Minutes of the First Conference of the Church

Source note

Preferred witness: Minute Book 2, page 1, accessed 21 May 2026. These minutes preserve the meeting's business, ordinations, and brief references to exhortation, but not separate sermon texts. The Joseph Smith Papers source note explains that Minute Book 2 is a later copy—probably a copy of a copy—of minutes originally kept by early church clerks. ¶

Additional witness: History, 1838–1856, volume A-1, pages 41–42, accessed 21 May 2026. This retrospective history was begun in 1838 and compiled from multiple primary and secondary sources. It supplies a later narrative of the instruction and spiritual manifestations at the conference. ¶

The transcripts below follow the Joseph Smith Papers expanded-transcription presentation: original spelling and punctuation are retained; editorial additions appear in brackets; insertions appear in angle brackets; cancellations appear with strikethrough; and manuscript page endings are linked to the corresponding JSP image and transcript page. ¶

Historical introduction

This is represented as one conference record rather than as separate talks. Minute Book 2 states only that Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdery gave exhortations; it does not preserve the words of either exhortation. The History A-1 account similarly summarizes the meeting rather than preserving recoverable sermon texts. ¶

The contemporary minutes date the conference to 9 June 1830. The later History A-1 account gives “the first day of June.” This record follows the contemporaneous minutes for its date. ¶

Transcript

Minute Book 2

9 June 1830 • Wednesday

Minutes of the first Conference held in the Township of Fayette, Senaca County, State of New York; By the Elders of the Church, June 9th. 1830, According to the Church Articles and Covenants ¶

Elders Present.
Joseph Smith, junior.	David Whitmer,
Oliver Cowdery,	John Whitmer,
Peter Whitmer [Jr.],	Ziba Peterson

Ezekiel 14th. read by br. Joseph Smith jr. and prayer by the same Articles and Covenants read by Joseph Smith jr. and recieved by unanimous voice of the whole congregation, which consisted of most of the male members of the Church. Samuel H. Smith was then ordained an Elder under the hand of Oliver Cowdery; & Joseph Smith seignior and Hyrum Smith were ordained Priests. ¶

The following persons were then seated respectively and received their licences, Viz: ¶

Elders of this Church.	Priests of this Church.
David Whitmer	Martin Harris
John Whitmer	Hyrum Smith
Peter Whitmer	Joseph Smith sen.
Ziba Peterson	Teachers of this Church
Samuel H. Smith	Hiram Page and Christian Whitmer.

Exhortation by Joseph Smith jr. and Oliver Cowdery, Conference adjourned to the 26th. September 1830, to be held in the same place. ¶

Br. Oliver Cowdery appointed to keep the Church record and Conference minutes until the next conference. Prayer by all the Brethren present and dismissed by Br. Oliver Cowdery. The above minutes were taken at the time of this conference by Oliver Cowdery ¶

Clerk. p. 1 ¶

History, 1838–1856, volume A-1

June 1830

¹On the first day of June 1830, we held our first conference as an² conference as an organized Church. Our numbers were about thirty, beside<​s​> whom, many assembled with us, who were either believers or anxious to learn. ¶

Having opened by singing and prayer, we partook together of the emblems of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we then called proceeded to confirm several who had lately been baptized; after which we called out and ordained severals to the various offices of the Priesthood. Much [HC 1:84] exhortation and instruction was given; and the Holy Ghost was poured out upon us in a miraculous manner many of our number prophecied, whilst others had the Heavens opened to their view, and were so over come that we had to lay them on beds, or other convenient places: Among the rest was Brother Newel Knights who had to be placed on a bed, being unable to help himself. By his own account of the transaction, He could not understand why we should lay him on the bed, <​as​> he felt no sensibility of weakness. He felt his heart filled with love, with glory and pleasure p. 41 ¶

³unspeakable, and could discern all that was going on in the room, when all of a sudden a vision of futurity burst upon him. He saw there represented, the great work which through my instrumentality was yet to be accomplished. He saw Heaven opened and beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, and had it made plain to his understanding that the time would come whe[n] he would be admitted into his presence to enjoy his society for ever and ever. When their bodily strength was restored to these brethren, they shouted “hosannas to God and the lamb” and rehearsed the glorious things which they had seen and felt, whilst they were yet in the Spirit. ¶

Such scenes as these were calculated to inspire our hearts with joy unspeakable, and fill us with awe and reverence for that Almighty Being, by whose grace we had been called to be instrumental in bringing about for the children of men, the enjoyment of such glorious blessings as were now at this time poured out upon us. To find ourselves engaged in the very same order of things, as observed by the holy Apostles of old; To realize the importance and solemnity of such proceedings, and to witness and feel with our own natural senses, the like glorious manifestations of the powers of the Priesthood; the gifts and blessings of the Holy Ghost; and the goodness and condescension of a merciful God, unto [HC 1:85] such as obey the everlasting gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, combined to create within us, sensations of rapturous gratitude, and inspire <​us​> with fresh zeal and energy, in the cause of truth. ¶

Compiler's notes

Tyler’s collection-level compiler’s note is preserved verbatim. ¶

Vault presentation

• “Exhortation by Joseph Smith jr. and Oliver Cowdery” establishes that exhortation occurred; it is not sufficient text from which to construct separate talk files.

Textual and contextual notes

Notes

1. Minutes, 9 June 1830. ↩

2. TEXT: After reaching the end of the line at “our first”, Mulholland mistakenly inscribed “conference as an” at the beginning of the same line, in the space created by the paragraph indention. He then canceled the three words and continued the inscription on the next line. ↩

3. TEXT: At the top of page 42 a graphite notation by Willard Richards reads: “1841 April 1— commenced reading”. Richards meant 1845. See Richards, Journal, 1 Apr. 1845.) Richards, Willard. Journals, 1836–1853. Willard Richards, Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490, boxes 1–2. ↩