‘It’s a privilege to be serving the Lord’: New Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apostle speaks on calling

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on Thursday that Elder Gérald Caussé has been called and ordained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. ABC4’s Sarah Murphy sat down with Elder Caussé to discuss his new role.

“It goes really fast, and it was, of course, totally unexpected. And so, that’s not something you plan for,” Elder Caussé shared when asked about how he was feeling. “What surprised me the most — I was not surprised that it would be a big load settling on your shoulder, totally overwhelming — but I was surprised that I felt the joy of serving the Lord in a new capacity as an apostle. I was not expecting that.”

Elder Caussé said that he and his wife, Valérie Caussé, were discussing his new calling and found that it was a privilege. Although their life plans had changed, he expressed their gratitude for the role.

“It’s such a privilege to be called to be testifying of Jesus Christ for the rest of your life, if you think about it. And so, we are grateful,” Elder Caussé shared. “There are mixed feelings, of course, because of all the things that we had in our plans that are not going to happen. We have a lot of family in France, and we thought one day I will be released as a General Authority and we will go back to our family. But, we are grateful, we are grateful for the opportunity.”

As for their family in France, Elder Caussé said they called them yesterday to deliver the news before it was announced by the Church.

“We told every one of our children and my parents. I have parents living in Bordeaux, France. We had them on the phone; it was midnight where they lived. And there were tears of joy, actually. And of course they are proud of us, but we are especially proud of them, every one of them,” he expressed.

Elder Caussé was born on May 20, 1963, in France. He is a second-generation Latter-day Saint, and his parents joined the Church when he was a baby. His wife’s parents were also baptized when she was a young child, and the two families attended the same ward in Paris.

“My parents are pioneers of the Church; they were baptized when I was a little baby — I was six months old — and we love them so much. And Valérie’s parents are also first generation in the Church, were baptized when she was a little girl, so we have very similar situations and journeys in the Church,” he said.

When asked about his experience meeting with the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency, and if they had any advice, Elder Caussé shared that he hadn’t received any just yet.

“What I felt from them yesterday was love. There was no advice given yet, I’m expecting- I’m ready to be taught,” Elder Caussé said with a laugh.

He further stated that in his role as a General Authority for the last 17 years, he has had opportunities to be with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles regularly. 62-year-old Caussé had been serving as a Presiding Bishop, who manages matters like humanitarian aid, welfare programs, and organization of membership records.

“And so [you] watch, you learn from them, you listen to their teachings, but also in a way you listen to their example,” Elder Caussé explained. “Their example is speaking for who they are, special witnesses of Christ. So every one of them is an occasion to learn about what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Elder Caussé also previously served as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric between 2012 and 2015 and as a General Authority Seventy from 2008-2012. During that time, he moved from Germany to the United States.

When asked about his faith and what he’d like to share with the world, Elder Caussé expressed that every decision in his life has been driven by his belief in Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Christ has always been the center of my life, and all the decisions we’ve made in our life… even the most simple decisions have been inspired by our love for Jesus Christ. And so, if I think of the happiness we have in our family, it all comes from that, from Jesus Christ being the center of our family,” he shared. “I want to testify that in a world that is troubled, that is in commotion, where there are so many, many people suffering… I want to make sure that they know that there is a true source of love, of respect, of peace in the world, and it comes from Jesus Christ.”

As for the challenges that he is seeing as a new apostle, Elder Caussé said that there a “a lot,” but the greatest challenge is all about bringing everyone closer to Jesus Christ.

“I would say the greatest challenge is just to fulfill the mission that the Lord has given to the Church, which is really to invite all to come unto Christ and to listen to the gospel and to take Christ as their Savior and Redeemer and to take the offer of his life that is given to us,” he stated.

Elder Caussé shared that he and the other Church leaders are working on this goal every day, and that he will be working on it until the end of his life. He sees that lifelong calling as a privilege.

“It’s a privilege to be serving the Lord,” he said. “But I think the greatest privilege is serving the Lord when it comes to individual people: when you are involved in their life, when you are ministering to people, when you get to reduce suffering through Christ, when you get to bless people. And this is what I’m looking forward to. This work is really a one-by-one, one-on-one work; most people that converted to the Lord through individual relationships that they have that emulated the example of Jesus Christ.”

Caussé’s personal life and personal ministry

Elder Gérald Caussé was born on May 20, 1963, in France. He moved to Paris when he was 19 and served one year in the military. Several years later, in 1986, he married his wife and childhood friend, Valérie Babin, in the Bern Switzerland Temple. Together, they have five children.

At 62 years old, Elder Gérald Caussé is the youngest apostle out of all members of the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency, but he has significant experience in the Church.

Until his new calling as an apostle, Elder Caussé served as the Presiding Bishop, managing matters like humanitarian aid, welfare programs, tithing and fast offerings, and organization of membership records. He also previously served as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric between 2012 and 2015 and as a General Authority Seventy from 2008-2012.

When he was a General Authority, his assignments often required that he travel. Elder Caussé moved his family to Germany and later to the United States.

His ministry has also included several talks directed to younger Church members, including a 2023 conference when he spoke to young Latter-Day Saint professionals about environmental sustainability.