BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Elder Dale G. Renlund Will Preside At Dedication of Kinshasa DR Congo Temple

Hello again, everyone! In a development I did not see coming but one that certainly makes sense, it has been reported that Elder Dale G. Renlund is in Kinshasa this weekend to preside over the dedicatory events for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. As I mentioned previously, as of 2016, Elder David A. Bednar had been the most junior apostle to ever preside over a dedication without a more senior leader present. That occurred when he was asked to oversee the dedication of the Star Valley Wyoming Temple.

In Elder Renlund's case, not only is he a member of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, but because he, as a General Authority Seventy, had served in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency for a period of at least a few years prior to his call to the apostleship, the dedication of this particular temple would be significant for him on a personal level as well.

Just one or two other thoughts on this, if I may offer them. In a discussion late last year or in the early part of this year on the Church growth blog, the anticipated increase in temple events, primarily relating to the dedication of new temples, was mentioned. The question was asked whether General Authority Seventies could at some point be called upon to preside over temple dedications. While there may come a day when 3 temples are dedicated on average roughly every two weeks, the Church may not get to that point in the immediate or near future.

That said, while it is true that the seventy are the ones whom the Lord directed the apostles should call upon for assistance in the work of His Church, the keys to bind and seal on earth and in heaven, particularly in relation to the dedication of temples, are inherent in the apostleship, and apostles can only exercise those keys with the authorization of the Church President. Therefore, it would take a major change in the prescribed delegation of those keys for any General Authority Seventy to represent the apostles, and, by extension, the President of the Church in such cases.

Of course, with Elder Renlund being the 10th in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and thus being the 13th most senior apostle overall, it is plain to see that opportunities are being given to the more junior apostles to preside over dedications personally without a more senior apostle being in attendance. And that may be the start of a new precedent.

But unless the Lord prompts a change in the keys specifically given to General Authority Seventies, or expands the ways in which the Seventy have authority to assist the Quorum of the Twelve, for the moment, based on my understanding of Church doctrine and policy, I would say that I don't see any General Authority Seventies being asked to preside over the dedication of any temples, at least for the immediate and near future.

I am grateful to have been able to learn of this development and to pass it 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces New Church Historian and Recorder and Commissioner of Church Education

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced a new Church Historian and Recorder, along with a new Commissioner of Church Education. The Brethren serving currently in those assignments, Elders Steven E. Snow and Kim B. Clark respectively, will be released as General Authorities and granted emeritus status this October.

The new Church Historian and Recorder will be Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, who currently serves as First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency and as Assistant Executive Director of the Church History Department. The new Commissioner of Church Education will be Elder Paul V. Johnson, who had been serving in that capacity when Elder Clark was called to replace him following Elder Johnson's call to serve outside the United States in the Europe Area Presidency.

Elder Johnson becomes the second general authority to serve two separate terms as Commissioner of Church Education. The other was Henry B. Eyring, who served in that capacity from 1980-1986 and again from 1992-2004. I had a feeling those changes were coming down the pike at some point, and I am grateful to have learned about and been able to report these changes.  I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those 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.

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.