The video, filmed before President Ballard’s death in November 2023, shows him bearing testimony at Carthage Jail where his great-great-grandfather Hyrum Smith and great-great uncle Joseph Smith lost their lives.
1 Min Read
You will love this sweet and inspiring video. President Ballard’s legacy will live on for generations.
1 Min Read
At his funeral on Friday, November 17, President M. Russell Ballard was remembered by friends and family as a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ and a man fervently focused on his family.
2 Min Read
Funeral services for President M. Russell Ballard will be held in the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. MT.
1 Min Read
“President Ballard was never indecisive,” President Russell M. Nelson said. “He knew exactly what the Lord taught and how it could be applied in one’s personal life and bring joy and happiness.”
1 Min Read
In a new video from Church News, President Ballard, Elder Holland and Elder Cook reflect on the history and impact of ‘Preach My Gospel’ and how families can use it.
1 Min Read
Would you let your elementary school–age children pick your next family car? President M. Russell Ballard shares a delightful story about the importance of family councils.
5 Min Read
In a devotional on Sunday, November 13, 2022, President Nelson shared his ABCs of personal preparation for worship in a temple.
1 Min Read
Get to know the current members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve with these books and talks authored by our beloved leaders.
1 Min Read
Here are five stories that show some of the sweetest insights into President M. Russell Ballard’s life, testimony, and ministry.
5 Min Read
Here is President Ballard's advice for leveraging the power of patriarchal blessings in our lives.
2 Min Read
President Ballard gave his first talk after very little notice—he didn't even have enough time to prepare notes.
2 Min Read
In a new animated video, the all-too-familiar sense of overwhelm is addressed and put into a gospel perspective.
2 Min Read
Alongside a photo of his late wife, Barbara, and the sculpted busts of three previous Church leaders, President Ballard also keeps an Oreo cookie on his desk. Here's why:
1 Min Read
Brandon Flowers added the melody from the hymn “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” at the conclusion of the song “Be Still,” which he performed at Senator Harry Reid’s memorial service.
3 Min Read
Near the end of his mission, then-Elder M. Russell Ballard felt compelled to buy a women’s pink sweater set he saw in a street shop, but he had no idea to whom he would give it until later.
8 Min Read
All three men shared emotion-filled stories and testimonies as they’ve visited the land where they had so many powerful witnesses to the truth of the gospel and where their spiritual roots began to deepen as young men.
2 Min Read
Just one day before they would complete their MTC training in Preston, England, a group of elders and sisters were visiting local Church history sites when they had three surprising visitors.
1 Min Read
President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and Elder Quentin L. Cook have all returned to what could be called their old “stomping grounds”—the British Isles.
3 Min Read
Even when he and his companion crashed their tandem bike and when a howling dog interrupted their sermon, nothing could stop Elder Ballard from the Lord’s work.
5 Min Read
14 missions were asked to field test Preach My Gospel. When the results came in, it was back to the drawing board for the writers.
8 Min Read
From listening to her grandmother tell stories about the Prophet to teaching about his life for over three decades, Black has many reasons why she considers Joseph to be a phenomenal man.
1 Min Read
A Church News video released on March 31 looks back at the past year of the pandemic with words of assurance from President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
1 Min Read
In a new video released by Church News, President M. Russell Ballard remarks that in his 45 years as a General Authority, he’s traveled the world and there are not many places he hasn’t been—but “the greatest thing probably that ever happened was finding her and marrying her.”
1 Min Read
You may have never heard of Topsfield, Massachusetts, but the small town of 6,500 residents now has a historic marker that honors the family of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
1 Min Read
Editor’s note: “This week from the pulpit” highlights recent messages by General Authorities, General Officers, and leaders of the Church.
3 Min Read
President Ballard went on to express appreciation for the prophets he has had the opportunity to learn from in over 40 years of full-time Church service.
1 Min Read
In-person ministering has been impacted by the pandemic, especially in regard to travel restrictions, closed borders, and social distancing. But that doesn’t mean Church leaders aren’t keeping in touch with Latter-day Saints. In a recent interview with Church News, President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared how they are keeping up to date with Latter-day Saints virtually.
2 Min Read
President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, joined the series on how he hears the voice of God by sharing a powerful testimony of how He felt guidance from the Lord while serving as a missionary in England.
1 Min Read
While speaking to Church members in Boston, Massachusetts, President M. Russell Ballard shared how his ancestor's near-death shows the hand of the Lord in his life and American history.
1 Min Read
“That’s the spirit of those who are in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, including the First Presidency,” President M. Russell Ballard said in a new Church News video. “We love one another. We sustain one another. And it’s a big assignment that we’ve got. We just have the assignment, you know, to convert the whole world. There’s only 7 billion that we’re trying to get to—not an easy task. And we feel as brothers in the gospel of Jesus Christ charged and commissioned to carry the name of Jesus Christ and His Church to the world.”
1 Min Read
President M. Russell Ballard shares his first name with his grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard. Elder Ballard passed away when young Russell was not quite 11 years old. Since President Ballard's family was not active in the Church while he was growing up, he never heard his grandfather speak in general conference or give an address.
1 Min Read
About statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith that President M. Russell Ballard keeps in his office, President Ballard shares, “I look at them, and I think I hear them say, ‘Get going boy, and do something worthwhile. Tell the world what’s happened.’ So to me, I get nudged big time when I see them and see what they did and what they gave. Then I feel obligated to do everything I can to declare and to teach that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is once again upon the earth.”
1 Min Read
President M. Russell Ballard urged members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England on Sunday evening to “join a new movement” by inviting their neighbors, colleagues and friends on social media to pray for the United States, its leaders and its families.
1 Min Read
Let me make sure that you understand this important point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions or investigating our history, doctrine, and practices. The Restoration began when Joseph Smith sought an answer to a sincere question.
1 Min Read
The following article was originally published on LDS Living in October 2015.
1 Min Read
"Women have remarkable influence," President M. Russell Ballard recently posted on Instagram. "You sisters have been divinely endowed with a unique kind of discernment and strength that differs in some ways from the gifts our Heavenly Father gave His sons. These differences are intentional and eternal. They don’t make you better than a man, nor do they make you inferior to him. They just make you different—wonderfully, deliberately, everlastingly so."
1 Min Read
One of President M. Russell Ballard's most spiritual moments came as he spoke of two special ancestors.
1 Min Read
M. Russell Ballard, President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ, addressed nearly 700 Church members and friends at the Hyatt Regency in New Delhi, India on May 19, 2019—his first visit ever to the country. He expressed his love for the people of India.
3 Min Read
Recently the Ensign shared a beautiful article byBarbara Morgan Gardiner about connecting daughters of God to His priesthood power. This article has been shared by several apostles on Facebook, along with messages about the power of women and how they access priesthood power in their lives.
1 Min Read
What helpful advice from President Ballard that will help us as we set our goals and priorities for the new year.
1 Min Read
Editor's note: This article originally ran on LDS Living in December of 2018. We share it again out of love and respect for President Ballard.
4 Min Read
Amidst their world travels andbig Church changes, it's impossible to summarize all the good the prophet and apostles have done this year. But here's a glimpse into some of the most popular and touching stories and messages shared from the Brethren this year.
13 Min Read
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are now using Instagram to share the light of Jesus Christ with millions around the world.
1 Min Read
Sister Barbara Ballard, a woman who "radiated every Christlike attribute," passed away Oct. 1, 2018.
1 Min Read
Priesthood leaders of 13 stakes in Layton, Utah, gathered on Saturday, Feb. 25, to receive instruction from President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.Elder M. Russell Ballard, also of the Quorum of the Twelve, and Elder Tad R. Callister, recently-appointed member of the Presidency of the Seventy, also provided instruction. Joining these Church leaders were Elder J. Roger Fluhman, Area Seventy; President Douglas L. Callister, president of the Bountiful Utah Temple and a former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy; and Utah Ogden Mission President R. Brent Olson.
1 Min Read
More than eight decades have passed since Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve stood before a small Sabbath gathering of members in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and offered prophetic words about the future of the Church in South America. His declarations are well known by members and missionaries throughout the region: "Thousands will join here. ...The work here is the smallest it will ever be. The South American Mission will become a power in the Church."
1 Min Read
Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve, will be one of the keynote speakers at the annual Brigham Young University/Church History Symposium on March 2-3 in Salt Lake City and Provo. This year's theme is the era of President Joseph F. Smith and will be the topic of the presentations by historians, scholars, educators and authors.
1 Min Read
Church leaders explained the significance of “real growth” and how to achieve it during the February 11, 2012, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting. (Access the online archives of the 2012 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting.) President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Presidency of the Seventy, and Church auxiliary presidencies participated in the instruction to Church leaders around the world.
1 Min Read
From January 20 to 29, 2012, Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, visited Church members in Brazil. The Brethren were accompanied by their wives, as well as by the Brazil Area Presidency—Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, Elder Carlos A. Godoy, and Elder Jairo Mazzagardi of the Seventy— and other Area Seventies.
1 Min Read