Church Leadership
Joseph F. Smith called Richards to be an apostle at the age of 37. Richards became a member of the Superintendency of the Deseret Sunday School Union under David O. McKay in 1918. In April 1919 McKay was appointed Church Commissioner of Education and chose Richards as his first counselor. Richards would remain a counselor in the Deseret Sunday School Union Superintendency until 1934 when apostles were released from these positions and men were called who could devote their full time to the Sunday School, also freeing up the apostles to focus more on their specific calling.
When McKay became LDS Church president, he selected Richards as his first counselor. Richards served in that position from April 9, 1951 until his death. Richards followed his grandfather, Willard by first serving as an Apostle and then in the First Presidency.
The Christus statue that is at the visitors center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City was purchased by Richards as a gift to David O. McKay.
Richards was a mentor to Gordon B. Hinckley as he was in charge of the Radio, Publicity and Missionary Literature Committee when Hinckley served as its executive secretary.
Read more about this topic: Stephen L. Richards
Famous quotes containing the words church and/or leadership:
“Combativeness was, I suppose, the dominant trait in my grandmother’s nature. An aggressive churchgoer, she was quite without Christian feeling; the mercy of the Lord Jesus had never entered her heart. Her piety was an act of war against Protestant ascendancy. ...The teachings of the Church did not interest her, except as they were a rebuke to others ...”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“During the first World War women in the United States had a chance to try their capacities in wider fields of executive leadership in industry. Must we always wait for war to give us opportunity? And must the pendulum always swing back in the busy world of work and workers during times of peace?”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)