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LDS General Conference Fall 2015

I ran across this today about new apostle Dale Renlund, thought it was interesting in light of some of the diversity discussion here.

https://www.examiner.com/article/critics-too-quick-to-judge-new-mormon-apostle

I received an email today from Lisa Renlund Hyde the niece of one of the new apostles Elder Dale Renlund. His story is both unique and amazing.

Hyde writes "Yes, Dale was born in Utah, but there is so much more to his story that I think people should know:

• Dale was born to full Scandinavian immigrants who spoke no English when they first came to the U.S. in 1948/1950. All of the three oldest children, including Dale, spoke Swedish as their first language. Their father, my grandfather, was a construction worker, and they were very poor.
• The entire family moved back to Scandinavia when Dale was about 10 to 13ish, where they spent time in Helsinki, Finland and Gothenburg, Sweden. They were fully immersed in Swedish culture there and went to Swedish speaking public schools. I have heard many stories about the meager resources they were living on there.
• When the family came back to Utah, the children spoke no English and had little to no understanding of U.S. culture. They went through a great deal of adjustment.
• When Dale was 19, he went on a full-time [LDS Church] mission to Sweden for 25 months where he was again completely immersed in Swedish culture.
• In his late 20s, Dale was called to be the bishop of a newly-formed, inner-city, multi-cultural ward in Baltimore. (During this time he was also doing his medical residency and trying to support his wife who was in law school and going through chemotherapy for cancer).
• For those who like to see strong women sharing their perspective, Dale's wife Ruth, is the real deal. In addition to raising an amazing daughter and excelling in her own dedicated church work, she rose to become a highly respected attorney and president of her law firm. In my family, it was understood that if something needed to be done in the world, just put Ruth on it and she will work miracles. She has been and will continue to be an amazing speaker, editor, supporter, and (if I know Ruth) a "not-so-subtle suggester" who will make Dale exponentially better in his work, and he knows it.
• Dale and his wife have spent five of their last six years in Africa, where he served in the Africa Southeast Area Church presidency. He traveled extensively throughout his vast territory from Angola to Ethiopia to visit with people in extremely impoverished areas and circumstances. I have heard and read many stories about this time in their lives and the way Dale and Ruth fought to help people and grow the church there. Dale is not afraid to make bold decisions as he advocates for the needs of those he serves. And while most Church authorities in the area operate using only English, he was determined to learn French (the most predominant language in the area) so that he could effectively communicate with the people he served....'

'So on first appearance, yes, Elder Dale G. Renlund is a white guy born in Utah. But as you can see, he brings with him a very unique international perspective that I hope others will appreciate. From his Swedish background to his service in Southeast Africa, I believe God has been preparing Dale for his entire life for this apostleship and to be an effective advocate for people of all diverse backgrounds and circumstances."
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Sounds like Renlund is more diverse than I thought. I like that, a lot actually.
 
Renlund seems pretty awesome. He is definitely not the typical Mormon old dude who fit the mold wherever he was supposed to. His wife is very accomplished, probably more than any apostles wife in church history.
 
Stoked said:
This is kind of what I am thinking. But there may be another couple openings in the next year or two and maybe then we will see some diversity. Maybe we are simply a couple steps ahead of the Church. This is a conservative group and I expect them to be conservative in their time frames as far as leadership goes.
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Part of the problem you have is that many of these leaders are way to valuable where they are at. Why would you take the strongest priesthood in Africa and move them to Salt Lake for a position there? The church is pretty darn big on diversity. Most of the tithing money gets sucked out of the Intermountain West and funneled around the world. The perpetual immigration fund isn't available for people going to Utah State, right? Additionally the church has always sent missionaries from the rest of the world to the United States even when there is probably a great need in their home countries. When I was a ward mission leader in Montana we had about 8 missionaries in the mission from Mongolia. They were here to serve a mission, learn English, get experience abroad as a group, then go back to leadership roles in the church and in their community back home. There is definitely a systematic plan in place for increasing the diversity in leadership. Don't all of the new apostles have decades of experience abroad? It's not like they have all been teaching religion classes at BYU. The person taking over their roles abroad is probably native to that country.
 
framer said:
Part of the problem you have is that many of these leaders are way to valuable where they are at. Why would you take the strongest priesthood in Africa and move them to Salt Lake for a position there? The church is pretty darn big on diversity. Most of the tithing money gets sucked out of the Intermountain West and funneled around the world. The perpetual immigration fund isn't available for people going to Utah State, right?
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You mean perpetual education fund.

But point taken.
 
colton said:
I ran across this today about new apostle Dale Renlund, thought it was interesting in light of some of the diversity discussion here.

https://www.examiner.com/article/critics-too-quick-to-judge-new-mormon-apostle
Click to expand...

Stoked said:
Sounds like Renlund is more diverse than I thought. I like that, a lot actually.
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I'm just making sure I'm understanding what you guys are saying correctly. You think because a white dude who was born in Utah, grew up in Sweden and did some mission work in Baltimore and Africa, that that makes him "diverse?" You guys just don't get it and like many other white folks, probably never will. I don't say that as a pejorative but as a consequence of actions and words.


So, I listened to Mr. Uchtdorf's address earlier today. The first part did NOT really resonate with me but I really did like the second part. The phrasing he used, and I'm paraphrasing here, of "accepting where you're at or who you are instead of where you want to be or want to accomplish" was a great lesson and even though his interpretation dealt with being a good disciple and the core concept of simplification it still imparted a utilitarian wisdom that is often forgotten in our current consumerist/ always-on culture. Well, at least that's what I got out of it.
 
VINYLONE said:
I'm just making sure I'm understanding what you guys are saying correctly. You think because a white dude who was born in Utah, grew up in Sweden and did some mission work in Baltimore and Africa, that that makes him "diverse?" You guys just don't get it and like many other white folks, probably never will. I don't say that as a pejorative but as a consequence of actions and words.


So, I listened to Mr. Uchtdorf's address earlier today. The first part did NOT really resonate with me but I really did like the second part. The phrasing he used, and I'm paraphrasing here, of "accepting where you're at or who you are instead of where you want to be or want to accomplish" was a great lesson and even though his interpretation dealt with being a good disciple and the core concept of simplification it still imparted a utilitarian wisdom that is often forgotten in our current consumerist/ always-on culture. Well, at least that's what I got out of it.
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I completely agree.... its like saying Clinton was the first black president, um no I'm pretty sure he is a white southern.
 
Renlund ' s first language is not English. That is basically the only bit of diversity he offers. Let's make no mistake that the lds church is behind the times in calling people of color to higher leadership callings.
 
Racial diversity is not the only type of diversity out there. Lets not confuse racial diversity with diversity.

I also don't think the LDS Church is trying to keep up with times or what people in general want from them. The idea is to listen to inspiration from God and do what He would want done. If it was all about popularity and pleasing the people things would be much much different.
 
Jazz Spazz said:
Racial diversity is not the only type of diversity out there. Lets not confuse racial diversity with diversity.

I also don't think the LDS Church is trying to keep up with times or what people in general want from them. The idea is to listen to inspiration from God and do what He would want done. If it was all about popularity and pleasing the people things would be much much different.
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You are right that it is not the only type. But it is an important one, especially when there is 0 diversity in that regards. I don't think it is a popularity contest but from church building and outreach stand points it makes to much sense to have more racial diversity.

@ Seattlejazz there are places with very well developed priesthood ranks outside the US. Like Mexico and the Philippines. Just look at the membership numbers. But yes they are valuable where they are but they may be more valuable to the Church as a whole in a more prominent leadership role.
 
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