President Gordon B. Hinckley stood at a press conference March 13, 1995 — one day after becoming the Church's 15th president — and addressed Church members and the media. "One cannot come to this sacred office without almost overwhelming feelings of inadequacy," he said. "Strengthened resolution to go forward comes from the knowledge that this is the work of God, that He is watching over it, that He will direct us in our efforts if we will be true and faithful, and that our accountability is to Him."

Photo by August Miller/Deseret Morning News

President Gordon B. Hinckley sits in his office in the historic Church Administration Building, completed in 1917. Hanging prominently in the office is a painting of Brigham Young, the Church president whose example in pioneer times has inspired President Hinckley as he has dealt with modern-day issues.

With that goal in mind to move the Church forward, President Hinckley set out at a vigorous pace, traveling the globe, building bridges of understanding, and increasing members' opportunities to gain an education and attend the temple.

More than 10 years later — as President Hinckley celebrates his 95th birthday — it is hard for Church members to look back on the past decade without marveling at all he has accomplished.

Temples have been built (130 temples are operating, under construction or announced), historic sites restored and family history furthered. Church leaders have re-emphasized the central position of the Savior in the Church's theology and emphasized the importance of the family by issuing a proclamation to the world.

The Church has received previously unprecedented positive media coverage, the 100 millionth copy of the Book of Mormon has been printed — 51 million copies since President Hinckley became president of the Church — and more than half a billion dollars in material assistance has been shipped throughout the world by Church humanitarian programs. With the expansion of BYU-Idaho, Church schools now serve more Latter-day Saint students than ever before and the Perpetual Education Fund is making it possible for thousands of students, most of them returned missionaries, in Third World countries to gain an education.

During President Hinckley's tenure as Church president, the Church has also marked numerous milestones. In January 2004, Church membership surpassed 12 million, with more than half those members living outside the United States and speaking languages other than English. Some 3 million members have been added since 1995. At a press conference June 20, President Hinckley said that 500 stakes have been organized, and 4,000 new wards and branches have been formed since his administration began.

"The Church was never stronger than it is today. The Church was never larger than it is today," said President Hinckley in a 2003 leadership training meeting in Pleasant Grove, Utah. "I think the Church was never more effective in the lives of its people than it is today."

It is, perhaps, in the lives of the members he leads — and not in milestones, buildings or numbers — that President Hinckley's greatest accomplishments can be measured. Latter-day Saints are serving in prestigious community and government positions, more converts are active than have been in the Church's history and missionaries are rising to new expectations.

"You are part of this great miracle which we call The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," President Hinckley told Church members of 14 Salt Lake City area stakes in 2003. "I never get over it, the wonder of it, the sheer wonder of it. It has spread across the earth. We are now in more than 160 nations. We are now some 12 million strong. We speak various languages and are found almost everywhere. It has been one of the great miracles of the history of the earth. . . And this is but the beginning. . . . It will go on and grow until it fills the whole earth."

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