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In The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), the Quorum of Twelve Apostles is composed of the chief governing officers of the church. Currently, the president of the church and his two counselors are not separated from the quorum, as the church interprets scriptures as permitting a maximum number of twelve apostles, all of whom should be members of the quorum. Like all ministers of the church, the twelve apostles are volunteers and are not given any compensation for their ministry.
History
At a conference in Green Oak, Pennsylvania in July 1862, leaders of several branches in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia came together and formally organized what they called "The Church of Jesus Christ". William Bickerton presided over the conference. Bickerton's two counselors in the newly organized First Presidency were George Barnes and Charles Brown who were ordained apostles. The members of the Quorum of the Twelve of that organization (ordered by seniority) were Arthur Bickerton, Thomas Bickerton, Alexander Bickerton, James Brown, Cummings Cherry, Benjamin Meadowcroft, Joseph Astin, Joseph Knox, William Cadman, James Nichols, John Neish and John Dixon. At the conference George Barnes reported receiving the "word of the Lord," which he related:
Hear the word of the Lord; Ye are my Sons and Daughters, and I have committed unto you the Keys of the Kingdom, therefore be ye faithful .
List of members
| # | Year | Name(s); * = reordination |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 1862 | Joseph Astin, Alexander Bickerton, Arthur Bickerton, Thomas Bickerton, James Brown, William Cadman, Sr.; Cummings Cherry, John Dixon, Joseph Knox, Benjamin Meadowcroft, John Neish, James Nichols |
| 2 | January 1863 | George Barnes, Charles Brown |
| 3 | July 1863 | William Bickerton |
| 4 | July 1865 | William Bacon, William Skillen |
| 5 | January 1870 | Andrew Rattray |
| 6 | July 1873 | James Louttit |
| 7 | July 1904 | J. L. Armbrust, William H. Cadman, Marion Campbell, Alexander Cherry, Thomas Dixon, William Lynch, William T. Maxwell, James Skillen, Thornton Welch, John Williams, Allen Wright |
| 8 | July 1905 | Solomon Van Lieu |
| 9 | July 1906 | William Helms |
| 10 | July 1907 | Francis Federer, Nephi Federer, John Grimes, Charles Tickhill |
| 11 | July 1908 | Robert Anderson, Charles Ashton, Gustave Blum, Alma Cadman |
| 12 | July 1909 | James Caldwell |
| 13 | July 1910 | John Penn |
| 14 | July 1911 | Vernon Chester, John Majoros |
| 15 | October 1911 | George Neill, Isaac Smith |
| 16 | April 1912 | Samuel Sanders, Fred Smith, John Ward |
| 17 | July 1914 | Herman Kennedy, Harry Nicholson |
| 18 | October 1917 | Thurman Furnier |
| 19 | Circa 1918 | James C. Cowan |
| 20 | July 1919 | Gustave Bloom *, E. J. Perry |
| 21 | August 1923 | Charles Behanna, Joseph Corrado, Martin King, Ishmael D'Amico |
| 22 | July 1925 | Alma Cadman * |
| 23 | July 1931 | Isaac Smith * |
| 24 | April 1934 | John Falola, Sr. |
| 25 | July 1934 | John Dulisse |
| 26 | July 1939 | Rocco Biscotti, Joseph Lovalvo |
| 27 | July 1941 | Angelo Antonio Corrado, Samuel Kirschner, V. James Lovalvo |
| 28 | January 1944 | James C. Cowan* |
| 29 | January 1948 | Charles Behanna* |
| 30 | April 1953 | Joseph Bittinger, Paul D'Amico |
| 31 | April 1956 | Russell Cadman, Gorie Ciaravino, William Gennaro |
| 32 | April 1964 | Frank Calabrese, Dominic Thomas |
| 33 | May 1974 | Nick Pietrangelo |
| 34 | April 1979 | Robert A. Watson |
| 35 | October 1986 | Paul Palmieri |
| 36 | April 1989 | Paul Benyola, Joseph Calabrese |
| 37 | October 1995 | Thomas M. Liberto |
| 38 | October 1997 | Peter Scolaro, Isaac Smith |
| 39 | October 2003 | Richard T. Christman, John R. Griffith |
| 40 | April 2005 | Paul Liberto, Philip R. Jackson |
| 41 | April 2007 | Leonard A. Lovalvo |
| 42 | October 2007 | James Crudup |
| 43 | October 2012 | Joel Gehly |
| 44 | October 2015 | Frank Natoli, Paul Aaron Palmieri |
| 45 | April 2018 | Jerry Valenti |
| 46 | October 2021 | Pete Giannetti, Scott Griffith |
Current members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are: Thomas M. Liberto, Peter Scolaro, John R. Griffith, Paul Liberto, Leonard A. Lovalvo, James Crudup, Joel Gehly, Frank Natoli, Paul Aaron Palmieri, Jerry Valenti, Pete Giannetti and Scott Griffith.
Joel Gehly currently serves as church president, with Peter Scolaro and Frank Natoli as counselors.
Notes
- Cadman, W. H. (1945). A History of the Church of Jesus Christ. Monongahela, PA: The Church of Jesus Christ.
References
- The Church of Jesus Christ (2005). Faith and Doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ. Bridgewater, MI: The Church of Jesus Christ.
- Valenti, Jerry (1986). "Volume 56", "Welcome to The Church of Jesus Christ". Bridgewater, MI: Gospel News, 9.