3a The movements toward better understanding of ministerial responsibilities, duties, and goals, and toward unity of endeavor in teaching, preaching, evangelizing, and the perfecting of the Saints, are pleasing to the Lord.
3b Contentions, bickerings, and strife are unseemly, hinder the work of the church, and should not find place among the Saints.
3c Only in the peace of fraternity and the unity of those caught up in the spirit of Zionic redemption can the work of the Lord be accomplished. To this task let the church devote its energies.
DC 137 Intro: SECTION 137
Revelation given through President Frederick M. Smith at Independence, Missouri, April 7, 1938. The conference adopted this "communication with its provisions as the voice of divine inspiration to the church."
To the Church: Since the creation of two vacancies in the Quorum of Twelve I have been quite concerned about the condition of that quorum, as well as other bodies in the church, and after due meditation and prayer for divine light, I am permitted to present the following for the consideration and action of the conference members:
1 Let J. Frank Curtis, of the Twelve, who has long and faithfully served in that quorum, be honorably released from further responsibility as an apostle, and take place in the ranks of the order of evangelists.
2 To fill the vacancies in the Quorum of Twelve, let the following named brethren be ordained and set apart as apostles: C. George Mesley, Arthur A. Oakman, and Charles R. Hield.
3 It is wise that Frederick A. Smith, who has become aged in long years of faithful service to the church in various offices, be released from further responsibility as active president of the order of evangelists, though he may be given the honor of being president emeritus of that order.
4a To maintain the working condition of the order of evangelists, let Elbert A. Smith be released from further responsibility as counselor to the president of the church, to take up the work of presiding over the order of evangelists.
4b And let the church be admonished that the functioning and work of this order is of great importance in the work of perfecting the Saints, and the appointing authorities be reminded that the members of the order so far as possible are to be relieved of administrative work and keep themselves in condition for better functioning as evangelists whose task is to build up faith in the gospel and the church and its work.
4c And let those whose duty it is to select from the members of the priesthood those for setting apart as evangelists be admonished that the work of this class of ministers requires vigor, deep faith, and unreserved consecration, and men should be selected accordingly.
5 Until such time as the vacancy in the First Presidency shall be duly filled, let the work of the presidency be carried on with the aid of such assistants as may be arranged without undue interference with other departments.
