 issue of the
688:
129:". In contrast to the Utah LDS membership, who tend to stress unquestioning conformity to the directives of church leadership, some RLDS laity and clergy held that even after adoption of a policy, members might continue to debate or even ignore its provisions if they felt it to be wrong. More authoritarian and blunt-spoken than his father,
17:
165:
The First
Presidency's successful assertion of Supreme Directional Control allowed Frederick M. Smith to commence his Zionic endeavor. He began by increasing the church's administrative apparatus, expanding its social programs, and initiating a series of building programs. New projects included the
187:
After leaving the
Council of Twelve in 1925 because of his opposition to Supreme Directional Control, Thomas W. Williams and other leaders formed a "Protest Movement," which later organized as a separate church known as the "Church of Jesus Christ (Thomas W. Williams)." Williams and his group issued
141:
In April 1924, at a meeting of the Joint
Council of Community of Christ leaders, composed of members of the First Presidency, Council of Twelve, and Presiding Bishopric, Frederick M. Smith presented a document, which became known as the "Supreme Directional Control document." In it Smith asserted
150:
was the highest authority of the church, and furthermore insisted that the
Presiding Bishopric—not the First Presidency—had full authority over church finances between conferences. The ongoing dispute spilled over from the presiding quorums into the membership, with some laity siding
207:
movement. Debate continued within the church during the following decades over the propriety of Smith's assertions concerning presidential authority, together with his vision of Zion as compared to that of his predecessors. Today, members of
Community of Christ tend to subscribe to the social
112:
ethics to problems including social justice, health care, and care for the poor, for the orphans, and the elderly. In broad terms, Smith felt the need to address these issues as part of the overall call to "build Zion," which had formed a cornerstone of the Latter Day Saint movement since its
178:
caused revenues from tithes and offerings to drop precipitously, which led the 1931 General
Conference to pass a resolution returning control over all financial matters to the Presiding Bishopric, whose members became answerable solely to the Conference. This resolution, GCR 915, effectively
120:
However, since many church members did not share Smith's modernistic vision of Zion, the RLDS leader faced the possibility that his dreams might be stymied through the opposition of other church authorities, or of the biennial
General Conference. In contrast to the larger and better-known
188:
a "Protest
Document," charging that "this change from a theocratic democracy to an autocracy—a hierarchy with final and supreme directional control in the hands of one man strikes at the very heart of the principles of church government contained in our
88:, though the exact nature of this concept has varied from denomination to denomination and even from generation to generation. Frederick M. Smith, president of Community of Christ during the 1920s, wished to apply principles of the newly emerging fields of
963:
179:
reversed
Supreme Directional Control. The Bishopric instituted a series of severe austerity measures, drastically cutting church staff and services, and the debt was finally retired in 1942.
199:
Beginning in 1918, Community of Christ and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) had entered into an "Agreement of Working Harmony." The agreement included mutual recognition of each church's
174:. The church borrowed heavily to finance these programs, with its debt reaching $ 1.9 million by 1931 ($ 30.6 million in 2023 dollars). The concurrent onset of the
506:
R. Jean Addams, "The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: 130 Years of Crossroads and Controversies,"
913:
890:
1062:
125:, Community of Christ had a longstanding tradition of dissention and debate within its organization based upon its interpretation of the concept of "
925:
162:) indicating divine approval of his course of action with regard to the Supreme Directional Control document and the resignation of the Bishopric.
65:
122:
908:
995:
584:
60:
votes. Some church leaders and hundreds of other members left Community of Christ for other Latter Day Saint churches, particularly the
69:
72:, the ensuing schism persisted, and the administrative changes were short-lived. By 1931, the church's debts and the onset of the
747:
211:
Supreme Directional Control is no longer advanced by the members of Community of Christ's First Presidency, although within the
920:
885:
147:
57:
53:
1036:
800:
762:
117:
In this way, Smith hoped to modernize his predecessor's vision of building a literal city of Zion in Independence, Missouri.
812:
850:
990:
253:
192:...." The Protest Movement and its church organization dissolved within a decade, with many of its members joining the
696:
133:, Frederick Smith accepted the right of members to debate church policy prior to its formulation, but not afterwards.
627:
577:
557:
543:
529:
900:
215:
movement many believe it is the reason that the First Presidency was able to change church doctrine so drastically.
828:
757:
167:
21:
945:
935:
845:
379:
200:
772:
193:
61:
1057:
979:
955:
880:
875:
570:
48:'s second largest denomination. It occurred during the 1920s and caused lasting repercussions. President
1016:
742:
737:
1011:
930:
729:
126:
834:
491:
64:. Although Dr. Smith was initially successful in asserting the First Presidency's authority over the
45:
782:
767:
85:
513:
Charles Patterson Curry, "The Seesaw Shifts: The 1932 Reversal of Supreme Directional Control,"
208:
gospel advocated by Smith, while rejecting his authoritarian approach to church administration.
973:
840:
752:
159:
29:
940:
968:
212:
204:
32:, one of the projects begun after the confirmation of Supreme Directional Control in 1925.
8:
854:
593:
41:
474:
1026:
795:
642:
84:
From its beginnings, the Latter Day Saint movement has been concerned with the idea of
49:
714:
672:
667:
553:
539:
525:
154:
The crisis came to a head during the April 1925 General Conference. Smith's brother
143:
709:
662:
657:
637:
175:
130:
114:
101:
73:
1031:
858:
652:
647:
155:
44:(then known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), the
360:
807:
622:
365:
189:
93:
16:
1051:
677:
617:
465:
Adams, "The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and the Reorganized Church," 98-99.
456:
Adams, "The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and the Reorganized Church," 92-94.
105:
1021:
985:
704:
607:
109:
632:
687:
612:
97:
25:
562:
281:
269:
76:
allowed the Bishopric to reassert its authority over church finances.
89:
171:
146:, the official church magazine. These leaders asserted that the
790:
40:
controversy was a dispute among the leadership quorums of
522:
The Chief: An Administrative Biography of Fred M. Smith,
490:
See, for instance, Elder Richard and Ms. Pamela Price:
151:
with President Smith, and others with the dissidents.
96:
to his church's concept of Zion. Holder of a Ph.D. in
56:
decisions were binding on the church, preempting even
358:
284:. Official church website. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
272:. Official church website. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
1049:
515:The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal,
359:Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023).
352:
494:, essay published by Price Publishing Company.
578:
481:, by Inez Smith Davis. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
552:Restoration Research: 1990. Fourth Edition.
282:Community of Christ: Frederick Madison Smith
270:Community of Christ: Frederick Madison Smith
79:
585:
571:
1063:History of the Latter Day Saint movement
256:, article by Seventy L. Aldon Porter in
15:
592:
1050:
748:God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit
170:and a rebuilt Independence Sanitarium
801:Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
566:
510:Vol. 36, No. 2 (Spring 2010), 54-127.
113:inception under Smith's grandfather,
104:, Smith was deeply interested in the
408:Curry, "The Seesaw Shifts," 186-187.
230:Curry, "The Seesaw Shifts," 187-188.
108:movement, which endeavored to apply
550:Divergent Paths of the Restoration,
13:
196:or other Latter Day Saint bodies.
14:
1074:
964:Comparison with Latter-day Saints
492:God Will Cleanse His Church Again
686:
936:World Church Leadership Council
484:
468:
459:
450:
437:
424:
411:
402:
389:
380:Gross Domestic Product deflator
339:
136:
538:Herald House: 1992. Volume 2:
508:The Journal of Mormon History,
326:
313:
300:
287:
275:
263:
246:
233:
224:
1:
536:The Church Through the Years,
500:
419:The Church through the Years,
397:The Church through the Years,
361:"What Was the U.S. GDP Then?"
347:The Church through the Years,
334:The Church through the Years,
321:The Church through the Years,
308:The Church through the Years,
295:The Church through the Years,
194:Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
62:Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
7:
720:Supreme Directional Control
38:Supreme directional control
10:
1079:
1012:Joseph Smith Mansion House
926:Council of Twelve Apostles
182:
66:Council of Twelve Apostles
1004:
996:International Peace Award
954:
899:
876:Children's Peace Pavilion
868:
835:Community of Christ Sings
821:
781:
728:
695:
684:
600:
80:Origin of the controversy
46:Latter Day Saint movement
517:Vol. 27 (2007), 184–195.
218:
479:The Story of the Church
974:Harmony (organization)
841:Daily Prayer for Peace
813:Doctrine and covenants
160:Doctrine and Covenants
33:
30:Independence, Missouri
941:Standing High Council
19:
969:Graceland University
946:Presiding Evangelist
773:Worth of all persons
763:Prophetic leadership
524:Herald House: 1988.
260:, Nov. 1987, pg. 73.
241:Community of Christ,
213:Restoration Branches
205:Restoration Branches
20:Community of Christ
1058:Community of Christ
594:Community of Christ
548:Steven L. Shields,
534:Richard P. Howard,
382:figures follow the
254:Follow the Brethren
70:Presiding Bishopric
42:Community of Christ
1027:Plano Stone Church
891:Field organization
796:King James Version
643:Frederick M. Smith
252:See, for example,
148:General Conference
58:General Conference
50:Frederick M. Smith
34:
1045:
1044:
909:Prophet-President
715:Lineal succession
673:Stephen M. Veazey
668:W. Grant McMurray
520:Paul M. Edwards,
1070:
931:Presiding Bishop
921:First Presidency
886:World Conference
710:Amboy Conference
690:
663:Wallace B. Smith
658:W. Wallace Smith
638:Joseph Smith III
587:
580:
573:
564:
563:
495:
488:
482:
472:
466:
463:
457:
454:
448:
445:Divergent Paths,
441:
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432:Divergent Paths,
428:
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415:
409:
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239:Howlett at al.,
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231:
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176:Great Depression
131:Joseph Smith III
115:Joseph Smith Jr.
102:Clark University
74:Great Depression
54:First Presidency
24:adjacent to the
1078:
1077:
1073:
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1048:
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1032:Red Brick Store
1000:
950:
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743:Concept of Zion
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653:Charles D. Neff
648:Israel A. Smith
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156:Israel A. Smith
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1005:Historic Sites
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623:Alpheus Cutler
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475:Onward to Zion
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384:MeasuringWorth
378:United States
366:MeasuringWorth
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190:standard books
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144:Saints' Herald
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127:common consent
94:social welfare
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52:asserted that
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991:Harvest Hills
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730:Major beliefs
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678:Sidney Rigdon
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544:0-8309-0629-0
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530:0-8309-0526-X
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106:Social Gospel
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39:
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27:
23:
18:
1037:Stone Church
1022:Nauvoo House
1017:Liberty Hall
986:Herald House
978:
869:Organization
855:Independence
833:
783:Sacred texts
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705:First Vision
608:Joseph Smith
601:Major people
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372:November 30,
370:. Retrieved
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137:Core dispute
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83:
37:
35:
633:Lyman Wight
1052:Categories
901:Leadership
846:Sacraments
829:Auditorium
758:Priesthood
613:Emma Smith
501:References
421:2:285-286.
349:2:239-240.
201:priesthood
168:Auditorium
123:LDS church
98:psychology
26:Temple Lot
22:Auditorium
768:Salvation
443:Shields,
430:Shields,
110:Christian
90:sociology
881:Seminary
859:Kirtland
434:120-121.
417:Howard,
395:Howard,
386:series.
345:Howard,
332:Howard,
319:Howard,
306:Howard,
293:Howard,
172:hospital
851:Temples
822:Worship
697:History
183:Schisms
980:Herald
556:
542:
528:
399:2:278.
336:2:238.
323:2:236.
310:2:234.
297:2:234.
258:Ensign
956:Other
791:Bible
753:Peace
477:from
219:Notes
100:from
914:List
554:ISBN
540:ISBN
526:ISBN
447:122.
374:2023
92:and
86:Zion
68:and
36:The
243:41.
28:in
1054::
857:,
363:.
861:)
853:(
586:e
579:t
572:v
376:.
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