SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called its first Generation X apostle last week, marking a generational shift in church leadership.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert and his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert, talked with FOX 13’s Dan Evans about where they see the church headed and what it was like to receive the life-changing call to help lead the organization - a responsibility that lasts the rest of their lives.
"Well, it's hard to describe. It's like unlike anything we've experienced," Elder Gilbert said.
The couple has navigated many high-profile situations throughout their careers. Elder Gilbert previously served as president of BYU-Idaho and president of BYU Pathway, and was called as a church general authority in 2021. He also served as CEO of Deseret Digital Media and president of Deseret News.
"And none of them prepared us for Wednesday night this week. And President Oaks called me into his office right after a church education board meeting and said, I'd like to ask you something," Gilbert said. "And he extended the call, gave me a brief orientation, told me I could call Christine, told her she was a big part of my calling, and he expressed confidence in her. And then I slipped out and called her from the privacy of my car, got in the car, and called her, and it was overwhelming."
That's significant for parents of eight children. But as they process this new responsibility together, they've felt peace knowing the basics of the job are within their abilities.
"I think we felt confident because the one thing we can do is share a witness of the savior, and we have a deep testimony of him, and that's just the calling to be a witness to the name of Christ in all the world," Gilbert said.
Sister Christine Gilbert said the magnitude of the calling is still settling in.
"It's all sinking in. It doesn't seem real right now, but there's a lot of peace that we're feeling, which is amazing because we don't know what's ahead," she said.
As someone with a bachelor's degree from BYU, a master's from Stanford, and a PhD from Harvard, education remains important to Gilbert. He sees growth and greater activity in the church even as data shows religion stagnating worldwide.
"I feel like I have a front row seat to some of this with the seminary program and now the institute program, missionaries going out on missions. Last year we had more seminary students and a higher percentage than ever in the history of the church, and this in the face of growing secularism in society," Gilbert said.
The couple says while they're overwhelmed, they're also thankful to wear out their lives in this calling.
"With temples with missionary work everywhere we're seeing the growth, and we feel so blessed to just be able to be a part of it, and I love reflecting on the words of our prophet that this is real, let us be part of it and we are grateful to be a part of it so here we go," Sister Gilbert said.
Elder Gilbert is 55 years old, making him seven years younger than the next youngest apostle. Of their eight children, two still live at home.
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