Setting apart is a ritual or priesthood action in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

where a person is formally blessed to carry out a specific calling or responsibility in the church. Once a person has accepted the responsibility of holding a church calling and has been

accepted ''Accepted'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Steve Pink (in his directorial debut) and written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage and Mark Perez. The plot follows a group of high school graduates who create their own fake college after bei ...

by the members for that position, one or more

Melchizedek priesthood The priesthood of Melchizedek is a role in Abrahamic religions, modelled on Melchizedek, combining the dual position of king and priest. Hebrew Bible Melchizedek is a king and priest appearing in the Book of Genesis. The name means "King of Rig ...

holders "set apart" the person to serve in that calling. The priesthood holders accomplish this by giving the person a priesthood blessing by the

laying on of hands The laying on of hands is a religious practice. In Judaism ''semikhah'' ( he, סמיכה, "leaning f the hands) accompanies the conferring of a blessing or authority. In Christian churches, this practice is used as both a symbolic and formal met ...

. If the recipient is being set apart as a president of a priesthood quorum, including a

stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

or a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

, "priesthood keys" are also conferred upon them. Generally, only general authorities and local leaders of stakes, wards, missions, districts, and

branches A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually r ...

may set apart a member to serve in a position.LDS Church (2006). '' Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1: Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church) pp. 47–58. When a person is released from serving in a calling, there is no ordinance comparable to setting apart that is used to signify the end of a person's service. A setting apart is different from a priesthood ordination. A person is ''ordained'' to a specific priesthood office, such as

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

, elder, high priest or

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

, but a person is ''set apart'' to callings such as counselor in the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles President of the Quorum of the Twelve (also President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President of the Council of Twelve Apostles, and President of the Twelve) is a leadership position that exists in some of the churches of the Latter Day Sai ...

temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual ...

mission president Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending o ...

, high councilor, or member of a quorum presidency or auxiliary organization presidency (such as the Relief Society or Sunday School). A bishop must be ordained to the priesthood offices of high priest and bishop ''and'' is then set apart as the bishop of a specific ward. A stake

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

is ordained to the priesthood office of patriarch ''and'' is then set apart as the patriarch of a specific stake.

Notes

References

* * * * * * Latter Day Saint ordinances, rituals, and symbolism Latter Day Saint terms {{LDS-stub