Russell M. Nelson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Russell M. Nelson
Nelson in 2018
17th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)
Predecessor	Thomas S. Monson
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03) – January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)
Predecessor	Boyd K. Packer
Successor	Dallin H. Oaks
End reason	Became President of the Church
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 7, 1984 (1984-04-07) – January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
End reason	Became President of the Church
LDS Church Apostle
April 12, 1984 (1984-04-12) — present
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
Reason	Death of LeGrand Richards
Military career
1951–1953
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Captain
Unit	Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars	Korean War
Personal details
Born	Russell Marion Nelson (1924-09-09) September 9, 1924 (age 100) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Education	University of Utah (BA, MD) University of Minnesota (PhD)
Occupation	Cardiothoracic surgeon
Spouse(s)	Dantzel White ​ ​ (m. 1945; died 2005)​ Wendy L. Watson ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	10 (2 deceased)
Signature

Russell Marion Nelson Sr. was born on September 9, 1924. He is an American religious leader and a retired heart surgeon. He is currently the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Before becoming president, Nelson was a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for almost 34 years. From 2015 to 2018, he was the president of that group. As the church president, he is seen by members as a prophet, a person who receives messages from God.

Nelson grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. He studied at the University of Utah for his college and medical degrees. He earned his first degree in biology in 1945 and his medical degree in 1947, when he was 22. He then continued his medical training and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. There, he was part of a team that created the heart-lung machine. This machine helped with the first human open-heart surgery in 1951.

After serving in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, Nelson returned to Salt Lake City. He became a professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. For the next 29 years, he worked as a heart and chest surgeon. He became a well-known surgeon and led important medical groups like the Society for Vascular Surgery.

While working as a surgeon, Nelson also served in many leadership roles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was the church's Sunday School General President from 1971 to 1979. In 1984, Nelson and another leader, Dallin H. Oaks, were chosen to join the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Early Life and School

Russell M. Nelson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 9, 1924. His parents were Floss Edna and Marion Clavar Nelson. He had two sisters and one brother. His father worked for a newspaper and later in advertising. Even though his parents were not very active in their faith when he was young, they sent him to Sunday School. He was baptized a member of the church when he was 16.

Nelson went to LDS Business College while still in high school. He also worked as an assistant secretary at a bank. He finished high school at 16 and started at the University of Utah. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1945. He then went to the University of Utah School of Medicine. He finished his medical degree in 1947, graduating first in his class. He completed the four-year medical program in just three years.

After medical school, Nelson went to the University of Minnesota for more training. He joined a research team that was developing the heart-lung machine. This machine was very important because it helped doctors perform the first open-heart surgery on a human in 1951. Nelson earned his Ph.D. from Minnesota in 1954 for his research.

Medical Career Highlights

Nelson served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps for two years during the Korean War. He was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was part of a research group that worked to improve care for wounded soldiers. He traveled to Korea and other places to help with these improvements. He left the army as a captain. After his military service, he trained for another year at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 1955, Nelson returned to Salt Lake City and became a professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He built his own heart-lung bypass machine. He used it to perform the first open-heart surgery in the western United States. This surgery happened at Salt Lake General Hospital. Nelson was one of the first surgeons in the U.S. to successfully perform an open-heart operation. He also directed the heart surgery training program at the University of Utah.

In 1956, he performed the first successful heart surgery on a child at Salt Lake General Hospital. He was a leader in treating heart artery disease and improving valve surgeries. In 1960, he performed one of the first repairs of a specific heart valve problem. He also performed a heart valve replacement surgery on Spencer W. Kimball, who later became a president of the church. In 1985, Nelson performed a quadruple bypass surgery on a famous Chinese opera performer.

Nelson worked at the University of Utah's medical school and later had a private practice. He also led the thoracic residency program, which trained new heart surgeons. In 1965, he was offered a top job at the University of Chicago, but he decided to stay in Utah.

He became involved in managing medical organizations. He was elected president of the Utah State Medical Association. He traveled a lot as a doctor, speaking at conferences in many parts of the world. He performed nearly 7,000 operations before he was called to be an apostle in the church.

In 2015, the University of Utah and the American College of Cardiology created a special professorship in heart surgery named after Russell M. Nelson.

Church Service

Besides his medical work, Nelson served in many church leadership roles. In Minnesota, he was a Sunday School leader. In Washington D.C., he was a counselor in a local church group. In Massachusetts, he was a secretary for a youth organization.

After returning to Salt Lake City, he worked with young men in his local church group. He then served as a counselor in his local church leadership for over five years. He later became a stake president in Salt Lake City from 1964 to 1971. From 1955 to 1965, Nelson also served as a missionary at Temple Square every Thursday, giving tours to visitors.

Nelson also served for eight years as the church's Sunday School General President. During this time, the Sunday School created a new eight-year plan for studying the church's scriptures. They also changed how teachers were trained.

He later served as a regional representative for four and a half years. In this role, he helped oversee church activities in different areas.

Becoming an Apostle

Nelson was called to be an apostle by church president Spencer W. Kimball, whom he had been a personal doctor for many years. He became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1984. He was officially set apart as an apostle on April 12, 1984. At the same time, Dallin H. Oaks also became an apostle. They filled spots left open by the deaths of two other apostles. Early in his service, Nelson advised the church's Young Women organization.

In 1991, Nelson helped the church work with the Internal Revenue Service on tax matters. He also served on a committee to strengthen church members. In 1993, he represented the church at the Parliament of the World's Religions. He also worked with the U.S. State Department on religious freedom issues.

As an apostle, Nelson was responsible for overseeing the church in Africa. In 2009, he and his wife were attacked while in Mozambique. He visited Africa several other times, including Kenya in 2011.

From 2007 to 2015, Nelson was part of the governing body for the Church Educational System. After Boyd K. Packer passed away in 2015, Nelson became the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve. He was set apart as the quorum's president on July 15, 2015.

Nelson made his first international trip as quorum president to Central America in August 2015. The next month, he dedicated the renovated Aaronic Priesthood Restoration Site in Pennsylvania.

In 2016, as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Nelson said that the church's leaders had received guidance from God. This guidance required special approval before children living with same-sex parents could be baptized. In 2019, this policy was changed, and special approval was no longer needed for these baptisms.

Work in Eastern Europe

After Thomas S. Monson joined the First Presidency in 1985, Nelson was assigned to oversee the church's work in Eastern Europe. He met with government officials in countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and the Soviet Union. He worked to help the church grow and be recognized in places like Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.

In August 2010, Nelson attended the dedication of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple. He also visited several European countries, giving blessings to places like Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

In 2011, Nelson returned to Russia to organize the first church stake (a large group of congregations) in that country, located in Moscow. His only son, Russell M. Nelson Jr., had served as a missionary in Russia.

Work in Central Asia

In August 2003, Nelson became the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve to visit Kazakhstan. While there, he met with government officials and dedicated the country for the preaching of the gospel.

Work in China

When he was Sunday School General President, Nelson was encouraged to learn Chinese. He learned to speak some Mandarin. He built connections with doctors in China and made several trips there to train surgeons. In 1985, Nelson was made an honorary professor at Shandong Medical College. In 1995, Nelson visited Beijing with other church leaders at the invitation of China's Vice Premier.

President of the Church

Nelson in 2012

When Thomas S. Monson passed away on January 2, 2018, Russell M. Nelson became the next president of the church. He was officially set apart as church president on January 14, 2018. Two days later, he was introduced to church members and the media. He chose Dallin H. Oaks as his First Counselor and Henry B. Eyring as his Second Counselor.

On April 14, 2022, Nelson became the oldest president in the history of the church. On August 8, 2022, he became the oldest apostle ever.

Nelson turned 100 on September 9, 2024. The church celebrated his birthday with a worldwide broadcast showing his life and service.

Worldwide Ministry

Since becoming church president, Nelson has visited church members in many parts of the world. By August 2019, he had visited sixteen countries, speaking to thousands of members.

His first major trip as president was in April 2018. He, his wife, and Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, met with Latter-day Saints in places like London, England; Jerusalem; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Bengaluru, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; and Laie, Hawaii.

In June 2018, Nelson traveled to Alberta, Canada, where his second wife was born. He gave three talks there.

In September 2018, Nelson visited the Dominican Republic. He gave an entire talk in Spanish, which was a first for a church president in a formal setting. On the same trip, he visited Puerto Rico.

On February 10, 2019, Nelson spoke to church members in Arizona at State Farm Stadium. This event was also broadcast across the state.

On March 9, 2019, Nelson met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. This was the first time a pope and a church president had met face-to-face. The meeting happened the day before the Rome Italy Temple was dedicated.

In August 2019, Nelson visited Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil.

Changes in Church Policies

The first few months of Nelson's leadership saw many important changes in church policies. Many of these changes had been discussed before he became president.

In March 2018, the First Presidency sent a letter about preventing and responding to abuse. This letter said that no one should ever be told not to report abuse to the police. It also emphasized using counseling to help people heal from abuse. New rules were also made about interviews with women and youth. These rules said that another person should be nearby during interviews, and youth and women could have a parent or adult present. It also said that all adults should not teach classes of children or youth alone.

During the church's April general conference, Nelson appointed Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Nelson also made big changes to how the church is organized. The high priests groups in local congregations were ended. Now, all adult male priesthood holders in local congregations are part of the elders quorum. Also, the programs called "home teaching" and "visiting teaching" were replaced with a new focus on "ministering". As part of this change, young women aged 14–18 can now be assigned as ministering sisters, similar to how young men serve as ministering brothers.

In June 2018, the First Presidency celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1978 revelation. This revelation allowed all worthy members to receive priesthood and temple blessings, regardless of race. Nelson gave the closing remarks at this event. A few days before, Nelson and his counselors met with leaders of the NAACP. That same weekend, Nelson encouraged young church members to be more committed to the church. He asked them to try to avoid social media for seven days. On June 18, the First Presidency started committees to create new, unified hymnbooks and children's songbooks for the worldwide church.

In August 2018, Nelson asked members to use the church's full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In October 2018, he repeated this, saying it was a "correction" and a "command of the Lord." He said that removing the Lord's name from the Lord's Church was a "major victory for Satan."

In the October 2018 general conference, Nelson shortened Sunday church meetings from three hours to two hours. Later that month, Nelson visited five South American countries. He met with Peru's president and dedicated the Concepción Chile Temple.

In December 2018, the church changed how youth move between classes and priesthood groups. Starting in 2019, youth began moving at the beginning of the year they turn 12, 14, or 16, instead of on their actual birthday.

In April 2019, the church changed a policy from November 2015. The 2015 policy had classified same-sex married couples as apostates and required special approval for their children to be baptized. Nelson had previously said the 2015 policy was guidance from God. After the change, Nelson said it was "revelation upon revelation" and meant to "help affected families" and "reduce the hate and contention."

On April 5, 2020, Nelson issued a new statement called "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World". This statement was released on the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Temples

Nelson's time as church president has focused more on worship in the church's temples. As of October 2024, Nelson has announced 185 new temples to be built around the world. His travels have included dedicating several temples, especially the Rome Italy Temple in March 2019. All current members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles attended this dedication. This was the first time all ordained apostles of the church had gathered in one place outside the United States.

In 2018, Nelson announced 19 new temples. These included the first temples in India, Nicaragua, Russia, and Cambodia. During his visit to India in April 2018, Nelson said that he was told to announce the temple the night before general conference. With the temple in Nicaragua, Nelson kept a promise he had made to church members there six years earlier.

In October 2018, Nelson dedicated the Concepcion Chile Temple. After the Barranquilla Colombia Temple was dedicated in December 2018, Nelson led the three-day dedication services for the Rome Italy Temple in March 2019.

In April 2020, Nelson announced plans to build a temple in Shanghai, China. However, Chinese officials later said they knew nothing about the church building a temple there.

Family Life

While studying at the University of Utah, Nelson met Dantzel White (1926–2005). They dated for three years and married on August 31, 1945, in the Salt Lake Temple. They had ten children: nine daughters and one son. Dantzel White was from Perry, Utah. She first met Nelson when they were both leads in a musical at the University of Utah. In the 1950s, Dantzel was a member of the Tabernacle Choir.

Dantzel Nelson passed away suddenly at her home in Salt Lake City on February 12, 2005, at age 78. The next year, Nelson married Wendy L. Watson (born 1950) in the Salt Lake Temple on April 6, 2006. Wendy Watson was a professor at BYU before she retired in 2006. This was her first marriage.

Awards and Honors

• President of the Thoracic Surgical Directors Association
• President of the Society for Vascular Surgery (1975)
• President of the Utah State Medical Association
• Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery
• Chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association
• Chairman of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the LDS Hospital
• "Citation for International Service", American Heart Association
• "Heart of Gold Award", American Heart Association
• "Golden Plate Award", American Academy of Achievement
• "Distinguished Alumni Award", University of Utah
• "Surgical Alumnus of the Year Award", University of Minnesota Medical School
• "Governor's Medal of Science: Lifetime Achievement Award", Utah Technology Innovation Summit
• "Advocate of the Arts" award presented by the Inspirational Arts Association.
• "2023 Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize", Morehouse College

In June 2018, the University of Utah created a special professorship in heart and chest surgery named after Nelson and his first wife, Dantzel.

Honorary Degrees

Images for kids

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  Russell M. Nelson's signature

See also

In Spanish: Russell M. Nelson para niños

• Council on the Disposition of the Tithes
• Michael T. Ringwood