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.
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