Editing First Presidency (section)

==LDS Church==
{{Main article|First Presidency (LDS Church)}}
{{see also|Chronology of the First Presidency (LDS Church)}}
[[File:President Bush meets with First Presidency of LDS church August 2006.jpeg|thumb|300px|[[George W. Bush]] (right) meets with the LDS Church First Presidency in August 2006 in the [[Church Administration Building]]. Seated clockwise are: [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], President; [[Thomas S. Monson]], First Counselor (obscured); [[James E. Faust]], Second Counselor (obscured); and F. Michael Watson, then Secretary to the First Presidency. Since this picture was taken, Hinckley, Faust, and Monson have died and the First Presidency has been reorganized.]]

In the LDS Church, the '''First Presidency''' is the presiding, or governing authority of the church. It usually consists of the [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|President of the Church]] and two counselors, although up to eight counselors have on occasion been included in the presidency at the same time. The counselors assist the church president and work closely with him in guiding the entire church.

Like the church president and [[President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], counselors in the First Presidency are referred to by the title "President"; he and his counselors are referred to as President [[Russell M. Nelson]], President [[Dallin H. Oaks]], and President [[Henry B. Eyring]]. All members of the First Presidency are [[Common consent (Latter Day Saints)|"sustained"]] by the membership of the church as [[prophets, seers, and revelators]].

Any worthy [[High priest (Latter Day Saints)|high priest]] within the church may serve as a counselor in the First Presidency, though most of its members have been chosen from among the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]. [[Charles W. Nibley]], for example, was a counselor to [[Heber J. Grant]] without ever being ordained to the [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|priesthood]] office of [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]].

In the case of an infirm president, his counselors may be called upon to perform more of his duties. If needed, any number of additional counselors may be called to assist them, though the president of the church still remains the only person on the earth authorized to use ''all'' [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)#Priesthood keys|priesthood keys]].

Counselors serve in the First Presidency until their own deaths, until the death of the church president who called them, or until they are released by the church president. The death of a church president dissolves the First Presidency, and leaves the [[President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] as the senior leader of the church.

The death or release of a counselor does not dissolve the First Presidency.

Often, the surviving counselors of the late president will be called as counselors in the new First Presidency, but a notably infirm counselor may revert to his place among the Twelve Apostles with a healthier man called as counselor in his place. On the death or release of a first counselor, the second counselor usually succeeds and a new second counselor is named. Although this is a fairly common occurrence, there are no hard and fast rules about such practices and each president is free to choose the counselors he prefers.