Dallin H. Oaks named president of LDS Church after Russell M. Nelson’s death

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Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, was named Tuesday as the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following the recent death of Russell M. Nelson. The church’s leadership transition puts Oaks at the head of an organization with more than 17 million members worldwide.

Church officials said Oaks’ succession was determined by a longstanding practice: the longest-tenured member of a top leadership body, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, becomes the next president. Church leaders have described the approach as intended to avoid internal or public lobbying and to support a seamless changeover.

In remarks at the announcement, Oaks said, “I accept with humility the responsibility that God has placed upon me and commit my whole heart and soul to the service to which I’ve been called.” The church regards its president as a prophet and seer who provides guidance through divine revelation alongside two senior counselors and members of the Quorum of the Twelve.

As president, Oaks is expected to set policy and oversee the church’s business interests. His leadership comes as some members have faced anxiety tied to recent events, including a deadly attack on a Michigan congregation and the high-profile assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, where the denomination is based.

At 93, Oaks will become one of the church’s oldest presidents, and the church said past presidents’ tenures have varied widely. Church leadership said presidents serve in the role until they die.

The church’s announcement also included the selection of Oaks’ two counselors. Oaks chose Henry B. Eyring, 92, who had served in that same role under Nelson, and D. Todd Christofferson, 80, described by the church as its seventh most senior apostle.

Christofferson said in Tuesday’s announcement, “I confess that this is not what I expected when I woke up this morning,” adding, “But I am deeply honored by this calling and the trust that it carries.” Paul Reeve, who chairs the Simmons Chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah, said Oaks’ choices reflected a “deliberate and methodical leadership style.”

In addition to naming the counselors, the church said Jeffrey R. Holland — the most senior apostle after Oaks and the next in line to become president — would not serve as a counselor, but would instead lead the Quorum of the Twelve. Reeve said the decision reflected “declining health.”

Outside analysts said Oaks is unlikely to dramatically change Nelson’s approach because Oaks was one of Nelson’s closest advisers. They said, however, he could shift emphasis from Nelson’s focus on the faith’s global footprint toward domestic issues.

One early sign cited in the announcement cycle was Oaks’ guidance during the faith’s recent general conference to slow the announcement of new temples. The church also signaled that Oaks’ priorities could involve familiar themes from his previous leadership, including his traditionalist views on marriage and religious freedom, and his stance that social and legal pressure would not change the church’s position on same-sex marriage and matters of gender identity.

Oaks has been involved in earlier policy changes within the church, including a 2019 rescission of a policy banning baptisms for children of gay parents and labeling same-sex couples as sinners eligible for expulsion. Analysts said Oaks’ role in that decision and other past decisions suggest that LGBTQ-related topics may not be a centerpiece of his administration, even as he has helped lead efforts that historically caused uneasiness for some LGBTQ members and their allies.

The church’s leadership transition also comes after years of internal governance debates, including responsibilities tied to Christofferson’s earlier work. The AP report noted that Christofferson was involved in negotiations with Jewish leaders in the 1990s regarding the church’s posthumous baptisms of Holocaust victims, and that church leadership agreed to end those ceremonies after intense criticism.

In the background of the appointments, experts said Christofferson’s legal and jurist experience made sense given Oaks’ own background on the bench. Reeve said Christofferson was “somewhat unexpected,” but that it matched what he described as Oaks’ focus on legal-like deliberation and careful process.