Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from April 2026 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “About His Business”
- Elder Patrick Kearon | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Saturday morning session of April 2026 general conference.
- Theme: Callings are from the Lord and give the opportunity to join Him in His redeeming work.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Kearon’s message here.
Outline
- When Elder Kearon joined the Church, members of his congregation welcomed him with a raised hand in sacrament meeting. He received a calling as assistant ward clerk a week later.
- With each calling he received, he saw power and purpose. He also happily sustained and supported others in their callings.
Common consent
- “Common consent” is the term used for sustaining those called to serve with the raising of the right hand. It’s a voluntary, personal commitment to support, uphold and help those called, with love, prayers, patience and faith.
- Callings afford all the opportunity to pursue Christ and His virtues — like charity, humility, meekness, forgiveness and love — while working with different people. Some callings are highly stretching and require great faith and trust in the Lord.
- Some in exceptional circumstances are unable to respond to a calling at a given time, but through prayer the Lord can help them know when the time is right to serve again.
- When Jesus called fishermen to be His apostles, they dropped their nets and followed with faith. Serving in a calling is an offering to God and a blessing.
Solemn assembly
- Church President Dallin H. Oaks was sustained as the Lord’s Prophet in the April 2026 general conference. It was a position he didn’t seek or aspire to, but his whole soul responds to the call as he trusts in the Lord’s guiding hand.
- Solemn assemblies are sacred gatherings intended for a holy purpose, like sustaining a new prophet. Members of the Church gathered at the start of the conference to exercise common consent and signify their willingness to uphold President Oaks as Prophet.
About His business
- Every calling is the Lord’s business, which is the opportunity to join the Savior in His infinite, redeeming work.
Reflection questions
When did someone support you in a calling with love, prayers, patience and faith? What difference did it make?
Have you ever received a calling you felt inadequate to accept? How did you respond to the call to serve, and what did you learn?
How can we recognize that callings are “tailor-made for our growth”?
What thoughts came to mind when you participated in the solemn assembly in the April 2026 general conference?
Who’s someone in your congregation you can “sustain” in their calling? How will you support them?
Speaker quotes
- “Common consent is not a mere formality but a beautiful mix of our agency, unity and faith. It is a voluntary, personal commitment to support, uphold and help the Lord’s called servants in their responsibility.”
- “I have learned over and over again that — whatever our offering — in the Lord’s economy we always come out ahead.”
- “While today is certainly solemn in purpose, it is also a day full of gratitude and rejoicing at the opportunity for the whole Church to come together and exercise common consent. We have signified our willingness to uphold President Oaks with our confidence, faith and prayers.”
Reference scriptures
- “For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith.”
- “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
- “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Invitations and promises
- “We sustain each other with our prayers, our love, our patience and our faith. Will we always agree with those we are invited to sustain? Will we always think they are doing a good job and serving as the Savior would? Perhaps not, and we might be right, but as we pray for them and they for us, important bridges of unity are built.”
- “Callings from the Lord are tailor-made for our growth, as we humble ourselves, look outward and learn that, indeed, when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in fact in the service of our God.”
- “Every calling, whatever it may be, is ‘His business’ when embraced with a humble and willing heart and a desire to lift and comfort His children and share His good news.”
Stories
- As a young adult, Elder Kearon joined the Church and received a calling early on as an assistant ward clerk. He felt supported by his ward family’s sustaining vote. The bishop later explained that he had felt prompted by the Lord to extend callings that would be stretching. With experience and guidance as an assistant ward clerk and other callings, Elder Kearon came to understand the bishop’s inspiration.
- When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow Him, they dropped their nets immediately (see Matthew 4:18–22). Even with all they saw, felt and experienced, those first disciples needed invitations and reminders from Jesus to feed His sheep (see John 21:1–17).
- President Dallin H. Oaks was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from an illustrious yet modest life. Now he serves as Prophet, a position he didn’t seek or aspire to, but his whole soul responds to the call as he trusts in the Lord’s guiding hand.
From the footnotes
- 7. President Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “Be kind regarding human frailty — your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work. As one gifted writer has suggested, when the infinite fullness is poured forth, it is not the oil’s fault if there is some loss because finite vessels can’t quite contain it all. Those finite vessels include you and me, so be patient and kind and forgiving” (“Lord, I Believe,” April 2013 general conference).
- 16. “Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow. The Lord organized the Church in a way that offers each member an opportunity for service, which, in turn, leads to personal spiritual growth. Whatever your calling, I urge you to see it as an opportunity not only to strengthen and bless others but also to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lift Where You Stand,” October 2008 general conference).
- 20. The Old Testament records how solemn assemblies were a prominent part of worship among the Israelites and were a time of fasting and prayer to the Lord (see Leviticus 23:36; Numbers 29:35; Joel 1:14).
Additional resources
- Related image: “Calling of the Fishermen (Christ Calling Peter and Andrew)” by Harry Anderson
- Related video: “Luke 2: Young Jesus Teaches in the Temple”
- Related hymn: No. 249, “Called To Serve”
Recent conference talks on callings
- Elder James E. Evanson: “Go and Do Likewise” (October 2025)
- Elder Aroldo B. Cavalcante: “The Wind Did Never Cease To Blow” (October 2024)
- Elder Steven R. Bangerter: “Foreordained To Serve” (April 2024)
Who is Elder Kearon?
- Elder Patrick Kearon was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Dec. 7, 2023. At the time of his call, he was serving as the senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Kearon was born in Carlisle, England.
