April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part Six--Changes in General Church Leadership

Hello again, everyone! Based on the deaths of Elder Hales and President Monson since last October, and because the reorganization of the First Presidency, there are wide possibilities that there will be a number of changes in Church leadership, all of which, as noted, are likely to be announced during the Solemn Assembly, which is most likely to occur at the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session and likely will be done by President Dallin H. Oaks

In addition to the changes in the First Presidency and subsequent changes to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, whomever is called to fill the two vacancies in that Quorum will likewise leave other vacancies that may need to be filled. And unless all of those changes lead President Nelson to wait to do so until the following April, the Young Women General Presidency (Sisters Bonnie L. Oscarson, Carol F. McConkie, and Neill F. Marriott) will in April mark their standard five years of service by April and will likely therefore be released.

With all of that in mind, I wanted to present the following revised list of changes that are likely to occur in Church leadership during the upcoming General Conference. They follow below. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership (will be a Solemn Assembly)

First Presidency: President Russell Marion Nelson sustained as new Church president and prophet, along with his counselors, Presidents Dallin Harris Oaks & Henry Bennion Eyring. Note on this change: Previous Church President Thomas S. Monson passed away on January 2, 2018, dissolving the First Presidency and necessitating its reorganization. President Nelson was ordained and set apart on Sunday January 14, 2018, and he selected Presidents Oaks and Eyring as his counselors. Result: The above Brethren were sustained during the solemn assembly.

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: President Dallin Harris Oaks sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; since he is in the First Presidency, President Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. sustained as Acting President of that Quorum; two new apostles sustained in view of the October 1, 2017 death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the January 2, 2018 death of President Thomas S. Monson, and the reorganization of the First Presidency on January 14, 2018. Note: There was a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve already, since Elder Hales passed away between the Sunday sessions of the October General Conference. The subsequent death of President Monson 2 days into the new year resulted in a reorganization of the First Presidency, which left 2 vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. The new apostles could be any current general authority, including members of the Presidency of the Seventy, General Authority Seventies, Presiding Bishopric, Area Seventies, any members the Young Men or Sunday School General Presidencies, or the Church at large. Result: President Oaks was sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Ballard was sustained as Acting President, and Elders and were sustained to fill the apostolic vacancies.

Presidency of the Seventy: If one or both of the new apostles come from this group, they will be released from both the Presidency and as General Authority Seventies, and a new member or two will be sustained. Note: Of the 13 current apostles, 6 of them were serving in the Presidency of the Seventy at the time of their apostolic calls. So it seems reasonable that at least one of the new apostles could be a member of this Presidency, which would necessitate changes. Result:

General Authority Seventies: If one or both of the new apostles come from among these men, he will be released. As is typical for the April General Conference, new General Authorities will be sustained from the Area Seventies or the Church at large (including any current mission or temple president). Note: Of the 13 current apostles, 3 of them (Holland, Eyring, and Renlund) were serving as General Authority Seventies at the time of their call, and two more (Elders Rasband and Stevenson) had been general authority seventies prior to their respective calls to the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric. So there is a real possibility that one or both of the new apostles could be called from among the current 84 General Authority Seventies who are not in the Presidency of the Seventy. It has also been customary in recent years for any new General Authority Seventies to be sustained in April, so that is likely to occur again. Result:

Presiding Bishopric: If one or both of the new apostles are called from the Presiding Bishopric, that will, in turn, necessitate changes. Note: Of the current apostles, we had two that served in the Presiding Bishopric at one point or another (President Eyring prior to his call as a general authority seventy, which in turn preceded his call to the apostleship, and Elder Stevenson, who was serving as Presiding Bishop of the Church at the time of his call). So one or both apostles could come from this body, which, if that occurs, will necessitate changes. Result:

Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings, especially if the new apostle comes from among these men. Note: With Elder Bednar being the only apostle sustained as such while serving as an area seventy, there is a possibility that President Nelson could look among those serving currently or who have previously served as such to fill one or both vacancies. It should be noted, however, that no apostle has been called from this group since October 2004, so it is possible but seems unlikely. Result:

Young Women General Presidency: In view of their having reached their 5 years serving together (which has been the customary time by which most auxiliary presidencies change), Sisters Bonnie L. Oscarson, Carol F. McConkie and Neill F. Marriott will likely be released and a new presidency sustained. Note: In recent years when the time has come to sustain a new auxiliary presidency, the new president has either been one of the counselors to the outgoing president or one of the current members of the board. There have also been times when a counselor in one auxiliary has been sustained as the new president of a different auxiliary. So the Church has options regarding who could be called. It would also be understandable if a change in this presidency was deferred for six months to a year in view of the reorganization of the First Presidency, the calling of new apostles, and the other changes in Church leadership. That said, even at times when a new Church President has been sustained, the standard tenure of 5 years has been kept. So it seems more likely than not that the Young Women General Presidency will change during this conference. Result:

Sunday School General Presidency: Possible changes made, if one or both of the new apostles are members of this presidency. Note: President Russell M. Nelson had served as Sunday School General President from 1971-1979, and his tenure as such ended roughly 5 years prior to his being called to the apostleship. Elder Neil L. Andersen, meanwhile, served in the Sunday School General Presidency while serving as a General Authority Seventy. But aside from these two current apostles, the only other apostles serving in this presidency filled a dual role in doing so (as it was a common practice in the early days of the Sunday School for apostles and/or Church presidents to do so). While that makes it unlikely that one or both of the new apostles could come from this presidency, anything is possible. Result:

Young Men General Presidency: Possible changes made, if any of these men are called to fill one or both of the current apostolic vacancies. Note: Aside from Elder Holland, who was released from that assignment roughly 4 years prior to his call to the apostleship, and in the early days of the Church when apostles (and Church presidents) served in this capacity, no other apostles have come from among the members of this presidency. While it is therefore unlikely that one or both of the apostles could be a current or former member of this presidency, it is a possibility. Result: