Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again right now to share some church news stories which I have found to be significant. I hope they may be of interest to you as well. These articles are pulled from both the official Church website and that of the Church News. Let's start with the latter.
First, the Church News continued its' six-part series on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with this article in which quotes from all but the newest two apostles address common misconceptions that members of the Church and those outside the Church (including our friends of other faiths) might have about service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This is the fifth article in what I believe is a six-part series, so the next article should conclude it.
I will next be providing brief summaries of a few other articles from the Church News here, which includes this article (about how a new video from Mormon.org provides more context into the old adage "practice what you preach") and this report (on a recent update to the Gospel Library app which has been released to fix previous problems)
There is also this advice from Brother Brian K. Ashton, Second Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency on how to get more out of Sunday School and thereby make it one of our favorite hours at Church; which seems to further debunk the idea that the Church may get rid of the Sunday School hour in the October General Conference.
Next, I wanted to share from the Church News is this one in which Sister Kristen M. Oaks, wife of President Dallin H. Oaks, shares some of the highs and lows of being a Single Adult in the Church. Her experience and advice may be helpful to anyone any of us knows who fits that definition.
I don't know if I shared this article earlier or not, but the Church has partnered with Muslims and Methodists to discuss ways that serving together can lead to understanding between those of differing beliefs. You can read more on that here.
Moving on now to the Church website (lds.org), this article highlighted the singular opportunity President Ezra Taft Benson had to serve as Secretary of Agriculture while also continuing active service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This article highlighted days on which the Church has held more than one temple groundbreaking on the same day.
An interesting thought occurred to me as I read that article: Why would it be published now unless the Church was potentially planning to have more temple groundbreakings on the same day in the near future? Some have said President Nelson may opt to announce several temple groundbreakings at once, and that if that occurs, at least two of those groundbreakings could be held on the same day. It will be interesting to see what happens there.
I may or may not have previously shared this article about how a 1879 Catholic Mass held at the St. George Tabernacle wound up being a returned blessing to a branch of the Church in Italy, There is also this inspiring story of how a senior missionary's call to a nation from which some of his ancestors hailed has now brought him full-circle.
And as I prepare to wrap-up this post sharing these news stories, Mormon Newsroom's Blog has shared the latest entry in their series which shares stories of Church members worldwide from different country newsroom websites. Today's edition of that article contains stories from Cambodia, Peru, Australia (2),, Brazil, and Massachusetts USA.
I can recommend all of these articles as worthy of your attention. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of new content, please feel free to subscribe.
Until my next post (which, barring anything unexpected, will share my revised and expanded list of temple prospects which may be announced during the October General Conference, and could be published tomorrow or Saturday at the latest), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Additional Church News
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Elder Neil L. Andersen Marks his 67th Birthday
Hello again, everyone! With today being August 9, Elder Neil L. Andersen is celebrating his 67th birthday today. So I wanted to post and share some highlights of his life and ministry in the Church. Let's get right into all of that.
Neil Linden Andersen was born in Logan, Utah on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics. During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children.
He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.
During his time as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he served as the area president).
In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy, where he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007), and by the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy.
He would only serve in that capacity for 8 months. In view of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s death in December 2008, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, having been called in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.
Elder Andersen has had 24 opportunities thus far to address Church members in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the QuorIum of the Twelve Apostles). To review any or all of those talks, click here.
I am grateful for Elder Andersen's ministry, and I joyfully and wholeheartedly sustain him as a prophet, seer and revelator. Although it is unlikely he will ever personally read this tribute, I am likewise grateful for all I have learned through both his General Conference talks and reading the reports of the ministry of both him and all the Brethren we sustain as special witnesses of the Savior.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Neil Linden Andersen was born in Logan, Utah on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics. During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children.
He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.
During his time as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he served as the area president).
In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy, where he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007), and by the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy.
He would only serve in that capacity for 8 months. In view of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s death in December 2008, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, having been called in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.
Elder Andersen has had 24 opportunities thus far to address Church members in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the QuorIum of the Twelve Apostles). To review any or all of those talks, click here.
I am grateful for Elder Andersen's ministry, and I joyfully and wholeheartedly sustain him as a prophet, seer and revelator. Although it is unlikely he will ever personally read this tribute, I am likewise grateful for all I have learned through both his General Conference talks and reading the reports of the ministry of both him and all the Brethren we sustain as special witnesses of the Savior.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
First Solemn Assembly of the Church Held on This Day in 1844
Hello again, everyone! In their "History Revisited" series, the Church News shared this article about how the Church's very first Solemn Assembly (a setting which, as we know, features voting by quorums and groups) on this day in 1844. I want to talk about the significance of that first event, but perhaps some historical background would be helpful.
In the early 1840s, with Church members having relocated from Missouri to Illinois, they were enjoying a period of prosperity in the city of Nauvoo. The foundations for a temple had been laid, and all seemed to be going well. In 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith had even launched a campaign for the presidency of the United States, in which he had promised that his administration would be fair to all, but particularly towards those who had been oppressed and persecuted, as the Saints in Nauvoo had.
There were a few problems which led to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. First, members disaffected by a misunderstanding of the doctrine of plural marriage had again tried to overthrow the Prophet and to take over the leadership of the Church. When those efforts proved to be unsupported by the bulk of Church membership, those responsible were disfellowshipped and/or excommunicated. Among those of that description was William Law, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Additionally, with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve having been sent out on missions for the primary purpose of garnering interest for the Prophet's run for the presidency, and with even some of the Prophet's friends turning against him, Sidney Rigdon abruptly left the body of the Church, and relocated with his family to Philadelphia.
This was in direct disobedience relating to guidance from the Lord, which is confirmed by recorded revelation in Doctrine & Covenants 124:108, in which we read: "If my servant Sidney will do my will, let him not remove his family unto the eastern lands, but let him change their habitation, even as I have said."
Some have put forth the theory that Brother Rigdon relocated so he could be Joseph Smith's presidential running mate, since a president and vice president cannot be drawn from the same state, but this revelation proves otherwise. And, in point of fact, in a gathering of Church members and leaders in 1843, the Prophet recommended to the Church that Sidney Rigdon should not be upheld or sustained as his First Counselor. The Saints were willing to give Brother Rigdon the benefit of the doubt, however, to which Joseph responded, "I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. "You may carry him, but I will not." This was an indication that the Prophet had lost all confidence in his counselor.
Additionally, at some point, the Prophet had met with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and had stated: "Where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve."
With the Twelve out campaigning for the Prophet's US presidential bid, that left the Saints largely without any other major leadership in Nauvoo when he was arrested and taken to Carthage. As soon as word spread of the Prophet's martyrdom, both Sidney Rigdon and the ten members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles headed back home.
Brother Rigdon was the first to arrive, and made the determination to set a conference for August 8, for the purpose of advancing himself as the one who should succeed the deceased Prophet and his brother Hyrum as the guardian of the Church, with his argument being that his status as the Prophet's First Counselor should trump any other consideration. But historical records also show that he may have intended to try and get the Church to decide the question before the Twelve arrived and could do anything about it.
The gathering was set for August 8, and Rigdon stated his case to the membership of the Church. Unexpectedly, during his remarks, Brigham Young, who was President of the Quorum of the Twelve and who had staunchly stood by Joseph through the persecutions, trials, and apostasy in Missouri, and who had continued to defend him against claims that he was a fallen prophet, even when William Law, his brother, and others had tried to wrest control of the Church from the Prophet.
Brigham Young spoke for just a few minutes, then announced that the discussion on this matter would continue after a recess of about an hour or two, and he indicated that all Church members would then be seated by quorums and groups, which meant he would be calling for a sustaining vote.
When the deliberations resumed, Brigham Young made the argument that Brother Rigdon was a counselor to the Prophet for only as long as the Prophet was alive, and that if he wanted to continue to be a spokesman for the Prophet, he would need to go through the veil as the Prophet had. He also made a compelling argument which included the fact that the Quorum of the Twelve were under the direction of the First Presidency for only as long as the President of the Church was alive.
He also noted that, if Hyrum Smith had not been with Joseph at the time he was martyred, he would have rightly been appointed as Joseph's successor, since he was the Assistant President of the Church. With both having been martyred, he went on to say, Brother Rigdon had no claim whatsoever to the Presidency of the Church.
In the course of those remarks, as he continued to speak, many in attendance recorded that he had both the voice and appearance of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was a clear enough indicator to all in attendance of what needed to happen, and a vote was unanimously cast that the members of the Quorum of the Twelve should assume the leadership of the Church. On that same day, Brother Rigdon, who did not accept the Church's decision, was excommunicated.
And although it would be around 3.25 years before the next Church president (Brigham Young) was formally sustained along with two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to serve as the new First Presidency, this first Solemn Assembly set the tone for how Church leadership would transition after the passing of each Church president.
As we also were reminded earlier this year, for the first three transitions from one prophet to another which occurred, there was traditionally a space between several months to a few years before the new Church president was sustained. But that process changed when, prior to his death, 4th Church president Wilford Woodruff took President Lorenzo Snow aside and advised him to not wait, as had been done previously, but to immediately reorganize the First Presidency. President Woodruff told President Snow to regard this as a revelation.
Since then, the longest period in which the apostles led the Church following the death of a Church president has always been less than two weeks. Until President Monson passed away earlier this year, the longest apostolic interregnum had been the 11-day span between when Wilford Woodruff passed away and when President Snow was ordained. After President Monson's January 2 death, it was 12 days before President Nelson's ordination.
My point in mentioning all of this is to demonstrate that none of the successions to the presidency of the Church would have been possible had it not been for that first historical precedent established 174 years ago today, when the Church unanimously voted to sustain the idea that the Quorum of the Twelve takes charge when a prophet passes, and that the President of that Quorum is the rightful successor to the deceased Church president.
I hope the analysis I have done here has been helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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.
In the early 1840s, with Church members having relocated from Missouri to Illinois, they were enjoying a period of prosperity in the city of Nauvoo. The foundations for a temple had been laid, and all seemed to be going well. In 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith had even launched a campaign for the presidency of the United States, in which he had promised that his administration would be fair to all, but particularly towards those who had been oppressed and persecuted, as the Saints in Nauvoo had.
There were a few problems which led to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. First, members disaffected by a misunderstanding of the doctrine of plural marriage had again tried to overthrow the Prophet and to take over the leadership of the Church. When those efforts proved to be unsupported by the bulk of Church membership, those responsible were disfellowshipped and/or excommunicated. Among those of that description was William Law, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Additionally, with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve having been sent out on missions for the primary purpose of garnering interest for the Prophet's run for the presidency, and with even some of the Prophet's friends turning against him, Sidney Rigdon abruptly left the body of the Church, and relocated with his family to Philadelphia.
This was in direct disobedience relating to guidance from the Lord, which is confirmed by recorded revelation in Doctrine & Covenants 124:108, in which we read: "If my servant Sidney will do my will, let him not remove his family unto the eastern lands, but let him change their habitation, even as I have said."
Some have put forth the theory that Brother Rigdon relocated so he could be Joseph Smith's presidential running mate, since a president and vice president cannot be drawn from the same state, but this revelation proves otherwise. And, in point of fact, in a gathering of Church members and leaders in 1843, the Prophet recommended to the Church that Sidney Rigdon should not be upheld or sustained as his First Counselor. The Saints were willing to give Brother Rigdon the benefit of the doubt, however, to which Joseph responded, "I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. "You may carry him, but I will not." This was an indication that the Prophet had lost all confidence in his counselor.
Additionally, at some point, the Prophet had met with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and had stated: "Where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve."
With the Twelve out campaigning for the Prophet's US presidential bid, that left the Saints largely without any other major leadership in Nauvoo when he was arrested and taken to Carthage. As soon as word spread of the Prophet's martyrdom, both Sidney Rigdon and the ten members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles headed back home.
Brother Rigdon was the first to arrive, and made the determination to set a conference for August 8, for the purpose of advancing himself as the one who should succeed the deceased Prophet and his brother Hyrum as the guardian of the Church, with his argument being that his status as the Prophet's First Counselor should trump any other consideration. But historical records also show that he may have intended to try and get the Church to decide the question before the Twelve arrived and could do anything about it.
The gathering was set for August 8, and Rigdon stated his case to the membership of the Church. Unexpectedly, during his remarks, Brigham Young, who was President of the Quorum of the Twelve and who had staunchly stood by Joseph through the persecutions, trials, and apostasy in Missouri, and who had continued to defend him against claims that he was a fallen prophet, even when William Law, his brother, and others had tried to wrest control of the Church from the Prophet.
Brigham Young spoke for just a few minutes, then announced that the discussion on this matter would continue after a recess of about an hour or two, and he indicated that all Church members would then be seated by quorums and groups, which meant he would be calling for a sustaining vote.
When the deliberations resumed, Brigham Young made the argument that Brother Rigdon was a counselor to the Prophet for only as long as the Prophet was alive, and that if he wanted to continue to be a spokesman for the Prophet, he would need to go through the veil as the Prophet had. He also made a compelling argument which included the fact that the Quorum of the Twelve were under the direction of the First Presidency for only as long as the President of the Church was alive.
He also noted that, if Hyrum Smith had not been with Joseph at the time he was martyred, he would have rightly been appointed as Joseph's successor, since he was the Assistant President of the Church. With both having been martyred, he went on to say, Brother Rigdon had no claim whatsoever to the Presidency of the Church.
In the course of those remarks, as he continued to speak, many in attendance recorded that he had both the voice and appearance of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was a clear enough indicator to all in attendance of what needed to happen, and a vote was unanimously cast that the members of the Quorum of the Twelve should assume the leadership of the Church. On that same day, Brother Rigdon, who did not accept the Church's decision, was excommunicated.
And although it would be around 3.25 years before the next Church president (Brigham Young) was formally sustained along with two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to serve as the new First Presidency, this first Solemn Assembly set the tone for how Church leadership would transition after the passing of each Church president.
As we also were reminded earlier this year, for the first three transitions from one prophet to another which occurred, there was traditionally a space between several months to a few years before the new Church president was sustained. But that process changed when, prior to his death, 4th Church president Wilford Woodruff took President Lorenzo Snow aside and advised him to not wait, as had been done previously, but to immediately reorganize the First Presidency. President Woodruff told President Snow to regard this as a revelation.
Since then, the longest period in which the apostles led the Church following the death of a Church president has always been less than two weeks. Until President Monson passed away earlier this year, the longest apostolic interregnum had been the 11-day span between when Wilford Woodruff passed away and when President Snow was ordained. After President Monson's January 2 death, it was 12 days before President Nelson's ordination.
My point in mentioning all of this is to demonstrate that none of the successions to the presidency of the Church would have been possible had it not been for that first historical precedent established 174 years ago today, when the Church unanimously voted to sustain the idea that the Quorum of the Twelve takes charge when a prophet passes, and that the President of that Quorum is the rightful successor to the deceased Church president.
I hope the analysis I have done here has been helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
President Nelson to Visit the Pacific Northwest in September
Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to pass along to you all today this press release from Mormon Newsroom, which details plans that President and Sister Nelson have made to visit two cities in the Pacific Northwest in September. President Nelson's Second Counselor, President Eyring, will accompany them.
The purpose of that trip will be to hold two devotionals, which is detailed further here. The first will be held on September 15 in Seattle Washington, and, since it will be held at Safeco Field. With a capacity seating of almost 48,000, that will give President Nelson an opportunity to address the largest gathering of Church members to date.
Then, the following day, the Nelsons and President Eyring will cross the Canadian border to address a congregation at the Langley Events Centre. Langley is a suburb of Vancouver. It appears that both devotionals will be held at 6:00 PM local time.
This will be the fourth major trip President and Sister Nelson have taken in what, by that time, will be the first 8 months of President Nelson's prophetic administration. As I am sure you all will recall, the Nelsons were joined by Elder and Sister Holland for a Worldwide Ministry Tour in which they visited Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Then in June, President and Sister Nelson were joined by Elder and Sister Rasband as they visited Edmonton, Calgary, and Raymond Alberta. Later this month, the Nelsons will return to Canada, accompanied by Elder and Sister Andersen, with stops planned in Winnipeg Manitoba, Montreal Quebec, and Hamilton Ontario.
And now, we have this planned trip. This development suggests a few things: First of all, President Nelson is fulfilling his promise to be out among the people for as long as he can be. Second, President Nelson is following the tradition of rotating through having different apostles accompany him on such trips. And finally, with the apostolic traveling companions he has had, he is taking time to demonstrate to his fellow Brethren how a prophet ministers to the one.
Some have said that Elder Holland could potentially become President of the Church himself in the coming years, which makes sense, since he is currently the 4th in seniority among the 15 current apostles, but is the 7th oldest. It is a little more difficult for now to determine whether or not President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Rasband might become President of the Church.
This is because President Eyring is the 5th in apostolic seniority but is the 4th oldest current apostle. Elder Andersen is 10th in apostolic seniority currently and is also the 10th oldest current apostle. And Elder Rasband is the 11th in apostolic seniority at present but is the 9th oldest current apostle.
I have previously offered my opinion that, whether or not President Oaks ever becomes Church president (which will depend on if he outlives President Nelson, who is almost 8 years older), it is almost certain that Elder Holland and Elder Bednar (who is the 7th in apostolic seniority but is the 11th oldest currently-serving apostle) will more than likely serve as Church presidents in the future.
That said, the Lord controls both the process of succession, so nothing may be off the table in the coming days in terms of which of the other 14 apostles might potentially go on to serve as Church presidents. The Lord is very much at work with the day-to-day administration of His Church, to say nothing of the way He is clearly sustaining the Brethren He has called to be our prophets, seers and revelators at this time.
One thing is certain: With President Nelson having made known his plans to take this fourth trip at around the same time he will be marking 8 months as Church president, I have no doubt he will continue to make such trips, and that he will also rotate his companions for such trips among the apostles (with perhaps special focus for trips in the near future on having new apostolic companions until he has rotated through each of the other 14 apostles). I continue to monitor all such news and will bring word of those to you all as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, I also wanted to announce that, if all goes well, I am hoping to post later today with my updated annotated list of locations around the world that may have a temple announced in October. If not today, then that will likely occur tomorrow, after I publish a post in honor of Elder Andersen, who will observe his 67th birthday then.
Stay tuned for all of that. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
The purpose of that trip will be to hold two devotionals, which is detailed further here. The first will be held on September 15 in Seattle Washington, and, since it will be held at Safeco Field. With a capacity seating of almost 48,000, that will give President Nelson an opportunity to address the largest gathering of Church members to date.
Then, the following day, the Nelsons and President Eyring will cross the Canadian border to address a congregation at the Langley Events Centre. Langley is a suburb of Vancouver. It appears that both devotionals will be held at 6:00 PM local time.
This will be the fourth major trip President and Sister Nelson have taken in what, by that time, will be the first 8 months of President Nelson's prophetic administration. As I am sure you all will recall, the Nelsons were joined by Elder and Sister Holland for a Worldwide Ministry Tour in which they visited Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Then in June, President and Sister Nelson were joined by Elder and Sister Rasband as they visited Edmonton, Calgary, and Raymond Alberta. Later this month, the Nelsons will return to Canada, accompanied by Elder and Sister Andersen, with stops planned in Winnipeg Manitoba, Montreal Quebec, and Hamilton Ontario.
And now, we have this planned trip. This development suggests a few things: First of all, President Nelson is fulfilling his promise to be out among the people for as long as he can be. Second, President Nelson is following the tradition of rotating through having different apostles accompany him on such trips. And finally, with the apostolic traveling companions he has had, he is taking time to demonstrate to his fellow Brethren how a prophet ministers to the one.
Some have said that Elder Holland could potentially become President of the Church himself in the coming years, which makes sense, since he is currently the 4th in seniority among the 15 current apostles, but is the 7th oldest. It is a little more difficult for now to determine whether or not President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Rasband might become President of the Church.
This is because President Eyring is the 5th in apostolic seniority but is the 4th oldest current apostle. Elder Andersen is 10th in apostolic seniority currently and is also the 10th oldest current apostle. And Elder Rasband is the 11th in apostolic seniority at present but is the 9th oldest current apostle.
I have previously offered my opinion that, whether or not President Oaks ever becomes Church president (which will depend on if he outlives President Nelson, who is almost 8 years older), it is almost certain that Elder Holland and Elder Bednar (who is the 7th in apostolic seniority but is the 11th oldest currently-serving apostle) will more than likely serve as Church presidents in the future.
That said, the Lord controls both the process of succession, so nothing may be off the table in the coming days in terms of which of the other 14 apostles might potentially go on to serve as Church presidents. The Lord is very much at work with the day-to-day administration of His Church, to say nothing of the way He is clearly sustaining the Brethren He has called to be our prophets, seers and revelators at this time.
One thing is certain: With President Nelson having made known his plans to take this fourth trip at around the same time he will be marking 8 months as Church president, I have no doubt he will continue to make such trips, and that he will also rotate his companions for such trips among the apostles (with perhaps special focus for trips in the near future on having new apostolic companions until he has rotated through each of the other 14 apostles). I continue to monitor all such news and will bring word of those to you all as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, I also wanted to announce that, if all goes well, I am hoping to post later today with my updated annotated list of locations around the world that may have a temple announced in October. If not today, then that will likely occur tomorrow, after I publish a post in honor of Elder Andersen, who will observe his 67th birthday then.
Stay tuned for all of that. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Some Additional Thoughts About New Leadership
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now with some thoughts and musings about new leadership. I am particularly going to be addressing some additional observations about the new members of the Quorum of the Twelve (Elders Gong and Soares) and those five new members of the Presidency of the Seventy (Elders Carl B. Cook, Robert C. Gay, Terence M. Vinson, Jose A. Teixeira, and Carlos A. Godoy) who have been called between the end of March and now. Let's get right into it.
First of all, I wanted to note that, with these changes, the Brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles may be looking to expand their understanding of international issues. Elders Gong and Soares represent not only the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles called, but with Elder Gong having Asian ancestry and Elder Soares having been born in Brazil, these are the first apostles to have direct ties to nations outside the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Additionally, since Elder Soares was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2005, he has served in area presidencies in Brazil (from 2005-2011) and in the Africa Southeast Area (from 2011-2013, at which point he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy), while Elder Gong has served in Asia (from 2011-2016). And in recognition of their familiarity with those areas, Elder Gong has a supervisory role over the entire Asian continent, while Elder Soares oversees the Central America and Africa West Areas.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Elders Carl B. Cook (who has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2011) and Robert C. Gay (who was called as a GA Seventy one year later), who were both called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy effective March 31 of this year have also had experiences serving outside the United States. Elder Cook served in the Africa Southeast Area from 2011-2016), while Elder Gay served in the Central America Area from 2012-2013, and was president of the Asia Area from August of last year until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in March.
Of the three new members of the Presidency of the Seventy whose service became effective almost a week ago (on August 1), Elder Vinson was born in Australia (which currently falls under the Pacific Area of the Church) and has served as a General Authority Seventy since 2013, while Elder Teixeira and Elder Godoy have both served as General Authority Seventies since 2008, with the former born in Portugal and the latter born in Brazil.
Since Elders Godoy and Teixeira have served longer, let's start with them. Elder Godoy served in South America from 2008-2009, in Brazil from 2009-2012, and in the South America Northwest Area from 2015-2018 while Elder Teixeira served in the Europe Area from 2009-2015 and the South America South Area from 2015-2018. In the meantime, following his call as a General Authority, Elder Vinson has exclusively served in the presidency of the Africa West Area.
These changes suggest a few things to me. First, the Church has called as the two new apostles and five newest members of the Presidency of the Seventy men who have extensively experienced life outside of the United States, and it appears that the only international areas in which these new leaders have not had experience are the Caribbean, Europe East, Mexico, Middle East/Africa North, and Philippines Areas.
Therefore, the international ministry of these Brethren surely uniquely qualifies them for their new positions. But more than that, the First Presidency appears to be recognizing that with the Church being as global as it is, and with decisions being made in the top Church councils which will affect the Saints worldwide, there is a great need to call these leaders that have extensive international experience and would be able to weigh in on how such discussions and determinations may affect the members in the areas with which they are familiar.
It may be some time before we fully know specifics regarding the assignments for most of the members of the Presidency of the Seventy (who, as previously noted, have been released from the responsibility of overseeing the 10 North America Areas in order to more fully assist the apostles and fill other assignments as needed). That said, the LDS Church Growth Blog recently shared this message, which Elder Vinson wrote as he concluded his service in the Africa West Area Presidency and prepared to return to Church headquarters for his new assignment in the Presidency of the Seventy.
Among the things he mentions is that he has been asked to assist a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in overseeing the North America Southeast Area, along with the two main areas of the Church in Africa (Southeast and West). With that in mind, I wanted to note as well that, right now, what we know as of now is, as I mentioned above, that Elder Soares has oversight of the Africa West Area, but I do not have any indication right now which of the apostles oversees the Africa Southeast Area, or how oversight of the 10 North America Areas are divided among the apostles.
As of currently, the information about the Presidency of the Seventy to which I have access via the Church's official website has not yet been updated to exclude Elders Christensen, Robbins, and Uceda, who were released, and to add Elders Vinson, Teixeira, and Godoy, and the information available about Elders Clayton, Kearon, Cook, and Gay may not be current. But hopefully such changes will come in the weeks ahead.
Once I track down such updates, I will pass along anything I find out regarding the new assignments for the other members of the Presidency of the Seventy, including (if available) the apostle(s) which they are assisting in those roles. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
First of all, I wanted to note that, with these changes, the Brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles may be looking to expand their understanding of international issues. Elders Gong and Soares represent not only the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles called, but with Elder Gong having Asian ancestry and Elder Soares having been born in Brazil, these are the first apostles to have direct ties to nations outside the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Additionally, since Elder Soares was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2005, he has served in area presidencies in Brazil (from 2005-2011) and in the Africa Southeast Area (from 2011-2013, at which point he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy), while Elder Gong has served in Asia (from 2011-2016). And in recognition of their familiarity with those areas, Elder Gong has a supervisory role over the entire Asian continent, while Elder Soares oversees the Central America and Africa West Areas.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Elders Carl B. Cook (who has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2011) and Robert C. Gay (who was called as a GA Seventy one year later), who were both called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy effective March 31 of this year have also had experiences serving outside the United States. Elder Cook served in the Africa Southeast Area from 2011-2016), while Elder Gay served in the Central America Area from 2012-2013, and was president of the Asia Area from August of last year until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in March.
Of the three new members of the Presidency of the Seventy whose service became effective almost a week ago (on August 1), Elder Vinson was born in Australia (which currently falls under the Pacific Area of the Church) and has served as a General Authority Seventy since 2013, while Elder Teixeira and Elder Godoy have both served as General Authority Seventies since 2008, with the former born in Portugal and the latter born in Brazil.
Since Elders Godoy and Teixeira have served longer, let's start with them. Elder Godoy served in South America from 2008-2009, in Brazil from 2009-2012, and in the South America Northwest Area from 2015-2018 while Elder Teixeira served in the Europe Area from 2009-2015 and the South America South Area from 2015-2018. In the meantime, following his call as a General Authority, Elder Vinson has exclusively served in the presidency of the Africa West Area.
These changes suggest a few things to me. First, the Church has called as the two new apostles and five newest members of the Presidency of the Seventy men who have extensively experienced life outside of the United States, and it appears that the only international areas in which these new leaders have not had experience are the Caribbean, Europe East, Mexico, Middle East/Africa North, and Philippines Areas.
Therefore, the international ministry of these Brethren surely uniquely qualifies them for their new positions. But more than that, the First Presidency appears to be recognizing that with the Church being as global as it is, and with decisions being made in the top Church councils which will affect the Saints worldwide, there is a great need to call these leaders that have extensive international experience and would be able to weigh in on how such discussions and determinations may affect the members in the areas with which they are familiar.
It may be some time before we fully know specifics regarding the assignments for most of the members of the Presidency of the Seventy (who, as previously noted, have been released from the responsibility of overseeing the 10 North America Areas in order to more fully assist the apostles and fill other assignments as needed). That said, the LDS Church Growth Blog recently shared this message, which Elder Vinson wrote as he concluded his service in the Africa West Area Presidency and prepared to return to Church headquarters for his new assignment in the Presidency of the Seventy.
Among the things he mentions is that he has been asked to assist a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in overseeing the North America Southeast Area, along with the two main areas of the Church in Africa (Southeast and West). With that in mind, I wanted to note as well that, right now, what we know as of now is, as I mentioned above, that Elder Soares has oversight of the Africa West Area, but I do not have any indication right now which of the apostles oversees the Africa Southeast Area, or how oversight of the 10 North America Areas are divided among the apostles.
As of currently, the information about the Presidency of the Seventy to which I have access via the Church's official website has not yet been updated to exclude Elders Christensen, Robbins, and Uceda, who were released, and to add Elders Vinson, Teixeira, and Godoy, and the information available about Elders Clayton, Kearon, Cook, and Gay may not be current. But hopefully such changes will come in the weeks ahead.
Once I track down such updates, I will pass along anything I find out regarding the new assignments for the other members of the Presidency of the Seventy, including (if available) the apostle(s) which they are assisting in those roles. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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