Elder Jörg Klebingat

First Quorum of the Seventy

Elder Jörg Klebingat has lived life with persistence. He believes in being obedient, keeping the commandments, and following the promptings of the Spirit.

Born December 19, 1967, to Klaus-Peter and Doris Elke Klebingat, Elder Klebingat grew up in Zweibrücken, Germany, without the influence of the gospel. As a teenager, he met a member of the Church at a music concert, and the two became friends.

“When I visited my new friend, I was impressed by his family,” he recalls. “I felt the Spirit in his home and wanted to attend church.”

It was at that first Church meeting that he heard of the Book of Mormon. His friend gave him a copy with his testimony that it was true, and Elder Klebingat left the meetings determined to find out for himself.

“I was somewhere in 1 Nephi when I got my witness that the book was true,” Elder Klebingat said. “Gaining a witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith was also a defining moment for me. On my mission, I always asked my companions if I could tell that part of the story.”

Prior to his full-time mission in the Colorado Denver Mission, Elder Klebingat served in the German army for 18 months. He was sealed to Julia Poltorak in the Salt Lake Temple on December 21, 1992. They have three children.

Elder Klebingat earned a degree in Russian language studies from Ricks College and later a master’s degree in organizational behavior from Brigham Young University. He worked as a business management consultant for Price Waterhouse and Arthur Andersen and in several capacities for the Church.

Prior to this call, Elder Klebingat served as a stake young single adult representative, elders quorum president, Young Men president, high councilor, branch president, and bishop. He will finish serving as president of the Ukraine Kyiv Mission in June 2014. He was sustained a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 5, 2014.