Pres. Hinckley and Pres. Packer tell who the next prophet will be

In an April 1995 General Conference address, the newly called President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley made a statement that I have pondered over some the past few days.

With President Hunter’s passing, the First Presidency was dissolved. Brother Monson and I, who had served as his counselors, took our places in the Quorum of the Twelve, which became the presiding authority of the Church.

Three weeks ago today all of the living ordained Apostles gathered in a spirit of fasting and prayer in the upper room of the temple. Here we sang a sacred hymn and prayed together. We partook of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, renewing in that sacred, symbolic testament our covenants and our relationship with Him who is our divine Redeemer.

The presidency was then reorganized, following a precedent well established through generations of the past.

There was no campaigning, no contest, no ambition for office. It was quiet, peaceful, simple, and sacred. It was done after the pattern which the Lord Himself had put in place.

Saturday during Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral, Boyd K. Packer said the following:

Succession to the presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a remarkable process. Always the senior apostle becomes president, and the next senior apostle becomes the president of the Quorum of the twelve apostles. Outlined in the revelations are truths and instructions by which the brethren administer the church. Whatever the crisis or whatever the opportunity, the directions and guidance can be found in the verses of the scriptures. No one who has known the order of things speculates on who will be the next president of the Church. It has always been the pattern.

While on that note, I think it’s interesting to read a paragraph from the very first General Conference talk President Thomas S. Monson gave as an apostle. The year was 1963, and Monson was 36 years old.

I think of a little sister, a French-Canadian sister, whose life was changed by the missionaries as her spirit was touched as she said good-bye to me and my wife two years ago in Quebec [where Monson was a mission president]. She said, “President Monson, I may never see the prophet. I may never hear the prophet. But President, far better, now that I am a member of this Church, I can obey the prophet.”

The LDS Church is holding a press conference Monday February 4th, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. to officially announce the new first presidency. I am excited to be able to participate in the Solemn Assembly.