General conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints take place every six months. The April 2020 conference (April 4–5, 2020) was digital only and was broadcast from a small auditorium on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This page is a summary of news and announcements from the April 2020 proceedings.

Downloadable video:

Saturday Morning

Sunday Morning Session Will Include Worldwide Solemn Assembly With Hosanna Shout

hosanna shout The Hosanna Shout is a symbol of how the crowds reacted to Jesus during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the last week of His life. “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest,” the New Testament record says. 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

President Russell M. Nelson announced that a portion of the Sunday morning session of general conference will become a worldwide solemn assembly when he leads the Saints in the Hosanna Shout.

What is a solemn assembly? What is the Hosanna Shout? Read this article to learn more.

Saturday Afternoon

New Seventies and Young Men General Presidency

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency announced the calls of nine new General Authority Seventies and 58 Area Seventies on Saturday afternoon. He also announced a new Young Men General Presidency to replace Brother Stephen W. Owen, Brother Douglas D. Holmes and Brother M. Joseph Brough, who have served as a presidency for five years. Brother Steven J. Lund is the new president, with Brother Ahmad Corbitt and Brother Bradley (Brad) R. Wilcox as his counselors.

Read more about the new leaders.

2019 Statistical Report

For the information of the members of the Church, the First Presidency has issued the following statistical report concerning the growth and status of the Church as of December 31, 2019.

Church Units Stakes 3,437 Missions 399 Districts 542 Wards and Branches 30,940 Church Membership Total membership 16,565,036 New children of record during 2019 94,266 Converts baptized during 2019 248,835 Missionaries Full-time missionaries 67,021 Church-service Missionaries 31,333 Temples Temples dedicated during 2019—Rome Italy, Kinshasa DR Congo, Fortaleza Brazil, Port-au-Prince Haiti, Lisbon Portugal, and Arequipa Peru 6 Temples rededicated during 2019—Memphis Tennessee, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Oakland California, Raleigh North Carolina, Frankfurt Germany, Asunción Paraguay, and Baton Rouge Louisiana 7 Temples in operation 167

Saturday Evening

The Church’s New Symbol Emphasizes the Centrality of the Savior

© 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Church has a new symbol to identify the faith. Church Prophet and President Russell M. Nelson announced it and explained its significance Saturday evening.

“[The symbol] portrays the resurrected, living Lord reaching out to embrace all who will come unto Him,” President Nelson said. “This symbol should feel familiar to many, as we have long identified the restored gospel with the living, resurrected Christ.”

Read more about the new symbol.

Prophet Calls for Good Friday Fast for Relief from COVID-19

President Nelson called on everyone around the world to fast and pray again for relief from COVID-19. (A previous fast for relief from COVID-19 was held March 29, 2020.) This global fast will take place on Good Friday, April 10, 2020.

“Let us unite in pleading for healing throughout the world,” the prophet said. “Good Friday would be the perfect day to have our Heavenly Father and His Son hear us! … Let us prayerfully plead … that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized.”

Read more about fasting in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Youth Speak at Saturday Evening Session

General Authorities and General Officers of the Church are traditionally the only speakers at general conference. The Saturday evening session featured something different—talks from two teenagers. Laudy Ruth Kaouk and Enzo Serge Petelo each shared thoughts on how priesthood blesses youth.

“Regardless of your circumstances you can always have access to priesthood blessings,” said Kaouk, a young woman who attends a Spanish-speaking congregation in Provo, Utah. “Through family members, friends, ministering brothers, priesthood leaders, and a Heavenly Father that will never fail you, you can receive the blessings of the priesthood.”

“We are given the opportunity to minister like angels, to preach the gospel on all the continents of the earth, and to help souls come unto Christ,” said Petelo, a young man who attends another congregation in Provo, Utah. “This service places us in joint labor with John the Baptist, Moroni, Joseph Smith, President Nelson and other diligent servants of the Lord.”

See here, here and here for other examples of youth speaking in general conference.

Sunday Morning

Prophet Introduces a New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

President Nelson presented a proclamation in honor of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. Titled “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,” this document outlines core Latter-day Saint beliefs. Read the full proclamation in 12 languages.

Sunday Afternoon

President Nelson Announces Eight New Temples

President Nelson announced plans to build eight new temples throughout the world. One of these temples will be built in Dubai, which will serve thousands of Latter-day Saints living in two stakes in the Gulf States and a number of member districts in the Middle East, northern Africa, eastern Europe, and western Asia. The full list of new temples is as follows:

Bahía Blanca, Argentina

Tallahassee, Florida

Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Benin City, Nigeria

Syracuse, Utah

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

Learn more about each temple..