In Mormonism, the School of the Prophets (also calle the "school of the elders" or "school for the Prophets") was a select group of early Latter Day Saint leaders who began meeting on January 23, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio under the direction of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. for both theological and secular learning. The first meeting of the school was held at the home-based store owned by Newel K. Whitney. The school provided a setting for spiritual experiences and in-depth discussions of gospel principles. A series of seven lectures presented at the school were published as Lectures on Faith, which for a time were considered canonical by Latter Day Saints. Another branch of this school existed under the direction of Parley P. Pratt in Independence, Missouri for a short while.