Official Portrait of Gerrit W. Gong.  Photographed in 2018.
Born
Gerrit Walter Gong
23 Dec 1953
Redwood City, California, United States
Calling(s)
TitleQuorum of the Twelve Apostles
OrganizationQuorum of the Twelve Apostles
Call Date31 Mar 2018
Conference Talks
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Gerrit W. Gong

Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018.

How do you #HearHim? According to Elder Gong, we can hear the Lord's voice – and feel His love for us – by serving others, one by one. (subtitled)
Gerrit W. Gong - Amid natural disasters and human injustices, we can find peace and healing in Jesus Christ. He invites us to come to Him.
Gerrit W. Gong
Official Group Portrait of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  Photographed April 2018.   Front row, left to right: President Russell M. Ballard, Elders Jeffrey R. Holland, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook.  Back row: left to right:  D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares.
189th Semiannual General Conference October 6, 2019.  Elder Gerrit W. Gong speaks in the Conference Center.
Official Portrait of Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan L. Gong.  Photographed in 2018.

Personal Life

Gerrit W. Gong was born in Redwood City, California, in 1953. He married Susan Lindsay in January 1980. They are the parents of four children and three grandchildren.

He has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary, seminary teacher, bishop, stake mission president, stake president and Area Seventy.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian and University Studies from Brigham Young University in 1977. In 1979, he received a Master of Philosophy degree and in 1981 a Doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Professional Life

Elder Gong had served as a General Authority Seventy from April 3, 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. He was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. From 2011 to 2015, Elder Gong was a member of the Asia Area Presidency, headquartered in Hong Kong, and concluded that service as the Area President.

In 1985 he served as special assistant to the undersecretary of state at the U.S. State Department and in 1987 as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, China. From 1989 he served in several positions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He was assistant to the president for planning and assessment at Brigham Young University until April 2010.