News of the Church

New Area Leaders Assigned

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The First Presidency has announced changes in area leadership assignments, effective on August 1, 2015. All members of Area Presidencies are members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy.

The Seventy are called by revelation, under the direction of the First Presidency, to assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in their ministry throughout the world.

“The history of the Seventies really goes back to the Old Testament,” said President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.¹ The first reference to the Seventy is found in Exodus 24:1, and they are later referred to in Numbers 11:16–17, 25, when they are gathered to assist Moses.

During Christ’s mortal ministry, He called the Seventy, instructed them in a manner similar to the Twelve Apostles, and sent them out “before his face,” explaining that those who heard their voices would hear His voice (see Matthew 10:1, 16–17; Luke 10).

“We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church,” President Packer said. “And it included Seventies.” (See Articles of Faith 1:6.) In today’s rapidly growing Church, the Seventy play an important role in assisting the Twelve. “Seventies by delegation can do anything the Twelve tell them to do,” President Packer said.²

Presidency of the Seventy

Ronald A. Rasband

Assists in all areas

L. Whitney Clayton

Utah North

Utah Salt Lake City

Utah South

Donald L. Hallstrom

North America Northeast

Richard J. Maynes

North America Northwest

North America West

Craig C. Christensen

Idaho

North America Central

Ulisses Soares

North America Southeast

Lynn G. Robbins

North America Southwest

Africa Southeast

Stanley G. Ellis

First Counselor

Carl B. Cook

President

Kevin S. Hamilton

Second Counselor

Africa West

Terence M. Vinson

First Counselor

LeGrand R. Curtis Jr.

President

David F. Evans

Second Counselor

Asia

Randy D. Funk

First Counselor

Gerrit W. Gong

President

Chi Hong (Sam) Wong

Second Counselor

Asia North

Kazuhiko Yamashita

First Counselor

Scott D. Whiting

President

Yoon Hwan Choi

Second Counselor

Brazil

Jairo Mazzagardi

First Counselor

Claudio R. M. Costa

President

Marcos A. Aidukaitis

Second Counselor

Caribbean

Claudio D. Zivic

First Counselor

J. Devn Cornish

President

Hugo E. Martinez

Second Counselor

Central America

Adrián Ochoa

First Counselor

Kevin R. Duncan

President

Jose L. Alonso

Second Counselor

Europe

Paul V. Johnson

First Counselor

Patrick Kearon

President

Timothy J. Dyches

Second Counselor

Europe East

Jörg Klebingat

First Counselor

Bruce D. Porter

President

Larry S. Kacher

Second Counselor

Mexico

Paul B. Pieper

First Counselor

Benjamín De Hoyos

President

Arnulfo Valenzuela

Second Counselor

Middle East/Africa North

Larry R. Lawrence

Wilford W. Andersen

Administered from Church headquarters

Pacific

O. Vincent Haleck

First Counselor

Kevin W. Pearson

President

S. Gifford Nielsen

Second Counselor

Philippines

Shayne M. Bowen

First Counselor

Ian S. Ardern

President

Allen D. Haynie

Second Counselor

South America Northwest

W. Christopher Waddell

First Counselor

Juan A. Uceda

President

Carlos A. Godoy

Second Counselor

South America South

Francisco J. Viñas

First Counselor

Walter F. González

President

José A. Teixeira

Second Counselor