Latter-day Saints hold first general conference without a president in at least a century

Source: AP

Updated 12:02 AM EDT, October 4, 2025


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is convening Saturday for its twice-annual general conference at a pivotal moment in its history: just days after the death of its oldest-ever president and a deadly attack on a congregation in Michigan.

The death of President Russell M. Nelson leaves a void, but the church has a well-defined leadership hierarchy that helps ensure a smooth transition. Dallin H. Oaks, the man set to succeed Nelson, has already played a prominent role in church leadership as one of Nelson’s two top counselors. Oaks’ expected ascension to the presidency is likely to be announced after Nelson’s funeral, scheduled for Tuesday, a couple of days after the conference when about 100,000 members gather at the church’s headquarters in Utah.

The 200-year-old denomination known widely as the Mormon church has not held a general conference without a president for at least a century, but there’s no leadership vacuum, said Patrick Mason, a professor of religious studies and history at Utah State University.

A governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Oaks, is leading the church and its more than 17 million members worldwide in the absence of a president, much like Brigham Young’s role for more than two years following church founder Joseph Smith’s death in 1844.

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