LDS Church announces new presidency with Dallin H. Oaks as 18th prophet [View all]
Source: KUER Salt Lake City, UT/NPR
Published October 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM MDT
Updated October 14, 2025 at 7:02 PM MDT
Dallin H. Oaks is the new prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No surprises there, as succession in leadership has long been determined by seniority, and Oaks was the church’s longest serving apostle. He assumed that role in 1984.
The two men chosen to join the First Presidency, however, said they were surprised. Henry B. Eyring is first councilor and D. Todd Christofferson is second councilor. Oaks said that he chose them after an “extended process of fasting and prayer.”
After the church’s announcement, Oaks said that Russell M. Nelson, who died last month of old age, was a “magnificent” prophet and that there is a lot of work to do to fulfill the hopes and directives he had for the church and its members. “There is much to be done, for our ministry is a ministry of all the children of God on the face of the earth,” Oaks said. “We pray for all.“
Matthew Bowman, religion and history professor at Claremont Graduate University, was also a little surprised at the choice of Christofferson. The First Presidency is often a training ground for future prophets, he said, but Bowman believes Christofferson is unlikely to rise that level because he’s older in age and lower in seniority.
Read more: https://www.kuer.org/race-religion-social-justice/2025-10-14/lds-church-announces-new-presidency-with-dallin-h-oaks-as-18th-prophet
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