Gerrit W. Gong

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018, during a Solemn Assembly. At the time of his call, he had been serving in the Presidency of the Seventy. He had been serving as a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah South Area when called to serve in the First Quorum of the Seventy at General Conference in April 2010.

Elder Gong received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian and university studies from Brigham Young University in 1977. In 1979 he received a Master of Philosophy and in 1981 a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. In 1985 he served as special assistant to undersecretary of state at the U.S. State Department and then in 1987 served as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, China. From 1989 to 2001 he served in many positions for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. He was the assistant to the president for planning and assessment at Brigham Young University.

Elder Gong has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in Taiwan, stake high councilor, high priests group leader, stake Sunday School president, bishop’s counselor, seminary teacher, bishop, stake mission president and stake president.

Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on December 23, 1953. He married Susan Lindsay in January 1980. They are the parents of four children. Elder and Sister Gong reside in Provo, Utah.

Apostleship

In 2021, Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gong spoke together on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, during the final session of a two-day conference “The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives.” The Apostles emphasized the Church’s joint efforts with Muslims to defend religious freedom and engage in humanitarian work. They also pointed to resources that strengthen mutual understanding and highlighted several common beliefs the two faith communities share. Both Apostles visited Indonesia — the country with the most Muslims — after a December 2004 tsunami killed some 225,000 people. Elder Bednar had just been called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Gong was working for BYU. Elder Gong said they met with the president of Indonesia, visited Jakarta’s largest mosque, donated needed medical and humanitarian supplies, and visited the heart of the devastation. Latter-day Saint Charities worked with Islamic Relief and the Indonesian government to provide millions of dollars of needed relief. [1]

Elder and Sister Gong accompanied President Russell M. Nelson and his wife Wendy to New Zealand in May 2019. After announcing a $100,000 donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help rebuild and renovate mosques damaged two months previous in a deadly attack that killed 51 people and injured many, President Nelson stood arm-in-arm with Dr. Mustafa Farouk, the president of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand. The death and injury of innocent worshippers, gunned down March 15 at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, “is incomprehensible,” President Nelson said. “So what can we do? We can pray, we can love, we can minister, we can give a donation. They appreciate it all. They appreciate the fact that we care.” He added, “Looking ahead, should you require volunteers to assist in the repair and renovation work that will be funded by these donations, we would be honored to lend a helping hand.” Elder Gong said, “I was grateful to stand together with our Church President in love and solidarity with our Muslim friends. We reached out to individuals who had been injured in the mosque attacks. I was glad we could provide practical help in the face of tragedy and pain, and pledge to work together to increase understanding.”[2]