The Surgeon Prophet

At the funeral of Russell M. Nelson yesterday, Dallin H Oaks confirmed something which I suspected, and provided some fascinating new details about it:

“I sat beside Russell M. Nelson for 34 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In that council he was thoughtful and wise, but never as active in the discussions as a few others — mostly former lawyers — so I was not prepared for what happened in January 2018 when he became our President, with the mantle of the prophet settled upon him. Suddenly I saw Russell M. Nelson as a decisive Church decision-maker. Imagine how that transition looked to his fellow apostles, some of whom were former lawyers, whose traditions of professional work could always seek a continuance or advocate appointing a committee to study a question and make a recommendation before a decision was reached. I came to understand that his professional work as a surgeon assumed and required quick decision makers because those they served were sometimes immobilized on a gurney with no time for postponement for their surgeon to make further study and no opportunity to ask for a continuance.

I saw this contrast in the first meeting of the new First Presidency. A question came before us to decide who should write the introductory page in the monthly issue of the Ensign Magazine. First Presidency members had done this for many years. Before President Eyring and I could get involved in any discussion of which one of us would do that, President Nelson said, “Why do we do this? Is this really necessary? Let’s stop doing it.” The decision was quickly made. That approach was repeated again and again as I saw President Nelson as the decision maker rather than the wise and supportive member of the Quorum of the Twelve I had sat beside for 34 years. Figuratively speaking, I tightened my seat belt a few more notches, and said to myself, “Being a councilor in this First Presidency is going to be fun!”

I remember experiencing the same surprise, but from the perspective of someone who knew President Nelson only from his public ministry and from reading his biography. When President Nelson started announcing and directing large changes in Church administration in 2018 I remember thinking that it was exactly the way I would expect a surgeon to approach things. What I didn’t fully see at the time, and what President Oaks reveals, is that this really did constitute a change in President Nelson’s approach to Church service at the time he became President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Why did he change?

President Nelson spent three decades working as a surgeon before his call to the ministry. Medical decision making is very hierarchical, and the attending physician ultimately bears responsibility for every decision made, even if it was made by a supporting member of the team. Resident physicians must defer to the authority of the attending physician, even when they don’t understand or when they disagree with the decision made.

During his 34 years as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Nelson deferred to the decision making of the President of the Church. He accepted and ably performed every assignment given to him. That was essentially his residency and fellowship as a General Authority. During those years he learned from every discussion and every experience, but he was restrained from the bold actions he would later make as President because he stayed within the bounds of his limited authority. When he became President of the Church, Russell M. Nelson still deferred to the authority of Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church, but he became the dynamic and decisive leader that the Lord wanted him to be.

I remember coming into my own as an attending physician, emerging from the restraints of residency and fellowship training. It was liberating! My training had prepared me with the skills and the knowledge I needed to practice medicine without training wheels, and I could use my personality and talents to develop my own style as a clinician. During my training I had collected observations about how different attending physicians I had worked with had approached various problems and situations, and I had made quiet judgements about what worked and what didn’t. These mental notes became the basis for my own practice.

Medical training takes a long time. I was 34 years old when I finished my medical training, and heavily in debt. It was well worth the sacrifice. President Nelson was 93 years old when he became President of the Church, and all of that preparation time paid off.

The things we can learn from President Nelson are widely applicable. For starters, I think a similar thing happened to Gordon B. Hinckley when he became President of the Church in 1995. We can also expect President Oaks to show more of his personal style in the coming months and years.

A similar change will happen to each of us if we follow where the covenant path leads. We are promised that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help us through every challenge and make us stronger as we call upon them for help. But who helps them? During his ministry on earth we read that Jesus received help from heaven, most notably during his suffering in Gethsemane. But after his resurrection he declared to his apostles: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus had finished his residency, as it were, and could act under a fullness of his own power. Here is how John the Baptist described it, as revealed by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants:

11 And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.

12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;

14 And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.

15 And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son.

16 And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;

17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.

18 And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John.

19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace (Doctrine and covenants 93:11-20).

We are therefore invited to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and we are promised that as we do we will receive “grace for grace” and in due time “receive of his fulness,” meaning “all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father.” This is the destination of the covenant path. As Henry B. Eyring taught in General Conference the weekend after President Nelson died, “He [the Lord] is making you strong enough to carry the weight of eternal life.”

So what advice can we glean from all of this? Maybe don’t worry so much about it if you feel restrained right now, or if you feel like you are not strong enough. Be patient and faithful, and accept every assignment you are given. Sustain your leaders in the Church. The Lord will help you, and you will learn from every good and bad experience. In time, and through his grace, you will receive a fulness of God’s knowledge and power, and your education will prepare you to handle these responsibly when that time comes.

Farewell, President Nelson! Thank you for everything you have taught me.

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Alan B. Sanderson, MD is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a practicing neurologist.