- Born:
- June 23, 1910, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
- Died:
- Jan. 27, 2008, Salt Lake City (aged 97)
- Awards And Honors:
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2004)
Gordon B. Hinckley
-
Who was Gordon B. Hinckley?
Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995–2008). Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 23, 1910, he served a mission in London and, upon his return, took charge of the church’s public relations.
Hinckley became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1961 and was later appointed counselor of the First Presidency in 1981. He became president of the church on March 12, 1995.
As president, Hinckley expanded the church from approximately 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide. He also worked to dispel the notion of church leaders as secretive and isolated and stressed common ground with Christian churches. Hinckley received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 for his humanitarian and educational work. He died on January 27, 2008, in Salt Lake City.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What church did Gordon B. Hinckley lead?
Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, from 1995 to 2008. During his leadership, the church expanded from approximately 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide and transitioned into the mainstream of American society. He also encouraged using the church's full name rather than "Mormon Church".
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What important position did he hold in the church?
Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008. Before that, in 1961, Hinckley became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the second-highest governing body of the church. In 1981, he was appointed as a counselor in the First Presidency. Due to the poor health of other members, he eventually took on most of the responsibilities of running the church.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What were some of Gordon B. Hinckley’s major accomplishments as a leader?
As the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008, Gordon B. Hinckley expanded the church from approximately 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide and helped it move into the American mainstream.
During his leadership, Hinckley traveled the world, spreading the church's message and significantly increasing its membership. He worked to make church leaders more accessible and to clarify that the church was not a non-Christian cult and that Mormons were not "weird people." Hinckley emphasized common ground with Christian churches, particularly in opposing same-sex marriage and promoting traditional family values. He also advocated for using the church's full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, instead of the more common "Mormon church." Hinckley also commissioned thousands of chapels and dozens of temples globally.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did he help expand the church around the world?
Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995–2008), played a pivotal role in expanding the church's global presence. His leadership saw the church grow from approximately 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide, moving it from the periphery to the mainstream of American society. As an apostle, Hinckley embarked on global missions, spreading the church's message in Africa, South America, and Asia. Furthermore, he commissioned the construction of numerous chapels and temples globally, including the rebuilding of the historic Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Illinois. Hinckley also worked to dispel the idea of church leaders as secretive and isolated.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What lasting impact did Gordon B. Hinckley have on his church and its members?
As the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008, Gordon B. Hinckley expanded the church from approximately 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide and shifted it from the margins to the mainstream of American society.
Hinckley's global travels spread the church's message and spurred membership growth. He worked to dispel the idea of church leaders as secretive and isolated and clarify that the church was not a non-Christian cult. Hinckley stressed common ground with Christian churches, joining them to oppose same-sex marriage and promote family values. He also advocated using the church’s full name instead of the common term "Mormon church".
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Gordon B. Hinckley (born June 23, 1910, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.—died Jan. 27, 2008, Salt Lake City) was the 15th president (1995–2008) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church. Hinckley helped to expand the church from some 9 million to nearly 13 million members worldwide and led it from the margins to the mainstream of American society.
Hinckley was descended from pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower and from Mormon pioneers who moved from Illinois to Utah in the 19th century. He earned a degree in English from the University of Utah in 1932. From 1933 to 1935 he preached publicly in London’s Hyde Park, thereby completing the two-year missionary service that young Mormons are encouraged to perform. Hinckley’s activities in England so impressed church leaders that upon his return to Utah he was put in charge of the church’s newly created public relations service. During the next 20 years he produced a radio series on church history, supervised church exhibits at the 1938 World’s Fair in San Francisco and the centennial celebration of the California gold rush in 1949, and helped to create a network of church-owned radio and television stations. As head of the church’s General Missionary Committee from 1951 until 1958, he continued to embrace the media, appearing on radio and television news programs and granting interviews with every major American newspaper.
In 1961 Hinckley became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the second highest governing body of the church. As an apostle Hinckley was sent on global missions, evangelizing in Africa, South America, and Asia. In 1981 he was appointed a counselor of the First Presidency—an office consisting of the president and usually two counselors. Because of the poor health of the other members of the presidency, he eventually assumed most of the responsibilities of running the church. He was ordained president on March 12, 1995.
As president, Hinckley led a profound transformation of the church from a small group based largely in the American West to a respected world religion. His global travels took the message of the church to people around the world and stimulated significant growth in church membership. He worked to dispel the image of church leaders as secretive and isolated and to demonstrate that the church was not a non-Christian cult and that Mormons were not, in his words, “weird people.” Stressing common ground with Christian churches, Hinckley joined them in opposing same-sex marriage and promoting so-called family values. He also promoted use of the church’s official name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, instead of the more common “Mormon church.” He commissioned thousands of chapels and dozens of temples throughout the world, rebuilt the historic Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Ill., and oversaw the renovation of the Mormon Tabernacle and the construction of a new assembly hall in Salt Lake City. For his humanitarian and educational work Hinckley was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.