President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, was born in American Fork, Utah, on Jan. 24, 1945. He graduated from high school in New Jersey, and he earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from Duke University. He served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica from 1972 to 1974 during the trials and other proceedings known as Watergate.
As a young man, President Christofferson served a full-time mission in Argentina. He met Kathy Jacob at a BYU football game, where she was on the Cougarette dance team and he was helping with crowd control, and they were married within a year. They have five children.
Prior to being named to the First Presidency, President Christofferson had served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since April 2008 general conference. He also served in the Presidency of the Seventy, as executive director of the Family and Church History Department and as president of the Mexico South Area. He was called as a General Authority Seventy in 1993 and has also been a bishop and a stake president.
In honor of his 81st birthday, here are nine quotes from President Christofferson from the past year.
1. Perfect love
“I want to remind all of us that our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, love us perfectly. And because They love us perfectly, They want us to become like Them and experience the exquisite joy that They experience. They know what it requires. They know how to help us achieve it.”
— Worldwide discussion for youth, Jan. 18, 2026
2. Divine design
“I cannot say, but surely it is by divine design that the Son of God lived a life and performed a ministry that not merely tell us but show us the way of discipleship, the way to God. … He not only taught but demonstrated what it means to walk the covenant path.”
— BYU devotional, Dec. 2, 2025
3. Have confidence and trust
“I bless you that it will be your testimony and that you will feel the love and know of His concern and care for you — that you are the sheep of His fold and you can have total confidence and trust in the resurrected Lord, His Church, His word and His Second Coming.”
— Ministry in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 18-19, 2025
4. The Prophet is called of God
“I bear witness as one who has been part of the process that he is called of God in this current position, this weighty responsibility. My prayers, my wife’s prayers are with yours for him in his success and the Lord’s constant blessings upon him.”
— First Presidency’s opening address, Oct. 14, 2025
5. Looking to God
“In looking to God, we can find peace in difficulty and our faith can continue to grow even in times of doubt and spiritual challenge.”
— “Look to God and Live,” October 2025 general conference
6. How the Savior taught
“Consider how the Savior engaged people and invited them to exercise their own moral agency, to learn and apply gospel truth. Jesus did not just tell His hearers what they should do, nor did He do everything for them. He taught in ways that required them to think, participate, discuss and apply His teachings.”
— Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 19, 2025
7. Agency and ownership
“It is essential that we teach in a way that invites students to exercise their agency in the learning process. We want to help them become active participants in the process and take responsibility for their own learning. Activating students’ agency to take personal ownership in learning has implications for the development of lasting belief and testimony. It is in so doing that they can become active and lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.”
— Address to Religious Educators Conference, June 12, 2025
8. Sharing love for the Savior’s gospel
“Sharing our love for the Savior’s gospel can bring joy, both to ourselves and others, as well as the Savior Himself. It protects us from temptation, provides healing and forgiveness of sins.”
— Countrywide devotional in Mexico, May 25, 2025
9. Receive, yield, emulate
“May we receive the Holy Spirit and yield our hearts to God, have no other gods before Him and as disciples of Jesus Christ emulate His character in our own lives. I testify that as we do, we will experience joy in worship.”
