The following article was written by Latter-day Saint Kathryn Allen for her website My Best LDS. The following is an excerpt.
When there is a vacancy in The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the President of the Church is the one who ultimately issues the calling to a new apostle. The process of receiving that inspiration includes earnest prayer and discussion with all of the current apostles. President Gordon B. Hinckley shared this after filling a vacancy left by the passing of Elder Marvin J. Ashton in 1994:
“In filling that vacancy, each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve was at liberty to make suggestions. I am confident that in every case, there was solemn and earnest prayer. A choice was then made by the First Presidency, again after solemn and serious prayer. This choice was sustained by the Council of the Twelve. Today, the membership of the Church in conference assembled has sustained that choice.
“I give you my testimony, my brethren, that the impression to call Brother Hales to this high and sacred office came by the Holy Spirit, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Brother Hales did not suggest his own name. His name was suggested by the Spirit.”
Read more about the process at churchofjesuschrist.org.
“Daddy, Salt Lake City is Calling”
When an apostle is called to the Twelve, the calling is extended in a very similar way to all the other callings in the Church. They are quite simply asked, by one with authority, if they will accept this calling. They generally have no inkling that a calling of such magnitude is coming, and are quite surprised and disbelieving at first. Given their humble natures, these men have never aspired to be apostles, or thought that they would ever be called to such a position.
Not every apostle has a detailed public account of their experience when they were called to the Twelve, but the President of the Church traditionally includes it in his biography. Here we share the accounts from our current Church President, Thomas S. Monson, and the past 4 Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley, Howard W. Hunter, Ezra Taft Benson, and Spencer W. Kimball.
Read Allen’s full article at mybestlds.com.
