This chapter looks at the mechanisms by which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints preserves its teachings, confers authority, and transmits doctrine and practice across generations. It covers the scriptural canon and its formation, organizational offices and lines of succession, the role of textual and archival projects, and the interplay of ordained authority with lay participation.
Scriptural formation unfolded in the nineteenth century and continues to be central to authority. The Book of Mormon (published 1830) is treated by adherents as scripture in parity with the Bible; its publication is one of the clearest acts of canonical formation. The Doctrine and Covenants contains many revelations received by Joseph Smith and subsequent leaders, published in cumulative editions during the nineteenth century; some sections were incorporated and reinterpreted as the institutional church matured. The Pearl of Great Price, a nineteenth‑century compilation that includes Joseph Smith's translation of some biblical passages and other writings, was formally accepted into the canon later in the nineteenth century. The process by which these texts were gathered, edited, and ratified blends ecclesiastical decision with historical contingency: for example, different editions of the Doctrine and Covenants include or exclude various revelations, and scholars analyze the editorial decisions and manuscript variants that shaped the texts now regarded as authoritative.
Authority is personified in a hierarchical ecclesiastical structure centered on offices that claim apostolic succession. In the tradition's own framing, the office of prophet and president of the church provides a locus for continuing revelation. Historically, succession disputes followed Joseph Smith's death in 1844, leading the majority of members to accept the leadership of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve. Institutional authority is organized through the First Presidency (the president and counselors), the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, seventy‑type quorums, and local priesthood leadership (bishops for wards, stake presidents for stakes). These offices are filled by selection and sustaining — processes that have evolved; while the church has formal procedures for calling and sustaining leaders, appointment often involves centralized decision making and ratification in general meetings.
A salient feature of transmission is the marriage of centralized curricula and local teaching. The Correlation Program, developed in the twentieth century, standardized curricular materials and ensured doctrinal consistency across the global church; it also limited the production of unsanctioned teaching materials. The Church Educational System (CES) — including seminaries for high school students, institutes for college‑age students, and Brigham Young University (founded 1875 as Brigham Young Academy) and its affiliated campuses — is an institutional vehicle for doctrinal transmission, historical education, and leadership formation. These institutions function as hubs of intellectual life and formative training for members.
Ritual authority and esoteric transmission occur in temples and through lineage practices. Temple ordinances are conferred by those holding appropriate priesthood authorization; temple workers and officiators are required to hold temple recommends that certify worthiness and commitment to church standards. Some ritual elements — gestures, clothing, and liturgical phrasing — are taught privately, often in temple instruction sessions, reflecting a deliberate distinction between public rites and restricted sacred practice.
Oral transmission and familial continuity are also crucial. Patriarchal blessings — personalized, prophetic statements given to members by designated patriarchs — are an example of a living oral tradition recorded in members' family files. Family testimony and intergenerational memory (e.g., accounts of migration to the American West, stories of temple experiences) sustain identity in everyday life. Genealogical work serves both doctrinal purposes (identifying ancestors for vicarious ordinances) and social functions (creating networks of collective memory and family continuity).
Scholarly and archival transmission has been transformed in recent decades. The Joseph Smith Papers project, launched as a partnership among historians and archival institutions, has aimed to publish primary documents associated with Joseph Smith and early church history in documentary editions. This large‑scale documentary effort has increased public access to original records, thereby enabling both adherents and scholars to examine the sources of early claims. The project exemplifies how documentary transparency and scholarly standards interact with devotional interpretations; it also has occasioned debates within the community about the implications of historical scholarship for faith narratives.
Authority is not uncontested. Internal debates over questions of race, gender, and transparency have produced calls for reform from some members and insistence on continuity from others. The 1978 revelation extending priesthood access to men of all races (announced by leaders in June 1978) is an example of institutional change that reconfigured longstanding practice; scholars have debated the social, theological, and organizational factors that precipitated that change. Similarly, the correlation of centralized doctrine and local practice produces tensions in cultural settings where local leaders and members negotiate global policies and local realities.
Disciplinary and juridical mechanisms exist within the ecclesiastical framework. Bishops' courts and higher councils can address transgressions, and disciplinary councils can result in rebuke, loss of temple recommends, or excommunication. These procedures are administered by lay officers and reflect a tension between the desire to maintain order and the fact that much authority is exercised by nonprofessional clergy who must balance pastoral care with institutional discipline.
Transmission is mediated through media and technology as well. The semiannual general conference, once an in‑person gathering in Salt Lake, has been broadcast globally for many decades; in the twenty‑first century the church expanded its digital presence through websites, streaming, and social media. These channels have multiplied the reach of official teaching while also exposing leaders to immediate public scrutiny. The interplay of archival scholarship, global media, institutional pedagogy, and local practice defines how authority is maintained and negotiated in the contemporary church.