Introduction - April 2026

 

Introduction

By President Dallin H. Oaks

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The conference we convene today is different because it begins with what we call a solemn assembly.

My dear brothers and sisters, welcome to general conference. I now address members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, numbering over 17 million worldwide, and others who are interested in the remarkable progress and inspired teachings of this Church.

Most of you know we have these general conferences twice each year. But as many of you are not aware, the conference we convene today is different because it begins with what we call a solemn assembly. For more than a century, this has been an event of great significance to members of the Church.

In a solemn assembly, we will sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, voting by quorums and groups. We do this only in the first conference where a new President and prophet of the Church has been called.

I am grateful to be among those whose leadership callings are formally recognized in this way and to express appreciation for your participation in this significant occasion.

In advance, I express our gratitude as leaders of the Church for our members’ sustaining vote, prayers, and support. We also pray for you to be guided and prospered as you continue the great service you give to the children of God throughout the world.

At this Easter season, I reaffirm our testimony of the resurrected Lord and recognize that He is the head of this Church. We pray for His blessings upon this conference and upon all of you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• According to church statsitics, the membership number has grown by about 1 million people in the last 10 years. The only year the numbers declined was during 2018-2021 where it went from 16.86 million to 16.73 million. Was this due to a declining birth rate? Increased mortality from the pandemic? Slow missionary work during the pandemic? Islam is the world's fastest growing religion, due mostly to high birth rates. Islam is the 2nd largest religion with about 2 billion members and Christianity is the largest with about 2.6 billion members. 25% of the people in the world are Christian and 25% Islam and 50% something else. What happens when the Islam numbers exceed the Christians? Do these statistics play into the Prophet's recent counsel to the young adults to get married and have children? For sisters serving missions at the same age as the boys, increaseing the odds of finding a compatible partner while on their mission? 
• Solemn assemblies are events of great significance to members. What is the great significance to you/me? The word "significant" was used twice!
• We sustain by quorums and groups. What is the significance of this? It seems it is a call to work together by these quorums/groups to build the kingdom via "The Lord's Battallion". 
• We only do this when there is a new prophet/First Presidency. We all witness to the Lord, "formally", standing where we are, by these groups that we accept the Lord's new prophet. He will hold us accountable for that sustaining vote.
• We each give a sustaining vote, and pledge to pray for and support these leaders. They also, in turn, show their support for each other. 
• They, likewise, pray for us, the general membership, to be guided and prospered "in our service". 
• He reaffirms that we are in an "Easter Season" not just an Easter Sunday or Easter week, or Easter weekend.
• He testifies the Lord is a resurrected being and that He is the head of this church. So going back to statistics...While there are 2.6 billion Christians, there are only 17 million members of the Lord's Church. We are only .2% of the population of the world, and .7% of Christians.
  
• He prays for a blessing on the conference and upon each of us. Fill in what those blessings might be...protection? revelation? eyes to see? ears to hear? 
• Since our numbers are comparatively so small, the word "remnant" came to mind. So I asked AI for a biblical estimate of what a "remnant" might be: Here is the answer:
  
  

The Bible does not provide a single, fixed mathematical percentage (e.g., "exactly 5%") that defines a "remnant." Instead, the concept is qualitative (defined by faithfulness) rather than strictly quantitative. However, several passages use specific numbers or ratios to illustrate the smallness of the group relative to the whole.

• Here are the key biblical contexts regarding the size of a remnant:

  1. The "Tenth" (10%)

  The most explicit numerical ratio used for a remnant is one-tenth.

  • Isaiah 6:13: "But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof."
    • Context: After a devastating judgment where the land is laid waste, a "tenth" remains to restart the cycle. This suggests a 10% survival rate.
  • Amos 5:3: "For thus saith the Lord; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten..."
    • Context: This reinforces the idea of a drastic reduction, leaving only a fraction (10%) of the original population.

  2. The "Few" or "Small Number"

  Many passages emphasize that the remnant is a tiny minority compared to the majority who have turned away.

  • Isaiah 10:20-22: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord... For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return..."
    • Context: The metaphor of "sand of the sea" (millions) vs. a "remnant" implies a very small percentage, likely less than 1% in the context of the total population of the time.
  • 2 Kings 19:4 / Isaiah 37:4: Referring to the "remnant that is left" after the Assyrian threat, implying only a handful survived the siege.
  • Romans 9:27: Paul quotes Isaiah, saying, "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved."
    • Context: This New Testament application suggests that even within the chosen people, the number of the truly faithful is a small fraction.

  3. The 144,000 (Literal or Symbolic?)

  • Revelation 7:4-8: Mentions "144,000" sealed from the tribes of Israel.
    • Mathematical Context: If applied literally to the ancient nation of Israel (estimated at a few million at various points), 144,000 would be roughly 3% to 5%.
    • Symbolic Context: Many theologians view this number as symbolic of "completeness" (12 tribes x 12,000) rather than a literal census count. If viewed symbolically, it represents the fullness of the faithful, regardless of the actual percentage.
  • Revelation 14:1-5: Describes this group standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion.

  4. The "Seven Thousand" (0.1% - 1%)

  • 1 Kings 19:18: God tells Elijah, "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal..."
    • Context: At a time when the Northern Kingdom of Israel had a population likely in the hundreds of thousands or low millions, 7,000 represents a tiny fraction, perhaps less than 1%. This is often cited as the classic example of a "faithful remnant" hidden within a corrupt society.

  Summary of Biblical "Remnant" Percentages

  While there is no single rule, the biblical data points to these ranges:

  • 10%: The "tenth" in Isaiah and Amos (a significant but reduced portion).
  • 1% or less: The "seven thousand" in Elijah's time or the "few" compared to the "sand of the sea."
  • Variable: The concept is flexible. In times of extreme apostasy, the remnant might be a tiny handful (e.g., Noah's family of 8 out of billions); in times of restoration, it might be a larger minority.

  Conclusion: If you are looking for a biblical precedent for a "remnant" of the 17 million (LDS) out of 2.6 billion (Christian total) or 8.2 billion (world), the closest biblical analogues are the "seven thousand" (approx. 0.1%) or the "tenth" (10%).

  • 0.21% (17 million of 8.2 billion) falls squarely within the biblical archetype of the "faithful few" or the "surviving few" described in Isaiah and Romans—a small, distinct group preserved amidst a much larger population. It is significantly smaller than the "tenth" but larger than the "seven thousand" in absolute numbers, fitting the description of a small, faithful minority 

  (End of AI summary)
• In Pres. Oaks 2004 talk as an apostle "Preparation for the Second Coming" speaking of the parable of the Ten Virgins, he says, "The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came." If you apply the 50% to the church membership, you get 8.5 million. That changes the percentage of endowed members to world population to close to .10% or 10 out of 10,000.
• My conclusion:
  1.  We have A LOT of missionary work to do on THIS side of the veil
  2.  Maybe as an endowed member who is striving to "come unto Christ" and receive a "fullness"...I'm statistically already a part of "the remnant". The greatest hurdle is to first become a member. The next bar is to be one of the "5 wise, humble virgins". The thing that could skew the statistical definition is that there are many followers of Jesus Christ that will a part of the remnant as well. 

One last AI breakdown: What are the remaining religions after Christianity and Islam?

1. Religious Unaffiliated (Atheists, Agnostics, "Nothing in Particular")

• Percentage: ~11% – 12%
• Population: ~900 million – 1 billion
• Notes: This is the third-largest "group" globally. It includes atheists, agnostics, and people who do not identify with any specific religion but may hold spiritual beliefs. This group is concentrated in China, Europe, and North America.

2. Hinduism

• Percentage: ~15%
• Population: ~1.2 billion
• Notes: The third-largest religion. The vast majority (over 90%) live in India, Nepal, and Mauritius.

3. Buddhism

• Percentage: ~7%
• Population: ~500 million – 600 million
• Notes: Concentrated primarily in East and Southeast Asia (China, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam).

4. Folk Religions (Traditional/Indigenous)

• Percentage: ~4% – 5%
• Population: ~400 million
• Notes: Includes African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions, and Australian Aboriginal religions. Many people in China and Africa practice a blend of folk traditions and major religions (like Buddhism or Christianity), which sometimes leads to double-counting in surveys, but "folk religion" is often listed separately in demographic studies.

5. Other Religions

• Percentage: ~1% – 2%
• Population: ~100 million – 150 million
• Includes:
• Sikhism: ~0.3% (~30 million)
• Judaism: ~0.2% (~15–16 million)
• Spiritism: ~0.2% (~15 million)
• Baháʼí: ~0.1% (~5–8 million)
• Jainism, Shinto, Taoism, Cao Dai, Zoroastrianism, etc.: Smaller fractions.

Here is a link to all Pres. Oaks talks from 1984 to 2026