Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Mormonism's Newest Apostles Reflect Growing Global Diversity
The-Conversation
By The Conversation
Published 7 years ago on
April 10, 2018

Share

At its annual General Conference held from March 31 to April 1, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormons), announced two new members of its second highest governing body, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Gerrit Gong, the son of Chinese immigrants to the United States, and Ulisses Soares, a native Brazilian.

Opinion

Matthew Bowman

These two men are the first non-white apostles in the church’s history. From my perspective as a scholar of American religion and Mormonism, these developments illustrate Mormonism’s transformation into a diverse, global faith.

The Mormon Apostles

At its highest levels the Mormon church is run by fifteen leaders: a First Presidency, made up of the president of the church and his two counselors, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who work immediately under the president. All serve for life.

The selection of Geritt Gong, the son of Chinese immigrants to the U.S., and Ulisses Soares, a native Brazilian, is an indication that the church has begun to take seriously the task of growing outside the United States.

Apostles have always been chosen by the president of the church, and in turn the president of the church is the longest serving of the apostles.

Mormons had great missionary success in Europe in the 19th century and consequently the church has had a number of non-Americans in these offices before. But there have never been non-European or non-white American men in these posts until now.

This is due to a number of reasons. One is that life tenure means that any sort of change in high church leadership happens slowly. Russell Nelson, a white man from Utah, the current president of the church, became an apostle in 1984. His predecessor, who died in January, became an apostle in 1963. The current apostles range in age from 58 to 89.

Another reason for a lack of diversity in church leadership is that Mormonism’s growth outside the white communities of the United States and Europe was for a long time sporadic. Until 1978, the church did not allow black members to hold priesthood or worship in temples, rites required for priestly leadership in the church.

In addition, though the church’s growth in Latin America has been rapid, it has traditionally adhered to American cultural norms, which has meant that historically it has struggled to retain members in Latin America and Africa. For instance, Mormons expect that men will wear dress shirts and ties and women will wear dresses to Sunday services. The official Mormon hymnbook too is filled with 19th-century American hymns. Hymnals produced for non-English speaking countries consist of translations of those songs into local languages. They contain only a small number of local songs.

Presence in China

However, the selection of Gong and Soares is an indication that the church has begun to take seriously the task of growing outside the United States.

Because of its massive missionary efforts, there are now roughly 16 million Mormons in the world, and a healthy majority of those live outside the United States. One of every 15 Mormons is from Brazil, where Mormon missionaries have found among their greatest success.

Indeed, this demographic tidal wave has been so pronounced that many Mormons have expected a Latin American apostle for the last several vacancies. A number of Mormons greeted the choice of Gong and Soares with excitement, seeing it as an important acknowledgment of diversity in the church.

Church president Russell Nelson studied Mandarin as a younger man and has spent a great deal of time in China over his career. / YouTube

And while Soares’ selection reflects the Mormon present, Gong’s may point to the future of Mormonism.

Mormonism is not one of the five official religions recognized by the People’s Republic of China, but there are Mormon congregations in the nation, built mostly through expatriates and Chinese citizens converted by Mormon missionaries abroad. Official numbers are not reported, due to restrictions placed by the Chinese government.

The current president of the church, Russell Nelson, studied Mandarin as a younger man and has spent a great deal of time in China over his career. He was among the American heart surgeons who traveled to China to educate Chinese physicians about heart transplants. His personal interest in the country has recently been matched by signs that the church as a whole is interested in cultivating a higher profile there. For instance, the church recently launched a website devoted to its relationship with China. Dallin Oaks, a member of the church’s First Presidency, announced that the church has been cultivating a “relationship of trust with Chinese officials.”

The new apostle Gerrit Gong is a Mandarin speaker as well. With a Ph.D. in international relations and stints at the State Department and Georgetown University on his resume, he could be an invaluable help in such efforts.

Globalizing the Church

A notable development at the recent conference was a move by Mormon leaders to decentralize church administration, so as to strengthen local congregations worldwide.

One such announcement consolidated and simplified leadership in each local congregation. Another discontinued much of the bureaucracy and paperwork surrounding the practices of “home teaching” and “visiting teaching” in which congregants go and see each other monthly to ensure everybody in a congregation is doing well. Historically this work has been done according to procedures tightly controlled by church headquarters, which required regular reports. Now the church is allowing for more local autonomy.

Nelson’s final announcement of the Conference made the church’s interest in raising the international presence of the church explicit. He announced the church would be building seven new temples, in places as far-flung as India, Russia and the Philippines.

Mormon temples are distinct from weekly meetinghouses. There are thousands of meetinghouses but only 159 temples worldwide. Ceremonies like sacramental marriage and an initiatory rite called the endowment are performed only in temples – which are rituals essential for Mormons to enter leadership positions in the church. Building a temple in a country is a sign that the church sees potential for strong local leadership.

The ConversationIf there were ever doubts that Mormonism sees a global future for itself, the events of this General Conference eliminated them.

Matthew Bowman, Associate Professor of History, Henderson State University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

California’s Stubborn Problems Keep Thwarting Its Ballooning Budget

DON'T MISS

Sights & Sounds: The 2025 Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

DON'T MISS

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

DON'T MISS

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

DON'T MISS

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

DON'T MISS

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

DON'T MISS

Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment

DON'T MISS

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

DON'T MISS

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

UP NEXT

Sights & Sounds: The 2025 Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival

UP NEXT

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

UP NEXT

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

UP NEXT

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

UP NEXT

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

UP NEXT

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

UP NEXT

Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment

UP NEXT

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

UP NEXT

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

UP NEXT

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

1 day ago

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

1 day ago

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

1 day ago

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

1 day ago

Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment

2 days ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

2 days ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

2 days ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

2 days ago

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

2 days ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

2 days ago

California’s Stubborn Problems Keep Thwarting Its Ballooning Budget

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The first quarter of the 21st century has been, in a ...

17 hours ago

18 hours ago

California’s Stubborn Problems Keep Thwarting Its Ballooning Budget

1 day ago

Sights & Sounds: The 2025 Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival

1 day ago

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

1 day ago

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

1 day ago

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

1 day ago

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

1 day ago

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

2 days ago

Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend