A Life of Service and Transformation Ends
President Russell M. Nelson, the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away peacefully at his Salt Lake City home on Saturday, September 27, 2025. At 101 years old, he was the longest-living president in the church’s history. His passing marks the end of a nearly eight-year tenure characterized by vigorous global ministry, significant policy changes, and an unprecedented focus on temple construction.
Before his full-time church service, President Nelson was a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon. A pioneer in his field, he was part of the research team that developed the heart-lung machine, which made open-heart surgery possible. In 1955, he performed the first such operation in Utah and completed more than 7,000 surgeries throughout his distinguished medical career. His colleague and first counselor, President Dallin H. Oaks, remembered him as a man of “extraordinary modesty for a man of his great accomplishments” and “the gentlest and sweetest person you could ever hope to associate with.”
A Presidency of Sweeping Change
Ascending to the presidency on January 14, 2018, at the age of 93, President Nelson initiated a period of dynamic transformation for the global faith of over 17 million members. His leadership was marked by a series of rapid and impactful adjustments aimed at strengthening the church and its members. According to information from digitaltrendstoday.com, key changes during his administration included:
- Temple Expansion: He announced plans for 200 new temples, more than doubling the number of temples announced by any of his predecessors and significantly increasing their global accessibility.
- Focus on the Church’s Name: He launched a major effort to emphasize the use of the full name of the church, discouraging the use of shorthand nicknames like “Mormon” and “LDS.”
- Worship and Ministry Restructuring: Sunday services were shortened from three hours to two, coupled with the introduction of a “home-centered, church-supported” gospel curriculum. The previous home and visiting teaching programs were replaced with a more flexible “ministering” concept.
- Policy Reversals: In 2019, he reversed a controversial 2015 policy that had barred the children of LGBTQ+ couples from baptism, a move seen as a significant step toward inclusivity.
- Building Bridges: He forged a historic partnership with the NAACP to advance education and humanitarian initiatives and held a landmark meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2019.
A Global Leader and Healer
President Nelson’s tenure was defined by his energetic global outreach. He traveled to 32 countries and U.S. territories, addressing hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saints and meeting with numerous government and religious leaders. His ability to connect with people from diverse cultures, sometimes addressing them in their native languages, endeared him to members worldwide.
His background as a physician was particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. He led the church through the global crisis with a message of faith and science, repeatedly encouraging members to follow public health guidelines and get vaccinated to protect their communities.
Born in Salt Lake City on September 9, 1924, President Nelson was called to be an apostle on April 7, 1984, leaving behind his celebrated surgical career for a lifetime of church service. He is survived by his wife, Wendy L. Watson Nelson, whom he married in 2006, as well as eight of his 10 children from his first marriage to Dantzel White Nelson, who passed away in 2005. His posterity includes 57 grandchildren and more than 167 great-grandchildren.
Following church protocol, a successor is not expected to be formally named until after President Nelson’s funeral. The new president will be the longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a position currently held by President Dallin H. Oaks.
