Russell M. Nelson is poised this weekend to preside over his 15th General Conference as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A big question is whether the centenarian faith leader will do so in person.
Nelson viewed all three Saturday sessions from home. Dallin H. Oaks, his 92-year-old first counselor in the governing First Presidency and next in line to lead the church, conducted the morning meeting, followed by apostles Ulisses Soares in the afternoon and Neil L. Andersen in the evening session.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin H. Oaks enters the Conference Center for the morning session on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
For the past couple of semiannual gatherings at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City, the 100-year-old Nelson has used a wheelchair to attend a few sessions in person, while watching the remaining meetings from home. In the spring and fall of 2024, he delivered his sermons via videotape.
In autumn 2023, Nelson, the faith’s longest-living prophet-president, viewed all the sessions from home after injuring his back the previous month but again offered a recorded speech in which he urged members to “think celestial.”
The last time Nelson gave a General Conference talk live from the pulpit came two years ago, in April 2023, when he called on Latter-day Saints to be “peacemakers” in what some scholars have called his most memorable sermon ever.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A seated President Russell M. Nelson speaks at General Conference on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023. This marks the last time Nelson delivered a conference sermon from the pulpit.
No matter any health concerns, Nelson has never failed to name a slate of new temples during General Conference. Since taking the global church’s helm, he has announced more than half (185) of the faith’s 367 planned or existing temples. He is expected to add to that tally this weekend.
As the Utah-based religion leans into an enhanced pre-Easter buildup amid Christianity’s holiest season, other top church leaders will also speak, addressing members around the world via TV, radio and livestream.
Here are the latest speeches and announcements from Saturday’s three sessions:
Saturday evening
Apostle D. Todd Christofferson: What does worship mean?
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle D. Todd Christofferson speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Worshipping together as the “body of Christ” has “unique power and benefits as we teach, serve and sustain one another,” apostle D. Todd Christofferson said as Saturday’s concluding speaker. “As a community of Saints, we strengthen each other in worship and in faith.”
Expressing gratitude to God is “what infuses worship with a sense of joyful renewal as opposed to seeing it as just one more duty,” the apostle said. “True worship means loving God and yielding our will to him — the most precious gift we can offer.”
Those who reject God “as the source of truth, or disavow any accountability to him, in effect substitute themselves as their god,” he said. “One who places loyalty to a party or cause ahead of divine direction worships a false god. Even those who purport to worship God but do not keep his commandments are walking in their own way.”
Ultimately, Christofferson said, how well members live their faith “may be the best, most genuine form of worship.”
It is about “emulating the Father and the Son — cultivating their attributes and character in ourselves,” he said. “If, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then we might say, with respect to deity, emulation is the sincerest form of veneration. This suggests an active, sustained effort on our part to seek holiness.”
Indeed, he said, “true worship is transformative.”
Seventy Sergio R. Vargas: How to reach our heavenly home
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Sergio R. Vargas speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
General authority Seventy Sergio R. Vargas talked about how salmon leave rivers, grow and develop in the ocean and use a guidance system to return home to their final destination.
“We can all return one day to the heavenly home from where we came,” said Vargas, a Chilean convert who joined the church when he was 26.
To return home safely, Vargas added, it is crucial to avoid the perilous hooks of mortality by following the magnetic compass of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Just as salmon need to be nourished in the ocean to grow, we also need to nourish ourselves spiritually to avoid dying of spiritual malnutrition,” he said. “Prayer, the scriptures, the temple and our regular attendance at Sunday meetings are vital in our spiritual menu.”
Vargas counseled members to center their lives on Christ. “Doing so will help us avoid biting the hooks of temptation, offense and self-pity,” he said. “We will stand as temples; holy, firm and constant. We will weather the storms, and we will make it home, enduring to the end and rejoicing to the end.”
Seventy James R. Rasband: Find mercy in the temple
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy James R. Rasband speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
There are so many ways in which individual Latter-day Saints “can find mercy in the House of the Lord,” said general authority Seventy James R. Rasband.
This has been true, Rasband said, “since the Lord first commanded Israel to build a tabernacle and to place at its center the ‘mercy seat.’”
In Latter-day Saint temples, participants can “find mercy in the covenants” they make, he said. “…We find mercy in the opportunity to be sealed to our families for eternity. In the temple, we also come to understand with greater clarity that the creation, the fall, the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, and our ability to enter again into our Heavenly Father’s presence — every part of the plan of salvation — is a manifestation of mercy.”
Indeed, it might be said that the plan of salvation, Rasband argued, “is a plan of happiness precisely because it is a ‘plan of mercy.’”
Primary first counselor Amy Wright: Believe and follow Jesus
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the children’s Primary General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Amy A. Wright, first counselor in general presidency of the children’s Primary, pointed to the Sermon on the Mount as the most noteworthy discourse in helping followers better understand Jesus Christ and his divine attributes.
To instill children with the desire to be a disciple of Christ, Wright said, it is important to begin that instruction “in Primary as early as 18 months of age.”
Wright provided three keys to aid in that quest.
First, she said, it is vital to believe in Christ. “We exercise faith in Jesus Christ when we have an assurance that he exists, an understanding of his true character and nature, and a knowledge that we are striving to live according to his will.”
Second, Wright extolled the importance of belonging to the Savior and his church, to engage in the “covenantal responsibility” to build his kingdom and help “prepare children for a lifetime on God’s covenant path.”
Third, Wright added, members must strive to become like Jesus. She said when teaching the Savior’s youngest disciples, children, it is crucial to tell children “we love them,” which she added would also help them understand how much their Father in Heaven and Savior love them.
“Our love may comfort and inspire,” she said, “but their love can sanctify.”
Apostle Gary Stevenson: Emphasize Easter
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Gary E. Stevenson speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
In recent years, including this past February, Latter-day Saints have been encouraged to enhance their Easter celebrations.
“We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we seek to both receive and share his light,” apostle Gary E. Stevenson said. “Implicit in the name of the church is our theology of Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.”
The First Presidency has made “adjustments and enhancements” that are “designed to focus us on Jesus Christ,” he said. These include “the decision to retire the name ‘Mormon church,’ and to replace it with the [church’s] correct name”; new “Christ-themed art for display in meetinghouses”; music focused on Jesus Christ; and the celebration of Easter “as a season and not just a holiday, with an emphasis on Jesus Christ.”
While there appears to be “a growing trend among various Christian theologians to view the resurrection in figurative and symbolic terms,” Stevenson said, “we affirm our doctrine that ‘the resurrection means that all who have ever lived will be resurrected, and the resurrection is literal.’”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A combined choir from Brigham Young University sings at the evening session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Saturday afternoon
Apostle Dieter Uchtdorf: Recognizing Christ’s disciples
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
When most people experience The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the first time, “they aren’t thinking about priesthood authority or ordinances or the gathering of Israel,” apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf said. “What they’re likely to notice, above all else, is how they feel when they’re with us and how we treat each other.”
Anyone who seeks “greater faith in Christ, or a closer connection to Heavenly Father, should feel right at home in the [church],” Uchtdorf said. “Inviting them to our meetings can be as normal and natural as inviting them into our home.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostles David A. Bednar, left, and wife Susan, along with Dieter F. Uchtdorf and wife Harriet, wave as they leave the stand with their wives after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Uchtdorf acknowledged that in mortality, “we rarely get to experience the ideal.”
“What should we do when the church doesn’t feel like the ‘perfect day’? When, for whatever reason, our ward doesn’t yet nurture perfect faith or love?” he asked. “…One thing we should not do is give up on the ideal.”
While Latter-day Saints hold themselves to God’s “high standards,” Uchtdorf said, “let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true of the Kingdom of God on Earth.”
He pointed to the title page of the faith’s signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, which states: “If there are faults, they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God.”
So, Uchtdorf asked: “Can a book — or a church or a person — have ‘faults’ and ‘mistakes’ and still be the work of God?
“My answer,” he proclaimed, “is a resounding yes.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
The unity Latter-day Saints seek “is not to have everyone stand in the same place,” Uchtdorf said. “It is to have everyone face in the same direction — toward Jesus Christ.”
Church members are “one, not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become,” the popular German apostle said. “That is what Christ’s true church is all about.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Conference Center fills for the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Seventy Hans T. Boom: ‘Just carry on’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Hans T. Boom speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
General authority Seventy Hans T. Boom spoke of the strength the motto “just carry on” had lent his family in the past, allowing his and his wife’s parents to weather adversities ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to World War II concentration camps.
The Dutchman encouraged the “rising generation” to look to the example of trust in God left by “those who came before you” and encouraged listeners to leave their own legacy of faith.
“All of us,” Boom said, “whether we are the first generation in the gospel or the fifth, should ask ourselves what stories of faith, strength and celestial commitment will I pass on to the next generation?”
Apostle Dale Renlund: Differentiating ‘deceivers from disciples’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Dale G. Renlund speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Jesus taught his followers how to differentiate “deceivers from disciples,” apostle Dale G. Renlund said. “Disciples always promote believing in God, serving him and doing good. We will not be deceived when we seek and take counsel from trusted individuals who are themselves faithful disciples of the Savior.”
The distinguishing characteristic between “sheep” (those who found favor with Jesus) and “goats” (those who didn’t) was whether they “fed him when he was hungry, gave him drink when he was thirsty, housed him when he was a stranger, clothed him when he was naked, and visited him when he was sick or imprisoned.”
“Everyone was perplexed, both those on the right hand and those on the left hand,” Renlund noted. These followers asked when they had done this.
Jesus responded, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The message “is clear,” Renlund said, “when we serve others, we serve God.”
The best way to prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, he said, is to follow him “and to trust the Holy Ghost as you would a cherished friend. Rely on those who love you and who love the Savior. Seek God’s guidance to develop your unique abilities, and help others, even when it isn’t easy.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A youth choir from northern Utah sings at the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Seventy Sandino Román offers blueprint on developing trust in Jesus
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Sandino Román speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
When general authority Seventy Sandino Román was 17, he experienced a miracle.
His friend was drowning and taking him down with him. After a quick and urgent prayer by Román, however, the panicked teen felt an unseen hand propel the two terrified young men to safety.
Having faith, he explained, doesn’t just mean believing Jesus exists.
“When we have faith in Christ,” the native of Mexico said, “we recognize his blessings and develop a relationship of trust with him.” Individuals can increase that trust through making covenants, faithfulness and spending time in prayer.
“Pray to your Heavenly Father,” Román said, “as if it were the first time.”
Seventy S. Mark Palmer: There is a way back
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Some members who “once had testimonies of the gospel that were strong and vibrant … became weakened, leading to a loss of faith,” said general authority S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy. “Others hang on with the slimmest of roots, tapping into gospel soil.”
But there is always hope, the New Zealand native said, and a way to return to full participation.
“I am inspired by the stories of many who have chosen to renew their discipleship and come back to their church home,” Palmer said. “Rather than discarding their faith and belief like worthless firewood, instead they have responded to spiritual promptings and loving invitations to return.”
He invited all “who are longing for faith” to come back.
“I promise your faith can be strengthened as you once again worship with the Saints,” Palmer said, “…and can once again taste the joyous fruit of the gospel.”
Outgoing Young Men President Steven Lund offers primer on priesthood
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Young Men General President Steven J. Lund speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
In his farewell address as the leader of the global Young Men organization, Steven J. Lund focused on the role and power of the Aaronic Priesthood, believed necessary for the performance of many of the faith’s salvific ordinances.
These include the blessing of the sacrament, or communion, and baptism.
This power is referred to as the preparatory priesthood, Lund explained, partly because it allows those men who hold it to “experience the weight and joy of being on the Lord’s errand” before being called on to “minister in unforeseeable ways.”
Such future assignments could include “pronouncing inspired blessings in times when hopes and dreams, and even life and death, hang in precarious balance.”
Apostle Neil Andersen: Protecting the unborn ‘is not a political position’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Neil L. Andersen speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Protecting the unborn “is not a political position,” apostle Neil L. Andersen said. “It is a moral law confirmed by the Lord through his prophets.”
Sharing several anecdotes about couples facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, Andersen pointed to the church’s position on elective abortions.
The Utah-based faith “believes in the sanctity of human life,” Andersen quoted.
“Therefore, the church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortion.”
The apostle also mentioned the church’s “possible exceptions” that include when:
• Pregnancy results from rape or incest.
• A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.
• A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
The First Presidency goes on to say that “abortion is a most serious matter. [Even in these rare situations] it should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer.”
Andersen told of a couple whose expected baby was diagnosed with “multiple congenital heart defects, one that could be potentially fatal.”
“We saw countless doctors and specialists from 10 to 18 weeks’ gestation,” the mother wrote. “…. At each of our appointments, we were asked if we wanted to continue with the pregnancy or terminate.”
The expectant parents, Andersen said, put their faith in God and had the baby.
“They excitedly welcomed their baby girl exactly one week ago today,” the apostle said. “She is theirs, and they are hers — forever.”
The world’s “diminishing love for unborn children…is a grave concern,” Andersen concluded. “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we cherish life.”
Saturday morning
President Henry Eyring: Feeling close to the Savior
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Henry B. Eyring speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
The way to draw near to Jesus Christ is much like becoming close to friends, said Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency.
“It is what you would do if you were separated for a time from a dear friend,” said the 91-year-old Eyring, who was seated while speaking. “You would find a way to speak with them, you would cherish any message you received from them, and you would do all you could to help them. The more that happened, the longer it lasted, the deeper the bond of affection would be strengthened, and you would feel yourselves drawing ever nearer to each other. If much time passed without the cherished communication and the opportunity to help one another, the bond would weaken.”
Jesus, the church leader said, offers all humanity “the opportunity to draw closer to him.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Henry B. Eyring speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
As members “bind up the wounds of those in need, [God’]s power will sustain you. His arms will be outstretched with yours to succor and bless the children of our Heavenly Father,” Eyring said. Every covenant-servant of Jesus Christ will receive his direction as they bless and serve others for him.”
Then they will “feel his love,” he said, “and find joy in being drawn closer to him.”
Seventy Ricardo Giménez: Find a higher purpose in routine tasks
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Ricardo P. Giménez speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
General authority Seventy Ricardo P. Giménez of Chile invited listeners to “link everything we do with our love for the Savior.”
Doing so, Giménez explained, will help to transform routine box-checking into a robust spiritual life capable of tying one ever closer to Jesus.
This, in turn, he added, will enable one to filter those voices that undermine faith in the need of a restored church.
“We need more than just a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and his son,” he preached. “We require essential priesthood ordinances through which we make covenants with them.”
Apostle Quentin Cook: Look to Jesus for rescue this Easter season
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Quentin L. Cook speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Acknowledging that now is a time that “for many seems dark and dreary,” apostle Quentin L. Cook counseled listeners to turn their focus to Jesus.
Doing so, he suggested, ought to take three distinct forms:
1. Never underestimate one’s capacity to “rescue others from physical and especially spiritual challenges.”
2. Strive to “live optimistically on the sunny side of the street.”
3. Make a consistent effort to “faithfully contemplate the Savior’s Atonement.”
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” he concluded, “provides the ultimate rescue from the trials we face in this life.”
Apostle Ronald Rasband: ‘Hastening’ God’s work
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Ronald A. Rasband speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
“Hastening” means “moving quickly, accelerating and even urgency,” said apostle Ronald A. Rasband. “In the growth of the church and the plan of Christ, hastening is happening. And we are all a part of it.”
The church is growing “in members and families, missions and missionaries, meetinghouses and temples,” Rasband said, “and in enrollment in our seminaries, institutes and universities all around the world.”
The apostle said he has had “a front-row seat to the Lord ‘hastening his work.’” The church is building temples at an unprecedented pace, giving more members an opportunity to worship in what the church says is “the House of the Lord.”
“Today the church has 367 temples in various stages of design, construction or operation,” he said. “And for what purpose? …The temple opens the way to the highest blessings our Father in Heaven has for each one of us.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Young members listen to the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025. .
In 2024, 80,000 volunteers were serving in 450 missions, Rasband said, and their efforts “brought over 300,000 new members into the church.”
On top of this, educational opportunities for members are hastening, he said. “Currently more than 800,000 students worldwide are enrolled in seminary and institute, the highest enrollment in the history of the church.”
Enrollment for Brigham Young University-Pathway has “exceeded 74,000 and continues to grow rapidly,” Rasband added. “Most are members and more than a third are in Africa.”
In the church’s early days, God commanded Latter-day Saints to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith,” he said, quoting church scripture. “That is happening today.”
Relief Society General President Camille Johnson: Become whole from Jesus in this life
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Becoming spiritually whole through submission and obedience to Jesus Christ can provide strength and joy as one awaits physical and emotional healing from illness and other burdens of life.
So stressed President Camille Johnson, leader of the worldwide women’s Relief Society, in her Saturday morning address.
“He may not provide healing from illness and disease — chronic pain, autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, cancer, anxiety, depression and the like,” Johnson said. “That kind of healing is on the Lord’s time. And, in the meantime, we can choose to be made whole by exercising our faith in him.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Colette Jaussi observes the Christus statue with sons Cameron and Cayson during the Saturday morning session of General Conference at the Conference Center on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
As examples, she pointed to the apostle Paul, Mary Magdalene, the five wise virgins and others — examples, she said, of those who found wholeness in Jesus despite their worldly circumstances.
“All will be physically and emotionally healed in the resurrection,” Johnson taught, “but will you choose now to be whole in him?”
Apostle Jeffrey Holland: ‘Humility before God’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke about the “humility before God” that children express with their faith.
Why did Jesus commend children’s faith to his apostles? asked the 84-year-old Holland, who has suffered multiple health problems and addressed the global audience while sitting in a chair at the pulpit.
“It had something to do with their purity and innocence, their inborn humility, and what it could bring to our lives,” Holland explained. “…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, but for others the experience can be more superficial.”
How different the world would be, the apostle said, if it “esteemed Jesus above the level of a profane swearing streak.”
Children really do love God, and “that love can carry over into their other relationships in the playground of life,” the apostle said. “As a rule, even in their youngest years, children love so easily, forgive so readily, and laugh so delightfully, that even the coldest, hardest heart can melt.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland leaves the stand after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
New Young Men General Presidency
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Young Men General Presidency, effective Aug. 1, 2025. From left to right:David J. Wunderli, first counselor; President Timothy L. Farnes; and Sean R. Dixon, second counselor.
The church’s worldwide Young Men program welcomed a new slate of leaders Saturday, all from Utah.
They are Timothy Farnes, currently an Area Seventy in the Utah Area, as president; David Wunderli, of the Young Men general advisory council, as first counselor; and Sean Dixon, director of the Utah South Institute Region, as second counselor.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Henry B. Eyring, middle, visits with apostle Dale G. Renlund on the stand before the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025. President Dallin Oaks is at left. Church President Russell Nelson’s seat is vacant; he watched the meeting from home. .
