In August of 1971, with Church membership at close to three million, President Joseph Fielding Smith met with members of the Church in Manchester, England, at the first area conference held by the Church. People came from across Europe to hear the words of the Prophet of the Lord. For many of the members of the Church, this was the first time to be in the presence of the Lord's representative. Addressing the congregation, President Smith told the members: "It is a matter of great satisfaction to me, and I am sure to my brethren, that the Church has now grown to the point that it seems wise and necessary to hold general conferences in various nations. We are members of a world Church, a Church that has the plan of life and salvation, a Church set up by the Lord himself in these last days to carry His message of salvation to all His children in all the earth. So I say we are and shall be a world Church. That is our destiny. It is a part of the Lord's program."

In fulfillment of the prophecies of Joseph Smith, this first area conference was a crucial step in not only taking the Gospel to the corners of the Earth before the coming of the Lord, but in establishing and strengthening converts and congregations across the globe.