President Russell M. Nelson set apart Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on Wednesday as the new acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Holland, 82, succeeds President M. Russell Ballard, who died on Sunday at age 95. The church announced the change on Thursday afternoon.
Latter-day Saints believe the church is the restored Church of Jesus Christ, complete with prophets and apostles. President Nelson, as the senior apostle by service time, is the church’s president. President Dallin H. Oaks, as the next most-senior apostle, is the quorum president but serving as first counselor in the First Presidency.
The calling of President Holland, who follows President Oaks in seniority, follows church practice in appointing an acting president of the quorum when the senior member is serving as a counselor in the First Presidency.
President Holland becomes the seventh official acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve since the church’s founding in 1830.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is the second-highest presiding body in church leadership.
According to the Bible and other Latter-day Saint scripture, the primary responsibility of apostles is to be special witnesses of the name of Christ throughout the world. Apostles also have significant administrative responsibilities in overseeing the operation and development of a global church.
The Quorum of the Twelve serve under the direction of the First Presidency, which includes the church president and two counselors.
As acting president of the quorum, President Holland is responsible for conducting weekly quorum meetings, acting as liaison with the First Presidency and Presidency of the Seventy and for assigning the other 11 apostles in the quorum to travel the world to preach the gospel, represent the church, oversee area presidencies and organize and reorganize stakes.
President Holland has served as an apostle since he was called and set apart on June 23, 1994, by late church President Howard W. Hunter. President Holland had served for five years as a General Authority Seventy.
President Holland is also the past president of Brigham Young University, a role he held for nine years from 1980-89.
Prior to that, he had served four years as the commissioner of the Church Educational System.
Born and raised in St. George, Utah, President Holland served as a missionary in England and then graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in English and later, a master’s degree in religious education. He then attended Yale, where he earned another master’s and a doctoral degree in American Studies.
President Holland has faced significant health challenges this year.
In the spring, he and his wife, Sister Holland, watched the church’s April general conference from home while recovering from COVID-19.
Days later, President Holland stepped away from quorum assignments to begin dialysis treatments. He returned to meetings and assignments two months later.
Sister Holland died in July.
President Holland was hospitalized for five weeks in late summer but has returned to service.
Last month, President Holland attended the funeral of Sister Kathleen Eyring.
The office of acting president of the Twelve was created in 1918, when Rudger Clawson was called to the role while Anthon H. Lund served as a counselor in the First Presidency.
The other previous acting presidents of the Twelve were Joseph Fielding Smith, Spencer W. Kimball, Howard W. Hunter, Boyd K. Packer and President Ballard.