Not even three months into his presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dallin H. Oaks again faces the task of selecting a new apostle.
The death of longtime apostle Jeffrey R. Holland on Saturday morning at age 85 leaves a vacancy in the global faith’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for Oaks to fill.
Several weeks after the 93-year-old Oaks ascended to the church’s top post, he named 62-year-old Frenchman Gérald Caussé, then the presiding bishop, to the apostolic quorum, the faith’s second-highest governing body after the three-member First Presidency.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Newly ordained apostle Gérald Caussé conducts an interview with The Tribune at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City in early November.
Picking new apostles is not only an obligation but also an opportunity. It represents a major way in which Latter-day Saint prophet-presidents can leave their imprint on the church long after they are gone — similar to U.S. presidents when they nominate justices to the nation’s Supreme Court.
Oaks, himself a former Utah Supreme Court justice, no doubt is aware of this.
In the mid-1990s, Howard W. Hunter led the church for a mere nine months — the shortest tenure of any Latter-day Saint president — yet the one apostle he chose was none other than Holland, who served for three decades, rose to president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was positioned as next in line to take the faith’s reins at the time of his death.
Leadership shuffle looms
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The three members of the First Presidency, Henry B. Eyring, left, Dallin H. Oaks center, and D. Todd Christofferson, in their first official portrait.
Latter-day Saints apostles, according to the church’s website, travel across the world as “witnesses of Jesus Christ.” From the moment of their elevation, they also step onto a leadership ladder that reaches to the top rung in the religion. The man — and, yes, they are always men — who outlives the apostles named before him will ascend to the church’s highest office.
The apostle who is now next in line for that job is Henry B. Eyring. The 92-year-old is currently Oaks’ first counselor in the First Presidency. He was a counselor to the three previous church presidents as well.
Holland’s passing also is expected to boost Dieter F. Uchtdorf to president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The popular 85-year-old leader, twice a refugee in his life, is now second in line to succeed as head of the 17.5 million-member church.
For now, though, all eyes will be on whom Oaks selects for the church’s next apostle.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf waves alongside his wife, Harriet Uchtdorf, at General Conference in October.
Potential apostles?
He could turn to the Presidency of the Seventy, which has become a proving ground of sorts for potential apostles. Of the past nine apostles, six have come from this group: Patrick Kearon, Ulisses Soares, Gerrit W. Gong, Ronald A. Rasband, Neil L. Andersen and D. Todd Christofferson (who now is Oaks’ second counselor).
The current members of this Gang of Seven are Carl B. Cook, S. Mark Palmer, Marcus B. Nash, Michael T. Ringwood, Arnulfo Valenzuela, Edward Dube and Kevin R. Duncan.
Oaks could also pursue greater diversity by choosing a Black Latter-day Saint.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) General authority Seventy Peter Johnson speaks at General Conference in October.
Dube, a 63-year-old from Zimbabwe, for instance, became the first Black member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and 59-year-old Peter Johnson was the first African American general authority to speak in General Conference.
The only thing certain at this point: The choice is up to Oaks.