Challenges Await New Mormon President

The ascension of Monson -- the church's 16th president since its founding in 1830 -- came as little surprise to the Mormon faithful. He has served in the top tiers of the leadership since 1963 and, by tradition, the longest-serving member of the leadership becomes head of the church upon the death of its president.

Monson was unanimously selected Sunday by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the top governing bodies of the church. Yesterday, he promised "no abrupt change" from Hinckley's leadership, although "practices and programs will be adjusted from time to time."

The position of president, who serves for life, is revered in the faith. According to Mormon doctrine, the church's leader is a "prophet, seer and revelator" who is able to receive divine revelations.

"This is not just the head of the Lutheran Church or a Methodist bishop," said Jan Shipps, a non-Mormon scholar of the church. "It's something different. He is a prophet. . . . He can speak for God."

Monson became a bishop -- the Mormon equivalent of an unpaid parish priest -- at 22. In 1963, at 36, he became a Quorum member. When Hinckley rose to the presidency of the church in 1995, Monson became his closest adviser.

Hinckley, by all accounts, is a hard act to follow. He made an enormous mark, pioneering a now-extensive public relations arm, overseeing a worldwide membership expansion and a building boom that doubled the number of temples worldwide, and moving the faith toward the religious mainstream without compromising its strict doctrine. More than 50 percent of Mormons now live outside the United States.

How Monson will lead the faith is something of an unknown, outside experts say. Unlike Hinckley, who was a high-profile leader well before he was elevated to the top job, Monson has operated more behind the scenes, focusing on the church's extensive business operations.

In public appearances, he is known for his kindly, grandfatherly demeanor and for urging Mormons to help the country's needy.

"We know he's a sweet, nice man who cares a lot about charity," Shipps said. "What we don't know is what kind of a leader he will be."