Almost three months after becoming the 18th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Dallin H. Oaks said he feels the responsibility of the “mantle of the prophet.”
“It is heavy and continuous, and it is a very holy responsibility. I am trying to grow into it,” he said during an interview Saturday, Jan. 10, in Burley, Idaho, one day before dedicating a new temple in the city.
President Oaks, 93, succeeded President Russell M. Nelson, who died Sept. 27, 2025. “I never aspired to that position. I have never had the impression that I would occupy that position.”
He found strength, he said, in knowing the Lord called and prepared him to lead the global faith of 17 million members.
“All my life I have wanted to do what my Heavenly Father wanted me to do,” he said. “I do not flinch from that responsibility.”
Sister Kristen Oaks, who sat by her husband during his interview, said that since his becoming president of the church, President Oaks is even more “diligent in what he does” and more “focused and concerned about the kingdom.”
Having served as a Latter-day Saint apostle since 1984, President Oaks said he draws from his association with eight previous presidents of the church — whom he “loved, admired and learned from.” He expressed particular appreciation for President Nelson — whom he associated with for more than 50 years.
President Oaks has continued to move forward with a pace to match the fast pace of his predecessor.
Since becoming president of the church, President Oaks has announced the creation of 55 new missions, lowered the minimum age of missionary service for women from 19 to 18, and announced the construction of a new temple in Portland, Maine.
This temple announcement, made during a devotional in the area where the temple will be constructed, sets a pattern for future temple announcements, President Oaks said. “The best place to announce a temple is in that temple district,” he said.
This came as a strong impression to him shortly after he assumed the leadership of the church, he said. Maine was the first to be announced that way, but others will follow.
The First Presidency will continue to make the decisions determining future temples, but will then “assign someone else to make the announcement in the place where the temple will be built,” he said.
Continuing a focus shared by President Nelson in his first general conference address, President Oaks asked Latter-day Saints to find and stay on the covenant path.
“Sometimes we consider the commandments of the Lord and experiences we could aspire to in this life as a checklist, and we check off different points,” he said. “I think it is much more wholesome to think of our mortal journey as a journey from birth to a return to where our Heavenly Father wants us to be.”
President Oaks spoke of a generation of young people who are sharing the message of the Church of Jesus Christ in record numbers; there are now 83,000 full-time missionaries.
Of his decision to lower the age for young women serving missions, President Oaks said it was about “increasing options” for young women.
President Oaks hopes serving missions earlier will result in young adults marrying younger. “I think it is part of the Lord’s plan to overcome the tendency of waiting until the late 20s to have a first marriage,” he said. “I think (as a result of lowering the missionary age) we will see a reduction in the age of marriages for Latter-day Saints.”
Young people can look to the future with optimism — in spite of war, political polarization and uncertainty, President Oaks said.
“Be happy,” he said. “Do not be depressed. Trust in the Lord.”
Life has always been filled with terrible challenges. “By all means, people should not be depressed because we are surrounded with challenges, whether they are economic or political or social. That is part of what we were put here to experience. … We are optimistic because we trust the Lord and know that he loves us and he set us up to succeed, not to fail.”
Latter-day Saint temples — including the new Burley Idaho Temple — are a powerful symbol of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said.
Before his death, President Nelson looked at the list of upcoming temples needing to be dedicated and asked each of his counselors in the First Presidency to choose one.
President Oaks spent five years as a child in Twin Falls, Idaho — 40 miles west of Burley — where his father was a practicing physician. His parents had friends in the community. “My earliest memories are here in southern Idaho,” he said. He chose Burley “because I associate it with my youth.”
The temple will be a blessing to Burley, as are all temples across the globe. “A temple in a community changes the community,” he said.