President Russell Nelson to Latter-day Saints: Your leaders are getting old — and it will show this weekend
04/04/2024 21:03
Latter-day Saints should be prepared to see many signs of their top leaders' ever-advancing age this General Conference weekend, 99-year-old church President Russell M. Nelson announced Thursday in a social media post, which hinted at the possibility that he — and perhaps others — would not be speaking live and in person during Saturday and Sunday's worldwide broadcast.
"As senior leaders in the church, we are called to serve for the remainder of our lives, often long beyond 'retirement age,'" the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote. "This means that you may see some of us during General Conference speak while sitting down, or pre-record our message to be shared at the appropriate time, or even require a little assistance getting to and from our seats in the conference center."
This would not be the first time Nelson did not appear in person during the biannual worldwide event.
Last fall, the church's longest-living prophet-presidentinjured his back in a fall and was unable to attend the faith's General Conference, insteading exhorting church members to "think celestial" through a recorded video.
Earlier that year, he announced he had begun using a walker and a wheelchair at times due to a "small challenge" with his balance "from time to time."
In October 2022, he started sitting on a chair to deliver his General Conference addresses — an allowance, he noted at the time, for those who "age on stage."
In his latest social media post, Nelson further reflected on his current health, remarking that "my body reminds me every day that it is nearly a century old and to go easy on it. I honestly don't know where the years have gone. They have simply flown by."
Latter-day Saint prophets and apostles serve for life. That means that as health care has advanced, so have the average ages of the church's top brass. As of last May, all three members of the faith's governing First Presidency are nonagenarians — a first in the church's nearly 200-year history.
"From my point of view, this is cause for celebration," Nelson said in his post. "I thank the Lord every day for the privilege of still being here with you. I cherish working alongside colleagues who are wearing out their lives in service to our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ, despite the aches and creaks that come with advancing age. I don't have words to express how grateful I am for strong colleagues on whom I can lean in many ways as we strive to serve the Lord."
Nelson will turn 100 in September. Apostle Dallin H. Oaks, 91, is next in line to lead the 17 million-member faith.
