Editing General authority (section)

=== General officers ===
Not all church leaders with church-wide responsibility are considered general authorities. The [[General auxiliary presidencies|general presidencies]] of the church's [[organization (LDS Church)|organizations]], which are sustained as general officers of the church, but are not general authorities,<ref name = eom/> include the general presidencies of the following organizations:

* [[Young Men Organization|Young Men]]
* [[Sunday School (LDS Church)|Sunday School]]
* [[Relief Society]]
* [[Young Women Organization|Young Women]]
* [[Primary (LDS Church)|Primary]]

The latter three groups are composed of women and represent the only three organizations in which women are given church-wide authority.

Also excluded from the definition of general authorities are members of the [[Seventy (LDS Church)|Third through the Twelfth Quorums of the Seventy]], who are called ''[[Seventy (LDS Church)|area seventies]]'' and have responsibilities relating to a limited [[Area (LDS Church)|geographical area]], not church-wide authority.<ref Name="Quorums of the Seventy">{{citation |title=Quorums of the Seventy |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/leaders/quorums-of-the-seventy?lang=eng |department=Organization |website=LDS Church |access-date=2013-03-14}}</ref>

Until 2004, general leadership for the Sunday School and Young Men organizations had historically been filled by general authorities. However, in the church's April 2004 [[General Conference (LDS Church)|general conference]], [[Thomas S. Monson]], of the First Presidency, announced that "a recent decision [has been made] that members of the Quorums of the Seventy [will] not serve in the general presidencies of the Sunday School and Young Men."<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2004/05/the-sustaining-of-church-officers |title= The Sustaining of Church Officers |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |date=May 2004 |page= 24 |first= Thomas S. |last= Monson |author-link= Thomas S. Monson }}.</ref>

Due to this change, no general organization presidencies are composed of general authority seventies. Rather, the general authorities remain active in general church committees and have less jurisdiction over local [[Stake (Mormonism)|stakes]]. Generally, [[stake president]]s now report to area seventies, who in turn report to [[area presidencies]], which are usually composed of general authority seventies.

Typically, general authorities are given the [[sealing power]], while general officers and area seventies are not.