Elder Gerrit W. Gong of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Early Life and Education

Born on December 23, 1953, in Redwood City, California, Elder Gerrit W. Gong is the son of Walter A. and Jean C. Gong. His family roots trace back to the First Dragon Gong in China, a lineage he has referenced to illustrate the connecting power of family history.¹ 

Elder Gong is a world-class scholar. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian and university studies from Brigham Young University. He later became a Rhode’s Scholar and earned both a master’s degree and a PhD in International Relations from Oxford University. In 1980, he married Susan Lindsay in the Salt Lake Temple; they are the parents of four sons.² 

Professional Career

Elder Gong’s professional life was spent at the highest levels of international diplomacy and academia:

• He served as the associate center director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.³ 

• He served as a special assistant to the U.S. Undersecretary of State and as a special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing, China.⁴ 

• Before his full-time Church service, he returned to his alma mater to serve as the assistant to the president for planning and assessment at Brigham Young University.⁵ 

Recent teachings

In the October 2025 general conference, Elder Gong discussed the power of not letting anyone sit alone. He began his talk discussing fortune cookies and likened them to the need of distinguishing between gospel culture, local national culture, and modern cosmpoolitan culture.⁶ 

He invited Latter-day Saints to make sure that no one sits alone and promised: "The Lord blesses us all when no one sits alone. And who knows? Maybe the person we sit next to may become our best fortune cookie friend."⁷ 

• ^{1. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/11/news-of-the-church/elder-gerrit-w-gong?lang=eng}
• ^{2. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/gerrit-w-gong?lang=eng}
• ^{3. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/05/news-of-the-church/elder-gerrit-w-gong?lang=eng}
• ^{4. Ibid.}
• ^{5. Ibid.}
• ^{6. See footnote 2; https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/25gong?lang=eng}
• ^{7. Ibid.}