Some Thoughts on President Nelson's Remarkable Statement About the October 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! While we wait for coverage to be provided on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Youth Devotional, I wanted to post my take on the remarkable statement President Nelson made in relation to the October 2019 General Conference. First of all, let's review the statement in question. In an article covering the devotional at which he, his wife, Elder Cook, his wife, and Brazil Area President Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis and his wife, addressed all missionaries serving throughout Brazil (with the broadcast originating from Brasilia and being carried to missionaries serving throughout the nation), the Newsroom quoted President Nelson as saying the following to news media:

“There are exciting things ahead. This work is moving forward at an accelerated pace. I can just hardly wait to bounce out of bed each morning and see what the day will bring. We invite all people to come unto Christ, to become more like Him, to experience the joyous blessings of the Holy Temple and to have eternal life,”  He then went on to say that more temples and other announcements were coming for the October General Conference.

A few takeaways from that statement. In the first two General Conferences in which President Nelson became Church President, he announced quite a few changes. In April 2018, the restructuring of priesthood quorums (with High Priest groups being discontinued at the ward level and the membership thereof being merged into the Elders' Quorum,. and the Stake High Priests' Quorum now comprised of current Stake Presidency members, the current members of the Stake High Council, and current Ward Bishopric members) and the retirement of home and visiting teaching programs in favor of ministering were announced.

In October last year, the Church saw the introduction of the Come Follow Me expanded curriculum (which would implemented a home-centered, Church-supported study program) resulted in the transition from the 3-hour Church block to a consolidated 2-hour Church block, with Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society being held alternately. And throughout 2018, President Nelson announced a whopping 19 new temples, 7 in April and 12 more in October, which was an unprecedented number of temples to be announced within the first year of a new Church President's prophetic administration.

With all that had been heard about President Nelson's ambitious temple-building plans, many people (myself included) went into the April 2019 General Conference convinced that more changes were coming, including President Nelson detailing the extent and timing of his temple-expansion plans in full, and announcing a mass number of new temples to accomplish his intended goal (which, as verified by most of his apostolic colleagues, is apparently a ten-fold increase in the number of temples).

Although 8 more temples were announced, no other major announcements were made, and instead, the transformative announcements were made between the October 2018 and April 2019 General Conferences, and last General Conference instead represented constancy in the midst of great change. the opportunity for the Church to take the proverbial deep breath and focus instead on the important gospel topics which were covered therein.

So that brings us to the upcoming October 2019 General Conference, and President Nelson's remarkable statement about it. What stood out to me most about what he said was that, in addition to more new temples, other announcements would be made. In other words, the term is not singular, but plural. That said, let me go officially on record as stating that, in my personal opinion, I do not see a massive number of new temples being announced, nor do I anticipate that President Nelson will detail the extent and timing of his plans to expand the number of temples tenfold.

To be perfectly transparent, I would be elated if he does explain his plans and announce dozens of new temples in the process. But I know that there were some who were disappointed when only 8 new temples were announced last April, and I certainly wouldn't want to build up hype for a mass number of announcements in that respect, only to have some be disappointed if and when a considerably lesser number of temples are announced. That is why I have advanced the mertis of 14-16 new temples as being a more reasonable estimate.

Depending on what is actually announced, there will need to be some focus on those announcements, rather than just solely having a focus on his temple expansion plans. So what might be ahead for the future, if not a massive change affecting the temple construction program of the Church? Let's look at that next. To begin with, Matthew Martinich, widely respected as an expert on matters relating to the growth of the Church, noted on his blog earlier this afternoon that he was anticipating some type of change in the missionary program to be announced as well, based on the recent release of a new missionary handbook.

He had previously provided extensive analysis regarding the kind of reforms he was specifically anticipating, based on the reports he had received of wide-spread issues with various aspects of that program and those efforts as they currently exist, stand, and are established. I would certainly anticipate that such an announcement will be made, because Matt usually knows what he is talking about when it comes to issues such as that. At the same time, given the pluralization of the term announcements, I am not entirely convinced at this time that only new temples and changes to the missionary program are on the immediate horizon. So what else could be coming down the pike? I have some theories on that. There could potentially be updates on the process and anticipated timing for the publication of the revised and unified editions of the hymnbook and children's songbook.

But given the announcement earlier this year that the Africa Southeast Area would be divided beginning next August, I think it is possible there could be further area changes announced in General Conference. But above and beyond that, it would not shock me at all to see some type of restructuring of the Area Seventies Quorums as presently constituted. Without knowing exactly how the releases of any current Area Seventies may impact the numbers in each of those Quorums, here's what I know in that respect: When the number of North American areas were consolidated effective August 1 of this year, one change was that the Idaho Area was merged into the North America Central Area.

And as a result of that change, all Area Seventies serving in Idaho were subsequently reassigned from the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy to the Sixth Quorum thereof. With that in mind, effective August 1, the area-by-area composition of the Third-Eighth Quorums was as follows: The Third Quorum of the Seventy is comprised of all area seventies serving in the 3 current Africa Areas (Africa Southeast, Africa West, and Middle East/Africa North) and the two Europe Areas (Europe and Europe East). Next August, once the Africa Southeast Area division goes into effect, the Africa Central and Africa South Areas will replace it.\

The current Fourth Quorum is comprised of those serving in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America Northwest Areas. With the North American Areas being consolidated from 10 down to 6, the Firth Quorum is now comprised of those serving in the North America West and Utah Areas, while the Sixth is comprised of those serving in the North America Central, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest Areas. Those serving in the Brazil and South America South Areas are part of the current Seventh Quorum, while those serving in the Asia, Asia North, Pacific, and Philippines Areas comprise the current Eighth Quorum of the Seventy.

And I also have an area-by-area and Quorum-by-Quorum running total tracked as well. Also effective August 1 of this year, those numbers broke down as follows:

Quorum	Totals within each Area	Quorum Total	Running Total
Third	15+15+16+5+1	52	52
Fourth	6+15+22+21	64	116
Fifth	16+30	46	162
Sixth	17+13+7+18	55	217
Seventh	23+21	44	261
Eighth	9+12+12+13	48	309

According to doctrinal provisions practiced by the Church, once any Seventies Quorum reaches more than 70 members, it should be split. Therefore, without taking into account the releases of any current area seventies, the Fourth Quorum as presently constituted is within 6 members of being at the maximum. And the Third and Sixth Quorums are currently within 18 and 15 members, respectively, of 70.

So I could see the Church either adding a Quorum or adjusting the current parameters of each Quorum to be more geographically convenient, especially since there will be another area added to the current Third Quorum once the Africa Central Area becomes fully operational. Above and beyond these things, I am not sure what exactly to expect going into the October 2019 General Conference.  But with a focus on reducing and simplifying programs and procedures for the Church and the workload of members while enacting measures to more fully unify the entire Church membership on a global scale, anything may be possible.

So my best recommendation as I close out this analysis is that we buckle up, pray in advance that we will be prepared for what is to come in General Conference and that our individual needs may be met and questions answered by what will be said and whatever may be announced. If we are thus prepared for General Conference, we will likewise be able to have the instantaneous assurance from the Spirit that whatever is said or announced is in harmony with the will of the Lord for His Church at this time. And I hope we will be content therewith.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

July 14, 2019 Marks Two Significant Milestones for the Church

Hello again, everyone! Tomorrow will mark two milestones in the Church. First, the Tabernacle Choir broadcast that airs will be focused on the 90th anniversary of "Music and the Spoken Word". With the first brodcast thereof having aired on July 15, 1929, this Sunday will mark the closest broadcast date to that anniversary. Over the course of the last 9 decades, the Choir and its' associated personnel have very aptly and capably filled their roles as emissaries for the Church. The Spoken Word which will be provided tomorrow in conjunction with that anniversary will pay tribute to all those who made the milestone possible, from those on camera or microphone to those behind the scenes, to the music directors and the organist, to the many people who have offered the "Spoken Word" messages.

But it will also allow those currently involved in the brodcast to pay tribute to the many who have listened to or watched the brodacast over the years. The Church News has shared the Spoken Word message that will be offered tomorrow. And from the Tabernacle Choir's website, a page sharing the highlights of the broadcast, including the musical selections which will be featued in tomorrow's broadcast, has been provided. Additionally, from time-to-time, the Tabernacle Choir has made a live stream of the Choir broadcast available each Sunday, which remains available for a few hours following the broadcast's original airing.

That will be the case for the live stream of the broadcast tomorrow, for any of you who may not have TV or radio access to it. If this milestone broadcast is not reason enough for us to rejoice, tomorrow also marks the day on which President Nelson will be observing 1.5 years as Church President. Within that time alone, the Church as we know it now has been transformed in all sorts of significant ways, from the many temple milestones which have been observed, to the calling of the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles, to changing the status quo of tradition in programs, policies, procedures and practice as they have been observed for decades, to extensive travel, to so many "firsts", including one yet-to-be observed in September, when President Nelson's first milestone birthday as Church President will be his 95th.

And such developments show no sign of stopping. President Nelson has observed that we, as Church members, have gotten used to things being done in a certain way, where tradition has become more observed than intent. So much of what has been done during this time has been with a view to both reduce and simplify the work of the Church, and to unfy and streamline Church practices, programs, and resources on a more global scale. When we look at where the Church was at at the time of President Thomas S. Monson's passing on January 2, 2018 in comparision to where things are now, the Church has been indelibly and most postively changed in the last 1.5 years alone. If the words of President Nelson, his wife, and all of his apostolic colleagues is to be believed, such developments will continue to shake up the status quo and defy prior traditions and expectations.

Although all prophets have been as clear as they are able to be regarding how much their actions have been inspired and directed by the Lord, President Nelson is making that far more plain, transparent, and clear than it ever has been. What may be coming in the next 1.5 years remains to be seen, but if there will be an accelerated pace for everything in the Church now, then the unprecedented territory which has been marked from January 14, 2018 to now will almost definitely be overshadowed and outpaced by what will come in the next 1.5 years between tomorrow and the third anniversary of his prophetic administration (which will occur on January 14, 2021). President Nelson clearly wasn't kidding when he offered his physician's presription: "Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It's going to be exciting."

For my part, I am grateful to have been able to acknowledge both of the significant milestones covered herein. I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will keep doing my level best to bring you word of such things as I become aware of them. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces Initial 2020 Area Division

Hello again, everyone! I have breaking news to report right now. The Newsroom has shared an announcement from the First Presidency. Effective in August of 2020, the Africa Southeast Area of the Church will be divided into two separate areas: the Africa South Area, and the Africa Central Area. The announcement notes that this is being done because of the Church's significant growth that is occurring in the nations currently comprising the Africa Southeast Area. More specific details on this area split will be released closer to the time, but the one thing that is certain is that two 3-man area presidencies will be assigned for the two separate areas.\

My personal opinion on those assignments is that the First Presidency may ask 1 or 2 members of the Africa Southeast Area Presidency as it will be constituted in August of this year to continue in the newly-divided Africa South Area Presidency, while the remaining 1 or 2 members of that presidency would be called as the first leaders of the Africa Central Area, since that would allow Brethren with familiarity of all nations in the current Africa Southeast Area to bless the two split areas with their knowledge thereof.

If that were the only news I had to report, it would be reason enough to celebrate. But I also wanted to note a couple of other developments as well. For the last several weeks, lds.org has redirected to churchofjesuschrist.org. It appears that now, however, the only way to get to the Church's official website is to enter the new URL. Additionally, details have been announced about the final 2019 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, which will also serve as a Face-to-Face Event. As I noted previously, that event had originally be set for Sunday September 8, but has been pushed back a week to Sunday September 15, which will coincide with the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple.

The featured guests for this Devotional/Face-to-Face event will be Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Seventy. Unless their assignments have changed or will change, Elder Soares is a member of the Missionary Executive Council and the Human Resource Committee, while Elder Christensen is President of the Utah Area (which will be a single area effective August 1 of this year) and as an Assistant Executive Director of the Missionary Department.  Based on the fact that they both have a role in missionary work within the Church, it would not shock me in any way if the focus on this devotional is how young adults can continue to be missionaries even after concluding their full-time service in the mission field.

And while I am on the subject of missionary work, that brings me to the other two articles I wanted to share. As many of you know, Elder John H. Groberg, now an Emeritus General Authority, served a full-time mission in Tonga, and would return a decade or two after that to serve as a mission president in the same area as well. A book has been published about his experiences, which has been the subject of the movie "The Other Side of Heaven". As preparations are underway for a sequal to be released (which will focus on his experiences as a mission president), Elder Groberg sat down with the Church News, professional golfer Tony Finau, and Elder Vai Sikahema, a newly-called area seventy, to discuss the powerful church growth in Tonga, and the impact that missionary work has had on each of them individually.

In the meantime, one other article continues coverage of the 2019 Seminar for New Mission Presidents, the latest of which features remarks shared by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, who is both the Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and a member of the Missionary Executive Council, and his wife, Carol, who covered 5 key points that both mission presidents and senior missionaries should remember when considering how senior couples can best be utilized during their missionary service. And for any who have missed any coverage provided on that Seminar, the full range of articles on that can be found in this special section of the Church News

I was grateful to bring these reports to you today. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates, and will do my level best to keep bringing word of those to you all here as I become aware of such things. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Preliminary Reports Provided on the 2019 Mission Leadership Seminar; Other Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again now to share some major Church news stories which have crossed my radar within the last week. I will be covering new content from the Church News, then the News & Events page on the Church's website, then the official Newsroom. If there is any overlap in that coverage, I will try to note that as I go. With that said, let's dive right in to all of that.

First, the Church has provided preliminary reports on the 2019 Mission Leadership Seminar, which kicked off today with the traditional Sacrament Meeting. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who chairs the Missionary Executive Council, and Church President Russell M. Nelson offered remarks today. More will be reported on that seminar in the week ahead, which I will be sure to pass along as I receive word of them.

Several other recent reports on the ministry of our Church leaders can be found in the special section devoted to Leaders & Ministry. Among them are the newest edition of "This Week on Social", which featured social media posts from the following leaders: Church President Russell M. Nelson and his First and Second Counselors, Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, respectively; Elders David A. Bednar, D. Todd Christofferson, and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Sisters Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency.

I will let you all catch up on other highlights in that section that may interest any of you on your own time. In the meantime, there has been additional coverage provided of temple highlights, which can be found here. Similarly, there may be other stories of interest to some of you which I have not mentioned here, and those can be found here. Turning now to the stories on the News & Events page on the Church's website, it appears that most of those have been covered elsewhere, but if I missed anything, you can read about additional news here and also catch up on additional details that have been announced about scheduled events.

And finally, I cannot quite recall how much coverage I have recently provided on the latest news releases from the official Newsroom, but share the link to a list of those for anyone that wants to catch up on anything I might have missed. I should also probably note that, insofar as I have been able to ascertain, there has still not been an artist's rendering released or a construction time-frame offered for the Belem Brazil Temple, which, as previously noted, has been scheduled to occur on Saturday August 17 of this year. If and when such information becomes available, I will be sure to pass that along to you all here.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Elder David A. Bednar Celebrates His 67th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, 2019, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar, who is marking his 67^th birthday today. So let's get in to some details about his life experiences. David Allan Bednar was born on June 15, 1952 in Oakland California to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church.

Despite that fact, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family participating actively in the Church, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as someone who was not actually a baptized member thereof.  Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that missionary was Elder Bednar.

Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University.

He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football, and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together.

One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a date in the near future)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

He spent his vocational career as an educator at several secondary schools. For a four-year period (1980-1984), he was an assistant professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then the Director of the Management Decision-Making Lab.

During this time, he was recognized with numerous awards as being an outstanding educator. He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly-established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative.

In 1997, he was among the first men called to be an area seventy. That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education serve as president of Ricks College, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, due to the apostolic vacancies resulting from the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

Interestingly enough, Elder Bednar joined only two other current apostles (now-Presidents Nelson and Oaks) who were called to the apostleship without having previously served as a general authority. At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who was called to the apostleship in 1984 at the age of 51.

Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks prior to the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. One of his hallmarks is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and us as we listen to his remarks. In view of his almost-15-year tenure in the apostleship, he has given 30 General Conference addresses, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us.

He is currently the fourth most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the seventh in apostolic seniority), and is still among the younger apostles, being the fifth-youngest both among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and all 15 ordained apostles as well. While I have never had the honor to meet him personally, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today.

Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the six apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe that, at some point in the future, Elder Bednar may serve as Church President. That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, Eyring, and Ballard, and Elders Holland and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my own personal opinion, and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. As the Lord himself reminds us, he days of each apostle are known, and their years shall not be numbered less.

I hope this post has served as a fitting tribute to this remarkable servant of the Lord. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: President Nelson's Next Global Ministry Tour Announced

Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, the Church's official Newsroom shared a release announcing the next leg of President Russell M. Nelson's ongoing global ministry tour. The latest leg of that tour will take place in mid-to-late May throughout the Pacific Area of the Church, and President Nelson and his wife, Wendy, will be accompanied by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan.

The tour will kick off on Thursday May 16 and end on Saturday May 25. After departing from Salt Lake on that Thursday, the tour will begin in Kona Hawaii. On Saturday the 18th, the group of leaders will be in Apia Samoa, and will travel over to Sydney Australia the following day. On Monday, a two-day stop in Auckland New Zealand will be observed. Wednesday, the group will arrive in Suva Fiji, followed by a stop in Nuku'alofa Tonga the following day. Once their time in Tonga is completed, they will cross the international date line into Papeete Tahiti, which will mark the last stop on the tour.

As many of you may have noticed by now, quite a few of the stops are in nations where temples have been announced, and perhaps part of the time during that tour may involve looking at prospective temple locations. This tour will allow the leaders to meet with members and missionaries in all of these cities. And again, we see President Nelson planning a trip at somewhat of a breakneck speed. This may be the first of two or perhaps even three legs of his Global Ministry Tour this year.

The Newsroom release to which I shared a link above notes more specific details, which are well worthy of your time. The Newsroom will be carrying full reports on this tour as the stops are observed, and I will be carrying that coverage here on this blog as well. We are blessed to have a prophet who is healthy enough to travel extensively, and we continue to see him stopping at home between trips just long enough to recover, retrieve another apostolic companion, and head out again. And the fact that he is continuing to do so as his 95th birthday draws ever closer is amazing and outstanding.

I guess I should also mention that just because the next official leg of that ongoing Global Ministry Tour will take place in May, that doesn't mean he won't be making other stops elsewhere as time and circumstances allow in the interim. There is still no word as to who might be presiding over the dedication of the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple this weekend, so he could oversee that personally, or delegate that assignment to either of his counselors or one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

For my part, I will continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will bring you all word of such news as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Additional Temple Developments and Church News Reported

Hello again, everyone! Within the last 3 hours, I have been made aware of quite a few new temple developments and several more Church news stories, so I wanted to bring a report of those to you all here. We will start with the temple developments, then move on to new reports from the Church News and the official Newsroom on the Church's website. Let's jump right in to all of that.

Firstly, as some of you might recall, I had mentioned when I posted the latest version of my list of potential temple locations that I would be inviting comments until April 1. That remains true. But I have recently made a few minor edits to the list, so I will be publishing a brand-new version thereof here later today, and, as a result, i will extend that commenting period until midnight when Thursday April 4 becomes Friday April 5, which will then allow me roughly 34 hours or so to make any adjustments and alterations that may be needed before General Conference starts on April 6 at 10:00 AM MDT.

Turning now to actual temple construction updates, the open house for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple will conclude at the end of the day on Saturday, after which it will undergoing a two-week final preparation process for its' dedication. In relation to the scheduled dedication, I maintain my belief that President Nelson could set out on yet another leg of his ongoing Global Ministry Tour following General Conference, though nothing has been announced to that effect as of yet. If he does so, the dedication of this temple could be part of that tour. But President Nelson could also delegate that to either of his counselors or one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It will be interesting to find out more about that.

As some of you may recall, I had recently voiced my opinion that, given the lack of consistent progress and the ongoing delays in relation to the construction of the Durban South Africa Temple, the Arequipa Peru Temple could (and likely would) be dedicated first, in the same way that the Lisbon Portugal Temple was set to be dedicated before the Durban temple. Earlier today, that theory was more or less confirmed when many of the sources I have available for temple information moved Arequipa ahead of Durban.

But in addition to that particular development, progress has been noted on both temples. In Arequipa, lamp-posts are being installed, and while the planting of trees and shrubs continues, preparation is underway to lay sod in various areas on the temple grounds. For the Durban temple, the process of cladding the entrance walls and the fountain is underway, while millwork, tiling, painting, plumbing, data and electrical installation continues.

i should also note here that I am still trying to get a feel for how likely it might be that the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple will be dedicated prior to the end of this year. At the moment, I am leaning more towards the conclusion that while construction on that temple could wrap up before the end of this year, the open house and dedication of that temple would likely be deferred until after Christmas 2019 and New Year's day 2020. That said, another update has also been reported on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, where the pouring of the concrete floor slab is now complete, and where the process of framing the meetinghouse continues.

Turning now to temples undergoing renovation, open house reservations will be available for the Oakland California Temple beginning this Saturday. Additionally, at the Mesa Arizona Temple, trees continue to be planted on the north lawn, while the installation of landscaping elements and the replacement of sections of the temple roof continues as well.

Switching gears to discuss the latest church news stories which have been reported, Sheri L. Dew, who served in the Relief Society General Presidency at one point, and who has penned many biographies for Church Presidents and other apostles, has published a new book, entitled "Insights From a Prophet's Life", in which she shares some experiences which have molded President Nelson into the man we sustain as the Lord's prophet today.

We also have this inspiring story of an MLB professional who retired to serve as a mission president, a look at how the Church is simplifying the process of scripture production, some insights from the directors of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Sqaure about the work of the Choir, and its' latest produced album, some thoughts from an area seventy about an influential seminary teacher, and a significant marker the Church has donated to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

I'd like to now conclude by sharing the latest articles published on the Church's Newsroom: Following a violent shooting at a Muslim mosque in Christchurch New Zealand, the Pacific Area Presidency issued this statement of support. And Latter-day Saints in Hamilton New Zealand welcomed their Muslim neighbors as special guests in a multi-religion gathering.

In the meantime, the Church recently hosted an interfaith tribute in the Tabernacle at Temple Sqaure, And Latter-day Saint members and missionaries based in Zimbabwe donated supplies to victims of a recent cyclone that impacted not only Zimbabwe, but also Mozambique and Malawi. A local radio station offered to take the supplies to the location that would distribute them, and missionaries in the area provided manpower in unloading the supplies once they reached the designated location.

Both a  well-known radio personality and the owner of the radio station that offered to transport the supplies interviewed the missionaries about who they were, what they were doing, and why. The answer the missionaries provided displayed a wisdom and understanding far beyond their years. Those two with the radio station voiced their surprise and gratitude that the missionaries were not only willing to help, but were able to answer their questions without any hesitation or reservations.

I have to say this: If the missionaries going into the field at around this time are of the same caliber as these young men, the missionary program of the Church will continue to remain in very good, very well-prepared, and very inspired hands. And that is wonderful to think about. I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments, and will bring word of those to you all as I become aware of them. Any major developments will continue to be reported in new posts like this one, and anything else will be passed along via comments from me on previously-published posts.

I should also mention that I am still committed to posting about the temple construction progress of the Church, and you can look for a first-quarter 2019 update on that subject which will be published here at some point around the time when Sunday March 31 becomes Monday April 1. So be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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

Several More Church News Stories Reported

Hello again, everyone! While I continue to welcome input on the list I posted yesterday (which shares my insights on the most likely locations for which I feel a temple may be announced during General Conference next month), there have been a dozen or more Church news stories reported between the official Newsroom, the News & Events subpage of the official Church website, and from the Church News. There's a lot to get to here, so let's dive right into it all.

Beginning, as mentioned above, with the new content on the Church's Newsroom, 6 new articles have been published there within the last 36 hours. Some of them may have already been reported in comments from others on this blog, but I want to make sure to not overlook anything. Elder Bednar acted for the Church in presenting a $2 million donation to representatives of a brand new African American museum.

Next, in a meeting held earlier today, Church members and friends of other faiths living in the area which will be served by the Pocatello Idaho Temple attended a meeting to learn more about the design and construction plans for that temple. The Church generally holds such meetings in order to address any concerns that anyone in the area of a soon-to-be constructed temple might have.

The Newsroom continued its' series, "Latter-day Saints Around the World" by highlighting important articles from the Pacific, Philippines, California, and the Dominican Republic (2). Another article highlights the recent visit of Relief Society & Primary General Presidents Sister Jean B. Bingham and Joy D. Jones to the Africa West Area. 

And the Church has created a new video series (which is in some ways a "spoof" on broadcast sports shows) to highlight missionary safety. Church leaders are recommending that a prospective missionary and their parents watch the first video together while the application process is underway. Meanwhile, I wanted to share the official Newsroom release published yesterday, which noted that the First Presidency has scheduled a one-week open house for both the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples.

Turning now to stories from the News and Events page, Church service missionaries in San Diego were honored recently with the highest volunteer award given by the state parks of California. And another article shares how inspired, member-submitted music is one clear sign of evidence that the Lord is hastening His work. LDS Charities have recently partnered with JustServe.org to launch #YouCanDoSomething.

We now conclude with the articles from the Church News website. Elder Christofferson recently returned from a visit to the Central America Area of the Church, where, among other highlights, he led out in a  Family Home Evening broadcast to members living within the nations he was visiting. Meanwhile, a star Latter-day Saint baseball player recently claimed a significant milestone. And the Church News has shared a summary of Saroo Brierly's keynote address at RootsTech, which was given earlier today. Another article covered "hot topics" which were covered at RootsTech.

And in light of the changes in full-time missionaries' ability to have more frequent contact with their family members, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Sister Bonnie H. Cordon shared some thoughts on the best ways that parents can support their missionaries. Additionally, during his recent trip to Brazil, Elder Uchtdorf paid a visit to the family of the Brazilian missionary who died recently in Portugal.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to pass word of those along to you all here as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines.

Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel  free to subscribe. 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.

Miscellaneous Church News Reported; Angel Moroni Installed Atop Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now to share some additional Church news stories and the one temple development which have been reported in recent days. So let's get right into all of that. First, while I was working on writing this post, the latest edition of "This Week on Social" was published on the Church News website. That article focuses on posts which were mostly directed to young adults (both single and married), but also some directed to those going through severe trials in their lives. That latest edition featured posts from President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the following other members of that Quorum: Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Gary E. Stevenson, and Ulisses Soares, and also Sisters Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President and her Second Counselor, Reyna I. Aburto.
 
Next, a couple of articles have been published relating to missionary work. One of the new mission presidents who has been called to serve is Scott Featherstone, who will preside over the Washington Vancouver Mission, alongside his wife Lori. He is the son of Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, a General Authority Seventy who passed away last May. Three of soon-to-be President Featherstone's sons are deaf, and three others are not. Their inspiring family story is highlighted in this article.

And in view of the change announced last week by the First Presidency (that full-time missionaries can call or text their families weekly on preparation day as inspired to do so), the Church News requested reactions from those who had been able to communicate with their missionaries, then shared 17 of the best responses. It sounds as though some missionaries have determined that a weekly call might be too distracting, so many of those responding are letting their missionaries set the frequency of their direct contact. There was even one respondent who noted that their missionary was close enough to finishing that they determined a call would be too distracting.

Meanwhile, missionaries in Mexico heard about the First Presidency announcement directly from Elder Quentin L. Cook during his recent visit to the Church's Mexico Area. That was one of many highlights during his recent visit to the Mexico Area, which also saw him conducting the annual review of that area, and included visits with the Saints in Mexico City, Merida, and Cancun. He also met with youth and young adults, and spoke at a gathering of religious, political, and educational leaders on the subject of religious freedom.

Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Mary; Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Senior President of the Seventy, and his wife Kathy; Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and his wife, Carol; and the members of the Mexico Area Presidency and their spouses: Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela and his wife, Silvia; Elder Rafael E. Pino and his wife, Patricia; and Elder John C. Pingree Jr. and his wife, Anne.

Turning now to other Church news, another former General Authority has passed away. Elder V. Dallas Merrell, who served from 1992-1997, died yesterday at age 83. The Church News provided this artcile in tribute to his life. He had one opportunity to speak during General Conference and bore powerful witness of the Savior.

And the Church News provided a look at two developments relating to the sisters of the Church. In the March 2019 Ensign, an article written by a BYU-Provo Professor of Church History and Doctrine (who taught one of the religious classes I took during my brief time at BYU) highlights the essential connection between the women of the Church and the priesthood. You can also read that article. Meanwhile, some adjustments have been made to the available garment styles for the women of the Church as well.

At BYU-Hawaii on Tuesday, Elder Erich W. Kopischke gave 3 suggestions for how Latter-day Saints can stay cheerful amidst trials. Additional missionary news includes the earlier reported death of a missionary serving in the Dominican Republic, and 29 experiences shared by members of the Church relating to learning a language for their missionary service.

There may be other Church News stories which have not been focused on here, and you can review any others I missed on the Church News website  In the meantime, I wanted to pass along one other article, this one from the official Church website. After retiring from his position as a full-time organist for the Tabernacle Choir last April, Brother Clay Christiansen recently reflected on the highlights of his 35-year career in that position. He had long been a favorite of mine, and the article in question was published as his friends and colleagues prepare to honor his prestigious career.

With that said, I will end this post by sharing the latest temple update I have. It was reported earlier that the angel Moroni statue was installed atop the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple today, and that the work of cladding the temple's exterior in stone has been completed. It may be a few more months or so before we know how likely it is that this temple will be dedicated prior to the end of this year, but I will keep my eyes open for word on that.

In a similar manner, I will be sure to continue to monitor any and all other Church news and temple updates and bring you all word of those here as I become aware of it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Changes In Communication Between Missionaries and Their Families

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency today announced adjustments to the protocol whereby missionaries can contact their family members. Previously, missionaries could only speak directly to their families via phone or video chat on Mothers' Day and Christmas Day. The announcement notes that missionaries will now be permitted to have such contact opportunities with their families once weekly on their preparation day. This adjustment will allow families to have a more active part in the details (including successes and challenges) of their missionaries' labor.

Also released on the Newsroom was the official notice from the Missionary Department. While missionaries are the ones that should initiate these additional contact opportunities, the families of missionaries can reach out to their elders and sisters directly as needed with the approval of the mission president. The Church News featured an article on this development, which included several quotes relating to the change from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who chairs the Missionary Executive Council.

And Church members responded to these adjustments on Twitter. Some who had served missions in the past noted that they wished this had been an option while they were serving, while others said they were glad this adjustment wasn't made during their service, since it might have been more of a distraction for them from their labor.

But the announcement clarifies that with this change, missionaries should be considerate of their companions, and that family members should be considerate of their missionary's time. All indications point to the idea that this adjustment will enable families to have more of an active role and impact in the lives of their missionaries serving around the world.

It is awesome for me to see the way the Church has been balancing announcements about the missionary program with temple-related news and announcements and coverage of the ongoing ministry of our apostles. And it is amazing to realize that having a very healthy and vigorous Church President representing the Lord in conveying His will to the Church has enabled these changes to occur at a much larger scale than we have seen within the last 15 months versus what we saw in the 3-5 years prior to 2018.

I do continue to monitor all such developments, and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive word of them, either through new posts (for breaking or more significant developments like this one) or through comments on existing posts on this blog. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband Celebrates His 68th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With the date change that occurred less than an hour ago, Elder Ronald A. Rasband is celebrating his 68th birthday today. This post is written in honor of that milestone, and I am pleased to share a biographical overview of his life with you all on his special day. Ronald Anderson Rasband was born to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 6, 1951. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania.

He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973, and together they raised five children. He studied at the University of Utah, and would later receive an honorary doctorate degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in 1995. He began his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors of that company.

His Church service has been extensive. He has been a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, where he would serve in the Europe North & Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003; and went on to preside over the Utah Salt Lake City Area from 2003-2004. In August 2004, responsibility for oversight of the work of the Church in North America was transferred to the Presidency of the Seventy.

He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. His call to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy became effective in August 2005, where he had supervisory responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas for two years, after which he was given oversight for the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009).

By August of 2008, he had become the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that same assignment when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. He is currently the 8th in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and is the 6th oldest among the members of that Quorum. He also ranks as the 11th in seniority among all current apostles, and is the 9th oldest of that same group.

I wanted to mention that I have an indirect personal connection to Elder Rasband. When my was involved in the institute program, Elder Rasband was one of her instructors. As a result of the three apostolic vacancies in 2015, my wife was one of many who felt Elder Rasband would be called to the apostleship to fill one of those, and she (and others who felt the same way) turned out to be right.

And I will never forget praying in advance of the October 2015 General Conference for my own personal witness to know that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. The moment President Eyring read the names of the three new apostles, I received the witness I had requested. For that reason, I gratefully sustain not just Elder Rasband, but each of our 15 apostles

I also wanted to note that, in his nearly 19 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 13 opportunities to address us in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 7 since his call to the apostleship almost 3.5 years ago. You can review any of those, which have cover a wide range of different topics, here

While I don't know if Elder Rasband will ever read this personally, I am grateful for this opportunity I have had, in my own small way, to pay tribute to and reflect on his life on this day, when he is celebrating his 68th birthday. I do continue to monitor all apostolic updates, general Church news, and any temple-related developments and will keep bringing you word of those as I receive it.

In the meantime, I have no idea right now when my next post will be published (as that will largely, if not entirely depend on any significant forthcoming event or announcement), but if nothing else, I will plan on continuing to report more minor developments in the comment threads of this blog, and will have another new post coming for sure on February 20 (two weeks from today) at which time President Ballard will be observing his first 2019 apostolic nonagenarian milestone.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Temple Updates Provided; Tool Created to Assist Prospective Missionaries

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to bring you several temple updates and an article from the Newsroom which was published earlier today relating to the missionary program. Let's get right into all of that. First, the temple updates. At the Durban South Africa Temple, in addition to what I noted in my last update on that temple, it has also been noted that ceiling tiles are being installed and that floors are being assessed currently for carpet installation. That temple appears to be on track to be one of the first dedicated following the annual July recess for the General Authorities, though it is not as clear whether that might occur before or after the September 1 dedication for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple.

At the Arequipa Peru Temple grounds, window frames are being installed, while the installation of exterior lighting on the grounds of the temple appears to be complete. While there is still an outside chance that this temple won't be dedicated until early 2020, if it stays on track, I can see it being dedicated prior to the end of this year. I have estimated that could occur in December of this year, but could see that being pushed back into the early months of 2020 depending on what happens between now and then.

Next, I had previously mentioned that the Pocatello Idaho Temple was likely to have a groundbreaking in spring of this year. New information received today indicates that plans have been submitted to the city to undergo a plan review process. I have mentioned a prospective timing of April or May for this temple's groundbreaking, and we will see how and if that theory holds.

The one other update I have is on the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. Since I last mentioned any information on it, it appears that the site President Nelson visited in October has been conclusively verified as the location for that temple. Last Sunday, the meetinghouse on the grounds of that temple (which housed the Habish and Cayetano Heredia wards) closed in preparation for demolition, which will clear the way for that temple's groundbreaking.

Until more is known about that, I am sticking with the general estimate I previously offered for the groundbreaking (mid-to-late 2019). As more information comes to light in this regard, I will update that estimate as needed. That said, I still anticipate 2019 will be a big year for temple groundbreakings, and I look forward to seeing what happens in that regard.

Shifting gears slightly to general Church news, a new planning tool has been made available for prospective missionaries which will enable them to more fully consider the timing of their service. Elder Brent H. Nielson, who continues to serve as Executive Director of the Missionary Department, noted that while most missionaries enter the MTC shortly after the end of each academic school year, those who feel they can defer that to sometime between November and May will find the opportunity to work with a more seasoned companion, and to have more one-on-one attention in the training process. The tool also allows prospective missionaries to approximate their release dates based on when they are thinking of commencing their service. It was good to hear of this development in the Church's missionary program.

One other item of Church news. At a Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional on January 27, Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Lesa, shared their testimonies of the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, and how the truth of those two ideas lends support to the idea that we have a living prophet today. This devotional allowed Elder Stevenson a "home court" advantage, as it was held in Logan Utah, where he grew up.

I appreciated my opportunity to bring word of those developments to you all here. I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will keep passing those along as I receive word of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Anticipated Changes in General Church Leadership and Statistical Report Estimates for April 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second post about my April 2019 General Conference predictions, which I hope will kick off a more thorough discussion of the topic. The purpose of this post is to share those changes in general Church leadership which I have felt are likely, along with the estimates I have assembled for the statistical report. That part of my predictions follows below.

So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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

General Authority Seventies: New General Authorities sustained from among the Area Seventies or the Church at large (including any current mission or temple president); 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. Note: It is traditional for new General Authority Seventies to be sustained each April, so I would anticipate that occurring for this General Conference. Additional note: 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 sustain a current or new General Authority in that assignment to succeed him. Result:

Area Seventies: Some area seventies released, others called. Note: 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 the same will be true for this General Conference. Additional note: 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 Longest-tenured: Kevin J Worthen (sustained in April 2010; is serving as BYU-Provo President; if he is released, he may be sustained as General Authority Seventy) Result:

Sunday School General Presidency: Tad R. Callister, Devin G. Durrant, and Brian K. Ashton released, new Sunday School General Presidency called. Note: Brothers Callister and Durrant have served together in the Sunday School General Presidency since April 2014, and Brother Ashton joined this presidency in June 2015. Since it has been somewhat standard in recent years for the Church to make a change in auxiliary presidencies after 5 years of service, I would anticipate that a new presidency will be called, with the new presidency comprised of either or both of the current counselors, members of the current Sunday School General Board, members of the current Young Men General Presidency or General Board, area seventies, or the Church at large. Result:

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.