“News of the Church,” Liahona, August 2016, 14–15
News of the Church
New Area Leaders Assigned
Visit news.lds.org for more Church news and events.
The First Presidency has announced changes in area leadership assignments, effective on August 1, 2016. All members of Area Presidencies are General Authority Seventies.
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.
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).
In a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1835, the Lord revealed, among other things, “the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the seventy” (D&C 107:93).
Presidency of the Seventy
Donald L. Hallstrom
North America Northwest
North America West
Richard J. Maynes
North America Southeast
Craig C. Christensen
Utah North
Utah Salt Lake City
Utah South
Ulisses Soares
Idaho
North America Central
Lynn G. Robbins
North America Southwest
Gerrit W. Gong
North America Northeast
Africa Southeast
Stanley G. Ellis
First Counselor
Kevin S. Hamilton
President
S. Mark Palmer
Second Counselor
Africa West
Marcus B. Nash
First Counselor
Terence M. Vinson
President
Vern P. Stanfill
Second Counselor
Asia
Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
First Counselor
Randy D. Funk
President
David F. Evans
Second Counselor
Asia North
Kazuhiko Yamashita
First Counselor
Scott D. Whiting
President
Yoon Hwan Choi
Second Counselor
Brazil
Marcos A. Aidukaitis
First Counselor
Claudio R. M. Costa
President
W. Mark Bassett
Second Counselor
Caribbean
Claudio D. Zivic
First Counselor
Walter F. González
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
Gary B. Sabin
Second Counselor
Europe East
James B. Martino
First Counselor
Bruce D. Porter
President
Larry S. Kacher
Second Counselor
Mexico
Arnulfo Valenzuela
First Counselor
Paul B. Pieper
President
Rafael E. Pino
Second Counselor
Middle East/Africa North
Larry R. Lawrence
Wilford W. Andersen
Administered from Church headquarters
Pacific
S. Gifford Nielsen
First Counselor
O. Vincent Haleck
President
Craig A. Cardon
Second Counselor
Philippines
Allen D. Haynie
First Counselor
Shayne M. Bowen
President
Evan A. Schmutz
Second Counselor
South America Northwest
Lawrence E. Corbridge
First Counselor
Carlos A. Godoy
President
Hugo Montoya
Second Counselor
South America South
Allan F. Packer
First Counselor
José A. Teixeira
President
Mark A. Bragg
Second Counselor