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LDS senior leadership held a disciplinary court and subsequently excommunicated General Authority Seventy James J. Hamula Monday. 

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James J. Hamula

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In a rare action taken by the senior leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a disciplinary council was held for General Authority Seventy James J. Hamula, and he has been excommunicated from the LDS Church.

“This morning James J. Hamula was released as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following church disciplinary action by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,” said Eric Hawkins, church spokesman, in a prepared statement.

While not an official statement, information surrounding the case indicates the disciplinary action was not taken because of disillusionment or apostasy.

Hamula was sustained as an LDS Church authority during the April General Conference of the church in 2008. He continued to serve for nine years. At the time of his call, he had been serving as an Area Seventy in the North America Southwest Area.

From 2009 to 2014, Elder Hamula was a member of the Pacific Area Presidency, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. During three of those five years, Elder Hamula served as area president.

Upon his return to church headquarters, Elder Hamula served as assistant executive director of the Church History Department from 2014 to 2016. He was currently serving as executive director of the Correlation Department.

Elder Hamula served in a number of church callings, including full-time missionary in the Germany Munich Mission, bishop, Young Men’s president, stake president, president of the Washington D.C. South Mission (1994-1997) and Area Seventy (2000-2008).

Hamula was born in Long Beach, California, on Nov. 20, 1957. He married Joyce Anderson in April 1984. They are the parents of six children.

Hamula’s calling as a Seventy is defined by the church as “One of the ordained offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the higher order of the priesthood. Seventies have all the powers of elders, along with a special call and ordination to preach the gospel and serve as ‘special witnesses’ of Christ to the world. Seventies, whose offices are mentioned in the New Testament, are also known as ‘traveling minister.'”

A disciplinary council for a senior church leader is comprised of members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.

The last general authority to be excommunicated was former Seventy George P. Lee, who was excommunicated from the LDS Church in 1989. Lee was excommunicated for “apostasy and other conduct unbecoming a member of the church.”

Excommunications of church leaders, though unique, were more prevalent in the early history of the church. Prior to Lee, Apostle Richard R. Lyman was excommunicated in 1943. He was re-baptized in 1954.