Inside Elder Clark G. Gilbert’s First Meeting With the Media

In his first meeting with reporters after being called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Clark G. Gilbert spoke candidly about the weight of the new responsibility. According to Church Newsroom, he described the experience as both sobering and hopeful as he began settling into the role.

“There’s a mix of trepidation and joy—two feelings that don’t usually coincide,” he said.

The remark set the tone for the conversation. Rather than speaking in terms of plans, travel or duties, Elder Gilbert described impressions—small, personal promptings that had already begun to come in the first two days of his service. He spoke about feeling strengthened by the mantle of the calling, but he immediately defined that strength in relational terms.

“I feel a measure of His love, concern and empathy for those He is worried about,” he said. “I have a feeling … that ministering to the one will be a big part of that.”

Throughout the discussion, his answers repeatedly returned to individuals. Even when asked broader questions about his new role, he framed apostleship not as influence over many people but as attention to specific people. He described moments when he felt prompted to reach out—to call, to send a message, to notice someone struggling—suggesting that, to him, the calling began not with visibility but with awareness.

The People Closest to Him

That same pattern appeared when he spoke about his family. When asked about support during the transition, Elder Gilbert did not describe preparation or qualifications. Instead, he spoke about his wife’s faith in him.

“Her confidence [and] conviction anchored me and pushed me to be who the Lord needed me to be,” he said.

Christine Gilbert, sitting beside him, offered a description that sounded less like a résumé and more like a lifelong observation.

“He’s a builder of people and has been a builder of me for 32 years now,” she said. “He’s such a joyful, happy person, so positive and enthusiastic.”

The most personal moment of the conversation came through a story from the night before. Among hundreds of messages the couple received was a phone call from a young man they once mentored while serving in Boston. Now grown with a family of his own, the man did not call Elder Gilbert. He called Christine.

“He said, ‘Christine, I just wanted you to know this wouldn’t have happened without you,’” Elder Gilbert recalled. “And he’s right.”

Growth as a Spiritual Practice

Later in the interview, he spoke about learning—but again, in personal rather than institutional terms. Education, he explained, was not primarily academic advancement but part of discipleship.

“We teach that education is a religious responsibility,” he said. “Involve the Lord in your learning, and He’ll take you places you never thought possible.”

He connected that idea to self-reliance, describing growth as both spiritual and practical. Faith, in his words, was meant to change daily life, including a person’s ability to care for themselves and serve others.

“God loves us. He loves all His children,” he said. “He wants us to serve in the kingdom and grow in our testimonies. To do that, He needs us to be able to provide for our temporal self-reliance, even as we’re building our spiritual self-reliance.”

A Ministry Centered on the Savior

By the end of the conversation, Elder Gilbert’s comments turned outward toward a world he described as unsettled and divided. His answer did not focus on solutions, programs or institutional direction. Instead, it returned to the same source he had referenced from the beginning.

“Jesus Christ lives,” he said. “Through Him we can find peace and joy — that in a chaotic, polarized, conflicted world we can find peace and comfort in the Savior Jesus Christ.”

The meeting lasted less than an hour, but a consistent picture emerged. Elder Gilbert spoke of apostleship less as prominence and more as perception — noticing individuals, strengthening faith and encouraging growth one life at a time.

In a setting where he might have introduced priorities or initiatives, he instead described impressions, relationships and quiet acts of reaching out. If the conversation offered a first glimpse of his ministry, it suggested that he understands the calling not primarily as leading the Church in broad strokes, but as helping individuals feel seen by the Savior he repeatedly testified lives.

Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.