Editing Evangelist (Latter Day Saints) (section)

==Early Latter Day Saint movement==
The first use of the term "evangelist" in Latter Day Saint theology were mainly consistent with how the term is used by [[Protestantism|Protestants]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholics]].

In 1833, Joseph Smith introduced the new office of [[Patriarch (Latter Day Saints)|patriarch]], to which he ordained [[Joseph Smith Sr.|his father]]. The elder Smith was given the "keys of the [[Patriarchal priesthood|patriarchal Priesthood]] over the kingdom of God on earth", the same power said to be held by the [[Patriarch (Bible)|Biblical patriarchs]], which included the power to give blessings upon one's posterity.<ref>[[Joseph Fielding Smith]] (ed.), ''[[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book)|Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1938) pp. 38–39.</ref> The elder Smith, however, was also called to give [[patriarchal blessing]]s to the fatherless within the church, and the church as a whole, a calling he passed onto his eldest surviving son [[Hyrum Smith]] prior to his death. Hyrum himself was killed in 1844 [[Death of Joseph Smith|along with Joseph]], resulting in a [[Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|succession crisis]] that broke the Latter Day Saint movement into multiple denominations.

It is not known who first identified the term "evangelist" with the office of patriarch. However, in an 1835 church publication, [[W. W. Phelps (Mormon)|W. W. Phelps]] stated,

:"[W]ho is not desirous of receiving a father's or an evangelist's blessing? Who can read the ancient patriarchal blessings, recorded in the bible, for the benefit of the church, without a heart filled with joy ... ?"<ref>W. W. Phelps (1835), ''[[Messenger and Advocate]]'' 1(10): [http://www.centerplace.org/history/ma/v1n10.htm 146].</ref>

In 1839, Joseph Smith equated an evangelist with the office of patriarch, stating that "an Evangelist is a Patriarch".<ref name = HC>{{cite book | author=Smith, Joseph | author-link=Joseph Smith | editor=B. H. Roberts | editor-link=B. H. Roberts | chapter=The Prophet's Instruction on Various Doctrines | title=[[History of the Church (Joseph Smith)|History of the Church]] | publisher=[[Deseret News Press]] | location=Salt Lake City, Utah | year=1905 | volume=3 | page=381 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8LcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA381 | access-date=2009-07-14}}</ref>

The necessity of an evangelist in the church organization has been reinforced repeatedly, based on the passage in Ephesians 4:11, which states, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers". In 1834, while writing what he called the "principles of salvation", prominent early Latter Day Saint [[Oliver Cowdery]] stated that:

:"We do not believe that he ever had a church on earth without revealing himself to that church: consequently, there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, in the same."<ref>Oliver Cowdery (1834), ''[[Messenger and Advocate]]'' 1(1): [http://www.centerplace.org/history/ma/v1n01.htm  2].</ref>

Joseph Smith echoed Cowdery's statement in 1842, in a letter to a Chicago newspaper editor outlining the church's basic beliefs. Smith said that his religion "believe[s] in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, viz: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists".<ref>[[Wentworth letter|Letter]] from Joseph Smith to [[John Wentworth (mayor)|John Wentworth]], 1842, reprinted in Joseph Smith, [http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/NCMP1820-1846&CISOPTR=9801&filename=4893.pdf "Church History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026160224/http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=%2FNCMP1820-1846&CISOPTR=9801&filename=4893.pdf |date=2007-10-26 }}, ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' (Nauvoo, Illinois) 1842-03-01.</ref>