Craig C. Christensen
Encyclopedia
Craig Cloward Christensen (born March 18, 1956) has been a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2002.
, Utah
to Sheron Glen Christensen and Colleen Cloward. The family moved to Concord
, California
when Christensen was 11 years old. He was an All-American football
player in high school and went on to play center for Brigham Young University
(BYU) — playing both before and after his two-year service in the Chile
Santiago
South Mission
of the LDS Church.
Christensen was engaged to Debora Bliss Jones three weeks after returning from his mission in 1977, and the couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple
three months later.
After graduating with a degree in accounting from BYU in 1979, Christensen worked for an accounting firm in California for two years and then attended the University of Washington
for his MBA. Christensen subsequently moved his family back to Utah, where he bought his first company in 1990. He worked as a real estate developer and franchised automobile dealer. He also taught business and religion classes at BYU.
In the LDS Church, Christensen has served as a high councilor, bishop, temple
ordinance worker, counselor in a Missionary Training Center
branch presidency
, and an area seventy. He served as president
of the Mexico
Mexico City
East Mission from 1995 to 1998. He was called as a general authority on October 5, 2002 as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy and was subsequently moved to the First Quorum of the Seventy during the April 2008 general conference of the church.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2002.
Biography
Christensen was born in Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to Sheron Glen Christensen and Colleen Cloward. The family moved to Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when Christensen was 11 years old. He was an All-American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in high school and went on to play center for Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) — playing both before and after his two-year service in the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
South Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the LDS Church.
Christensen was engaged to Debora Bliss Jones three weeks after returning from his mission in 1977, and the couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
three months later.
After graduating with a degree in accounting from BYU in 1979, Christensen worked for an accounting firm in California for two years and then attended the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
for his MBA. Christensen subsequently moved his family back to Utah, where he bought his first company in 1990. He worked as a real estate developer and franchised automobile dealer. He also taught business and religion classes at BYU.
In the LDS Church, Christensen has served as a high councilor, bishop, temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
ordinance worker, counselor in a Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....
branch presidency
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
, and an area seventy. He served as president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
East Mission from 1995 to 1998. He was called as a general authority on October 5, 2002 as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy and was subsequently moved to the First Quorum of the Seventy during the April 2008 general conference of the church.