(RNS) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the calling of its newest apostle, Clark G. Gilbert, on Thursday (Feb. 12). He will replace the beloved Jeffrey R. Holland, who died Dec. 27, 2025, after serving in the church’s Quorum of the Twelve for over 30 years. In some ways, Gilbert is a predictable choice. Like the apostle he’s replacing and also like Dallin H. Oaks, the new president of the church who just chose Gilbert for this lifelong appointment, he is a former president at one of the Brigham Young University schools. He represents a strain of LDS church leadership that has been deeply involved in religious education. Gilbert’s appointment also signals that doctrinal conformity may be a chief priority for the church during Oaks’ presidency. After Gilbert’s stint as president of BYU-Idaho from 2015 to 2017, he spearheaded the fledgling BYU-Pathway Worldwide program from 2017 to 2021. BYU-PW is an extremely popular low-cost, online college program through which students can complete a bachelor’s degree in three years from nearly anywhere …