In his career practicing international law, Elder Edward B. Rowe and his family lived at times in areas of the world where they were likely the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They held sacrament meeting services as a family in their home years before the introduction of “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. Their worship was home-centered — complete with Sunday dress and talk assignments.
Elder Rowe recalled realizing “the only teachings that our children would receive about the gospel of Jesus Christ would be from us.”
These experiences united their family and made the gospel of Jesus Christ simple as they helped their children gain a relationship with the Savior. “Those were sacred, special times,” Elder Rowe said.
Simplicity in the gospel again comes to mind following his sustaining in April 2025 general conference as one of 16 new General Authority Seventies. Elder Rowe cited Doctrine and Covenants 1:23, which states, “That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”
“I guess if the qualification for this calling is to be weak and simple, then I might just somehow be qualified, because we certainly feel that,” he said. “But we know that it’s the Lord’s work, that Jesus Christ has all power and that His purposes will be fulfilled.”
Foundation of testimony, deep conversion
Edward Butler Rowe was born on April 23, 1967, in Provo, Utah, the fourth of six children of Fred Ares and Sherrel Butler Rowe.
His parents were committed to consistently holding family prayer, scripture study and home evenings despite many times the lessons being disrupted by him and his brother misbehaving. Yet his parents never quit holding them. “There must have been hundreds of family home evenings,” Elder Rowe said, “but of all those, I only remember one that was taught, but that was the foundation for my testimony.”
In this home evening lesson, his parents taught about the eternal truths in the plan of salvation. He said: “When they taught us about Heavenly Father being our Father, our literal Father of our spirits, and Jesus Christ coming to the earth to save us and redeem us by atoning for our sins and being resurrected, I felt the Holy Ghost.
“I felt it in a way that I can remember as if I were there today sitting on the green-shag carpet in my home.” He is grateful that his parents persevered even when they had reason to quit.
In 1986, Elder Rowe was called to serve in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission. “I had a testimony, but my deep conversion happened as a missionary,” he recalled. “I really came to know the Savior and understand the joy of giving yourself to Him and seeing what happens when people embrace the gospel.”
Having grown up involved in a number of sports, especially football, he had thought the greatest feeling in the world was scoring a touchdown. But he found an even better feeling: “being with somebody when they felt the Holy Ghost and accepted the invitation to act in faith, and then seeing the miracle of conversion that happens because of that,” he said.
In that moment, while silently praying or kneeling with them in prayer, Elder Rowe said, “when the Spirit came and testified to them, I was blown away. That was the greatest experience I’d ever felt in my life. And to be a part of that, I just felt so blessed. It changed my life.”
Following his mission, Elder Rowe attended Brigham Young University, where his high school sweetheart, Brooke Francis, was also attending, studying elementary education. The two had dated in high school and wrote to each other during his missionary service.
“From the very first time I was with her, I knew I was home,” Elder Rowe said. “I’ve felt that same feeling ever since — even today. …
“She’s been the greatest blessing and influence in my life. If you were to go to Moroni and read the definition of charity, that would be describing Brooke.”
“Understanding to ask the right questions was very valuable to me. ... I learned that the source of truth is from God and not from man.”
— Elder Edward B. Rowe, General Authority Seventy
Of her husband, Sister Rowe said: “He has always had a lot of integrity to just do what was right and not worry about consequences, and that really attracted me to him. … And he always pointed me to the Savior, and I knew I could trust him and trust the Lord.”
“And it helped that she had bad eyesight,” Elder Rowe quipped. “So yeah, that was in my favor.”
They were married in January 1989 in the Salt Lake Temple. Today they are the parents of five children and live in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Elder Rowe earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at BYU. These classes taught him the importance of “asking the right questions.”
What makes a question the right question? Elder Rowe said, “For me, what makes the right question is to have real intent when you ask it.” That means in part, he said, “that you’re willing to accept what is the true answer and be true to that answer.”
Elder Rowe also said that “understanding to ask the right questions was very valuable to me. And then, gratefully, I learned that the source of truth is from God and not from man.”
Raising a family around the world
Following his graduation from BYU, Elder Rowe earned a master’s degree in public policy and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago. His career in international law soon began, taking the Rowe family back and forth between Washington, D.C., and various countries overseas to live, including in Africa, Eurasia and Europe. Elder Rowe also worked in the Middle East.
His decision to study law was influenced by his missionary service, meeting people from nearly every country in South and Central America while serving in Florida. He said, “My mission opened up the world of people from other places, and so I think I had a real desire to try and engage in the world in a way that would be meaningful.”
Elder Rowe’s career resolving international disputes and often representing foreign governments meant moving the family to live overseas for years at a time, often in the developing world.
Sister Rowe said it was “not easy” for their children, “but they supported their dad in all of these work assignments, and they went with great faith. And that was not easy at their young ages.”
In 2011, Elder and Sister Rowe were called to serve as leaders of what is now called the Adriatic North Mission. The area consisted of Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, then later Bosnia and Montenegro. “Those countries had experienced a very difficult war in the ’90s — very tragic on all sides,” Elder Rowe said. “And so to see how the gospel heals people and to see how faith can replace fear was an incredible thing.”
The family, with children ages 6 to 15, was living in Brussels, Belgium, at the time of their call. Their two oldest sons, David and Connor, had been anticipating living in a place where they could attend high school, play sports and not be the only Latter-day Saint youth in their area. So when their parents’ call came, “At first, they slumped against the wall and cried,” Elder Rowe said.
But then, he recounted with emotion thick in his voice, “I remember Connor saying to me the next day, ‘Dad, I’ve got your back.’ That’s why our children are our heroes.”
Goodness of humankind
From living in different countries around the world, Elder Rowe said, he has learned “how good people are. There are so many good people in the world … who love God and are trying to live good lives, build families and love their neighbors. And also extraordinary people who will go to great lengths to try to serve others.”
In every nation, kindred, tongue and people, God deeply loves all of His children, Elder Rowe said. “They are all children of our Heavenly Father. And that makes us all brothers and sisters. It’s a beautiful thing.”
A scripture that has proven meaningful to Elder Rowe is Proverbs 3:5-6, which states: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Elder Rowe said that sometimes the path can feel lonely or it doesn’t seem to have the best illumination. But, he said, “I’ve seen it time and time again, things work out and even better than they ever could have been expected to.”
In the last six years, he’s worked as CEO of The Stirling Foundation, “which has been focused on humanitarian work, international development and interfaith and building bridges among people,” he said. This opportunity has taken the Rowes back to many of the countries they’ve lived in before, as well as other countries including those in conflict or recently in a conflict.
“What’s remarkable, again, through that experience is to see how God inspires and touches people to rise up and care for those in need,” Elder Rowe said.
While working in one country in Africa, he noticed that much of what was done in terms of humanitarian and development work, as well as work to improve the peace and stability of society, was done by women. When he asked a woman who was head of one such organization why that was, without hesitation, she said, “Because we are mothers.”
“We’ve grown to appreciate so many people that we’ve met who have responded to that call, that feeling from our Heavenly Father to love their neighbors,” Elder Rowe said.
Whether they are members of various Christian faiths, are Muslim, or of other faiths, these people are equally motivated by their love of God, he added, calling it “a good reminder of the goodness of mankind, of men and women.”
About Elder Edward B. Rowe
Family: Edward Butler Rowe was born on April 23, 1967, in Provo, Utah, to Fred Ares and Sherrel Butler Rowe. He married Brooke Francis Rowe on Jan. 3, 1989, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of five children.
Education: Earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Brigham Young University, then earned a master’s degree in public policy and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago.
Employment: Practiced international law for many years as a partner in law firms in Washington, D.C., and overseas; has been CEO of The Stirling Foundation since 2019.
Church service: Was serving as an Area Seventy in the Utah Area at the time of his call; is a former Adriatic North Mission president, stake Young Men president, bishop, elders quorum president and full-time missionary in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission.
