President Nelson 101: Disciples of Jesus Christ Are Peacemakers
Presiden Nelson 101: Para Pengikut Yesus Kristus adalah Pendamai

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“As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others — especially when we have differences of opinion. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people,” President Russell M. Nelson said.

During the April 2023 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Nelson, who celebrates 101 years of life on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, called upon members of the Church to be peacemakers. 

“The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade and inspire — no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers,” he continued.

The powerful message — “peacemakers needed” — became a phrase many associate with President Nelson and his legacy as a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ. It’s a phrase he has emulated throughout his life.  

On April 13, 2023, President Nelson was awarded the Ghandi-King-Mandela Peace Prize by Morehouse College, a historically Black school in Georgia. 

“You have worked tirelessly to build bridges of understanding rather than create walls of segregation,” the Rev. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, said during the award ceremony.

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In a prerecorded message, President Nelson accepted the award, stating, “God does not love one race more than another. His feelings of inclusion are very clear. As recorded in the Book of Mormon, which I esteem as companion scripture to the Holy Bible, the Savior ‘invite[s] all to come unto Him and partake of his goodness; … he [denies] none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God.’”

A dear friend of President Nelson’s is the Rev. Amos C. Brown, pastor emeritus of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and a board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The two came together in June 2021 with other NAACP leaders to announce new educational and humanitarian initiatives related to their ongoing collaboration, which began in 2018. 

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“These efforts represent an ongoing desire of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to teach and live the two great commandments — to love God and neighbor,” President Nelson said during a press conference on June 14, 2021. 

At President Nelson’s 100th birthday celebration on September 9, 2024, the Rev. Brown had this to say about his friend: 

“[At the NAACP National Convention in 2019], I introduced him as my brother of another mother. And I meant that because I felt that kindred spirit immediately when I met him. He came with a track record of leading The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to higher pursuits of racial reckoning, understanding and working to provide a better day for all of God’s children — particularly those who lived in urban communities around this nation. Mr. President, I wish more years upon you and your dear wife, Mrs. Nelson, and that you will go on from strength to strength, keeping the beloved community intact.” 

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The Rev. Andrew Teal, Anglican priest and Oxford University theologian, added, “Thank you for being such an approachable world faith leader. Thank you for leading your people as a true pioneer leader, leaving no one behind. And thank you, also, for touching the hearts of people.” 

Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor, said, “The foundational principle of all sound morality is that of the profound inherent and equal dignity of each and every member of the human family. And by precept and example, you’ve taught all of us what it means to do justice to that principle, to live up to its demands.” 

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And Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said, “You certainly have lived a life of purpose, giving that message of God through your works of goodness throughout the world. Every birthday we often blow out the candles. I suggest [you] keep them burning so we can continue to be the beneficiaries of your light, your love and your loyalty. As we say in New York, mazel tov.” 

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