When President Russell M. Nelson closed his eyes in death on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, the process for selecting his successor as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint was already in place.

In fact, the principles and procedures associated with the selection of new leader — one seen and sustained by church members as the Lord’s “prophet, seer and revelator” — had been established long before.

As a result, there was no panic or concern at church headquarters. There would be no lobbying or jockeying for position among the senior leaders. To them and to most faithful Latter-day Saints who had observed this process many times before, the selection of the new church president was already done.

President Dallin H. Oaks, the president and senior member of the Quorum of th

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