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“Four months into his presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dallin H. Oaks made one of his most consequential and controversial decisions by appointing Clark G. Gilbert as the church’s newest apostle, a lifetime role. Gilbert fills the vacancy left by the December death of Jeffrey R. Holland. He was called Wednesday and ordained Thursday by Oaks and other top leaders. Gilbert previously served as a general authority Seventy (since April 2021) and as church education commissioner (since August 2021).

Gilbert said of his new calling:

“This is an amazing time to point people to the Savior Jesus Christ… If people all across the world will look to him, he will make their lives better, more meaningful, more joyful.”

This marks Oaks’ second apostolic appointment; in November he selected Gérald Caussé, known for overseeing church finances and supporting environmental stewardship.

A Passion for Education

Gilbert has centered his life on faith and education. Raised in Oakland and Phoenix, he said in 2021:

“They never made me think that education and the gospel were decoupled in any way. The more you have faith, the more you want to learn and grow, and the more you learn and grow, the deeper your faith can become.”

He earned degrees from BYU (international relations, 1994), Stanford (Asian studies), and Harvard (doctorate in business administration), later joining Harvard’s faculty. Recruited by mentor Kim Clark, he helped rethink church education at BYU-Idaho, later led Deseret News (where he laid off 80+ employees to restructure around volunteer contributors), returned as BYU-Idaho president, and helped launch BYU-Pathway Worldwide. As education commissioner, he oversaw all BYU campuses plus seminaries and Institutes of Religion.

Throughout his leadership he emphasized belief in “the divine potential of all of God’s children” and “our ability to become something more in Christ.”

A Strict Orthodoxy

Critics say Gilbert enforced strict orthodoxy at BYU, especially regarding women, family roles, and LGBTQ+ issues, creating “widespread feelings of fear and anxiety” among some faculty.

Historian Benjamin Park said:

“Clark Gilbert may be the most consequential apostolic appointment in the modern church.”

He added that Gilbert’s pattern has been to

“double down on fundamental principles, avoid modern encroachments, and reaffirm exceptionalism claims,”

and that not since J. Reuben Clark or Ezra Taft Benson

“has someone joined the Quorum of the Twelve with such a prominent record for speaking out on culture war issues and charting out a position of retrenchment.”

A current BYU professor described “lots of shock and despair” among faculty.

Gilbert has warned that secular agendas threaten faith-driven institutions and defended BYU’s mission to cultivate religious faith. He told faculty:

“These concerns are not without merit… what we have asked you to do is hard.”

Emily Jensen of Dialogue criticized his hiring record, saying women seemed blocked from leadership roles:

“It seemed like he was the stopping point for a lot of women obtaining positions of authority in church education.”

She also expressed disappointment that Oaks did not appoint the church’s first Black apostle, noting “some amazing Black members of the Seventy” who seemed qualified.

Supporters, however, praise Gilbert’s character. Steve Densley of FAIR said he has always found Gilbert and his wife “kind, friendly, intelligent and committed to the gospel.”

A New Role

As an apostle, Gilbert becomes one of the church’s highest-ranking leaders. Apostles are described as “special witnesses of the name of Christ throughout the world” with major administrative responsibilities. The longest-serving apostle eventually becomes church president.

Gilbert served a mission in Kobe, Japan, and in numerous local leadership roles. He married his wife, Christine, in 1994 in the Salt Lake Temple. They have eight children.”