“There’s a mix of trepidation and joy, two feelings that don’t usually coincide,” said Elder Clark G. Gilbert, the latest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as he begins his role in the second-highest governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Gilbert, the Church’s education commissioner, was appointed to the Quorum on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, after the recent passing of President Jeffrey R. Holland. He was ordained on Thursday, February 12, by President Dallin H. Oaks and the other members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Gilbert, 55, reported receiving over 1,000 text messages since his new calling was announced.
Members of the press met with Elder Gilbert on Friday, February 13, in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square.
Elder Gilbert feels spiritual guidance from the Lord in his early days as an Apostle. “I feel the mantle strengthening me,” he said. “It is sometimes described as a burden and a weight, but it’s also a protection and a shield and a strength.”
“The Lord has planted feelings in my heart,” Elder Gilbert said. “I think the Lord’s telling me to keep reaching out to the one, and especially to the one who struggles.”
“I feel His love, concern, and empathy for those He is worried about,” the Apostle said.
Elder Gilbert credits his wife, Christine, with giving him the confidence to move forward. “Her confidence [and] conviction anchored me and pushed me to be who the Lord needed me to be,” he said.
One message the Gilberts received was from a former inner-city youth they served in Boston, now a father of five, who credited Christine with making their role possible.
Sister Gilbert said she also draws inspiration from her husband. They have eight children together.
“He’s a builder of people and has been a builder of me for 32 years now,” she said. “He’s such a joyful, happy person, so positive and enthusiastic.”
Elder Gilbert acknowledges he has much to learn in his new role as an Apostle.
“We teach that education is a religious responsibility,” he added. “Involve the Lord in your learning, and he’ll take you places you never thought possible.”
Education is vital to his life. He taught at Harvard, led Brigham Young University–Idaho, and became the inaugural president of BYU–Pathway Worldwide.
“God loves us. He loves all His children. And He wants us to serve in the kingdom and grow in our testimonies,” he continued.
Elder Gilbert is humbled and excited about his new role. “What an opportunity it is to wear out my life in service of the Lord Jesus Christ and in testifying of Him to all the world,” Elder Gilbert said. “Jesus Christ lives, that through Him we can find peace and joy, that in a chaotic, polarized, conflicted world we can find peace and comfort in the Savior Jesus Christ.”
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