2022 Year-End Review of Developments Covered On This Blog

 Hello again, everyone! Although the Newsroom and the Church News have already provided multiple reports to cap off the year, and although more of those have come through today, I would be remiss as we close out the year if I did not look back myself at the major highlights covered on this blog this year. Either this year or last year, someone in the comments of this blog said that the content I provide was comparable to "the Church News on steroids". While I don't know if that's an accurate assessment of my work, there has been a lot going on this year. Let's take a look back at key highlights from 2022.

Temple updates, as noted in my last post, were outstanding and significant. Numerous reports covered the day-to-day ministry of our apostles and General Officers of the Church, including birthday tributes to the apostles and female general officers. Breaking news often came down the pike, not all of which was related to temple construction. I hit the outstanding milestone of 2,200 posts earlier this year. And of course, there were the unique projects and milestones of which I took note.

So many of the major announcements were developments I wasn't necessarily anticipating. But with the Church finding ways to hasten temple construction, and with the ongoing ministry of general leaders, updates were never in short supply. And I continued my personal tradition of praying in advance of every maojr announcement. As those developments were reported, I felt they were exactl;y what the Church needed for this period of time.

In the midst of global disasters, the Church stepped up in big ways to help in any way possible. Numerous Church leaders met with dignitaries and major representatives of governments around the world. The Church expanded its' golobal reach, and missionaries continued to find innovative ways to expand their reach as well. If there is one hting I hope my readers take away from coverage of these developments here in 2022, I hope it is that the Lord is very much at the helm of His work, that prophets and apostles continue to provide inspired direction, and that all is well in the Lord's kingdom here on Earth because of that.

And so, as I close out this look back, I also want to look ahead to the future. As I mentioned in my last post, I will not be shocked if 2023 is another big year for temple developments. The Church is on track to dedicate 20-30 temples in 2023 alone, and around the same number of groundbreakings appear to be anticiapted. I also expect the Church will announce a minimum of 35 temples again this year.

As far as content unique to this blog, I have complied a list of anticipated projects for the upcoming year. And the day-to-day updates from the Church News, the Newsroom, the Church Temples site, and the Church Growth Blog will also be shared here as time and circumsstances allow. 2022 has also been a big year for feedback from all of you, my readers, in the way of corrections, clarifications, or additional observations.

I could not do what I do here to the extent that I do it were it not for the extensive intinerest and support provided by those of you who follow along here, who often share feedback and thoughts, and who continue to encourage me in those ongoing updates. So as we look back at 2022 and ahead to 2023, "thank you" seems woefully inadequate, but it will have to do.

For my part, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple construction updates and will be sure to pawss word of the latest developments to you all here as time and circumstancs allow going forward. In the meantime, that does it for now. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

2022 Year-End Review of Temple Construction

Hello again, everyone! In these closing minutes of 2022, I would be remiss if I failed to pass along a look back at temple construction progress during this year. First, it's worth referring back to the three-part summary of temple construction developments published by the Church News. 

The first part highlighted temple dedications and rededications, when they occurred, and who presided at each one. A total of 4 temple rededications and 5 new temple dedications took place in 2022, and the Church has already set the first three temple dedications for next year.

The second part summarized key information about the 16 temple groundbreakingss held this year, which outpaced the 12 temples that had groundbreakings last year. The Church has already set the first temple groundbreaking for 2023, and a minimum of 27 others could also have groundbreakings next year.  

The second part also highlighted the fact that there are 37 other temples worldwide that are currently under construction (5 in Utah; 8 elsewhere in the United States, 3 in Central America, 6 in South America, 3 in Africa, 8 in Asia, and the final 3 in Oceania). The article also highlighted the 3 temples currently undergoing renovation and 3 others for which renovations have been scheduled.

The final article, published earlier today, highlighted information about the announced temples. With 35 new temples announced this year, that is a new record. Of all the announced temples, 1 has a  groundbreaking scheduled, and 27 others could also have a groundbreaking in 2023. 

That includes a total of 6 temples that had sites revealed and exterior renderings released prior to this year, and a whopping 17 others that had sites revealed this year alone, with 1 of those having an exterior rendering released at the same time as the site confirmation, and 4 others having exterior renderings released after the site confirmation.

Interestingly enough, two of those closest to a groundbreaking (the Montpelier and Teton River Idaho Temples) have had sites confirmed and cleared for likely groundbreakings, but neither of them have had exterior renderings released. I anticipate those two temples, along with the other 14 temples that have had sites confirmed, might soon have exterior renderings released in 2023 as well.

Regarding the the remaining 41 temples in the planning and design phase, the final 6 in the United States (which were announced in October of last year or April or October of this year) could soon have sites announced..4 others outside the United States could have official details announced soon after the first of the year, and the remaining 31 are announced. And I have another document showing information about the 41 temples for which no official details have been announced yet.

Having shared that information, by way of review, I wanted to look back at where temple construction stood as 2023 began, one day before the April 2022 General Conference at the mid-point of 2022, on the first morning of the October 2022 General Conference, and where things stand as 2022 concludes. I appreciated this chance to review temple construction progress for 2022. I will be back shortly with a final post for the year, looking back at the major developments in the Church in 2022.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Initial Predictions for the April 2023 General Conference:, Part Two: Changes in General Church Leadership, Statistical Report 2022, and Potential Locations in Which a Temple Could Be Announced

Hello again, everyone! I am back as promised with a look at the initial version of my predictions for the April 2023 General Conference. This post will discuss the potential changes in general Church leadership, the estimated numbers for the Statistical Report 2022, and the potential locations in which the Church could announce new temples. So let's get right into it:

As I mentioned in my last post, any changes in the Presidency of the Seventy that would be effective in August 2023 are likely to be sustained in advance. And April has traditionally been the General Conference each year in which new General Authority Seventies and Area Seventies are sustained.  As I also mentioned in my previous post, I anticipate that the Church will release the current Young Women General Presidency and announce a new one, effective August 1. 

If the new Young Women General President is a current counselor in the Primary or Relief Society General Presidency, the subsequent changes will be sustained in advance. There may be changes to the Sunday School or Young Men General Presidency if any members are sustained as GA Seventies. I can't and won't give any more specific predictions there.

So we now turn to the statistical report. All numbers are essentially fairly speculative, with the numbers for the total stakes, districts, wards, and branches based on a guesstimate from the Church Temple site's statistical page and from Fuller Consideration. Aside from the total number of temples, the estimates for other elements typically found in the statistical report are based on complex algorithms that are difficult to describe.

So we now turn to the temple list. I was able to find at least a few new prospects, but most of them are carried over from my corresponding predictions for new temples from October of this year. I have also taken the liberty of adding a general note about which major metropolitan areas might be the next ones to have multiple temples announced simultaneously.  

While it is possible that any such announcements could relate to regions in the United States, it seems more likely that, at least initially, the Church will focus on those regions found outside the US. I also think that, because the Church will dedicate four temples here in Utah next year (Layton, Orem, Taylorsville, and Red Cliffs), and since all other new Utah temples are now under construction, the Church could and potentially will announce one or two temples in Utah this go-round. 

As we also know, the last new Utah temple was announced in October 2021, and there are several locations within both the Utah area and the state of Utah where new temples would make sense. So although there was a precedent set this year for no Utah temples to e announced, I think we can safely assume that at least one but possibly two new Utah temples are imminently likely.

Since President Nelson is reportedly hoping to announce a minimum of 35 temples per year every year for the time being, I think we could see anywhere between 15-20 new temples being announced in the upcoming General Conference. Whatever may happen in terms of that conference, I will be sure to pass anything along once I hear about it. 

It probably goes without saying, but I will, of course, update these predictions once the details of the Saturday Evening Session are outlined. Having said all of that, the commenting period for these predictions is now officially open and will remain open until Thursday March 30 of next year (just over 3 months from now) at 10:00 PM, which will give me 36 hours to make any final adjustments to these predictions if needed. 

In the meantime, I continue to monitor all major Church news and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you as I learn about those developments.That does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Initial Predictions for the April 2023 General Conference, Part One: Speaker Lineup Predictions

 Hello again, everyone! With just a few days of 2022 remaining, I do plan to provide my traditional year-end temple construction progress review and a look back at major developments covered there this year, and a look ahead to those projects I have planned for next year. But in the interim, I wanted to provide my initial predictions for the April 2023 General Conference. 

Since we likely won't get an announcement on the plans for the Saturday Evening Session until February, the predictions for the potential speaker lineup includes a projection that the third session of General Conference will be another general one for all members and friends of the Church. I have also allowed for the possibility that President Nelson could either be the first or last speaker in the first session. 

Additionally, it's worth noting that the Church has continued to ask more of the female General Officers of the Church to speak. The two counselors in the Relief Society General Presidency spoke in October, meaning that Sister Camille N. Johnson might be the only one from that presidency to speak this time around. 

Sister Tracy Y. Browing spoke in October, and Amy A. Wright spoke six months earlier alongside Sister Susan B. Porter when Sisters Porter and Wright were serving as counselors to Sister Johnson. It seems more likely to me that Sister Porter will again speak this time around since she has not spoken since her call as Primary General President. 

So if one member apiece speaks from the Primary and Relief Society General Presidencies, it is more likely that two representatives from the Young Women General Presidency will speak this time around. That is especially true since the current Young Women General Presidency are anticipated to be released in the upcoming General Conference. 

So because Sister Michelle D. Craig spoke during the October 2022 General Conference, I think the other two outgoing members of the Young Women General Presidency will speak. I also believe that, since the Young Men General President spoke in October and the Sunday School General President spoke in April of this year, that the First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, Brother Milton Camargo, will represent the male General Officers.

It's also worth noting that in the April General Conferences of 2021 and 2022, there were no speakers from the Presiding Bishopric. While that trend could continue, I have felt impressed that Bishop W. Christopher Waddell might speak this go-round, and if he does, he is likely to do so in the final session of General Conference. 

As far as the Presidency of the Seventy is concerned, regarding the current 7 members, Elder Carl B. Cook was the one who spoke least recently (he did so in April 2019). Due to subsequent changes to the Presidency of the Seventy, the next least-recent speaker was Elder Carlos A. Godoy, who spoke in October 2020. So I see three possible scenarios for the Presidency of the Seventy: 

First, it is possible that changes that will take effect in August of 2023 in conjunction with area leadership changes may be presented in advance for a sustaining vote. If that happens, one of the incoming members could speak. If no changes are presented, either Elder Cook could speak this time around, or the Church could skip the Presidency of the Seventy until October 2023. 

It's also worth noting that, with the exception of Elder David S. Baxter (who is still reportedly on medical leave from his Church assignments and who last spoke in April of 2012), all of the General Authority Seventies who last spoke in the 5 General Conferences before the one in October 2015 have spoken again recently. 

So, as reflected in my predictions for General Authority Seventies who will speak this time around, I have the 3 remaining GA Seventies who last spoke in October 2015, the 1 remaining who last spoke in April 2016, and the 7 who last spoke in October 2016. 

The only other element of the speaker lineup I haven't mentioned relates to my predictions for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I am assuming that, barring anything unexpected, President Nelson will speak 3 times, President Oaks will do so twice (when taking the Sustaining of General Authorities, Area Seventies, and General OFficers into account) and President Eyring will speak once.

And for the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, this document may illustrate how I came to the conclusion of which Quorum members would speak in each session. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here. I will be back shortly to share my predictions for changes in general Church leadership, the numbers I calculated for the statistical report, and the updated list of locations where a temple could be announced.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong Observes His 69th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 69th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2023 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 78th on January 24. Let's now turn our attention to today's tribute to Elder Gong.

Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and out of respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family hosted his mother while she studied at BYU-Provo.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He earned a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. 

He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan). At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. 

After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (a BYU student) continued their courtship long-distance The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He subsequently became a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

He continued his career as a special assistant in the US State Department and as a special assistant to the US embassy in China. In 1989, he served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was also invited to participate in multiple education summits, in addition to serving on the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. 

Toward the end of his professional career, he served as an Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment. As impressive as his career may have been, the far more significant things he accomplished were in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. 

During his latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable.

After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit. During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called to serve as General Authority Seventies. 

He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area. As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. 

He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into that new assignment effective January 4, 2016. During his two years of active service in the Presidency of the Seventy, he had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards. Following the October 2017 and January 2018 deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The two made history as the first Asian-American and Latin-American apostles of the Church. They were sustained as such on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018).

Consistent with the general practice of the Church, and for the first time since the October 2015 appointments of Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund, with the two apostles called, sustained, and ordained on the same day, Elder Gong, who is older, became the senior apostle to Elder Soares. In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with media representatives for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. 

His additional assignments included serving on the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee. He also had apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas. Given the recent shifting of apostolic assignments, it wouldn't surprise me to see confirmation that he is serving on either the Missionary Executive Council or the Temple & Family History Executive Council.

Elder Gong has given a total of 12 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 10 since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Due to his potential exposure to COVID-19 (for which he tested positive a few days later), he had pre-recorded his remarks in the days leading up to the October 2020 General Conference. 

Having successfully completed his quarantine, he was able to preside at the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple later that month. And after a yearlong delay, Elder Gong presided at the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple in October 2021. As an apostle of Asia descent, he was sent in June of this year to rededicate the Hong Kong China Temple. 

I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 69th birthday. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles. I continue to monitor all Church News and temple updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Confirms Site Locations for 3 Temples; Releases Renderings for 4 Others

Note: An original version of this post was published at 2:05 PM, with additional details, analysis, and context added from 3-5 PM.

Hello again, everyone! Another Monday afternoon has come, and, as has been customary, the latest major temple construction update was provided this afternoon. Because I have other obligations, I will have complete analysis of today's update later today. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

I am back as promised. Today's announcement involves the confirmation of initial information for 3 temples and the official release of exterior renderings for 4 others. Let's get right into the details. The site locations and initial details have been released for the Santiago West Chile Temple (first announced in October 2021), and the Cleveland Ohio and Austin Texas Temples (first announced in April of this year).

Although we are still awaiting an official name for the Santiago West Chile Temple, the Church has indicated that the single-story 12,500-square-foot temple will be constructed in Comuna de Maipu, a suburb of Santiago, at Primo de Rivera 1551. It occurred to me to wonder if the temple could be named the Santiago Chile Maipu Temple or the Santiago Chile Comuna de Maipu Temple, or simply the Comuna de Maipu Chile Temple. I look forward to finding out.

In the meantime, the Cleveland Ohio Temple will not be built in Cleveland proper. Instead, the 9,900 square-foot single-story edifice will rise at Brecksville Rd., south of Longano Dr., Independence, Cuyahoga County, Ohio 44131. And the Austin Texas Temple will also not be built in Austin proper either. Adjacent to the existing meetinghouse at 1801 E. Park Street in Cedar Park Texas is a 10.6-acre site upon which the Church will build a 30,000-square-foot single-story edifice.

Having discussed the specifics of the 3 site locations, I am also pleased to report that exterior renderings have been provided for the Kaohsiung Taiwan Temple (for which the site was confirmed on November 28), the Knoxville Tennessee Temple (for which the site was confirmed on October 31) and the Singapore and Modesto California Temples (for which the sites were confirmed on October 10), 

As a result of today's announcements, the status of the announced temples in the Church now stands as follows: With a total of 69 temples, 1 has a groundbreaking scheduled. And of the remaining 68, initial details have been provided for 28. That means the Church has not yet released any information about 40 temples, which includes 2 originally announced in April 2018, 1 each from the following October and April, 3 from April 2020, 5 from April 2021, 7 apiece from October of last year and April of this year, and the remaining 14 from April of this year. I continue to monitor those 40 temples.

And today's announcement means there are now a total of 27 temples awaiting a groundbreaking announcement, almost all of which could have that set for next year. There are now 6 temples in the US that were announced in October of last year and April and October of this year, and most if not all of those could have some information confirmed in the coming weeks. I am also keeping my eyes open for information on 4 other temples outside the United States. That leaves a total of 31 other announced temples.

We know that the Church is regularly releasing information about announced temples. It will be interesting to see the timing for future temple groundbreakings. If I might also add another thought, we did not hear this week about any opening arrangements for other temples currently in the construction queue. We know that major construction has been completed for the Bentonville Arkansas Temple, and that construction is nearing completion on the Bangkok Thailand, Feather River California, Brasilia Brazil, and Moses Lake Washington Temples.

And of course, with Christmas Day coming up on Sunday, only time may tell whether or not any temple updates will be announced by the Church on Monday of next week. Regardless of what happens on that date, it seems highly likely that the early weeks of next year will be chock full of temple announcements. I look forward to seeing what's ahead there. I continue to monitor all other temple construction and Church news updates and remain committed to bringing word of those to you all here as time and circumstances allow.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Location and Initial Details Released for the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple

Note: This post was originally published just after 2:00 PM, with further analysis included throughout the afternoon.

Hello again, everyone! Following a one-week hiatus in which no new temple updates were reported, the First Presidency has released information about the site location and initial details for the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple. As noted above, I will update this report as time and circumstances allow today. I also continue to monitor all other temple updates and Church news reports and will be sure to bring word thereof to you here ASAP. 

Note: As I mentioned above, an initial version of this post was published at around 2; with subsequent analysis shared throughout the afternoon and evening as time allowed.

I am pleased to now be able to share a more detailed analysis of today's development. The Church noted today that the 87,000-square-foot three-story edifice will rise southwest of Hickman Avenue between North Grand Canyon Drive and Tee Pee Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. With this being the second temple for the Nevadan capital city, the temple named for Lone Mountain is set to be 6,650 square feet larger than its' original counterpart.

The larger size of the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple and the fact that the Las Vegas Nevada Temple has not closed for renovation since it was originally dedicated in 1989, which was 3 decades ago. And, of course, as with any other temple announcement, today's announcement will impact the order and timing whereby temples with confirmed locations might subsequently see groundbreakings occur. I will have my revised thoughts on the timing of future temple events ASAP.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, October 23, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, in addition to updated information on the tenure length records for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (which will not be updated with the current First Presidency until 2024), in addition to the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), in addition to when each of those current groups will move up on the list.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the apostolic groups overall, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time

Hopefully, this shared data will be of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to ask anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here.

I continue to monitor all temple updates and Church news reports and will be sure to bring word of those to you as I become aware of such updates. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Observes His 82nd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being December 3, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is observing his 82nd birthday. I know that the Lord is no respector of persons, and doesn't play favorites, but on a personal level, I wanted to reiterate again that Elder Holland is one of my favorite apostles. I have a couple of familial connections to him. My dad was born and raised in St. George, and his father (Dean Stokes), was Elder Holland's home teaching companion when "young Jeff" was an Aaronic Priesthood holder. According to my dad, his father often expressed his wonder that a boy like Elder Holland had become an apostle of the Lord.

I know that at times, it may seem that some members of the Church, to varying degrees, have put the leading Brethren of the Church on a pedestal, but I am reminded in accounts, such as that which was shared by my grandfather, that these men may have been foreordained to the apostleship, but they are no different than any other member of the Church; the Lord just ordered their lives based on their personal choices in such a way that when such calls came to them, they were qualified through years of service in the Church and living what they believe. That is important for all of us to remember.

My mom is a freelance proofreader, and in the early days of her marriage to my dad, she worked on many projects for the Church Educational System. Since that occurred at the time when Elder Holland was the Commissioner of the CES, he was essentially my mom's "boss." And she speaks warmly of the experiences she had working with him on such projects. Personal connections aside, I wanted to share a brief biographical sketch of Elder Holland.

Jeffrey Roy Holland was born in St. George, Utah to Frank D. and Alice Bentley Holland on December 3, 1940. He served a full-time mission in the British Isles. His mission president was Marion D. Hanks, (who at that time was a member of the now-defunct First Council of the Seventy and later served in the First Quorum and Presidency of the Seventy). One of young Elder Holland's missionary companions was Quentin L. Cook, alongside whom he would later serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Of Elder Holland, Elder Cook has remarked that it is interesting to him that he, as the previously-senior missionary companion to Elder Holland, is now the junior apostle to his former junior companion. Following the concusion of Elder Holland's missionary service, he attended BYU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in religious education. Additionally, shortly after his release from missionary service, he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Terry, in 1963. They are the parents of a daughter and two sons, one of whom, Matthew, has served as the President of Utah Valley University and as president of the North Carolina Raliegh Mission. During General Conference in April 2020, Matthew S. Holland was sustained as a General Authority Seventy, marking the first time a fahter-and-son duo have served together as general authorities since the July 2015 death of President Boyd K. Packer. 

Once Elder Holland earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, he went on to earn a doctorate degree in American studies from Yale. He then became a professor at BYU, serving as Dean of the College of Religion. He served as Commissioner of Church Education from 1976-1980. In 1980, President Dallin H. Oaks, who was then serving as President of BYU-Provo, announced his intention to move on to other opportunities. Commissioner Holland was put in charge of the committee to find the new BYU President. 

Two days later, he was stunned when the First Presidency appointed him to that assignment. He had reportedly been favored for the position by President N. Eldon Tanner, who was then serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency, and was the protege of then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who at that time was the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asssigned to the Church Board of Education. Elder Holland would go on to serve as president of BYU for 9 years himself, until his April 1, 1989 call as a General Authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. 

Prior to his call to general Church service, Elder Holland also served as a bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative. After the First Presidency was reorganized following the death of President Ezra Taft Benson, President Howard W. Hunter took immediate action to fill the apostolic vacancy. In the space of a few short hours on Thursday June 23, President Hunter issued a call to the apostleship to Elder Holland, gave him his apostolic charge, set apart and ordained him to that calling, and had him join the other 14 apostles in their weekly meeting at the temple. That action was sustained by Church membership during the Solemn Assembly that was held exactly 100 days later.

Elder Holland has given a total of 60 addresses in General Conference.  Of those, 3 were prior to his apostolic call. The first time he spoke during General Conference was in April 1983, while he was serving as the President of Brigham Young University. He spoke alongside his son during that session. He gave two other talks following his 1989 call as a General Authority Seventy, and the remaining 57 General Conference addresses as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

To me, it always seems as though the talks given by Elder Holland are specifically focused on something I have been dealing with personally at the time. As a consequence, listening to him speak every six months is one of my favorite things about General Conference weekends. The last thing I want to mention about Elder Holland is that he is currently the second most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the fourth in seniority among all current apostles. 

He is also the fourth-oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and is the seventh-oldest among all living apostles. Interestingly enough, although he is the most senior of the three apostles born in 1940 (with Elders Uchtdorf and Cook being the other two), he is the youngest of the three. His apostolic seatmate, Elder Uchtdorf,  obsrved his 81st birthday just under one month ago, with Elder Cook having done the same two months prior to that.

In recent years, he has seemingly had some health challenges, as he now uses a cane when speaking in public. Given his age and current apostolic seniority, some, myself included, have suggested that Elder Holland could one day serve as Church President. He is currently the second most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and is the fourth in seniority among all of our 15 apostles. He is also the fourth oldest in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the seventh oldest of our 15 current apostles.

The topic of who may lead the Church and when is an interesting thing to consider. President Nelson, at 98 years of age, only sat to give his remarks for the first time during October's General Conference. By all accounts, the prophet is still outpacing all of his fellow apostles. So if our current prophet does continue to lead the Church for the next decade or two, he could potentially outlive a few more apostles junior to him. So it will be interesting to see what happens there. I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Holland, and for the chance I had to write this post in his honor today.

I continue to monitor all temple updates and Church news reports and will be sure to bring word of those to you as I become aware of such updates. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Releases New Recommendations for YSA Wards and Stakes

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, the Church News shared an article outlining revised recommendations for young single adult congregations. Those changes were announced by an official notice from the Priesthood and Family Department. These changes are being made in response to counsel given by Church President Russell M. Nelson to Young Single Adults in a Worldwide Devotional held last May 

So what are these changes? While married Brethren will continue to serve as bishops and stake presidents of YSA wards and stakes, all other adult married couples supporting YSA wards and stakes should be honorably released ASAP. Stake presidents and bishops will call YSA men to serve as their counselors, and the high council of each YSA stake should be made up of YSA members. That also extends to the stake officers serving in the Relief Society and Sunday School presidencies.

The Church is also requesting that, in non-YSA stakes, YSA committees should be formed, with a YSA man and woman called as co-chairs of that committee. If there are insufficient YSA numbers in non-YSA stakes, neighboring stakes may join to form that council. Stake leaders are encouraged to use stake budgets to create "gathering places" for YSAs.

In his address in May, President Nelson made it clear that the Lord trusts the Young Single Adults of the Church, and these adjustments reflect that. I am pleased to have been able to share this update with you all. I continue to monitor all temple updates and Church news reports and will be sure to bring word of those to you as I become aware of such updates. In the meantime, that does it for now.

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.