The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has announced the appointment of Elder Steven E. Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy as Church Historian and Recorder. Elder Snow replaces Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy.
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Elder Snow will be released from the Presidency of the Seventy, while Elder Jensen will be released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and given emeritus status at the October 2012 general conference.
Both Elder Snow and Elder Jensen will work together until then for training and transition purposes.
On 1 April 1989, Elder Jensen was named a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy . He was appointed as Church Historian and Recorder in April 2005. A letter from the First Presidency notes that Elder Jensen “has served with excellence and distinction in [his] assignments.”
Elder Snow was called to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in March 2001 and has been a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since August 2007. He currently has supervisory responsibility for the Utah Areas of the Church.
The Church Historian and Recorder fulfills a scriptural role given the day the Church was organized in 1830: “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you" (D&C 21:1). In compliance with this command, Joseph Smith called Oliver Cowdery as the first Church Historian and Recorder. He was followed by John Whitmer. Nearly 20 men have now served in that position.
The Church Historian and Recorder today oversees and leads the Church History Department whose essential work includes the collection, preservation and dissemination of the Church’s history and records. Central to this work are the Church History Library, the Church History Museum, the Granite Mountain Records Vault, the Church’s historic sites program, a Church-wide records management program, and a publication program that includes The Joseph Smith Papers project and a Church history website. The Church Historian and Recorder cooperates with other Church entities such as the Curriculum Department and the Church Education System to ensure a “history-rich” learning experience for all Latter-day Saints.