President Nelson at 101:
A Ministry Focused on Jesus Christ

The scriptures show us that throughout history, God has called prophets to lead and guide His children. In the Bible, prophets such as Moses taught God’s commandments, warned of the consequences of sin, helped people prepare for upcoming hardships, shared God’s love for all of His children, and brought hope as they testified of Jesus Christ’s role as our Savior. Prophets in the Book of Mormon helped God’s people in the Americas in similar ways.

Today, God still speaks to us through a living prophet who teaches eternal truths and provides divine guidance specific for our day. A prophet holds the sacred priesthood keys to administer the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Through those ordinances we can make and keep essential covenants with God that allow us to return and live with our Heavenly Father again. When we follow the teachings of the living prophet, we can find greater peace and happiness, draw closer to Jesus Christ, and know how to prepare spiritually for eternal life with God and our families.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led by a Prophet who also acts as President of the Church. He is assisted by two counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

When the Prophet dies, the most senior Apostle (by length of service, not age) becomes the new Prophet. When there is a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Prophet chooses a new person to serve, through inspiration from God.

Read more about succession in the presidency of the Church.

The Prophet and President leads the Church in many ways. Together with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he bears a special witness of Jesus Christ to the world. He also helps guide the day-to-day work of the Church that includes, but is not limited to, missionary work, building temples, providing humanitarian aid and welfare, updating curriculum for Church classes, making sure Church facilities are maintained, guiding Church-run universities such as Brigham Young University, and building positive relationships between the Church and governments around the world.

The Prophet also spends a great deal of time directly ministering to people around the world. He visits with young and old from all walks of life as well as speaks to congregations of thousands across six continents.

The Prophet of the Church shares God’s guidance for us in many ways, including speaking to the entire membership of the Church and other interested friends every April and October during general conference. Recent topics have included turning to Jesus Christ in times of trouble, becoming peacemakers in a contentious world, and embracing the blessings of God’s priesthood power on the earth today.

As President of the Church, the Prophet also provides inspired leadership through many important changes for the Church’s operations. In the past, these have included a change to a more “home-centered, Church-supported” model of worship that includes shorter worship services on Sunday to facilitate more time studying the gospel as family and friends throughout the week at home.

Before his call as an Apostle and later as Prophet and President of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson had a long and distinguished career as an internationally renowned heart surgeon.

He received his BA and MD degrees at the University of Utah and performed the first open heart surgery in Utah at the age of 31. He is the author of numerous publications and chapters of medical textbooks, and he has received many awards for his life-saving work, including honorary professorships from three universities in the People’s Republic of China and the Heart of Gold award from the American Heart Association. He has served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association, and president of the Utah State Medical Association.

President Nelson was born September 9, 1924, to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson. He married Dantzel White in 1945, and they had 10 children (nine daughters and one son). After Sister Nelson passed away in February 2005, he married Wendy L. Watson in April 2006. With his family, President Nelson has enjoyed a variety of hobbies, including skiing, gardening, fishing, and playing the piano.

Read more of President Nelson’s biography.

The Prophet, Apostles, and other global Church leaders speak to the world every six months during general conference, a worldwide gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other interested friends.

Sermons given at general conference can be found by browsing the general conference archives. You can stay current on what Church leaders are saying outside of general conference—such as at temple dedications or interfaith conferences—by visiting Church Newsroom. You can also use the search function on ChurchofJesusChrist.org to browse general conference talks, magazine articles, and other resources by subject or author.

If you would like to have your questions about prophets and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints answered on a more personal level, missionaries in your area would love to meet with you and teach you more. Sign up for a visit.