President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discussed the official name of the Church during his recent trip to several cities in Canada. Speaking in Montreal Saturday, August 18, 2018, President Nelson said he wasn’t surprised by the media’s response to a statement released August 16 by the First Presidency clarifying the Church’s official name.
“We know that it's going to be a challenge to undo tradition of more than a hundred years,” he said. “The Lord has told us what His Church shall be called. So, we're not changing names, we're correcting a name.”
President Nelson also spoke about the name of the Church with an audience in Hamilton.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Downloadable video: SOTs 1 | SOTs 2
Speaking to the media, the prophet added: “We have to be careful to protect the name ‘Mormon.’ The media will think that we are tossing it out. We aren't. We just want to be accurate. Mormon was a man. He was a prophet. He was a writer, a record keeper. We honor him and treasure the book that bears his name. We're talking about the name of the Church.”
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was traveling with President Nelson, noted the importance of taking the long view on this name adjustment. “There is such unity in the First Presidency and the Twelve on this subject. The president has spoken; the Lord has spoken to the president. And this is going to be an extended, multi‑year effort, but this will not be something that will be attempted and then pulled back on.”