When President Russell M. Nelson closed his eyes in death on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, the process for selecting his successor as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint was already in place.
In fact, the principles and procedures associated with the selection of new leader — one seen and sustained by church members as the Lord’s “prophet, seer and revelator” — had been established long before.
As a result, there was no panic or concern at church headquarters. There would be no lobbying or jockeying for position among the senior leaders. To them and to most faithful Latter-day Saints who had observed this process many times before, the selection of the new church president was already done.
President Dallin H. Oaks, the president and senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, immediately became the presiding officer of the church at the death of President Nelson. While there may be some innocent speculation or “supposing” who might lead the church among some church members and those who are not familiar with church practices, to the apostles who will join in ordaining and setting apart the new prophet-president, there is no wondering. To them, the will of God is made manifest.
It has not always been so clear cut as it is today.
In June 1844, church founder and prophet Joseph Smith, Jr was assassinated at Carthage, Illinois. This tragic event not only brought profound shock and sorrow to the Latter-day Saints, but much discussion and speculation concerning who would be the “rightful successor” to Joseph Smith.
These early Latter-day Saints had never experienced the death of a church president. No precedent had been set and no instructions as to how to proceed had been articulated.
While there is little historical evidence indicating that Joseph Smith had given much thought to who would lead the church at his death, certain revelations given to Joseph Smith concerning church organization and the duties of its leaders began to unveil “line upon line, precept upon precept, the principles of succession that guide the church today.
Development of the Quorum of the First Presidency
At the organization of the church in 1830, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who had been by the side of Joseph Smith during the foundational events leading up to the official establishment of the church, were sustained by their followers as “First Elder” and “Second Elder.”
Cowdery even held the official church position as assistant church president or, as stated in the History of the Church, “assistant-president to the High and Holy Priesthood.”
As the church grew in membership and expanded in geographical areas, it became necessary for additional leaders to be appointed to assist Joseph and Oliver in overseeing the work of the ministry of the church.
In March 1832, Joseph received a revelation from God to call “counselors” to assist in the leadership of the church (see Doctrine and Covenants section 81). This development was the precursor to the official establishment of the presiding leadership body of the church known as the First Presidency in March 1833.
In revelations given to Joseph Smith from 1832 to 1835, the role and authority of the First Presidency became more clear.
The counselors in the First Presidency “are accounted equal with [Joseph Smith] in holding the keys of this kingdom” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:6).
Two years later a subsequent revelation stated that these “three Presiding High Priests ... form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:22). These counselors were empowered to serve with full authority under the direction, but not independent of the president.
Despite these revelations, there seems to have been little known about succession in the presidency in these early years. But the Lord continued to organize the church, reveal essential doctrines, and lay the foundational principles of succession that would be needed in subsequent years.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
‘Equal in Authority’
Although it was alluded to in early revelations, it was not until February 1835 that the Quorum of Twelve Apostles was established to, as Joseph Smith taught, “hold the keys of this ministry to unlock the door of the kingdom of heaven unto all nations, and to preach the Gospel to every creature. This is the power, authority, and virtue of their apostleship,” as recorded in the Kirtland Council Minute Book.
In those developing years, the Quorum of the Twelve did not play as prominent a role in church administration as it does now.
As members of the “Traveling High Council,” they were primarily missionaries and “traveling elders” to strengthen newly established congregations. For this reason there arose questions in the minds of some as to what it meant for them to be characterized as “equal in authority” with the First Presidency (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:36-37).
But in January 1836, Joseph Smith clarified the authority of the Twelve when he declared that they stood next to the First Presidency in authority “and are not subject to any other than the First Presidency,” as recorded in the Joseph Smith Diary.
Over the next several years, the Quorum of the Twelve began to play a more prominent role in church administration.
Following the mission service of nine of apostles in Great Britain in 1840-41, the Quorum of the Twelve met more regularly with the Prophet to receive more detailed instruction in their responsibilities.
It was clear to the members of the church in Nauvoo that Joseph was giving greater visibility and authority to the Quorum of the Twelve. As the senior member of the quorum, Brigham Young was referred to as “President Young.”
When Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed, the Twelve became the presiding leadership body of the church. In the months and years after their deaths, others tried to claim the leadership of the church.
But it was clear to Brigham Young, the Twelve and the vast majority of the church members that God’s authority to lead had fallen to the Twelve and President Brigham Young.
Seniority: A governing principle
The factor that determines who presides among the Twelve and who will become the new president of the church is the principle of seniority.
In 1835, when the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was first established, seniority was arranged by the age of the members. As new apostles were called to fill vacancies in the Quorum, their seniority was determined by the date of ordination.
In 1875, President Brigham Young clarified this precedent when he declared that the order of seniority must reflect the time of continuous service. This change came as a result of Elder Orson Pratt and Elder Orson Hyde having been dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve for a period of time and then later reinstated when they returned in full fellowship to the church. The date of their reinstatement, not their original ordination, established their order of seniority in the Quorum. Thus, establishing Elder John Taylor and Elder Wilford Woodruff as the more senior.
The pattern of succession based on seniority became firmly entrenched. The senior apostle always became the president of the church.
Apostolic interregnum and reorganization of the First Presidency
In a special meeting with the Twelve in 1836, Joseph Smith taught that “where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve.”
It was understood to mean that at the death of the Prophet, the First Presidency is automatically dissolved and the Quorum of the Twelve becomes the de facto presidency of the church and the senior apostle is as much the president of the church in function and authority as when he is sustained as such in a newly organized First Presidency.
In the 19th century, due to external factors and pressing demands on the church, there were several times when the Twelve presided over the church for extended periods of time, ranging from nearly three and half years to over one year.
The period of time, whether long or short, between the death of one president of the church and the sustaining of a new prophet is known as an apostolic interregnum.
Prior to his death, President Lorenzo Snow, had received divine direction that going forward the apostolic interregnum should be brief and that the First Presidency should be reorganized in short manner. Since the succession of President Joseph F. Smith in 1901 the interregnum has been usually just a matter of days.
As the presiding officer, the President of the Twelve in consultation with the members of the Quorum determines when to reorganize the First Presidency. At that determined time, the senior apostle is set apart as the President of the Church in a newly reorganized quorum of the First Presidency. He selects counselors who are then sustained and set apart, as well as a new president of the Quorum of the Twelve.
The Solemn Assembly
Dating from Oct. 10, 1880, when Joseph Taylor was sustained to succeed Brigham Young, a solemn assembly of the body of the church has been held at a General Conference of the church.
This affords the entire church to participate in the succession process by a sustaining vote for the new First Presidency and other leaders called and set apart. This sustaining vote is not just protocol, but rather an individual, deeply personal commitment and covenant to sustain the new prophet-president and, as the scriptures ask us to “uphold” the new prophet with our “confidence, faith, and prayers” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:22).
This solemnization of the new president’s appointment not only blesses him and the other leaders of the church, but also the entire membership.
It becomes a time of collective and individual rededication to, as the Lord commanded on the day the church was organized, “give heed unto all [the Prophet’s] words and commandments, which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; for his word ye shall receive as if from mine own mouth, in patience and faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-5).