Potential Apostolic Speaking Order for the April 2019 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! As I mentioned in my previous post, aside from what I noted about the potential speaking order, I wanted to share with you all now the 3 scenarios I see as possibilities for the April 2019 General Conference. Since I already set the stage in the last post regarding how many apostles might speak in each session, I will merely post each one now and provide brief comments about each.

Scenario #1: The one I currently include with my predictions

	SAM	SAA	PH	SUM	SUA
Ballard	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Apr 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Holland	Oct 2017	Apr 2017*	Oct 2016	Oct 2018	Apr 2018
Uchtdorf	Oct 2017 (FP)*	Oct 2018	Oct 2017 (FP)	Apr 2017 (FP)	Apr 2018
Bednar	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2017	Oct 2016*
Cook	Oct 2018	Oct 2017*	Oct 2014	Apr 2016	Apr 2018
Christofferson	Oct 2017	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2016*	Apr 2017
Andersen	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Oct 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Rasband	Oct 2018	Oct 2017	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2016*
Stevenson	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2012 (PB)*	Oct 2015	Oct 2018
Renlund	Apr 2017	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2015*	Oct 2018
Gong	N/A*	Oct 2018	N/A	N/A	Apr 2018
Soares	Apr 2017 (70 Pres)	Oct 2018	Apr 2015 (70 Pres)	N/A*	Apr 2018

Ballard	SAA1	SAM	Uchtdorf (3 is 1)
Holland	SAA4		Gong (11 is 2)
Uchtdorf	SAM1	SAA	Ballard (1 is 3)
Bednar	SUA1		Cook (5 is 4)
Cook	SAA2		Andersen (7 is 5)
Christofferson	SUM1		Holland (2 is 6)
Andersen	SAA3	SPH	Stevenson (9 is 7)
Rasband	SUA2	SUM	Christofferson (6 is 8)
Stevenson	SPH		Soares (12 is 9)
Renlund	SUM3		Renlund (10 is 10)*
Gong	SAM2	SUA	Bednar (4 is 11)
Soares	SUM2		Rasband (8 is 12)

I like this one, because following the October 2015 calls of Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund, it took around two years for any of them to speak in the Priesthood Session. Since Elders Renlund and Rasband did so in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively, it would make sense if Elder Stevenson did so this go-round. With the other sessions, I focused on having the apostles that had spoken in each session least recently speak in those sessions this go-round. The order of those speakers in each session is based on several determinations, and I welcome questions if there are any on those.

Scenario #2

	SAM	SAA	PH	SUM	SUA
Ballard	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Apr 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Holland	Oct 2017	Apr 2017*	Oct 2016	Oct 2018	Apr 2018
Uchtdorf	Oct 2017 (FP)*	Oct 2018	Oct 2017 (FP)	Apr 2017 (FP)	Apr 2018
Bednar	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2017	Oct 2016*
Cook	Oct 2018	Oct 2017*	Oct 2014	Apr 2016	Apr 2018
Christofferson	Oct 2017	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2016*	Apr 2017
Andersen	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Oct 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Rasband	Oct 2018	Oct 2017	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2016*
Stevenson	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2012 (PB)	Oct 2015*	Oct 2018
Renlund	Apr 2017*	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2015	Oct 2018
Gong	N/A	Oct 2018	N/A*	N/A	Apr 2018
Soares	Apr 2017 (70 Pres)	Oct 2018	Apr 2015 (70 Pres)	N/A*	Apr 2018

Ballard	SAA1	SAM	Uchtdorf (3 is 1)
Holland	SAA4		Renlund (10 is 2)
Uchtdorf	SAM1	SAA	Ballard (1 is 3)
Bednar	SUA1		Andersen (7 is 4)
Cook	SAA3		Cook (5 is 5)*
Christofferson	SUM1		Holland (2 is 6)
Andersen	SAA2	SPH	Gong (11 is 7)
Rasband	SUA2	SUM	Christofferson (6 is 8)
Stevenson	SUM3		Soares (12 is 9)
Renlund	SAM2		Stevenson (9 is 10)
Gong	SPH	SUA	Bednar (4 is 11)
Soares	SUM2		Rasband (8 is 12)

The main perk of this scenario is that Elder Gong has a chance to speak in the Priesthood Session, which he has not done at all since his call in April 2010. And I would be happy to clarify my thought process on this scenario as well if there are any such questions.

Scenario #3

	SAM	SAA	PH	SUM	SUA
Ballard	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Apr 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Holland	Oct 2017	Apr 2017*	Oct 2016	Oct 2018	Apr 2018
Uchtdorf	Oct 2017 (FP)*	Oct 2018	Oct 2017 (FP)	Apr 2017 (FP)	Apr 2018
Bednar	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2017	Oct 2016*
Cook	Oct 2018	Oct 2017*	Oct 2014	Apr 2016	Apr 2018
Christofferson	Oct 2017	Oct 2018	Apr 2018	Apr 2016*	Apr 2017
Andersen	Apr 2018	Apr 2017*	Oct 2015	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Rasband	Oct 2018	Oct 2017	Apr 2018	Apr 2017	Oct 2016*
Stevenson	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2012 (PB)*	Oct 2015*	Oct 2018
Renlund	Apr 2017*	Apr 2018	Oct 2017	Oct 2015	Oct 2018
Gong	N/A	Oct 2018	N/A*	N/A	Apr 2018
Soares	Apr 2017 (70 Pres)	Oct 2018	Apr 2015 (70 Pres)	N/A*	Apr 2018

Ballard	SAA1	SAM	Uchtdorf (3 is 1)
Holland	SAA4		Renlund (10 is 2)
Uchtdorf	SAM1	SAA	Ballard (1 is 3)
Bednar	SUA1		Andersen (7 is 4)
Cook	SAA3		Cook (5 is 5)*
Christofferson	SUM2		Holland (2 is 6)
Andersen	SAA2	SPH	Stevenson (9 is 7)
Rasband	SUA2		Gong (11 is 8)
Stevenson	SPH1	SUM	Soares (12 is 9)
Renlund	SAM2		Christofferson (6 is 10)
Gong	SPH2	SUA	Bednar (4 is 11)
Soares	SUM1		Rasband (8 is 12)

If another historic announcement is made during the Priesthood Session this go-round, I could see two apostles being asked to speak to explain it. I like this scenario because it allows one of our new apostles who has not spoken in that session at all to do so, along with allowing the only other apostle who has not spoken during that session since his apostolic call (Elder Stevenson) to do so.

Now, as some of you may also notice, there are common elements in each of the 3 scenarios. Elder Uchtdorf is the first speaker in the Saturday Morning Session for all 3. Given that I correctly predicted that he would speak in the Saturday Afternoon Session last time, I thought I would go next for one of the remaining three in which he spoke last as a member of the First Presidency, and the Saturday Morning Session seemed to be a good place to start. 

Each scenario also features Elders Bednar and Rasband as the speakers from the Quorum in the Sunday Afternoon Session, in that order. In that regard, that is proceeding on the assumption that President Oaks will be the first speaker for the Sunday Afternoon Session, since President Eyring did so last October, which would result in only two Quorum members speaking in that session.

President Ballard and Elder Holland are the first and last speakers respectively in the Saturday Afternoon Session in each scenario, and Elders Cook and Andersen feature as the middle speakers in that session for each as well, with the order only differing slightly for the first as compared to the other two. The final thing I want to note is that I will need to format the order of other speakers if the third scenario is used, and if, as expected in that scenario, President Oaks is the first speaker during the Sunday Afternoon Session.

So there you have it. A brief exploration of the three scenarios and the rationale behind each. Please let me know in the comments below whether any of you have thoughts on any of the three scenarios. Your 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.

That does it for this post. 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.

Some Preliminary Observations About the Potential Speaking Order for General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I am back, as promised earlier this afternoon with some revised observations about the potential speaking order for General Conference. First, by way of review, you can find the speaking order on those predictions as they currently stand here. Turning to details of that order, since President Nelson only conducted 1 General Conference session last April (the Sunday Morning Session), and opted to have his counselors conduct the four general sessions in October (since the Women's Session continues to be conducted by one of the three female auxiliary General Presidents), I think the scenario that applied last April will again apply for this upcoming General Conference, with his counselors conducting two sessions each, and President Nelson conducting the Sunday Morning Session.

Second, since President Eyring will likely be the concluding speaker for the Saturday Morning Session (as President Oaks was last October), I feel confident that President Oaks will conduct that session. If he does, since President Eyring led the Sustaining of Church Officers in the Saturday Afternoon Session last October (while President Oaks conducted that session) and since that was reversed last April (with President Eyring conducting the session and President Oaks leading the sustaining), last April's scenario seems likely to be repeated.

Since President Eyring conducted the Priesthood Session last April, I think it is safe to assume that President Oaks will do so this go-round. President Nelson would then conduct the Sunday Morning Session, and President Eyring will likely conduct the Sunday Afternoon Session. Barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate President Nelson speaking at least 4 times (at the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session, and the ends of the Priesthood Session and the Sunday Morning and Afternoon Sessions, but he could speak more than that, if any other major announcements are coming down the pike.

I would also assume that the entire First Presidency will speak in the Priesthood Session. And if President Eyring does speak to conclude the Saturday Morning Session, President Oaks could do so at the top of either the Sunday Morning or Sunday Afternoon Sessions. Since Easter Sunday does not coincide with General Conference Sunday this year as it did last year, I am not anticipating that the entire First Presidency will speak to conclude the Sunday Morning Session.

As for the Quorum of the Twelve, I can see a minimum of 3 possible scenarios in terms of their speaking order. Each of those scenarios has 2 members speaking in both the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, with 4 more speaking on Saturday Afternoon. The first and second scenarios feature two different members of the Quorum speaking during the Priesthood Session, with 3 others speaking during the Sunday Morning Session. The third scenario features both of the apostles from the other two scenarios speaking in the Priesthood Session (which would allow for any unexpected announcements during that session), with the remaining two apostles speaking on Sunday Morning.

Other than that, the speaking order I am anticipating isn't changed at all in any of the three scenarios. Of course, depending on which of the three scenarios I use, some alterations might be necessary. I am anticipating that the member of the Presiding Bishopric who will speak to us will be Second Counselor Bishop W. Christopher Waddell. I am likewise anticipating two members of the Presidency of the Seventy will speak to us, and I believe those two will be Elders Terence M. Vinson and Elder Carlos A. Godoy in the Saturday and Sunday Morning Sessions respectively. Elder Vinson has only given 1 talk since his call as a General Authority (in October 2013) and Elder Godoy has only spoken twice since his call as a General Authority (in October 2008 following his call as a General Authority, and in October 2014).

It has been a little difficult in recent years to know how many general officers of the Church might speak during General Conference. When President Monson reduced his speaking load in April 2015, the general officers were tapped with extra speaking opportunities to fill the time. Given that the Women's Session will not be held this go-round, I am anticipating that Sister Lisa L. Harkness, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, will speak in the Saturday Morning Session, that Young Men General President Stephen W. Owen will do so in the Priesthood Session, that Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, will do so in the Sunday Morning Session, and that Sunday School General President Tad R. Callister will speak during the Sunday Afternoon Session, following his likely release the previous afternoon.

It is even more difficult to know which General Authority Seventies might speak to us. After researching the matter, I have none speaking in the Saturday Morning Session, Elder Scott D. Whiting giving his second talk along with Elder Mathias Held's first in the Saturday Afternoon Session, and the first talk for Elder David P. Homer occurring during the Priesthood Session, Elders Marcus B. Nash and Anthony D. Perkins giving their third talks in the Sunday Morning and Afternoon Sessions respectively, with Elder Kyle S. McKay giving his first talk in the Sunday Afternoon Session.

I also have Elder David S. Baxter giving his third talk in the Sunday Afternoon Session after speaking previously in the April 2012 and October 2006 General Conferences. That said, I wanted to note that his biography on the Church website notes that he is currently on medical leave from his Salt Lake headquarters assignments, and unless I am mistaken, he is dealing with cancer, which, if that is still true, may prevent him from speaking during this General Conference. And in reference to these predicted speakers, I wanted to reach out to you, Scott Shipley, because I believe you had indicated that you were keeping a database on General Authority Seventies, and if I am missing anything in this paragraph about any of the GA Seventies who haven't spoken in a while (or at all) that may do so during this General Conference. Thanks in advance for the information.

In the meantime, that does it for this post. I will be posting again shortly to provide a more specific look at the three potential scenarios I see as possibilities in terms of apostolic speaking order. 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.

Some Additional Thoughts About the Future of the Temple Building Program of the Church

Hello again, everyone! Earlier this afternoon, I was on the Church Growth Blog, and a comment was made about the extent of President Nelson's temple-building plans which I wanted to address more fully here. The comment suggested that the recent statements by Elders Larry Y. Wilson and Quentin L. Cook might not mean what everyone seems to think they do. Another point was that, given Elder Wilson's statement (which he made in late April 2017 after President Monson made the final temple location announcement of his prophetic administration) mentioned 85 temples in 15 years, the number we would likely see within that time was closer to 66 or 190 rather than a ten-fold increase of the total number of temples. I attempted to post the following response, but when it became too lengthy, I opted to reproduce it here for more thorough discussion:

The argument that the statements of Elders Cook and Wilson may not have been indicative of as much of an increase in the number of temples may miss the mark. Elder Cook's recent statement was reportedly made in a stake conference held after the October General Conference, so none of the 19 temples announced last year "counted"  in that statement. Elder Wilson's statement, made in late April 2017 after President Monson made what would become the final set of new temple announcements during his administration, was actually 80 in 15 years, which would have been an average of 5 per year. It is almost impossible to tell which of the 19 locations was on that list, but what we do know is that President Nelson didn't plan on announcing a temple in India, and the announcement even caught those in the temple department by surprise, since it hadn't been discussed as a prospect beforehand. So at most, only 18 of the temples announced in 2018 could have been on that list.

Because no one outside of Church headquarters has seen the list of those locations, it is almost impossible to know whether any of the other 18 locations were actually on that list. Many of the locations did need a temple at some point, but for all we know, none of the 19 locations might have been on that list, or some might have been while others weren't. Another thing to consider is the fact that both Elder Wilson and Elder Cook (the former is serving as the Executive Director of the Temple Department, while the latter had served up until some point last year as the chairman of the Temple and Family History Executive Council) would be in-the-know about the details and extent of the plans because of their roles in those discussions.

So if we take Elder Cook at his word as one who has been in the know about that, there will be a tenfold increase. And since there was no qualifier added (as he did not say add a zero to the number of temples announced last year, or the number of temples currently announced), I assume that he meant add a zero to the current number, whether or not that relates to the number currently operating (161) or the grand total number (201), we are almost certainly going to see an unprecedented number of new temples announced, which is further evidenced by the fact that the Church is hiring a whole host of new employees for the temple department, for the express purpose of accommodating a surge in temple construction.

I think that the statements of both Elder Wilson and Elder Cook should be seen as equally meritorious, as both were privy to the discussions of that council. And don't forget, Elder Wilson's statement came before Elder Cook's did. So it is possible that President Monson set in motion the plan to announce 80 temples in 15 years, but was unable to act on it, and President Nelson not only opted to continue to act on that plan, but under the direction of the Lord, is expanding it in the ways apostles have described. If it were just one apostle mentioning this in one setting, I would have an easier time believing that the goal is closer to 85 or 190 temples.

But several members of the Quorum of the Twelve have spoken on this subject, and I take them at their word. I know that some of the reports of what those apostles have said have come from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone who asked the apostle about that. And if there's one thing I know in that regard, it is that the message can get confused or distorted the more it is passed from one person to another. But again, more than one apostle has reportedly mentioned things like this, including that President Nelson's status as the foremost building Church President will outpace and overshadow President Hinckley's previous legacy as such.

Another thing to consider here: Through his many decades in heart surgery, President Nelson has honed a sharp skill of attention to detail, getting to the heart of an issue (pun intended), and being ahead of the curve when it comes to decision-making. Perhaps President Monson had hoped to roll out some of the changes introduced in 2018 gradually, including an increase in the number of new temple announcements, but his declining health and ultimate decision in May 2017 to step back from an active role in leading the Church precluded and prevented that from happening. By contrast, President Nelson has had the health and vitality his predecessor lacked to move such priorities and the timing of them ahead of what was expected, and if he can do that, then I have no problem believing that he has set in motion and will continue to act on a plan to rapidly expand the number of temples and accelerate the process whereby they are built.

If the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple is any indication, then it will be easy for the Church to move temples announced in 2018 and beyond into construction far more swiftly than we have heretofore seen. Maybe for some temples it won't be as fast, but if most temples have construction underway within less than a year of their announcement and are on the smaller side, then it is not hard to envision the number of temples rapidly increasing beyond what anyone not privy to those conversations could expect. In fact, I have heard from a number of people around the world who are in a position to know about the temples in their nations of residence that land has been or will shortly be procured, that designs have been in the works for a while, or will be able to be drawn up and approved very quickly, and that building permits are also in the process of being acquired. Many of those temples may not only be on the smaller side, but may also more importantly be able to have a groundbreaking later this year, similarly to the Puerto Rico Temple.

Matt Martinich, who maintains the Church Growth Blog, has spoken to Church leaders or had contact with Church members who got word directly from the apostles, and has shared repeatedly on that blog that a surge is expected in temple announcements and construction. President Nelson stated in late October (as verified by the official Newsroom): "If you think this year [2018] was exciting, wait until next year, and the next year, and the next. Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It's going to be exciting." I cannot say he was talking about temple construction, but given that that comment was made in an interview following the dedication of the Concepcion Chile Temple, he may have been talking about a whole host of things, and not just temple construction. But I also can't say he wasn't talking about temple construction at all.

President Nelson has done more in the first year of his prophetic administration than some Church Presidents of the past have done in twice or quadruple that amount of time, including setting a new record for the most temples announced in the first year of a prophet's administration. But more than that, 17 of the 19 locations had a specific city identified, so that adds to the record. New temple announcements are almost sure to continue, and things I have shared here indicate to me very strongly that a vast number of new temples are on the horizon for the years ahead, which will likewise set new records. On this blog, Elder Cook's statement was "take the current number, and add a zero to it." I don't think he was referring to the number of currently-announced temples or the number of those announced this year, or that would have been explicit in his statement.

As verified by numerous sources (including those endorsed by the Church), several apostles have directly addressed President Nelson's love for temples, and his desire to bring them closer to the people of the Church around the world who have to sacrifice so much to get to the nearest temple once. That said, it is also true that unless and until President Nelson spells out his plans through an official announcement or over the pulpit, we do have to rely almost solely on the statement of apostles, whether heard personally or through someone else. But 19 new temples in the first year of any prophet's administration is unheard of, and I have not seen anything anywhere that would indicate a slowing of new temples being announced. If anything, we are likely to see more temples like San Juan Puerto Rico, which can have approval granted, an artist's rendering released, and a groundbreaking held within 6-12 months following their announcements.

I am in the happy position of being able to share with you all that many of the temples announced last year have already had a site procured, preliminary plans drawn up and in various stages of approval, and are anticipated, like the San Juan temple, to have a groundbreaking later this year or in 2020. I have been able to find information that verifies this. So there will be a surge in the future, especially if temples announced this year and in the years following are planned to be on the smaller side, for which securing land and approval is much easier than it has been for other temples.

For what it's worth, these are the thoughts I had in response to the comment on the Church Growth Blog that the statement may have been misunderstood. I hope what I have shared here is helpful to all who read these observations. 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.