Who is Joseph Smith? Is he considered a prophet?
Mormons generally hold that Joseph was a prophet “like Moses or Isaiah or Jeremiah or other Old Testament prophets.” As the prophet of the Restoration, Mormons believe that Joseph did more than speak God’s word and reveal his will to others. Specifically, they believe Joseph Smith was the man God elected to be the vehicle for the restoration of priesthood authority and the truth of the gospel that was more fully present in the Church which Christ organized during his mortal ministry. Also unlike the Old Testament model, a prophet in the Mormon faith is an ordained office from which the person presides. Mormons, in other words, continue to look to a modern prophet (Gordon B. Hinckley) as the chief administrator and spiritual authority of the church organization, with Jesus Christ as the actual head.
