Into the Future

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are mourning the death of their president, Gordon B. Hinckley, while their top leadership begins to assemble to name his successor—which will almost certainly be Thomas S. Monson, 80. Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the church; he had served as its president since March 12, 1995. He oversaw a major global expansion of his church, and was the best traveled of its leaders.

The official title for the leader of the Mormon church is President but he is regarded as a "Prophet, Seer and Revelator." But he (and it's always a "he") is most often referred to as "prophet" or "president." Mormons believe that a prophet is God's representative on earth, and he is entitled to receive revelation on behalf of the church, much like the ancient prophets, such as Moses or Elijah. "That's the purpose of a prophet," Hinckley told NEWSWEEK in 2005. "To answer the questions of the times … The purpose of a prophet is to lead these people through the contemporary thicket through which they walk." Monson will inherit a church that is vibrant and wealthy, but that faces challenges created in part by its own success. As the presidential candidacy of LDS member Mitt Romney has shown, some Americans remain uneasy with Mormon theology and such practices as baptism for the dead and the possibility of future godhood for faithful church members. Meanwhile, the church's rapid growth abroad is creating a disparity between the makeup of its membership (almost 13 million worldwide) and its highest tier of leaders.

Compared with the process of picking a pope, choosing a new Mormon prophet is fairly routine. The top leadership of the church consists of a prophet and two counselors—called the First Presidency—and a quorum of 12 apostles. (The two counselors are usually chosen from the quorum, so technically there could be 14 apostles.) Prophets and apostles serve for life. When a prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles collectively becomes the church's ruling body until a new prophet is "sustained." The new prophet has always been the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (determined by length of service as an apostle, not date of birth). Brigham Young was the most senior of the 12 apostles when he succeeded church founder Joseph Smith Jr. Monson is currently the most senior member. This process is not prescribed in any text and it's theoretically possible that the Quorum could pick another leader.

After President Hinckley's funeral, the 14 apostles will meet on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake temple in the room where they regularly conduct church business. The vote to make Monson the next prophet has to be unanimous (as it has been in every case since the church was founded). Then President Monson will sit in a chair and the remaining 13 apostles will stand in a circle and put their hands on his head. Boyd K. Packer, the next most senior leader, will say a prayer "setting him apart" and blessing him in his new role. There's no set script; the words are supposed to come by inspiration from God. At that point Monson would officially become the new president and prophet and would name his new counselors; traditionally they have been chosen from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And since there will then be a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve, the new prophet will choose a new apostle in the next couple of months—a choice that may make an important statement about the church's future.

The transition to the new prophet is likely to be smooth. Monson has served for the last 43 years in the top tiers of church leadership and is deeply respected. (LDS prophets don't operate unilaterally: the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve work together.) In Monson's years as an apostle and counselor, he has served in roles that span the breadth of church life, including missionary work, welfare services, genealogy, education and leadership training. He is likely to continue many of the same themes of Hinckley's presidency: reaching out to members of other faiths, welcoming new converts, urging church members to reject the temptations of secular culture.

Monson was born in Salt Lake City in 1927, the second of six children. He was quickly given leadership roles within the church, often being among the youngest to have served in various positions. He became a bishop at 22, a counselor in a "stake presidency" (supervising several congregations) at 27, a mission president at 31, an apostle at 36 (the youngest in 53 years) and a counselor in the First Presidency at 58. As a bishop he presided over a congregation of nearly 1,000, which included some 85 widows and had the largest welfare load in the church. Every year at Christmastime he took a week of vacation from his job as a sales manager for the Deseret News to visit each widow and bring a present—often a hen that he had raised himself. Even after he left the office of bishop he continued to visit the widows at Christmas. He spoke at every one of their funerals. In his addresses to the church he frequently implores members to pay special attention to the lonely and the poor.