Presidency of the Seventy
Historically, seven members of the First Quorum of the Seventy are called to serve as the Presidency of the Seventy. This precedent was broken, however, when Elder Robert C. Oaks of the Second Quorum of the Seventy was sustained to the Presidency to fill the vacancy created by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
They provide direction for the seventies and serve the apostles and president of the Church. The Presidency of the Seventy is unique in that not only are there seven members but all seven hold the keys of presidency. The man with the longest tenure of uninterrupted service is called to preside over the other six.
With the release of all area presidencies in North America, the Presidency of the Seventy are now directly responsible for supervising the Church in North America. The Presidency (as of the April 2008 General Conference) consisted of:
Surname | Given Names | Sustained | Age Sust. | Born | City Born | State/Country | Children |
Clayton | L. Whitney | 5 Apr 2008 | 58 | 24 Feb 1950 | Salt Lake City | Utah | 7 |
Hallstrom | Donald L. | 4 Apr 2009 | 59 | 27 Jul 1949 | Honolulu | Hawaii | 4 |
Maynes | Richard J. | 20 Jan 2012 | 62 | 29 Oct 1950 | Berkeley | California | 4 |
Christensen | Craig C. | 3 Apr 2012 | 56 | 18 Mar 1956 | Salt Lake City | Utah | 4 |
Soares | Ulisses | 6 Jan 2013 | 54 | 2 Oct 1958 | São Paulo | Brazil | 3 |
Robbins | Lynn G. | 5 Apr 2014 | 61 | 27 Oct 1952 | Springville | Utah | 7 |
Gong | Gerrit W. | 6 Oct 2015 | 56 | 23 Dec 1953 | Redwood City | California | 4 |
Source: Deseret Morning News 2008 Church Almanac, 40-41,43; Mormon Newsroom
At the October 2007 General Conference of the Church, Elders Charles Didier, Merrill J. Bateman, and Robert C. Oaks were released. Called in their place were Elders Claudio R.M. Costa, Steven E. Snow, and Walter F. Gonzalez. At the solemn assembly held as part of the April 2008 General Conference, D. Todd Christofferson was released as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy and called to be an apostle. L. Whitney Clayton was called to take Elder Christofferson's place in the Presidency of the Seventy at that time.