Yesterday in Church, someone asked, “So, who will be called as the next Apostle?” I responded with great certitude, “Merrill Bateman.” Of course, I have no idea whether Elder Bateman will become the next Apostle, but former BYU Presidents have a good track record in that regard. Actually, I didn’t find the question all that interesting because I know so few people who are legitimate candidates that the likelihood of my guessing correctly is close to zero. Only when another member of the ward suggested the name of someone I knew — someone not currently a General Authority, but who has reputedly “positioned himself” for such a calling — did I begin to contemplate the selection process.
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\nLet me make a few things clear. First, I believe that Apostles are called of God. Second, the fact that new Apostles tend to be well known to the current Apostles does not diminish my faith in God’s hand. And third, I have no doubt that some people attempt to position themselves for such callings, though I have only limited notions of how one would accomplish that.<\/p>\n
One of my earliest experiences with the calling of Apostles in 1984, when Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks were called. At the time, I was on a mission in Austria, so my memory of this may be hazy, but I recall this being something of a surprise, given that both were then outside of the upper echelons of the Church hierarchy. And I have heard more than one person opine that these callings were intended as a (subtle?) rebuke to the then-members of the Seventy, who were allegedly busy speculating amongst themselves about succession to the apostleship.<\/p>\n