President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2026 general conference about creating Christ-centered unity. The following is a summary of what he said.
President Uchtdorf’s talk summary
Baptism, while an individual ordinance, is also a unifying one. “It joins us to a worldwide community of Saints. Through baptism, we become not only covenant individuals but also part of a covenant people.”
The Savior brought people together and broke down divisions and walls. He continues to invite all to come unto Him.
Satan seeks to divide. But the Savior’s work of gathering is accelerating. Members of His Church are united by love for God and neighbor. They are “one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28).
Wars and contentions between the Nephites and the Lamanites changed when Jesus Christ appeared, taught His gospel and established His Church. They became His covenant people.
The closer people become to Jesus Christ, the closer they will become to each other. “If we are not one, we are not His.” Now is the time to unify. The sacrament is also a weekly unifying experience.
“Wherever you are, I invite you to join the Christ-centered unity we are trying to build.”
“The more united in Christ we are and the more we desire to build bridges instead of walls, the more our individual lives, our families, our communities and our nations will experience God’s presence and supernal blessings.”
Notable quotes
“When we join the Church of Jesus Christ, we say — humbly, gratefully, and with quiet confidence — that we want to follow our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And we want to walk that path together.”
“In the Savior’s Church, it is not our political views, culture or personal interests that unite us. It is our love for God and neighbor — God’s children. It is our commitment to our covenants with Jesus Christ and to His restored gospel. We are ‘one in Christ.’”
“Jesus Christ has the power to change us — you and me — purify us and unite us. The closer we come to Him, the closer we will come to each other — and the closer we will come to the unity He wants for us.”
Who is President Uchtdorf?
- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 2004. He served as second counselor in the First Presidency under President Thomas S. Monson, from February 2008 to January 2018.
- From 1965 to 1996, he was a pilot, captain and corporate executive for the German airline Lufthansa.
- Twice in his life, he and his family have been refugees. When he was 4 years old, World War II forced his family from Czechoslovakia. Years later, the Uchtdorfs fled their home in East Germany in search of safety in West Germany.
- He met his wife, Sister Harriet Reich Uchtdorf, in their teens attending a branch in Frankfurt, Germany, soon after she and her family joined the Church. Years later, following Elder Uchtdorf joining the German air force and completing his training in the United States, they began a courtship and were soon married in the Swiss Temple (now the Bern Switzerland Temple) in 1962. They are the parents of two children.
What has President Uchtdorf done recently?
- In the April 2026 general conference, President Uchtdorf spoke about the messages of the empty tomb and Christ’s Resurrection.
- He dedicated the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple in June.
- In July, he met with the president of Switzerland.
- In August, he ministered in Spokane, Washington, after devastating wildfires.
- At the Provo Missionary Training Center in September, he invited missionaries to be “not weary in well-doing.”
Read more of President Uchtdorf’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X/Twitter.
