Since President Russell M. Nelson’s passing this week, I have been reflecting on the life of this great man. His love and wisdom have filled our lives and caused us to look forward to each general conference in anticipation of his next message and list of temple announcements. In his seven years and eight months as President, he has had an outsized impact on the Church and the world.  There are many things that I will remember about him, but most of all, I will remember his deep faith and confidence in the Lord. He has inspired me to attend the temple more frequently and to keep striving to be the best I can be.

This edition of General Conference by the Numbers examines some of President Nelson’s teachings and accomplishments.

As a speaker in general conference, President Nelson gave 112 talks and participated in 83 conferences. Here is a portion of his speaker profile from searchgeneralconference.com1:

President Russell M. Nelson speaks at the pulpit during general conference, sharing inspired messages on the covenant path, temple work, and gathering Israel.

Here are the verses that he most frequently referenced:

A data table compares top Latter-day Saint leaders by number of general conference talks, scripture references, and use of specific scriptures.

President Nelson’s 112 conference talks are the 3rd most of any speaker. His 6,726 scripture references are the most of any speaker by a large margin, as shown in the following table:

Chart showing the verses most referenced by President Russell M. Nelson in his general conference talks, emphasizing eternal life and the plan of salvation.

Gathering Israel on both sides of the veil

Throughout his service as a general authority, President Nelson taught the importance of the gathering of Israel.  The following chart shows that 17% of all conference talks given in the Nelson era mentioned the gathering of Israel.

Overview of President Nelson’s general conference statistics, including number of talks, scripture references, and key topics.

Perhaps his most eloquent explanation of the gathering was in Let God Prevail when he said:

The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives.

For centuries, prophets have foretold this gathering, and it is happening right now! As an essential prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord, it is the most important work in the world!

Unique to President Nelson was his emphasis on gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.  Borrowing the phrase from President Ezra Taft Benson, President Nelson enthusiastically taught that the gathering is taking place on both sides of the veil.  This helps everyone to understand that you can participate in the gathering by doing missionary work, family history work and temple work.  As a result of his effort, many general authorities are now also teaching this concept.  The phrase ‘both sides of the veil’ was spoken in 9% of all conference talks in the Nelson era as shown in the following chart:

Bar graph illustrating how often talks in each prophetic era mention gathering Israel, with President Nelson’s era showing the highest frequency.

Temples

Throughout his time as a general authority, President Nelson consistently emphasized the making and keeping of sacred covenants.  In his October 2021 general conference address, The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, President Nelson discussed the importance of the temple in the tumultuous times that we live in.

During his presidency, President Nelson announced 200 new temples – an astonishing 26 per year.  Since the time of President Gordon B. Hinckley, temple construction has greatly accelerated.  The following table shows the rate of temple announcements and construction2:

Bar graph comparing how frequently the phrase “both sides of the veil” appears in conference talks across different Church eras.

The Name of the Church

Soon after President Nelson was ordained an apostle, he began focusing attention on the correct name of the church as revealed by the Lord in D&C 115:4:

For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Changing the name of the church was difficult and inconvenient, especially with internet technology based on domain names and hashtags.  By this action, President Nelson demonstrated the importance of obeying the Lord with exactness even when it is difficult.

Here is the timeline:

  • In April 1979, Marion G. Romney gave a talk titled We, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In that talk, President Romney explained why the name Mormon was frequently used when referring to the church and he exhorted everyone to use the name the Lord has designated.
  • In April 1990, Elder Russell M. Nelson gave a talk titled “Thus Shall My Church Be Called”. In his talk, Elder Nelson carefully explained the significance of the name: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
  • On Feb. 23, 2001, the First Presidency sent a letter to the membership of the Church on how to refer to the name of the Church. The letter said: “As the Church grows across boundaries, cultures and languages, the use of the revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Doctrine and Covenants 115:4), is increasingly important in our responsibility to proclaim the name of the Savior throughout all the world,”.  The letter discouraged use of the terms “The Mormon Church,” “The Latter-day Saints Church” or “The LDS Church.”
  • In April 2011, President Boyd K. Packer quoted 3 Nephi 27:2-6 and emphasized the importance of using the correct name for the church.
  • In October 2011, Elder M. Russell Ballard restated the importance of using the correct name for the church.
  • On August 16, 2018, President Russell M. Nelson announced that the Lord had impressed on his mind, the importance of calling the church by its correct name.
  • In October 2018, President Nelson explained the importance of the name change in general conference.
  • In October 2021, Elder Neil L. Andersen, reinforced the message in his talk: The Name of the Church Is Not Negotiable

Covenants

In his conference talks, President Nelson boldly declared our lineage as children of Israel and the importance of making and keeping sacred covenants.  Nearly all of his conference talks included covenant language.  Early in his presidency, he introduced the term ‘covenant path’ as a shorthand way of referring to the making and keeping of covenants.  We now hear phrases like “stay on the covenant path” or “get on the covenant path and stay there”.

Language is important, and President Nelson was effective at using language to emphasize his teachings.  As a result of his effort, the phrase ‘covenant path’ was used in 30% of all conference talks in the Nelson era, as shown below:

Bar graph showing the sharp rise in use of the term “covenant path” during President Nelson’s era compared to all others.

Come, Follow Me

It is hard to overstate the importance of the Come, Follow Me program introduced by President Nelson in April 2019. By introducing this program just prior to the pandemic, President Nelson demonstrated that prophets can see around corners. In addition to supporting home-based scripture study, the Come, Follow Me program has inspired many podcasts and materials that enhance scripture study and gospel learning.

References

  1. President Nelson’s full speaker profile is available at searchgeneralconference.com
  2. Source: churchofjesuschristtemples.org