Mormons believe the priesthood is the power and authority of God.  The heavens and the earth were created by the Lord’s priesthood power – and it is His priesthood that keeps the universe in order.

This holy power, this priesthood of God, is shared with worthy male members of God’s true Church.  And it’s the Mormon belief that the Mormon Church, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is God’s true Church.  The priesthood gives its holders the power to act in God’s name for the salvation of humanity.  This priesthood also gives them the authority to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation (such as baptism), and govern God’s kingdom on earth.

The authority of God, His priesthood, has been held by chosen individuals since the beginning of the world.  The prophets of the Bible and Christ’s apostles had this power.  Through the priesthood, they obtained God’s truth and guidance.  They blessed those they led, they performed miracles.  They also performed saving ordinances.  The priesthood, therefore, is a special, official connection between heaven and earth, between God and man, between Christ and His Church. 

Although the priesthood was given to humanity in the beginning, as a whole, the people of earth have lost the priesthood from time to time.  This collective loss has been through disobedience, through rejection of the Lord’s commandments.  The people of the world have lost through falling away from the truth.  And in falling away from the truth, they find themselves with a far lesser understanding of God’s works and His workings than they might have had, had they stayed faithful.  In Mormon doctrine, this state is called apostasy.  The longest and most profound of these periods is called the Great Apostasy.  The Great Apostasy occurred after Jesus Christ left his Church under the leadership of His Apostles.  The Apostles, as well as many other faithful, were eventually murdered.  The doctrines of Christ and His Church lost their purity, through time, through wickedness, and through a lack of divine authority.  New churches were formed that did not have the Lord’s sanction or direct guidance.  The world fell into spiritual blindness and secular ignorance.  This period is still known as “the Dark Ages.”  

Fortunately, each period of apostasy has been followed by a restoration of divine teachings and authority to the earth.  Joseph Smith was chosen by God to restore Christ’s true Church, and the priesthood, in our time.  In 1829 he received a portion of the priesthood power by the hands of a heavenly messenger – the resurrected John the Baptist. Later, Joseph received the complete priesthood from Jesus’ Apostles Peter, James, and John, also resurrected.  Jesus Christ gave His priesthood authority to his Apostles, and they later gave it to Joseph Smith, who conferred it on others.  In an unbroken chain, the priesthood has been passed from the Lord Jesus Christ to members of the Mormon Church in this generation.

The priesthood is structured with different stages and different offices.  The first degree of authority is the Aaronic Priesthood, so-called for Aaron, Moses’s brother.  Men that hold the Aaronic Priesthood can act as deacons, teachers, and priests (in order of progression).  The Melchizedek Priesthood is the next degree of authority and marks the completeness of God’s priesthood.  Its offices include elder, high priest, seventy, and Apostle.  The offices serve the individual priesthood holder in experiencing personal development – through performing services and duties (with the priesthood) for others. 

One special priesthood duty is the blessing and passing of the sacrament (sacred bread and water which symbolize the body and blood of Christ).  Other duties include baptism by immersion, giving the gift of the Holy Ghost, completing Mormon temple ordinances,  such as eternal marriage, collecting donations for the needy, and doing many other special acts of responsibility and service.  By the priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, a male Mormon can lay his hands upon the heads of his family members and others and bless them with physical healing, spiritual strength, and guidance from the Lord.  The priesthood is a gift from God intended to touch all his children, affect all their lives.  And, as divine authority is truly divine, acts performed by the priesthood stand with weight and power both on earth and in heaven.

From 1849 until 1978, men of African descent could become members of the Church, but were not allowed to hold the priesthood.  Church President Spencer W. Kimball had a revelation in 1978 that all worthy male members could receive the priesthood, regardless of their descent.  This revelation was reported in an official declaration – and was a source of great joy for members of the Church