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Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership
Presidency of the
Seventy: Any changes effective August 1 sustained in advance.[i]
Result:
No changes announced.
|
General Authority
Seventies: New General Authorities sustained from among the Area Seventies or
the Church at large (including any current mission or temple president)[ii];
Elder Steven E. Snow released as Church Historian and Recorder, with a new
Church Historian and Recorder called from among the current or newly-called
General Authority Seventies[iii].
Result:
Elders Rubén V. Alliaud, Jorge M. Alvarado, Hans T. Boom, L. Todd Budge,
Ricardo P. Gimenez, Peter M. Johnson, John A. McCune, James R. Rasband,
Benjamin M. Z. Tai and Alan R. Walker were sustained as new General Authority
Seventies, with no change announced (yet) to the Church Historian and
Recorder.
|
Area Seventies:
Some area seventies released, others called[iv].
The following area
seventies may be released for the following reasons:
Called as mission presidents: Aley K. Auna, Walter Chatora, J. Kevin Ence, Jose L.
Isaguierre, Bryan R. Larsen, W.
Jean-Pierre Lono, Khumbulani Mdletshe, Hoi Seng Leonard Woo
Called as temple presidents: Victorino A. Babida, Milan F. Kunz,
Longest-tenured: Kevin
J Worthen (sustained in April 2010; is currently serving as BYU-Provo
President; if he is released, he may be sustained as General Authority
Seventy); Frederick O. Akinbo (sustained in April 2013)
Result:
55 new area seventies called; 7 others released namely: Elders Budge,
Johnson. McCune, Rasband and Tai, (in view of their calls as General
Authority Seventies); Elder Mark L. Pace (in view of his call as Sunday
School General President); and Victorino A. Babida (in view of his call as
the incoming president of the Manila Philippines Temple)
|
Sunday School General
Presidency: Tad R. Callister, Devin G. Durrant, and Brian K. Ashton released,
new Sunday School General Presidency called[v].
Result: These
Brethren were released. The new Sunday School General Presidency members are:
Mark L. Pace, Milton Camargo, and Jan E. Newman.
|
Additional note: Reid L.
Neilson, who has been serving as Church historian and recorder and is not a
General Authority, will likely be released from that assignment, since he has
been called as a mission president as well. As far as I know, he was never
sustained in that position, so his release may or may not be presented.
|
Stakes
|
3,383
|
Missions
|
407
|
Districts
|
550 (547)
|
Wards &
Branches
|
30,710 (30,536)
|
Total Church
Membership
|
16,385,309
(16,313,735)
|
Increase in
Children of Record
|
104,150 (102.102)
|
Converts Baptized
|
228,987 (234,332)
|
Full-Time
Missionaries
|
64,543 (65,137)
|
Church Service
Missionaries
|
30,339 (37.963)
|
Temples Dedicated
during 2018 (Concepcion Chile, Barranquilla Colombia)
|
2
|
Temples Rededicated
during 2018 (Houston Texas, Jordan River Utah)
|
2
|
Temples in
Operation by the end of 2018
|
161
|
[i]In April 2018, 5 changes to
the Presidency of the Seventy were sustained, 2 of which were effective
immediately (as a result of Elders Gong and Soares being called to the Quorum
of the Twelve), with 3 other changes sustained in advance of going into effect
on August 1. With 5 of the 7 current members of the Presidency of the Seventy
having only served in this Presidency for a year or less (and 1 other member
who has only been serving since August of 2017), the only change for which I
can see a more immediate need in the near future is the possible release of
Elder L. Whitney Clayton, who will be 70 in February of next year and thus is
likely to be granted emeritus status during the October 2020 General
Conference, but the Church could potentially hold off on making that change
until August 2020.
[ii]It is traditional for new
General Authority Seventies to be sustained each April, so I would anticipate
that occurring for this General Conference, and that those sustained will be
selected from among the current area seventies, any current members of the
Sunday School or Young Men General Presidencies, anyone currently serving in a
mission or temple presidency, or from the Church at large.
[iii]Elder Steven E. Snow, who
has served as Church Historian and Recorder since 2012, will be 70 in November
2019, so the Church will likely release him from that assignment and sustain a
current or new General Authority in to succeed him in that capacity.
[iv]Although there have been
exceptions in recent years, April General Conference has generally seen a large
number of area seventies called, and a few released, especially if any of the
new General Authorities are currently serving as area seventies. I am
anticipating that will remain true for this General Conference as well.
[v]Brothers Callister and
Durrant have served together in the Sunday School General Presidency since
April 2014, and Brother Ashton joined them in that presidency in June 2015.
Within the last decade or two, in almost all cases, auxiliary presidency has
been released once most of its’ members have served together for 5 years or so.
Therefore, I anticipate that Brothers Callister, Durrant, and Ashton will be
released. The new members of this presidency could be comprised of any current
General Authorities (as Brother Callister was serving as a General Authority
Seventy (and in the Presidency thereof) prior to his call), either or both of
the current Sunday School counselors, members of its’ General Board, members of
the Young Men General Presidency or General Board, any current area seventy,
mission presidency or temple presidency member, or members of the Church at
large.
[vi]As per the tradition
established in the April 2018 General Conference, the Statistical Report will
not be read over the pulpit during the Saturday Afternoon Session, but will
instead be published on the Church website directly after that session.
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