Richard G. Hinckley

Richard G. Hinckley
Richard G. Hinckley
First Quorum of the Seventy
	April 2, 2005 – October 1, 2011
Called by	Gordon B. Hinckley
End reason	Granted general authority emeritus status
Emeritus General Authority
	October 1, 2011
Called by	Thomas S. Monson
Personal details
Born	Richard Gordon Hinckley; May 2, 1941 (age 78); Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Spouse(s)	Jane Freed (m. 1967)
	Biographyportal LDS Churchportal
	Biographyportal LDS Churchportal

Last updated May 14, 2019

Richard Gordon Hinckley (born May 2, 1941) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2005. In 2011, he became an emeritus general authority. He is the son of Gordon B. Hinckley, the church's fifteenth president.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a general authority is a member of the highest levels of leadership in the church who has administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church. A general authority's jurisdiction is church-wide, in contrast to the responsibilities of a local authority or an area authority, which relate to a particular area, unit, or department of the church. As a group, the general authorities are often referred to as "the Brethren". As of October 2017, there are 109 general authorities.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that is considered by its members to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16 million members and 65,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. In 2012, the National Council of Churches ranked the church as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.5 million members reported by the church, as of January 2018. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.

Emeritus, in its current usage, is an adjective used to designate a retired chairman, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person.

Early life, mission, education

Hinckley was born in Salt Lake City and was raised in East Millcreek, Utah. When Richard was 16 years old, his father was called as a general authority of the church. From 1961 to 1963, Hinckley served an LDS mission in the church's Central German Mission. While serving in Germany, his father became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Following his missionary service, Hinckley obtained a degree in economics from the University of Utah and an MBA from Stanford University.

Salt Lake City is the capital and most populous municipality of the U.S. state of Utah, and county seat of Salt Lake County. With an estimated population of 190,884 in 2014, the city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,153,340. Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,423,912. It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin.

Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the LDS Church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and community service. Mormon missionaries may serve on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the assignment, and are organized geographically into missions. The mission assignment could be to any one of the 407 missions organized worldwide.

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps, Lake Constance and the High Rhine to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

LDS Church service

Prior to his call as a general authority, Hinckley served as a bishop (twice), stake president and as a member of two other stake presidencies. Hinckley's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had also served as stake presidents. Hinckley also served as a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple. From 2001 to 2004, Hinckley was president of the church's Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. It is almost always held by one who already holds the Melchizedek priesthood office of high priest. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations, being in some respects more analogous to a pastor or parish priest. Each bishop serves with two counselors, which together form a bishopric.

A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes". A stake is sometimes referred to as a stake of Zion.

Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995, until his death. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history.

General authority

At the church's April 2005 general conference, Hinckley was accepted by the church as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. His father, who was the church's president at the time, preemptively disavowed any involvement his son's calling in a sermon given later that day:

General Conference is a gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held biannually every April and October at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. During each conference, members of the church gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to sermons from church leaders. It consists of four general sessions. Since April 2018 the priesthood session is only held during the April conference, and a General Women's Session held during October's conference.

Common consent is a democratic principle established by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith."

President of the Church (LDS Church) highest office in the LDS Church

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the President of the Church is the highest office of the church. It was the office held by Joseph Smith, the church's founder. The President of the LDS Church is the church's leader and the head of the First Presidency, the church's highest governing body. Latter-day Saints consider the president of the church to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" and refer to him as "the Prophet," a title that was originally given to Smith. When the name of the president is used by adherents, it is usually prefaced by the title "President". Russell M. Nelson has been the president since January 14, 2018.

I make it clear that I did not advance his name. That was done by others whose right it was to do so. I feel extremely sensitive about the matter of nepotism. As the lawyers say, I recused myself from participating. However, I believe he is worthy and qualified in every respect. In the first place, he had a great and wonderful mother. I wish I could recommend his father.
I mention this only because of my sensitivity concerning the matter of nepotism. Please do not hold it against him for his relationship to me. He's powerless to help it.^[1]

When Richard Hinckley delivered his first general conference address a year later, he joked that he "was likely the only General Authority in the history of the Church to be sustained by the members in spite of a disclaimer by the prophet!"^[2]

During the church's October 2011 general conference, Hinckley was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and designated as an emeritus general authority.^[3]

Family

In 1967, Hinckley married Jane Freed in the Salt Lake Temple and they are the parents of four children.

Notes

↑ Gordon B. Hinckley, "Gambling," Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Ensign , May 2005, p. 58.
↑ Richard G. Hinckley, "Repentance, a Blessing of Membership," Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Ensign , May 2006, p. 48.
↑ "Honorable releases given to 12 brethren". Church News. Deseret News Publishing Company. 1 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2011.

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References

“Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy,” Liahona , May 2005, p. 123

External links

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[1] Gordon B. Hinckley, "Gambling," Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Ensign , May 2005, p. 58.

[2] Richard G. Hinckley, "Repentance, a Blessing of Membership," Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Ensign , May 2006, p. 48.

[3] "Honorable releases given to 12 brethren". Church News. Deseret News Publishing Company. 1 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2011.