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The First Presidency announced an adjustment Wednesday to the structure of area presidencies that will help it and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles manage the global affairs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This is an interesting development that illustrates the church’s expansion to about 18 million members in 195 countries.
Some area presidencies will now have four members instead of the traditional three.
The announcement also stated that there are “no longer specific counselor designations.”
These adaptations, the church’s news release stated, will “increase support in area presidencies to better meet the needs of a growing church.”
New General Authority Seventies are typically called in April and begin full-time service on Aug. 1. ChurchBeat reader Don Savage pointed out to me this week that the church set a record at the April 2025 general conference for the most new General Authority Seventies called in one year, with 16.
New General Authority Seventies have served before as an additional counselor in U.S.-based area presidencies during their development or first year as a General Authority Seventy before receiving international assignments.
Again, this is a sign of a growth-fueled need.
Here’s a brief look at how senior church leaders utilize area presidencies as an extension of their direction of the church’s global affairs:
- The First Presidency oversees all of the church’s work in counsel with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
- The apostles supervise the Presidency of the Seventy, which consists of seven presidents.
- An apostle and a president of the Seventy together oversee one or more geographic areas of the church. The church has 24 areas — each with an area presidency — seven in the United States and 17 more all over the globe.
- Each area presidency reports to an apostle and member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Area presidencies generally consist of General Authority Seventies, who have left the workforce and serve full time. Some area presidencies include Area Seventies.
- The area presidencies direct the work of Area Seventies, who serve part time, usually in the region where they live, while maintaining regular employment careers.
Area presidents generally devote full-time attention to their area. Counselors can have secondary assignments, such as assignments in the Missionary Department or Temple Department for those serving at church headquarters.
This structure is biblical in nature.
In the Old Testament, the Lord instructed Moses to gather “seventy men of the elders of Israel” and “they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone,” according to the book of Numbers.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ during his ministry “appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come,” according to Luke.
In practice, Latter-day Saints are accustomed to seeing Area Seventies visit their wards and branches (congregations) and stakes and districts (regional groups of congregations).
When apostles travel the world, they often do so with the member of the Presidency of the Seventy with whom they work to lead the area they are visiting. Often a member of the area presidency joins them on visits, as do Area Seventies.
For example, when I covered the media open house for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles led journalists on tours with members of the Brazil Area Presidency and Area Seventies.
To learn more, read this story I wrote, “What exactly do members of the Presidency of the Seventy do in the Church of Jesus Christ?”
My recent stories
- Cosmo honors President Oaks after he and other BYU presidents receive prestigious award (April 14)
- Immersive new Temple Square Visitors’ Center unlike anything in church history (April 13)
About the church
- A candidate for one of Utah’s seats in Congress denigrated Latter-day Saints in past social media posts.
- The First Presidency announced three temple dedications and open houses in South and Central America. It also announced the groundbreaking date for the Missoula Montana Temple.
- One year after wildfires in Southern California, Latter-day Saints there reclaimed hope as they rededicated a meetinghouse.
- The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra will perform at the Hollywood Bowl in June. Here’s how to get tickets.
- “Music and the Spoken Word” announced a special African music program as the broadcast launches a new expansion on that continent.
What I’m reading
- In case you missed it: Elder Rasband hosted BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa and his father, Ace, at the Lindon Utah Temple open house.
- Do you know Banana Ball? It’s a barnstorming brand of entertaining baseball. Did you know four Latter-day Saints play for the team and its opponent?
- A Latter-day Saint boxer is representing her faith, family and culture in a championship fight this week.
- A secret obsession lurks in NBA locker rooms and charter flights. You might have heard of this 64‑square board game.
- I hope your tax season went well. The Athletic shows how some Major League Baseball players have to balance a stack of 25 W-2 forms each year.
Behind the scenes
On Tuesday, I covered an event where President Dallin H. Oaks was honored with other BYU presidents, past and present. After BYU’s Cosmo the Cougar mascot and national cheer champion Cougarettes performed, President Oaks invited them to come shake his hand at his table.
The Cougarettes were thrilled. “I just shook the prophet’s hand!” I heard one say to her friends.
Cosmo appeared to know a piece of President Oaks’ history.
In 1979, while serving as the university’s president, President Oaks put on the Cosmo costume and entered a BYU event anonymously. Students were astonished when he removed the head to reveal that he was inside.
At Tuesday’s dinner, Cosmo shook the church president’s hand, put both hands on his shoulders and then mimed taking off the mascot head and putting it on President Oaks.
I tried to capture the moment in a photo, all the while knowing that I was photobombing the images of those taking photos on the other side. My picture became the lead photo on my Deseret News story that night. The following day, I received an image from someone on the other side.
Here are the two images. First mine:
Sure enough on the other side, I’m too visible with my camera raised and a pen in my teeth. Thanks to Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce president Curtis Blair for sharing his image:
Blair posted about the experience on LinkedIn.
“We had the distinct honor of hosting President and Sister Oaks,” he wrote in part. “Both (were) so gracious with their time. President Oaks’ smile has a way of immediately putting you at ease, while Sister Oaks radiates a genuine love for people that you can truly feel just by being in her presence.”