Introduction
We now go forward with this semiannual general conference, proceeding as planned and with speakers and music assigned by President Nelson after months of preparation.
My dear brothers and sisters, we meet as we mourn the death of our beloved President Russell M. Nelson. I speak to you as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, in which position I have already been sustained he establishes right up front his authority to lead the church as Pres. of the 12 and reminds us that he has been sustained in that position each year for over 7 years. Perhaps he's reminding us that God's house is one of order. When a prophet dies, there is no period of confusion. in each of our ward, stake, and general conferences for the past seven and a half years.
We go forward with this semiannual general conference, proceeding as planned and with speakers and music assigned by President Nelson after months of preparation. There is no hint of "I'm in charge now, so I've made these changes". He was part of the planning with Pres. Nelson and is sustaining his decisions. Any other action would be saying that he disagreed with what they've been planning. He only adds what is necessary. The only additions are this, my introductory explanation, and my speaking in place of President Nelson in the closing session on Sunday afternoon.
This is the first time in about 75 years that a Church President has died a few days before a general conference. The last one was George Albert Smith in 1951 just 2 days before. David O. McKay was sustained the final day of that same conference. That has called for us to plan how we could hold the vital leadership meetings in connection with general conference as well as the general sessions of conference, at the same time scheduling his funeral as soon as possible. President Nelson understood the value of general conference to provide direction to the Saints in the coming months. We honor him by following the planned conference schedule he approved. Pres. Nelson died 7 days before conference. I think the leadership meetings are the 2 days before, so that left only 3 days to plan and hold a funeral. Instead, the did a tribute hour 3 days before conference and the funeral was the Tuesday after conference with a viewing the day after conference. Pres Oaks made a point of saying that following the schedule Pres Nelson approved was a form of honoring him.
In this time of grief, we have already held a meeting to pay tribute to President Russell M. Nelson before our general conference meetings and then scheduled his funeral as soon as possible after conference. All of this has been done with the approval of the family of President Nelson and the Quorum of the Twelve. He wants us to know that the "church" hasn't made these decisions without input from Pres. Nelson's family. 9 days to plan and hold a funeral isn't abnormal timing. Pres. Nelson was 101. I'm sure they already had things planned and just implemented them as soon as they could while still holding conference as Pres. Nelson would have wanted.
Since all of us who have been assigned to speak in general conference would like to devote our assigned time to paying a personal tribute to President Nelson, we have therefore asked that all of our conference speakers hold any such tributes to a minimum, deferring elaborate tributes for the funeral, which we have already begun to plan. This sounds like he didn't know if people would ad lib tributes before they started their talks. You will see that very few add anything, but Pres. Oaks asks the general membership to assume they would like to say things and that it doesn't mean anything negative if they don't, since they were asked not to.
My own brief tribute—suitable to this conference and to the tributes we have already paid—is this: I loved Russell M. Nelson and have learned more about the gospel and gospel leadership from my long friendship and association with him than from any other leader I have personally known. He is our model as a servant and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Two sentences. First sentence: Expresses love and shares what he's learned from him. Second sentence: How he wants us to think of Pres. Nelson. With all the accusations of "prophet worship", Pres. Oaks affirms that that is only to hold him up as a model of how to be a servant and follower of the Lord. We can follow his example in following the Savior. We don't "follow the prophet" to follow the prophet. We follow the prophet in is example of loving, serving, and following the Lord. Pres. Oaks also learned how to lead in the church from Pres. Nelson's example, and he also increased in gospel understanding and learning from what Pres. Nelson shared through the years. We should look for the same kind of growth through Pres. Oaks. Of these things I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Summary:
- Pres. Oaks is acting in the capacity he's already been sustained as: Pres. of the Quorum of the Twelve (which is now 14)
- They didn't make changes to the conference to honor Pres. Nelson's prior planning
- First time in 75 years the prophet has died just a few days before conference.
- He asked speakers to keep their tributes to a minimum and set the example by speaking only 2 sentences in tribute.
- He learned more about the gospel and gospel leadership than from any other leader.
- He is a model as a servant and follower of Jesus Christ.
Observations:
- There is no ego in Pres. Oaks opening remarks as the soon to be official Pres. of the Church.
- He's already Pres. of the 12, which IS the Pres. of the Church upon the prophet's death.
- Without fanfare, he frames what our view should be of the past and future prophets: They are models for teaching the gospel, how to lead in the church and how to serve and follow Jesus Christ.
- Focus: Jesus Christ - follow Him, serve Him, share His gospel, build His kingdom.
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