You see them every six months on your screen if you’re tuning into General Conference. Men in dark suits, usually white-haired, sitting in large red velvet chairs behind a podium in Salt Lake City. To the millions of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, these men aren't just ecclesiastical administrators or corporate board members. They are "special witnesses of the name of Christ." But for everyone else, the apostles of the Mormon church represent a bit of a black box. Who are they? How do they get the job? And honestly, what do they actually do on a Tuesday morning?
It’s not just about giving speeches.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is the second-highest governing body in the Church. They work under the direction of the First Presidency, which consists of the President of the Church and his two counselors. When you look at the structure, it’s remarkably corporate yet deeply steeped in 19th-century tradition. It’s a lifetime appointment. You don’t retire from being an apostle. You die in the saddle. That fact alone changes the entire vibe of the leadership. There’s no "lame duck" period.
The Call That Changes Everything
Imagine getting a phone call that essentially ends your private life. That’s the reality for these men. Most of them come from high-powered careers. We’re talking heart surgeons like Russell M. Nelson, jurists like Dallin H. Oaks, or high-level business executives and university presidents. They’ve had successful trajectories, and then, suddenly, they are pulled into a room and told they will spend the rest of their lives traveling the globe, sitting in committee meetings, and being the public face of a global faith.
There’s no application process. You can’t campaign for it. In fact, if you’re seen as wanting the job, you’re probably the last person who will get it.
The process is strictly internal. When a vacancy occurs—usually due to the death of a member—the President of the Church seeks what they call "revelation" to fill the seat. He usually brings a name to the rest of the Quorum, they sustain it, and then a new apostle is ordained. It’s a seniority-based system that ensures the person who has been there the longest eventually becomes the President. It’s slow. It’s methodical. It’s designed to prevent radical shifts in the church’s direction overnight.
What Do Apostles of the Mormon Church Actually Do?
Basically, they run a global organization. The Church isn't just a collection of chapels; it’s a massive entity with real estate holdings, a massive welfare and humanitarian arm, and a complex educational system including BYU. The apostles of the Mormon church divide into committees. Some handle the missionary department. Others look at temple building, church curriculum, or finances.
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They travel. A lot.
One week an apostle might be in a high-level meeting with the president of a country in West Africa to discuss religious freedom, and the next, he’s in a stake center in Idaho Falls talking to a group of teenagers about social media. It is a grueling schedule for men who are often in their 70s, 80s, or even 90s. They deal with the heavy lifting of ecclesiastical discipline and policy changes, like the recent shifts in how women participate in temple ceremonies or the 2019 reversal of the policy regarding children of same-sex couples.
Honest talk? It’s a heavy burden. They are constantly under a microscope. Every word they say in a regional conference is recorded by someone in the audience and analyzed on Reddit or Twitter within the hour.
The Seniority Rule and the "Succession" Drama
The Mormon church handles succession differently than a lot of other organizations. There’s no election. When the President of the Church dies, the First Presidency is dissolved. The two counselors go back into the Quorum of the Twelve based on their original seniority. The Quorum then takes the lead.
The man who has been an apostle the longest—the President of the Quorum—becomes the next Prophet.
This system was solidified after the death of Joseph Smith. There was a huge period of "who’s in charge?" confusion back in 1844. Brigham Young eventually took the reins because he led the Quorum of the Twelve. Since then, the transition has been seamless. Boring, even. But that’s the point. It prevents the kind of political infighting you see in some Vatican conclaves or corporate boardrooms. You know exactly who is next in line. Currently, Dallin H. Oaks is the President of the Quorum (though serving in the First Presidency), making him the next in line after Russell M. Nelson.
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Diversity and the Changing Face of the Quorum
For a long time, the Quorum was criticized for being a "boys' club" of white men from Utah. That’s changing, albeit at a pace that mirrors the church's generally conservative nature.
In 2018, the church made history by calling Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares to the Quorum. Gong is of Chinese descent, and Soares is Brazilian. This was a massive signal to the global membership that the leadership was starting to look more like the pews. You’ve got to remember, more members of the church now live outside the United States than inside it. If the apostles of the Mormon church don’t reflect that, they risk losing relevance in places like Manila, São Paulo, and Lagos.
But it’s not just about race. It’s about professional background. While many are lawyers or educators, you occasionally get a pilot or a scientist. This diversity of thought is supposed to help when they sit in their weekly meetings in the Salt Lake Temple to deliberate on church policy. They don't always agree right away. In fact, they’re taught to speak their minds until a "unanimity" is reached.
Misconceptions People Have
One of the biggest myths is that these men get rich off the church. It’s a "lay ministry" at the local level, but at the top, it’s a full-time job. They receive a "living allowance." According to leaked documents from a few years ago, this allowance was around $120,000 a year. It’s not "private jet and mansions" money, but it’s enough to let them leave their previous careers and focus entirely on the church. Most of these guys were already wealthy from their previous lives as doctors or CEOs, so for many, it’s actually a pay cut.
Another thing? People think they are clones of each other.
If you listen closely to their talks, they have very different "flavors." Jeffrey R. Holland is known for his fiery, emotional oratory. David A. Bednar is more like a precise, academic professor. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a former Lufthansa pilot, often brings a more European, merciful tone to his messages. They aren't robots. They have distinct personalities and, presumably, disagreements behind the scenes.
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Real World Impact and Influence
The influence of the apostles of the Mormon church extends far beyond Sunday morning. When they speak, millions of people listen. This has real-world consequences on things like vaccination rates, where President Nelson’s urging to get the COVID-19 vaccine moved the needle significantly in conservative Utah. It affects how people vote, how they spend their money, and how they treat their neighbors.
They aren't just religious figures; they are social influencers on a massive scale.
The church's stance on LGBTQ+ issues, for example, is steered directly by these twelve men. While many younger members hope for more inclusive policies, the apostles balance that with what they see as their mandate to preserve "eternal truths." It’s a constant tension between tradition and the pressure of a changing world.
What to Watch For Next
If you’re trying to understand the trajectory of the LDS Church, don’t look at the local bishops. Look at the junior members of the Quorum of the Twelve. Men like Patrick Kearon, who was called recently, represent the next 20 to 30 years of leadership. Their backgrounds, their past talks, and their specific "areas of concern" (like Kearon’s focus on refugees) provide the best clues for where the church is headed.
To get a true sense of their impact, you should:
- Watch a full session of General Conference rather than just reading snippets; the tone matters as much as the text.
- Read the official biographies on the Church Newsroom to see the professional expertise each man brings to the table.
- Look at the "Global Ministry" reports to see which countries they are visiting; that usually signals where the church is putting its resources.
- Follow the changes in the "General Handbook," which is the policy manual they oversee, as this is where the rubber meets the road for actual church members.
Understanding this leadership structure is the only way to truly understand the Mormon faith. It’s a mix of the ancient and the modern, the spiritual and the administrative, all held together by twelve men who believe they’ve been called by God to lead.