Difference between revisions of "Dale G. Renlund"

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Elder Dale E. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Dale G. Renlund was named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 3, 2015. Renlund was serving as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy at the time of his call to the apostleship. He had previously served as a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy.

Renlund earned his MD degree from the University of Utah and further medical and research training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was a professor of medicine at the University of Utah, and from 1991 to 2009, he was the Medical Director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals (UTAH) Cardiac Transplant Program. As a cardiologist, he specialized in heart transplants and he became the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center in Salt Lake City in 2000.

He was born on November 13, 1952, in Salt Lake City. His Swedish parents, Mats Ake Renlund and Mariana Andersson immigrated to the United States so they could marry in a church temple. Later while Renlund was in his teens, he lived in Sweden with his family while his father served as a building missionary for the Church. He returned again to Sweden to serve as a full-time missionary (1972–1974).

He has also served as a Sunday School president, bishop, stake president, high councilor, and Area Seventy.

Renlund and his wife, Ruth Lybbert (a daughter of former General Authority Merlin R. Lybbert), are the parents of one daughter, Ashley. Ruth Renlund survived ovarian cancer after the birth of their daughter. She was an attorney and partner in the Salt Lake law firm Dewsnup, King & Olsen. She also set aside her career when her husband was assigned to serve in the presidency of the Africa Southeast Area from 2009 to 2014. As president of the Church's Africa Southeast Area (2011–2014), he oversaw the Church in 20 countries.

Apostleship

In October 2015, he was sustained to the apostleship along with Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson. This was the first time since 1906 that three new apostles were sustained at one conference. Elder Renlund is the 100th member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church's history.

Some of his earliest assignments included speaking at an international forum on religious freedom in Costa Rica, speaking in a series of suicide awareness videos published by the church, speaking at a medical conference held in Vatican City in 2018 where he described the Church's views on religion improving the health of individuals, and participating in a "Face-to-Face" online event with youth members of the Church in Africa.

Elder Renlund visited Sweden on April 28 and 29, 2018, accompanied by his wife, Ruth Lybbert Renlund. He spoke to Church leaders, missionaries, and Church members at a meeting in Stockholm which was broadcast by webcast to an estimated 1,500 people. With a Swedish mother and Finnish father, Elder Renlund is the first Church Apostle to have grown up speaking Swedish in his home.[1] On August 1, 2024, Elder and Sister Renlund visited the Festinord Young Single Adult conference in Göteborg, Sweden, greeting each of the 500 attendees before speaking at a devotional. Festinord is an annual conference for young single adults created for the Nordic and Baltic countries, with the location rotating between Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. For five days each year, young adults gather together to strengthen their faith, forge new friendships and enjoy wholesome activities. Now in its 50th year, with the 2024 theme “Rejoice in the Lord – always,” the conference gathered attendees from 28 different countries. “I feel like I have come home,” said Elder Renlund, who as a teenager lived with his family in Göteborg. It was during that time he began his journey to becoming a true convert and follower of Jesus Christ, he said. After the devotional, Elder and Sister Renlund participated in a Q&A session where they answered questions from young single adults.[2]

On October 13, 2024, Elder Renlund traveled to Honduras to dedicate the new temple in San Pedro Sula. This was Elder Renlund’s third visit to Honduras. He first visited Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela in June 2017. His second visit came in San Pedro Sula as he ministered to members in five Central American countries in February 2023.[3]

From October 24-29, 2024, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of The Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for a series of spiritual meetings, accompanied by his wife, Ruth. Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of Seventy and Bishop L. Todd Budge of the Presiding Bishopric and their wives also traveled with them. During a leadership meeting, members conference, and young single adults devotional, their teachings inspired leaders and members to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ and their commitment to their covenants.[4] After four days ministering in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Elder and Sister Renlund crossed the Congo River by boat to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where they spoke at a mission conference of the Brazzaville Mission. An evening devotional with young single adults followed. They also spoke to full-time missionaries in Ethiopia and flew to Nairobi, Kenya where they met with missionaries of the newly created Kenya Nairobi East Mission. They were joined by Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, Africa Central Area President. The Renlunds lived in Africa for five years when he served in the presidency of the Africa Southeast Area.

Temples dedicated by Elder Renlund

Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo Temple  · Belém Brazil Temple  · Coban Guatemala Temple  · San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple

Books by Elder Renlund

• The Gift of Knowing Him (2022)
• The Melchizedek Priesthood: Understanding the Doctrine, Living the Principles (2018)

Quotes from Elder Renlund

“God cares a lot more about who we are and about who we are becoming, than about who we once were.”

April 2015 General Conference, "Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying"

“Without the Redeemer, . . . repentance becomes simply miserable behavior modification.”

October 2016 General Conference, "Repentance: A Joyful Choice"

“As you walk the covenant path, from baptism to the temple and throughout life, I promise you power to go against the natural worldly flow — power to learn, power to repent and be sanctified, and power to find hope, comfort and even joy as you face life’s challenges. I promise you and your family protection against the influence of the adversary, especially when you make the temple a major focus in your life.”

April 2023 General Conference, "Accessing God’s Power through Covenants"

"Being 'converted unto the Lord' means leaving one course of action, directed by an old belief system, and adopting a new one based on faith in Heavenly Father’s plan and in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. This change is more than an intellectual acceptance of gospel teachings. It shapes our identity, transforms our understanding of life’s meaning, and leads to unchanging fidelity to God. Personal desires that are contrary to being anchored to the Savior and to following the covenant path fade away and are replaced by a determination to submit to the will of Heavenly Father."

October 2019 General Conference, "Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ"

"As the Holy Ghost exerts a greater influence in our lives, we progressively and iteratively develop Christlike attributes. Our hearts change. Our disposition to do evil diminishes. Our inclination to do good increases until we only want 'to do good continually.' And we thereby access the heavenly power needed to endure to the end.

April 2024 General Conference, "The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ"

Videos with Elder Renlund

More on Elder Dale G. Renlund

• Dale G. Renlund
• "Elder Dale G. Renlund: An Obedient Servant," by Elder Quentin L. Cook
• Special Witnesses of Christ, How can we receive God's greatest gift?
• All General Conference Talks by Dale G. Renlund
• All Talks by Dale G. Renlund
• Collected Talks of Dale G. Renlund