Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pushed it away from 'Mormon' - a word that has courted controversy for 200 years

"Russell M. Nelson, a former heart surgeon and longtime church leader, was 93 years old when he became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2018. But anyone who assumed that his tenure would be uneventful, due to his advanced years, was quickly proved wrong. Visiting South America that year, he told members to buckle up: " Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It's going to be exciting.""

"Nelson, who died on Sept. 27, 2025, at age 101, proved a consequential reformer: an energetic leader who streamlined bureaucracy, took steps toward gender equity and ended the church's century-long relationship with the Boy Scouts, while reaffirming its opposition to LGBTQ+ relationships and identities. He steered the church unapologetically through storms of public scrutiny, including accusations that the church had concealed the value of its investments."

Russell M. Nelson became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 93 in 2018 and led until his death at 101 in 2025. He implemented administrative streamlining, promoted gender equity measures, ended the church's century-long relationship with the Boy Scouts, and maintained doctrinal opposition to LGBTQ+ relationships. He navigated public controversies over the church's financial transparency and was regarded by adherents as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Nelson emphasized using the church's full name, denouncing the term "Mormon" and requiring formal institutional identification, creating cultural and linguistic challenges.

Read at The Conversation