This instruction appears to refine the practice of ordination adopted in the 1835 version of the church’s founding “Articles and Covenants,” which stated, “No person is to be ordained to any office in this church, where there is a regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church.” In addition to the local vote, the resolution here required the priesthood quorums in Kirtland to vote to sanction the ordination of any new official member. The procedure for approving ordinations was further clarified on 12 February 1836. (Articles and Covenants, ca. Apr. 1830, in Doctrine and Covenants 2:16, 1835 ed. [D&C 20:65–66]; Minutes, 12 Feb. 1836.)

It appears that the church’s presidency had not realized until a few days earlier how many elders in Kirtland did not belong to a quorum. According to Oliver Cowdery, on the evening of 25 January 1836, “the high priests and elders, all who did not belong to the quorums, met in the Lord’s house” and a “large number of elders convened; more than I had supposed resided in Kirtland.” On 25 January, Alvah Beman “organized the quorum according to age” and took their names. From the list of elders, the church presidency selected men for a second Quorum of the Seventy in early February 1836. On 3 February, Beman “handed in the names of seventy of his quorem—designed for another seventy if God will.” The following day, 4 February, the names of seventy elders were presented to the presidents of the Seventy and accepted. The church presidency met to approve the ordinations of the elders to the Seventy on Sunday, 7 February. (Cowdery, Diary, 25 and 26 Jan. 1836; Kirtland Elders Quorum, “Record,” 25 Jan. 1836; Post, Journal, 1 and 4 Feb. 1836; JS, Journal, 3 and 7 Feb. 1836; Cowdery, Diary, 7 Feb. 1836; Record of Seventies, bk. A, 6–9.)

Cowdery, Oliver. Diary, Jan.–Mar. 1836. CHL. MS 3429. Also available as Leonard J. Arrington, “Oliver Cowdery’s Kirtland, Ohio, ‘Sketch Book,’” BYU Studies 12 (Summer 1972): 410–426.

Kirtland Elders Quorum. “A Record of the First Quorurum of Elders Belonging to the Church of Christ: In Kirtland Geauga Co. Ohio,” 1836–1838, 1840–1841. CCLA.

Post, Stephen. Journals, 1835–1879. Stephen Post, Papers, 1835–1921. CHL. MS 1304, box 6.

Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.

Whitlock had previously been ordained to the office of high priest in June 1831. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831; Whitmer, History, 28.)