Notable quotes:
President Nelson spoke Sunday morning in the October 2018 general conference about the name of the Church:
"To remove the Lord's name from the Lord's Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior's name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us — even His Atonement.""Taking the Savior’s name upon us includes declaring and witnessing to others — through our actions and our words — that Jesus is the Christ.""In this crucial matter, we look to Him whose Church this is and acknowledge that the Lord's ways are not, and never will be, man's ways."
Talk summary:
Regarding a statement in August of a ‘course correction’ for the name of the Church, “I did this because the Lord impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He decreed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
The effort is not a name change, not rebranding, not cosmetic, not a whim and not inconsequential. Rather, it is a correction and the command of the Lord.
“Thus, the name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be, and even precedes His declaration with, 'Thus shall my church be called,’ He is serious. And if we allow nicknames to be used and adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended.”
Jesus Christ directed that the Church be called by His name “because it is His Church, filled with His power.”
Promised blessings:
President Nelson promised blessings to members if they strive to correctly use the name of the Church:
"If someone should ask, 'Are you a Mormon?' you could reply, 'If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!'
"If someone asks, 'Are you a Latter-day Saint?' you might respond, 'Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church.'
"My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord's Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord."
Speaker snapshot:
President Russell M. Nelson became the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in January 2018.He was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for 34 years.He received both his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of UtahHe received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.A renowned surgeon, President Nelson assisted on the first ever human open-heart surgery.President Nelson has held several research and director positions, including director of the thoracic surgery residency at the University of Utah.The University of Utah honored President Nelson in June 2018 with an endowed chair in surgery.He and his late wife, Sister Dantzel Nelson, who died in February 2005, have 10 children, 57 grandchildren, and 119 great-grandchildren.He married Sister Wendy Watson Nelson , a marriage and family therapist, in 2006.
On the Web:
Elder Nelson is active on Facebook and Twitter.Read a post on his Facebook account about coming back to the covenant path:
This tweet from President Nelson’s account talks about the value of doing spiritual work in order to have the Holy Ghost with us.
The importance of women:
As a father of nine girls (and one son), President Nelson often addresses his talks to women and discusses the sacred role of motherhood. Here are a few:Elder Russell M. Nelson: Honoring women is sacred dutyPresident Russell M. Nelson: 'A Plea to My Sisters'10 responses on how President Nelson's devotional inspired LDS young women
Staying close to God:
Since becoming President of the Church, President Nelson has emphasized the importance of personal revelation in today’s world.He also extended a challenge to members of the Church to engage in a 7-day social media fast to increase their spiritual capacity.
Fun Facts:
In September, President Nelson addressed more than 49,000 Church members at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington.He celebrated his 94th birthday last month. Here are 31 unique photos celebrating his life.He released a statement in August 2018 asking members to start referring to the Church as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.President Nelson recently visited Jerusalem for his worldwide tour and spoke about being a witness of Christ. Watch the video here:
