Being called as a branch president

Can one who holds the office as elder be called as a branch president

warrenjamesroche wrote:Can one who holds the office as elder be called as a branch president

Certainly an elder can be a branch president -- in many missions it is quite common for a full-time missionary to be called as an elder to be the branch president. I tried to find a handbook reference to support this, but didn't find one very easily.

[Moderator note: I moved this post to a new thread from the thread High Priest Ordination.]

aebrown wrote:Certainly an elder can be a branch president -- in many missions it is quite common for a full-time missionary to be called as an elder to be the branch president. I tried to find a handbook reference to support this, but didn't find one very easily.

Here is the reference you were looking for: Branch Guidebook

"When organizing a branch, the mission president or the district president with the approval of the mission president, by inspiration from the Lord, calls and sets apart a worthy man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to be the president of the branch. The mission or district president confers the keys of presidency on the branch president. If no worthy man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood is available, a worthy priest may be called and set apart as branch president." [Emphasis Added]

It should also be noted, "If the branch president is a priest, he is not authorized to be a common judge. In this situation, the mission president is the common judge of branch members."

While a Branch President may be an Elder (as is currently the case in my branch), for branches in a Stake, it may be a local Stake Pres'y decision to have their Branch Presidents be High Priests (as was formerly the case in my stake).