Is there anything interesting about these three individuals? By which I mean, for example, anything about them being selected which in any way signals anything about directions the church could move in or anything like that?
Maybe it’s a ‘Buggin’s Turn’ kind of thing; hang in there long enough and you move up to being an Apostle of The Lord.
Well, in the article’s cover photo, two of them appear to be holding hands, so maybe this portends a radical and utterly unexpected shift in the direction of LGBT friendliness.
Other than that, I got nothin’. I’ve been out so long that none of their names even ring a bell to me.
Sincerely,
OneCentStamp
Baptized 1981
Missionary 1992-94
Out 2005
Formally Resigned 2010
Three more 60-something white guys from with professional backgrounds and long-term church leadership in the ranks just below the 12. Some people were hoping for diversity but you won’t find it here.
None of the three have much chance of ever becoming the prophet much before they are senile, as the current president may be, if wild rumors are to be believed. Once an apostle, it’s a matter of waiting a long time for everyone above you to die. Considering that the sixth most senior is in his 60s, the same age as these guys, the odds of any of them becoming the top guy are slim.
The system breeds conformity and loyalty. With thousands of lay members in middle management roles, they can be very selective about bringing in loyal, conforming members into the upper levels, then watch them for 15 to 20 years to ensure there are no surprises.
This is a great point. It’s such a tightly controlled and relatively small group at the levels right below the top, and the succession process is so clearly defined, that you never get a situation like the RCC, where every time a Pope dies (or steps down) there’s first, “OK, here are the likely candidates for next Pope. What do we know about them?” and then “OK, this guy is the new Pope. What’s likely to change now?” In the LDS Church, it really is just a process of replacing worn-out parts.
Yes, it’s completely different from the RCC, for a number of reasons. The biggest is that, unlike with the selection process for pope, the new prophet is always the senior most member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Picking someone new for the Quorum now to hope for changes in 30 years is pretty much meaningless.
The new members usually come from the ranks of 80-something other members of the General Authorities, white men in their 50s and 60s working in the same headquarters as the current top guys. Vacancies in the General Authorities slots are usually filled by area authorities, mostly white men in their 50s and 60s.
John Delhin, the founder of Mormon Stories podcast who was famously excommunicated this year, at one time was working on a software project for the church which tracked potential candidates for General Authority slots from lower middle management days.
What this all means is that by the time someone is selected as a new apostle, they’ve been vetted for 30 years. There are no surprises.