During the Saturday morning session of the April 2026 general conference, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally sustained President Dallin H. Oaks as the prophet.
Throughout the conference, President Oaks testified of the Savior and emphasized the spiritual significance of a literal, universal Resurrection.
“At this Easter season, I reaffirm our testimony of the Resurrected Lord and recognize that He is the head of this Church,” he shared during the Saturday morning session. “We pray for His blessings upon this conference and upon all of you.”
Here are four themes that President Oaks shared during his first general conference as the prophet.
Why the Resurrection Is a Pillar of Our Faith
During the Sunday morning session, President Oaks taught that Christ’s Resurrection is “a pillar of our faith.” This doctrine impacts the way we live our everyday lives and think about death, grief, and trials:
“The conviction that death is not the conclusion of our identity changes the whole perspective of our mortal life. ... It gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and by those we love. It signifies that mortal deficiencies are only temporary! It also gives us the courage to face our own death or that of loved ones—even deaths we might call premature.
“Our belief in the Resurrection also encourages us to fulfill our family responsibilities in mortality. It helps us live together in love in this life in anticipation of joyful reunions and associations in the next.”
Love Like Christ
In the same talk, President Oaks spoke about the two great commandments to love God and our neighbors (Matthew 22:37–39). “Today we might say that we are commanded to love our adversaries,” he said. “All mortals are beloved children of God.”
Striving to follow this teaching doesn’t mean surrendering our values, he explained. We can balance our covenantal responsibilities with “[living] peaceably and lovingly with other children of God who do not share our values.”
“We should seek ‘fairness for all,’” he taught.
Choose to Be a Peacemaker
In his talk during the Sunday morning session, the prophet echoed President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to “to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”
“How it would change the world if followers of Christ would forgo harsh and hurtful words in all their communications,” President Oaks said. “As followers of Christ, let us follow Him by forgoing contention and by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior.”
Treasure the Teachings of Christ
During the Sunday afternoon session, President Oaks noted that the Spirit had “inspired all of us to concentrate our worship, focus our learning, and unite our testimonies on the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Father’s Plan for our eternal increase and joy.”
He testified of Jesus Christ as “the way to peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come,” urging us to minister to our families and communities.
The prophet also invited us to study and ponder the messages from conference, acting in faith on the principles that were taught. “As we treasure up and act upon the teachings of this conference, the Lord will continue to teach and inspire us with personal revelation and guidance,” he promised.
Visit ChurchofJesusChrist.org to watch the April 2026 general conference sessions.
More articles for you:
▶ Inspiring quotes from each April 2026 general conference session
▶ Church growth in 2025: What stands out in the statistical report
▶ Stirring new painting depicts how Christ eases our personal burdens
