Jay Edwin Jensen (born February 5, 1942) has been a general authority of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) since 1992. He served as a member of the church's

Presidency of the Seventy A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

from 2008 to 2012."Changes in Church leadership"
, ''

Church News The ''Church News'' (formerly ''LDS Church News'') is a multi-platform supplement and subdivision of the ''Deseret News'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally, the LDS Church). ...

'', 2008-06-07. Jensen was designated an

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

general authority in the October 2012 general conference.

Biography

Jensen was born in

Payson, Utah Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo– Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census. History Pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by ...

, and raised in

Mapleton, Utah Mapleton is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,365 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled in 1850, and for a time was known as ...

. From 1961 to 1963, Jensen served as an LDS Church

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

in the Spanish-American

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

, concentrating on teaching the gospel to Spanish-speakers in the southwestern United States. On the November 1, 1963, Jensen married Lona Lee Child in the

Manti Temple The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple construction was completed in 1888. Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third Latter-day ...

and they are the parents of six children. Jensen graduated with

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Spanish and History, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in LDS Church History and Doctrine, and a

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degrees in Education, all from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU). Jensen spent his professional career as a full-time LDS Church employee. He was the director of scripture coordination for the church's Curriculum Department at the time of his call as a general authority. He previously worked for the

Church Educational System The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...

as a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

teacher and director of curriculum. Jensen was also the director of training for the church's Missionary Department for a period of time. Jensen has served in the LDS Church as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

, counselor in the

Missionary Training Center Missionary Training Centers (MTC) are centers devoted to training missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU), ...

presidency, and as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the church's

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

from 1975 to 1978. Jensen was called to the

Second Quorum of the Seventy Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of J ...

in 1992 and transferred to the

First Quorum of the Seventy Seventy is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints), Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesth ...

in 1995. As a general authority, he has served in a number of

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

presidencies in Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, as well as geographical areas covering parts of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 2004, Jensen and Lynn A. Mickelsen, also of the Seventy, were appointed to supervise the formation and publication of a Spanish-language

LDS edition of the Bible The LDS edition of the Bible is a version of the Bible published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The text of the LDS Church's English-language Bible is the King James Version ...

. Jensen became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2008. In 2011, Jensen spoke at BYU to Evergreen International, "a same-sex voice of faithful LDS members," and spoke on finding peace by focusing on Jesus Christ. Jensen was released from the Presidency of the Seventy on August 1, 2012, and designated as an emeritus general authority during that October's general conference. From 2013 to 2016 Jensen served as

of the church's Cochabamba Bolivia Temple."New Temple Presidents Called to Serve in Ukraine, Alaska, and Bolivia Temples"
''

'', 25 May 2016. Retrieved on 20 March 2020.

References

External links

General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Jay E. Jensen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Jay E. 1942 births American general authorities (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in the United States Brigham Young University alumni Living people Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) Mission presidents (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in Colombia People from Payson, Utah 20th-century Mormon missionaries Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church) Latter Day Saints from Utah People from Mapleton, Utah

Biography

See also

References

External links