Spencer V. Jones
Encyclopedia
Spencer Virgil Jones was a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2002 to 2010. He was a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
. He served as a Mormon missionary
in the Argentina
North Mission
of the LDS Church. He studied at Eastern Arizona Junior College
and the Church College of Hawaii before he received his bachelor's degree
in Animal Science from Brigham Young University
in Provo, Utah
. He was a businessman and business owner for over 20 years in Gallup, New Mexico, involved in furniture retailing, manufactured housing, and ranching.
He is married to Joyce Elizabeth Mathews; they are the parents of three children.They have 9 grandchildren.
Prior to becoming a general authority, he served in several positions in the LDS Church, including as a bishop. He was called as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy in October 2002. Prior to this, from 2000 to 2002, he had been an area seventy in the Caribbean
Area
of the church, one of the area seventies to have acted as such in an area where they had not previously lived. Jones and his wife were missionaries in Mexico City
and he also served as president
of the Chile
Antofagasta
Mission of the Church from 1994 to 1997.
Jones was president of the Central America
Area of the LDS Church from August 2003 to August 2007, living in Guatemala City. During that time he presided at the groundbreaking of the Panamá City Panamá Temple
and the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
. He then served at the church headquarters of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. In May 2010, he was called to begin a tenure as the president
of the church's New Mexico
Farmington
Mission
beginning in July 2010. He was honorably released as a general authority at the LDS Church's semi-annual general conference
on October 2, 2010.
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) from 2002 to 2010. He was a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
Biography
Spencer V. Jones was raised in the largely Latter-day Saint town of Virden, New MexicoVirden, New Mexico
Virden is a village in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census. The nearby community of Summit, essentially belongs to Virden, and is included in the population...
. He served as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in the Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
North 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. He studied at Eastern Arizona Junior College
Eastern Arizona College
Eastern Arizona College , is a community college located in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County...
and the Church College of Hawaii before he received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Animal Science from 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...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. He was a businessman and business owner for over 20 years in Gallup, New Mexico, involved in furniture retailing, manufactured housing, and ranching.
He is married to Joyce Elizabeth Mathews; they are the parents of three children.They have 9 grandchildren.
Prior to becoming a general authority, he served in several positions in the LDS Church, including as a bishop. He was called as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy in October 2002. Prior to this, from 2000 to 2002, he had been an area seventy in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
Area
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
of the church, one of the area seventies to have acted as such in an area where they had not previously lived. Jones and his wife were missionaries in 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...
and he also 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 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...
Antofagasta
Antofagasta
Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...
Mission of the Church from 1994 to 1997.
Jones was president of the Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
Area of the LDS Church from August 2003 to August 2007, living in Guatemala City. During that time he presided at the groundbreaking of the Panamá City Panamá Temple
Panamá City Panamá Temple
Announced in 2002, the Panamá City Panamá Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated on August 10, 2008 by Thomas S. Monson, making it the 127th operating temple of the church...
and the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
Announced in 2006, the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the first LDS Temple in Honduras and the sixth in Central America. The temple was announced in a letter to local priesthood leaders 9 June 2006; and later in a press release published 24...
. He then served at the church headquarters of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. In May 2010, he was called to begin a tenure as the 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 church's New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
Farmington
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S...
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...
beginning in July 2010. He was honorably released as a general authority at the LDS Church's semi-annual general conference
General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...
on October 2, 2010.