Spencer J. Condie
Encyclopedia
Spencer Joel Condie has been a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1989. Condie has previously worked as a professor at Brigham Young University
(BYU) and served for three years as mission president
over the LDS Church in most of Eastern Europe
. In 2010, he became an emeritus general authority of the LDS Church.
, Idaho
. His family lived there until he was fifteen when they moved to Pocatello, Idaho
. From 1960 to 1963, Condie was an LDS Church missionary
in the South German
Mission
. While there, he met Dorothea Speth, a native of Germany also serving as a missionary. They became reacquainted after their missions, a situation that was advised by Blythe Gardner, Condie's mission president. Condie and Speth were married in June 1964.
Condie received a B.A.
from BYU, an M.A.
from the University of Utah
, and a Ph.D.
from the University of Pittsburgh
. He worked as a professor of both sociology
and ancient scripture at BYU from 1969 to 1984 and again from 1987 to 1989.
. In 1984, he became the president of the church's Austria
Vienna
Mission. In this capacity he not only oversaw missionary work in Austria, but also its development in Poland
, Czechoslovakia
, Hungary
, Yugoslavia
and Greece
.
In 1989, Condie became a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. That same year, Condie was called to serve in the presidency of the church's Europe
Area
, where he again worked in opening up missionary efforts in Eastern Europe. In 1991, Condie became the president of the newly formed Europe Mediterranean Area that was formed from dividing the former Europe Area. In 1992, Condie was called as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Condie has written a biography of Russell M. Nelson
.
From October 2001 until October 2003, Condie served as a counselor in the general presidency of the Young Men organization of the LDS Church. From 2003 to 2008, he served in the presidency of the New Zealand/Pacific Islands Area, based in Auckland
, New Zealand
.
Beginning in November 2010, Condie will be the president
of the church's Nauvoo Illinois Temple
.
On October 2, 2010, Condie was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and given general authority emeritus status at the LDS Church's general conference
.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1989. Condie has previously worked as a professor at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) and served for three years as mission president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
over the LDS Church in most of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. In 2010, he became an emeritus general authority of the LDS Church.
Early life and education
Condie was born in PrestonPreston, Idaho
Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,682 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. His family lived there until he was fifteen when they moved to Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
. From 1960 to 1963, Condie was an LDS Church missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in the South German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
. While there, he met Dorothea Speth, a native of Germany also serving as a missionary. They became reacquainted after their missions, a situation that was advised by Blythe Gardner, Condie's mission president. Condie and Speth were married in June 1964.
Condie received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from BYU, an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. He worked as a professor of both sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and ancient scripture at BYU from 1969 to 1984 and again from 1987 to 1989.
LDS Church service
In the LDS Church, Condie served as a bishop, stake president and regional representative of the TwelveRegional representative of the Twelve
Regional representative of the Twelve, commonly shorted to regional representative or regional rep, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1968 and 1995...
. In 1984, he became the president of the church's Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Mission. In this capacity he not only oversaw missionary work in Austria, but also its development in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
In 1989, Condie became a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. That same year, Condie was called to serve in the presidency of the church's Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
Area
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
, where he again worked in opening up missionary efforts in Eastern Europe. In 1991, Condie became the president of the newly formed Europe Mediterranean Area that was formed from dividing the former Europe Area. In 1992, Condie was called as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Condie has written a biography of Russell M. Nelson
Russell M. Nelson
Russell Marion Nelson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an internationally renowned cardiothoracic surgeon.-Medical career:...
.
From October 2001 until October 2003, Condie served as a counselor in the general presidency of the Young Men organization of the LDS Church. From 2003 to 2008, he served in the presidency of the New Zealand/Pacific Islands Area, based in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Beginning in November 2010, Condie will be the president
Temple President
Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....
of the church's Nauvoo Illinois Temple
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is the 113th dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the third such temple that has been built in Illinois ....
.
On October 2, 2010, Condie was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and given general authority emeritus status at the LDS Church's general conference
General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...
.
Publications
- Life in Large Families/Views of Mormon Women Main author: Howard M. BahrHoward M. BahrHoward M. Bahr has been a professor of Sociology at Brigham Young University since 1973 and was director of field research for the Middletown IV study in 1999....
with S. J. Condie and Kristen L. Goodman being the main contributors. ISBN=0819125512