Third in a series about the top stories of the 20th Century.
Church Correlation is the process by which members become united through the covenants of the gospel to establish the Kingdom of God in their hearts, in their homes, in their communities, and throughout the world.Speaking to Church Educational System personnel about Church Correlation in 1964, Elder Marion G. Romney said, "As time goes on, we shall perfect this correlation program. We know that it has been developed by assignment of the First Presidency under the spirit of revelation;...
"We will continue to work under the spirit of the Lord until we develop a much more simplified, correlated, effective procedure in the Church to teach the whole Gospel to the children, the whole Gospel to the youth, and the whole Gospel in depth to the adult membership of the Church."
He then said, "When we get this program simplified down to what the Lord would say -- when we get Him to dictate it -- it will be very simple and we will be able to do all that the Lord wants us to do in preaching the Gospel to the nations of the earth and in doing the work for the dead. And then remains the most difficult thing there is to do -- make Latter-day Saints out of Mormons." (Elder Marion G. Romney, Church Correlation, address given to seminary and Institute of Religion faculty, June 22, 1964.)
Since the early 1960s, members of the Church have seen and experienced the results of more than three decades of correlation efforts to simplify programs of the Church and to bring members to a unity of faith and doctrine.
This article describes some of the developments of this correlation effort and the position of the Church today as a result.
Correlation defined
Church Correlation is the process of identifying the role of each part of the Church, placing each in its proper relationship to the others, and ensuring that each functions properly, describes the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. The parts include doctrines and ordinances, organizations and agencies, programs and activities, meetings and printed and audiovisual materials. All of these parts should be "fitly framed together." (See Eph. 2:21.)
Correlation is a unifying process, taking the limited views of each organization and blending them to the good of the whole Church. It is not censorship in the sense of inhibiting or channeling free expression and creativity. Rather, it is the way the Church ensures suitable and effective use of its resources. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1:323-324.)
The First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles constitute the Correlation Committee of the Church.
An era called correlation
The correlation program is one of the most ambitious undertakings by leaders of the Church. Initial efforts to institute correlation into the Church were made in 1912 and 1920, but the current correlation movement on a Churchwide basis began in the early 1960s. It continues to be an ongoing emphasis in the Church.
Following World War II and the Korean conflict, the international growth of the Church moved rapidly. That expansion led to the development of programs, activities and the translation of manuals throughout the Church. Each auxiliary organization developed its own curricula, magazine, funding, conferences and lines of communication to the field.
This resulting organizational complexity and feeling of autonomy within organizations created the need for a unified Church rather than allegiance to an organization within the Church. This led the First Presidency to implement a program called Correlation.
When the program was introduced tothe Church under the direction of President David O. McKay, Elder Harold B. Lee used a text from a revelation given to President John Taylor in 1883. It said:
"Let not your hearts be troubled, neither be ye concerned about the management and organization of my Church and Priesthood and the accomplishment of my work. Fear me and observe my laws and I will reveal unto you, from time to time, through the channels that I have appointed, everything that shall be necessary for the future development and perfection of my Church, for the adjustment and the rolling forth of my kingdom, and for the building up and theestablishment of my Zion. For ye are my Priesthood and I am your God." (Messages of the First Presidency 3:354.)
Elder Lee then commented:"We who are working closely together in the development of a more effective correlation have had the unmistakable evidence of divine direction through the channels by which the Lord told President John Taylor he would reveal himself and the development and the rolling forth of the work of the Lord."(Conference Report,Oct. 1962, pp. 80-81.)
Others have likewise testified to the divine inspiration behind the correlation effort. In 1963, President N. Eldon Tanner said: "Priesthood Correlation is the closest blueprint yet in mortality to the plan presented in the grand council of heaven before the world was created, and is the most effective utilization thus far of the special keys given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Kirtland temple. . . . Priesthood Correlation is to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ."(Remarks at Priesthood Genealogy Committee Training Session, December 1963.)
President Hugh B. Brown said that the correlation effort is one of the "significant signs of the times that The Church of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God, is massing its forces, getting ready for that which is to follow. . . . That kingdom is rolling forward . . . partly unnoticed, but it is rolling forward with a power and a force that will stop the enemy in its tracks while some of you live."(Ibid,p. 114.)
More recently, Elder Boyd K. Packer, now acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, said, "Correlation has been a monumental success. I don't know where we would be or what we would have done had the great movement not been introduced when it was. That, to me, certifies an influence far in excess of what mortal man might have dreamt might be accomplished.
"We have lived in a day of intense revelation. I have had the feeling that, except perhaps for those years immediately following the First Vision, this last generation has seen the most intense pattern of revelation from the Almighty to His Church."(All-Church Coordinating Council, Oct. 16, 1990.)
Correlation's accomplishments
The early phase of correlation defined the roles of the priesthood and the auxiliaries, and the relationship of the home to the Church. Emphasis was on programs and organizations becoming more unified into one Church organization, with each department or auxiliary learning its duty in relationship to all other elements of the Church.
What has been the outcome of these correlation efforts that commenced in 1960 and continue through the late 1990s?
It accomplished a complete revision and unification of Church curriculum so that gospel principles are taught uniformly to children, youth and adults with the scriptures and teachings of the prophets of God as the foundation. As noted by Elder Harold B. Lee to Regional Representatives in 1968: ". . . We face a tremendous task in our time in maintaining doctrinal purity. . . . Behind this concern, lies the vast effort the Church is making to watch over curriculum through correlation, the necessary repetition in doctrine, instructions in standards and policies, the handbooks, the counsel given at General Conferences and so forth. "The doctrines of the Church are not 'ours,' but His, whose Church this is. That we must impress upon all. Failure to keep the doctrines given by Christ pure and simple would cause much human misery here and in eternity. For this reason, fruitless speculation, fascination with the mysteries, and the tendency of some teachers to add their own personal embroidery to the fabric of the Gospel, must be resisted in the spirit of love, . . . The greatest danger we face today is the danger of having our teachers make intellectual or academic interpretations of Gospel principles."(Elder Harold B. Lee, Special Challenges Facing the Church in Our Time, Regional Representative Seminar, Oct. 3, 1968, p. 6.)
A major priesthood emphasis was established in three areas: missionary, genealogy (now family history) and welfare.
Family Home Evening became an established practice in the Church in fulfillment of the Church's objective that the "home is the basis for the righteous life" and that parents have the divinely mandated responsibility to teach their children the gospel.
Home teaching became a vital support to the home.
The priesthood line of authority, from the general Church level to local administrative levels, became the official communication link to the stakes, wards, and homes. General auxiliaries now work through the priesthood line to communicate to local Church organizations.
A new format of conferences became standard for the worldwide Church: a two-day general conference in Salt Lake City and biannual stake conferences for stakes. Area conferences were held for a brief period; at present, regional or multistake conferences are held approximately every three years for stakes. Relief Society general meetings were introduced in 1978 and are held annually. Young Women general meetings were established also.
Geographical regions were created throughout the world in 1964 and regional representatives of the Twelve were called to provide instruction to stake leaders. This followed the earlier pattern of the welfare organization. Regional representatives were released in 1995 and Quorums of the Seventy have been expanded to include the calling of Area Authority Seventies.
A Priesthood Bulletin was inaugurated in 1965. Today known as the Bulletin, it is a means of communicating Church policy for an ever-expanding Church. Circular letters also announce new or major changes in program or policy.
In 1984, the world was divided into geographical areas and Area Presidencies (usually three General Authorities) were appointed to preside over each area. This pattern continues and is expanding as the Church grows.
A consolidated ward meeting schedule was introduced in 1980 and, with minor adjustments, continues at present. Three of the most significant developments in the Church in the 20th century occurred during this era of correlation:
The reconstitution of the First Quorum of Seventy in 1976.
Extending priesthood privileges to worthy men of all races in 1978.
The introduction of scriptural study aids with the 1979 edition of the King James Version of the Bible and the 1981 edition of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.
A sharpened focus to the correlation movement was announced in the early 1980s when the First Presidency and the Twelve formalized a mission statement for the Church.
In the past, the emphasis was more on programs and policies. It is now on encouraging all members to become fully converted through the covenants and ordinances of the gospel.
Evidences that the emphasis on the mission of the Church has proved effective are the numbers of missionaries serving, convert baptisms, activation of less-active members, increased temple work, and an expanded temple-building program. The focus and concern is more on each individual. Ministering to individuals is a hallmark of this effort.
The First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric have made significant strides to "simplify and reduce" curriculum, handbooks, programs, and other materials.
This year a new Church Handbook of Instructions consolidated more than 30 handbooks and other documents and provides better instructions for local leaders.
Church growth during Correlation era
To appreciate the expansion of the Church during the era of correlation, consider that there were only three international stakes when the correlation movement began in 1960.
The first international stake (outside the U.S., Canada, and the Mexico Juarez Stake) was New Zealand in 1958. The second and third international stakes were organized in Sydney, Australia, and in Manchester, England, in 1960. There were only 319 stakes when President McKay initiated the current correlation movement in 1960.
When President Spencer W. Kimball became president on Dec. 30, 1973, the number of stakes had increased to 630. At the conclusion of his tenure in 1985, there were 1,572 stakes, a growth of 942 stakes. President Gordon B. Hinckley became president in 1995; there were 2,150 stakes by the end of that year.
Today, the number of stakes exceeds 2,500, with almost half of these in the international area. From 1960 to 1999, the number of stakes has grown by more than 2,200!
During this era of correlation, Iron Curtains have come down as prophesied by President McKay and President Kimball, and nations' boundaries have been transformed, opening new nations to the preaching of the gospel. In addition, the Church is taking the gospel message to nations that previously restricted freedom.
Home, the basis of righteousness
While much has been said of the institutional accomplishments of correlation and its impact on the growth of the Church, the entire purpose of the Church and its programs is to help the family move toward exaltation.
When the current correlation movement was contemplated by the First Presidency in 1960, they sent a letter to Elder Harold B. Lee, underscoring the central purpose of correlation. "The home [is] the basis of righteous life and . . . no other instrumentality can take its place nor fulfill its essential functions. . . . The utmost the auxiliaries can do is to aid the home in its problems, . . . giving special aid and succor where such is necessary," the letter stated. (Conference Report,October 1961, p. 79.)
What has the Church done through correlation over the last three decades to place the responsibility on parents for gospel instruction?
Monday evenings are set aside for Family Home Evening throughout the Church. The Church sponsors no activities on Monday night and no Church buildings are to be open. The consolidated meeting schedule is intended to free the time for families to discuss the gospel in their homes.
The Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society curriculum has been correlated so that a husband and wife receive instruction from the same course of study and then determine together how that material can be applied in the home.The gospel doctrine course of study is correlated with the youth curriculum soparents and youth study from the same doctrinal course.
In February 1999, the First Presidency issued a letter to all Church members "to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles that will keep them close to the Church."
Church officers were urged that "wherever possible, Sunday meetings, other than those under the three-hour schedule and perhaps council meetings on early Sunday mornings or firesides later in the evening, should be avoided so that parents may be with their children." (See Church News,Feb. 27, 1999, p. 3, italics added.)
The missionary fund has equalized the financial burden on families. Family history research materials have been simplified and made more user-friendly. Families now keep their own Family File so family members can take the names of those who need proxy ordinances to the temples and do the ordinances for them.
One of the most significant doctrinal proclamations of this century was the issuance of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. The proclamation should have a center place in every Latter-day Saint home and should be read often. It is the culmination of decades of teaching and warnings concerning the eroding influences on the family and reaffirms the family as the basis for righteousness.
The Church is engaged in an unprecedented effort of temple building for any dispensation of the gospel. The purpose, as announced by President Hinckley, is to prepare new converts, youth, less-active members, and those who could not afford to go to a temple and receive the saving ordinances.
"We have continually emphasized," stated President Howard W. Hunter, "that our united purpose is to invite all to come unto Christ, receive the saving ordinances and covenants of the gospel and remain faithful." (Church News,Apr. 7, 1990. 5.)
"When all is said and done," said President Hinckley, "our work is not in terms of 'the Church;' our work is in terms of the individual. The individual across the world, that boy in trouble in Argentina, that girl with a great ambition to receive an education and can't quite make it in the Philippines, that father who's having to struggle to make a go of it, that mother who thinks she's overwhelmed with her responsibilities. Every one of these is a son or a daughter of God, concerning whom He has said, 'This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and the eternal life of [every] man [every woman, every child, every son and daughter of God.].'
"That's what it's all about. It isn't about computers. It isn't about buildings. It isn't about organizations. It's about people, the sons and daughters of God. I hope we never lose sight of that point of view in all that we do."(All-Church Coordinating Council Meeting, Jan. 31, 1991, p. 29.)