Providing More Details on Ailing Church Presidents

I had started this post intending to provide an update on the Seminar for New Mission Presidents, but when it was written, it turned out to focus almost entirely on what was done during the years when Presidents Benson and Kimball stepped back from active involvement in day-to-day Church operations and what that might indicate in the current circumstance of President Monson. So, here goes.

It seems that with President Monson stepping back from active service, senior members of the Twelve will be taking a more active role in assisting Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf in the day-to-day operations of the Church. That is not unexpected or unprecedented. The two counselors to President Monson are currently the 7th and 8th most senior apostles. And it appears that the 4 or 5 functioning apostles that are senior to the two in the apostleship but their juniors by virtue of Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf forming the Quorum of the First Presidency have much the same attitude as did President Benson.

President Benson, prior to his own time as Church President (during which he suffered a similar decline) was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that filled a role supporting President Hinckley while the latter was the sole functioning member of the First Presidency during the prophetic tenure of President Kimball. The apostles who served under President Benson's direction during that time noted (this is my best recollection of what I read, as I could not find the exact quote), "No one was more supportive of President Hinckley during this time than President Benson. When business came to the Twelve from the First Presidency, President Benson always said, 'Brethren, we must be about this NOW!' "

In a time where 20+ years has passed since the last time we saw a scenario like this (and I only know of it from what I've read: I was too young to recollect this first-hand), it is comforting to know that not only has the Church been here before, but that there is still great unity between the leading Brethren in the time of a prophet's declining years. Because the Church has been there before, we know that the 14 other apostles will do the best they can, being sure to not go further than they know President Monson would in their decisions and approaches to deliberations that are ongoing. How wonderful it is to know that, even when the prophet is not able to actively serve, the work will carry on.

As a side note, I am still trying to ascertain from the sources I have whether or not anything is in the works for President Monson's 90th birthday (coming up in just over 1.5 months), and how the announcement from Church headquarters regarding his stepping back might impact whether or not he will speak during General Conference. If he does not, I could see the Church doing what has been done previously, with the counselors delivering a message for President Monson, having his secretary or a family member deliver his prepared remarks, or having other Church leaders step in to take that time (one example has previously been having the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak twice during General Conference, once during the Priesthood Session, and once as assigned during another session).

You can depend on my keeping an eye on all of this, and passing news along as it comes my way. Thanks to you all for taking time to read this. For the moment, I paraphrase something President Hinckley often said both as a counselor to previous Church Presidents and during his own tenure as such: "The Church is in good hands, God is at the helm, and all is well." I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.