EDWARD - I have a question about my personal priesthood line of authority. Should the line of authority change from when a person is ordained an Elder, when he receives the Melchizedek Priesthood,and change again when he ordained to the office of a High Priest by a different person? I have looked everywhere and there is no reference to it in any Church publications. My father ordained me to all of the offices of the priesthood. But he was ordained an Elder by his father, a Seventy by another person, and yet a High Priest by another. Which line of authority do I follow?

JOEL - Your actual line of authority goes back through the person who last ordained you to whatever office you now hold. Here is a statement from the First Presidency:
"If a priesthood bearer desires to trace his own line of authority, he should pursue his current office in the priesthood—not former offices. Bishops and patriarchs should trace their line of authority as high priests. In completing an authority line, each step should go back through the office held by the person at the time he performed the ordination. It is not appropriate to trace the line of authority in cases of setting apart or for other ordinances." (General Handbook Supplement, Number 1, July 1, 1976)

For many members it is not always possible to know their complete line of authority. And it is not required that we do. It is simply something that would be nice to know for historical purposes. At one time the Church helped men trace their line of authority. However, according to the Church Historical Department:

"Recent growth of the Church and the simplification of the Church’s record-keeping procedures have made it increasingly difficult for the Church Historical Department to trace a member’s priesthood line of authority. As a result, the Church Historical Department no longer traces each member’s priesthood authority line.
The Church’s worldwide growth has necessitated the discontinuing of certain types of records about members. New, simplified membership recording systems have been implemented, and new membership records now record only information about a priesthood holder’s current priesthood office. Further, only a very simplified summary of historical events is submitted by stakes, missions, and districts. With the limited information now being recorded, it is no longer possible to trace individual priesthood authority lines.
Thousands of ordinances are performed weekly throughout the Church. These ordinances are to be performed by priesthood holders who have been properly ordained and properly authorized by one who has the keys to authorize the ordinance under the direction of the prophet. Therefore, it is “known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church” (D&C 42:11). This trust comes because of the wisdom of the Lord in establishing an orderly procedure in which delegation of the keys of the priesthood is always held by the living prophet." (Glenn N. Rowe, Church Historical Department, Ensign, July 1994, 66)

In other words no one traces the line of authority of every priesthood holder before they perform an ordination. We trust the acuracy of the record of the person performing the ordination that he does indeed hold the property authority.

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