Elder Matthew S. Holland

General Authority Seventy

Elder Matthew S. Holland is no stranger to General Authorities or general conferences.

Many Latter-day Saints know him as the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Others might remember him as a 17-year-old speaking during the April 1983 general conference priesthood session.

“It has been a wonderful blessing, all of my life, to watch how my mom and dad have lived, what they’ve been committed to, and what they’ve been asked to do,” said Elder Holland, who currently presides over the North Carolina Raleigh Mission.

“Yet, due to these firsthand observations, we know too much about this calling to think we’re adequately equipped for it,” he added. “Fortunately, we’ve also learned that the Lord qualifies those whom He calls, and we’re taking a lot of faith and comfort in that.”

Elder Holland remembers that speaking in general conference was daunting. Prepping a message that eventually came “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30) became “an early, reassuring blessing to know that when you accept assignments from the Lord, He will help you and give you the thoughts and impressions of things that need to be shared.”

Matthew Scott Holland was born June 7, 1966, in Provo, Utah, USA, the son of Jeffrey R. and Patricia Holland. He married Paige Bateman on May 20, 1996, in the St. George Utah Temple. They are the parents of four children.

Elder Holland’s educational pursuits include three degrees in political science—a bachelor of arts from Brigham Young University in 1991 and a master of arts and doctor of philosophy, both from Duke University, in 1997 and 2001, respectively.

While working as an associate professor of political science at BYU (2001–2009), he was named as president of Utah Valley University in 2009, serving until his 2018 call as a mission president.

He has served as a bishop, high councilor, counselor in a bishopric, ward Young Men adviser, ward mission leader, Sunday School teacher, and full-time missionary in the Scotland Edinburgh Mission.