“As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress”, said President Russell M. Nelson at the April 2025 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held 5-6 April 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
| President Russell M. Nelson (center) with his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks (left) and President Henry B. Eyring (right), prior to the Sunday afternoon session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 6, 2025. 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 5 |
President Nelson announced the construction of 15 new temples, bringing the total number of temples announced, under construction or operating to 382. The temples will be built in the following locations:
- Reynosa, Mexico
- Chorrillos, Peru
- Rivera, Uruguay
- Campo Grande, Brazil
- Porto, Portugal
- Uyo, Nigeria
- San Jose del Monte, Philippines
- Nouméa, New Caledonia
- Liverpool, Australia
- Caldwell, Idaho, United States of America
- Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
- Rapid City, South Dakota, United States of America
- Greenville, South Carolina, United States of America
- Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
- Spanish Fork, Utah, United States of America
The General Conference of the Church is a global event that reaches members and interested individuals worldwide. It takes place in the first weekend of April and October and the five sessions are streamed and broadcast live to many nations in the world. In total the materials of the conference are done in more than 100 languages.
At the opening session, President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of the Church, announced 16 new General Authority Seventies and a new Young Men General Presidency. President Oaks also announced that Elder Kevin R. Duncan has been called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy, effective August 1, 2025. He will replace Elder José A. Teixeira, who has served in the presidency since 2018.
One of the 16 new General Authority Seventies called is Michael Cziesla, from Darmstadt, Germany. He is married to Margret Anne Rauh, and they are the parents of five children. General Authority Seventies are Church leaders called by the First Presidency to be “especial witnesses” and to assist in “building up the church and regulating all the affairs” and “preaching and administering the gospel” throughout the world. They act under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In the Leadership Session that was held on Thursday, 3 April 2025, 78 new Area Seventies were announced, among them Matthias A. Frost, from Heidelberg, Germany and Samuel López, from Spain, currently living in Karben, Germany. They will start serving in the Europe Central Area from 1 August 2025.
President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, talked about the virtues of children and youth and their pure love for the Jesus Christ. “Is there anything sweeter, more pure or more humble than a child at prayer? It is as if heaven is in the room. God and Christ are so real to them,” said the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson shared stories of women in the Bible and spoke about the role of faith in becoming “whole.” “Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can seek to be spiritually whole while we wait and hope for physical and emotional healing,” she said.
In the afternoon session, Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke about protecting life, especially the unborn. “Nurturing and protecting life that is yet unborn is not a political position. It is a moral law confirmed by the Lord through His prophets”, he said.
During the Saturday evening session of April 2025 general conference, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited all to make Jesus Christ the center of their lives and Easter celebrations.
“Christ is at the center of His Church and should be at the center of our lives,” he taught, adding, “I testify that all who accept the invitations from our living prophet and his counselors to more intentionally commemorate the holy events that Easter represents will find that their bond with Jesus Christ grows ever stronger.”
“God provides mortal gifts and protections for His children that help them make righteous choices”, taught President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, at the Sunday morning session concluded. In addition to commandments, ordinances, covenants and the Holy Ghost, he said that “by far God’s strongest mortal help was His provision of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would suffer to pay the price and provide forgiveness for repented sins.”
Elder David A. Bednar, who recently paid a visit to a few European countries, spoke about Joseph Smith’s “miraculous experiences” that led to the Church’s formal organization 195 years ago. Elder Bednar highlighted the role prayer plays. “As you pray earnestly with the expectation to both receive and act upon an answer from God, as did young Joseph Smith, your capacity to recognize and respond to that divine witness will be increased,” he said.
At the closing session of conference, on Sunday afternoon, Elder Ulisses Soares shared the importance of worshipping God and respect His commandments. “Reverence for sacred things is the greatest manifestation of a vital spiritual quality; it is a byproduct of our connection to holiness and reflects our love for and proximity to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ”.
President Nelson, in his concluding remarks that ended the conference, said that “regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both charity and virtue. Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ”, he concluded.