Gary Evan Stevenson (born August 6, 1955) is an American religious leader and former businessman who is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served previously as the church's Presiding Bishop and was the fourteenth man to serve in that position. He has been a general authority of the church since 2008. Stevenson was appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October 2015. Currently, he is the eleventh most senior apostle in the church.[2]
| Gary E. Stevenson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| October 3, 2015 | |
| Called by | Thomas S. Monson |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| October 8, 2015 | |
| Called by | Thomas S. Monson |
| Reason | Death of Boyd K. Packer[1] |
| Presiding Bishop | |
| March 31, 2012 – October 9, 2015 | |
| Predecessor | H. David Burton |
| Successor | Gérald Caussé |
| End reason | Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles |
| First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| April 5, 2008 – March 31, 2012 | |
| End reason | Called to be Presiding Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gary Evan Stevenson August 6, 1955 Ogden, Utah, United States |
| Alma mater | Utah State University (B.S.) |
| Spouse(s) | Lesa Jean Higley (m. 1979) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life edit
Stevenson was born in Ogden, Utah, and was raised primarily in the state's Cache Valley area.[3][4][5] He was an LDS Church missionary in the Japan Fukuoka Mission in the mid-1970s.[6] After this, he attended the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University (USU).
Prior to his call as a general authority, Stevenson worked as the chief operating officer of ICON Health & Fitness.[5] He has also served on the Marriott School of Management National Advisory Council and the Utah State University Foundation Board.[7]
LDS Church service edit
In the LDS Church, Stevenson has served as a bishop and a counselor in a stake presidency. He served as president of the Japan Nagoya Mission from 2004 to 2007.
Stevenson became a member of the LDS Church's First Quorum of the Seventy at the April 2008 general conference. During his time in the Seventy, Stevenson served both as a counselor and as president of the church's Asia North Area, based in Tokyo, Japan. On March 31, 2012, he was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and sustained as the church's Presiding Bishop. Stevenson was released as presiding bishop six days after he was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve and was succeeded by Gérald Caussé.[8]
In October 2015, he was sustained as an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve. As an apostle, he is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer and revelator. He was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve along with Ronald A. Rasband and Dale G. Renlund, filling vacancies created by the 2015 deaths of L. Tom Perry, Boyd K. Packer and Richard G. Scott. This was the first time since 1906 that three new apostles were sustained. They are the 98th, 99th and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church's history.[9]
Personal life edit
Stevenson married Lesa Jean Higley in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple and have four sons.[6][10] He met his wife while attending USU.
Honors edit
| Date | School/Institution | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Utah State University | Honorary Doctorate of Business[11] |
Additional reading edit
- Church News, June 28, 2008, p. 7[full citation needed]
- "Elder Gary E. Stevenson", Liahona, May 2008, p. 138
- "Bishop Gary E. Stevenson", Liahona, May 2012.
- Robert D. Hales, "Elder Gary E. Stevenson: An Understanding Heart", Liahona, June 2016.
References edit
- ^ See this article, which specifically states that Stevenson's call was the result of the death of Packer.
- ^ Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by date of ordination, not by age or other factors. If two apostles are ordained on the same day, the older of the two is typically ordained first. See Succession to the presidency and Heath, Steven H. (Summer 1987). "Notes on Apostolic Succession" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 20 (2): 44–56..
- ^ "Elder Gary E. Stevenson: A Life of Constancy and Service", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2015-10-03
- ^ Moulton, Kristen. "About new Mormon apostle Gary E. Stevenson". sltrib.com. Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Elder Gary E. Stevenson". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ a b "Elder Gary E. Stevenson", Liahona, November 2015.
- ^ Staff reports. "Valley man called to LDS >Seventy?". hjnews.com. The Herald Journal. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "New Presiding Bishopric Announced : Bishop Gérald Caussé is 15th presiding bishop in Church's history", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2015-10-09
- ^ "Three Named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: 100 apostles have now served since Church was organized", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2015-10-03
- ^ "Gary E. Stevenson". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Elder Gary E. Stevenson Receives Honrary Doctorate at Utah State University". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved May 19, 2023.