W. Wallace Smith

W. Wallace Smith
Photo of W. Wallace Smith
Prophet Emeritus
April 5, 1978 (1978-04-05) – August 4, 1989 (1989-08-04)
Prophet–President of the Church
October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06) – April 5, 1978 (1978-04-05)
Predecessor	Israel A. Smith
Successor	Wallace B. Smith
Reason	Doctrine of Lineal succession
End reason	Granted emeritus status
Counselor in the First Presidency
April 2, 1950 (1950-04-02) – October 8, 1958 (1958-10-08)
Called by	Israel A. Smith
Predecessor	John F. Garver
Successor	Maurice L. Draper
Reason	Death of John F. Garver
End reason	Became Prophet–President of the Church
Council of Twelve Apostles
April 7, 1947 (1947-04-07) – October 8, 1958 (1958-10-08)
Called by	Israel A. Smith
Predecessor	John W. Rushton
Successor	Donald O. Chesworth
Reason	Honorable release of Rushton
End reason	Called as counselor in the First Presidency
Personal details
Born	William Wallace Smith (1900-11-18)November 18, 1900 Lamoni, Iowa, United States
Died	Independence, Missouri, United States
Resting place	Mound Grove Cemetery
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Spouse(s)	Rosamund Bunnell Smith
Children	Wallace B. Smith Rosalee Smith Elser
Parents	Joseph Smith III Ada R. Clark
Website	Our History: W. Wallace Smith

William Wallace Smith ((1900-11-18)November 18, 1900—) was a grandson of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now known as the Community of Christ), from October 6, 1958 to April 5, 1978, when he retired to "emeritus" status.

Biography

W. Wallace Smith was born in Lamoni, Iowa on November 18, 1900 to Joseph Smith III and his third wife Ada R. Clark. Smith graduated from the University of Missouri in 1924. He entered the ministry of the RLDS Church in 1928 and was ordained an apostle and joined the Council of Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1947, after the honorable release of John W. Rushton. On April 2, 1950, Smith was called as counselor to Israel A. Smith, his half brother, in the First Presidency, and was replaced in the Quorum of the Twelve by Donald O. Chesworth. Smith died in Independence, Missouri on August 4, 1989.

President of the Church

Smith was the third of his father's sons to succeed to the presidency of the church, assuming the presidency after the deaths of his brothers Frederick M. Smith and Israel A. Smith.

Church Growth

Following a 1960 worldwide missionary tour, W. Wallace Smith's tenure as church president saw substantial overseas growth in the church, especially in Africa, Latin America, and the Far East. Also during his administration, the church saw significant doctrinal and practical changes, characterized by vigorous efforts in ecumenism, liberalism and internationalization of the group's message.

The Independence Temple of Zion

The building of temples is part of the overall tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. For several decades the idea of building of an "Independence Temple of Zion" had been part of RLDS Church tradition. However, nothing specific had been said or done by the leadership of the RLDS Church for several decades. In 1972, W. Wallace brought the concept to the forefront in a document that called for "defining the purpose and selecting the place for erecting a temple."

Breaking with lineal succession

In 1958, instead of calling Lynn Smith to replace his father in the office of Presiding Patriarch, W. Wallace Smith named Roy Cheville to the office, in a break with an RLDS traditional doctrine of lineal succession.

The following chart explains the inter-relationship of the offices of President of the Church (also known as "Prophet-President") and Presiding Patriarch (also known a Presiding Evangelist) in the Smith family, and the doctrine of Lineal succession, of pre and post-reorganization in the Community of Christ.

Retirement

Smith designated his son, Wallace B. Smith as his successor in 1976, and on April 5, 1978 he became the first president of the church to retire to "emeritus" status — all previous presidents had served until their deaths. To ensure a smooth transition, W.W. Smith read a letter of resignation shortly before his son was ordained.

References

• Richard P. Howard, The Church Through the Years, Herald House: 1992.

External links

• W. Wallace Smith at Find a Grave

Community of Christ titles
Preceded by None	Prophet Emeritus April 5, 1978–August 4, 1989 With: Wallace B. Smith	Succeeded by N/A
Preceded by Israel A. Smith	Prophet–President October 6, 1958–April 5, 1978	Succeeded by Wallace B. Smith
Preceded by John F. Garver	Counselor in the First Presidency April 2, 1950–October 8, 1958	Succeeded by Maurice L. Draper
Preceded by John W. Rushton	Council of Twelve Apostles April 7, 1947–April 2, 1950	Succeeded by Donald O. Chesworth