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President Jeffrey R. Holland told a great joke in the 1980s about himself and the man he succeeded as president of Brigham Young University.
“I must put down what seems to be a widespread rumor,” he said at a BYU devotional. “Unfortunately, former BYU President Dallin Oaks and I will not be presenting a live rock concert this month. We know that no other university can claim a rock group out of its last two presidents, but I’m sorry. ‘Holland Oaks’ cannot work it into their schedules this fall."
Forty years after that funny musical reference to Hall and Oates, Presidents Oaks and Holland this fall became the two senior apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Oaks, called in 1984, became the church’s senior apostle in October after the death of President Russell M. Nelson. He was sustained as the next president of the church.
President Holland, called in 1994, had been serving as what is known as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
With President Nelson’s death, he became the next senior apostle. President Holland was then sustained as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
So, what is the difference between a president of the Twelve and an acting president?
Each leads the quorum. In fact, acting presidents have led the Quorum of the Twelve for 23 of the past 30 years.
The reason is that church presidents have chosen to call the presidents of the Twelve to serve as their counselors in the First Presidency.
President Oaks served as first counselor in the First Presidency from 2018 until October 2025 while being sustained as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Since President Holland died on Dec. 27, President Henry B. Eyring, the first counselor in the First Presidency, is now the second most senior apostle.
Here is a quick look at the past 30 years of quorum leadership:
June 1994 – March 1995
President Gordon B. Hinckley is quorum president but serves in the First Presidency. President Boyd K. Packer serves as acting president.
March 1995 – February 2008
President Thomas S. Monson is quorum president but serves in the First Presidency. President Packer continues as acting president.
February 2008 – July 2015
President Packer serves as quorum president.
July 2015 – January 2018
President Nelson serves as quorum president.
January 2018 – November 2023
President Oaks is quorum president but serves in the First Presidency. President M. Russell Ballard serves as acting president.
November 2023 – September 2025
President Oaks is quorum president but serves in the First Presidency. President Holland serves as acting president.
October 2025 – December 2025
President Holland serves as quorum president.
About the church
The historian known as the founding father of the Joseph Smith Papers Project, Dean Jessee, died at age 96. Jessee’s vision in the early 1960s was to make it possible for all church members to have Joseph Smith’s personal documents in their hands. That is now the case in 27 printed volumes and online at www.JosephSmithPapers.org.
Steve Young, Marlee Matlin and others will be the keynote speakers for RootsTech 2026 in March.
Donna Marriott, who was a member of the National Advisory Council of the BYU Marriott School of Business and the International Advisory Council of BYU’s International Center for the Study of Law and Religion, died at age 90. She and her husband, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., have four children, 15 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.
Sister Darlene Thueson Tobler, wife of emeritus general authority Elder D. Lee Tobler, died at age 91
What I’m reading
Funny videos popped up about moving from distraction to devotion after a religious leader encouraged people to treated the Bible like they treat our cell phone.
Pope Leo said the “scourge of gambling” ruins families and warned against its rise.
Behind the scenes
I enjoyed seeing other apostles say there will never be another like President Jeffrey R. Holland. He definitely was special and unique. Elder Dale G. Renlund and Elder Neil L. Andersen both posted about President Holland since the last edition of ChurchBeat.