July 19, 2025, 6am MDT
Elder Brian J. Holmes learned from President Russell M. Nelson to place an exclamation mark behind a calling instead of a question mark.
“We’re trying to do that,” he said. “Put an exclamation point, move forward with joy and optimism, and make it the best.”
Elder Holmes was maintained as new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the Saturday morning session of the General Assembly in April 2025.
He said he was overwhelmed, delighted, extremely humbled and excited by the opportunity to continue serving the Lord in this way. He also hopes to share witnesses of Jesus Christ’s central role in the plan of Heavenly Father.
“And through that testimony,” he added. “The Holy Spirit really touches the heart and gives someone hope, confidence and security that they can move forward in life and have a relationship with him.
When Elder Holmes reflected his previous experiences in his life, he said that he and his wife, Sister Maggie Holmes, were witnesses to the doctrine of “go before your face” and the Lord’s promise in the covenant.
“That’s what the Lord did for us for the rest of our lives,” Elder Holmes said. “If you hand over your life to the Lord, he can make more than we can on our own.”
The following correct example
Elder Holmes grew up in Salt Lake City – one of 12 children – what he calls “the ideal home of the gospel.” His father – Michael H. Holmes – served in 70 regions.
Elder Holmes met Maggie Wilson at high school and married at Salt Lake Temple on March 29, 1999 after Elder Holmes returned from the Mission in Munich, Germany.
Sister Holmes was the only member of her family to attend church as a young woman.
Elder Holmes said he was thinking to himself: “I don’t know if I’d do that. If my parents hadn’t pushed me along a bit, would I have gone to church myself?”
Sister Holmes said it was difficult to go to church on her own, but the young women in her class and their leaders made sure she never felt alone or welcomed. They often invited her to sit at church and spend time with her family at their home.
“I sat at the Sacrament meeting, sang “My family can be together forever,” looking around the family around me, hoping for it for myself one day,” she said.
Today, Elder Holmes is grateful to the faithful young women and their leaders who set an example of following Christ through outreach to his future wife.
“You can easily think that my calling is not important or that my contribution is insignificant,” he said. “But those great examples of sisters, and their love and service to Maggie, helped her move forward on the path of the covenant.”
Like her young female leader, her dream of being sealed in the temple and having an eternal family came to fruition when she and Elder Holmes got married in 1999.
Sisters Holmes said the greatest joy of her life was being a mother to six children.
“I always felt that my most important calling was at home,” she said. “Our children bring us so much happiness. We love spending time together as a family.”
“If you hand over your life to the Lord, he can make more than we can on our own.”
– Elder Brian J. Holmes
The Lord opened the door
The elder and sister Holmes said their covenant with the Lord gave them confidence that things would go well.
While serving as bishop in South Jordan, Utah in 2005, the opportunity came to expand his family home construction business to Arizona. However, he was at odds about the move, as Elder Holmes had only been a few years since his calling. He said, “I don’t want to run away to the Lord.”
Elder Holmes recalls how his stake president urged him to ask how long he has been. It created an opportunity for them to counsel together on what Elder Holmes should do.
“He advised: “Your most important calling is to be a husband and father. If this new job opportunity blesses your family, you should consider it. There is always an opportunity to serve the Lord.”
Elder Holmes said he and his sister Holmes fasted, prayed, went to the temple to seek revelation for their families. They were sure moving to Arizona was the right thing to do. However, that confidence was quickly tested when the housing market collapsed in 2007, forcing the closure of Arizona’s family business.
Elder Holmes said he had considered returning to Utah, but they felt compelled to stay.
“We didn’t know how we were going to stay or what we were going to do to provide the income to our families,” he said.
That’s when he decided to pursue a law degree from Arizona State University.
He said he was accepted “by the grace of the Lord.” On the first day of class, he was at the top of his waitlist when the spot opened. But then he wasn’t sure if he should continue.
“They told us that you should sign a statement that you would not accept outside employment in your first year of law school. And they handed me the first week of reading material that they needed, and it was a stack of over 200 pages of papers.”
Elder Holmes remembers going home after that first day and remembering a stack of reading materials.
He said he was primarily interested in providing for families, including four young children. A little defeated, he showed his wife a huge stack of paper.
“And I will never forget, she put her arm around me – and this is a classic Maggie – she said: “The Lord has opened this door for us, and we will go through it, and we can do it because we will help us,” he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ppgviaujk
Elder Holmes was able to earn his law degree, found Holmes Law Plis and continued to work as the general counsel at Charter One LLC.
Elder Holmes praises Sister Holmes’ faith for leading the family to act in faith, especially when the future was uncertain.
“You have to be willing to get off the boat from time to time,” he said. “And I’ve learned that there are many boats. It’s not a one-off thing. There are many situations and challenges in life and you have to keep stomping. That’s how your faith becomes stronger. Faith is the principle of action and power.”
Sisters Holmes said:
The power of Gospel simplicity
Elder Holmes said he loves the simplicity of the gospel, including the knowledge that God loves his children, that Jesus Christ lived and that His gospel has been restored to Earth.
“These doctrines make life worth living,” he said. “There is so much power in the simplicity of the gospel. It is beautiful.”
He also has a love for the Lord, Jesus Christ. “To my heart, we are extremely grateful for his life, his mission, what he did for us.”
He said he knew that Heavenly Father had written a plan of salvation “for the love of his children.”
“And because of his perfect love for us, he has made His only born son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Savior.”
Elder Holmes added that he knows that President Nelson is the prophet of the Lord on Earth today.
“That simple knowledge, combined with our covenant, gives us the power to cope with life’s challenges and fluctuations, as the gospel restoration has led to the restoration of knowledge of God’s plan.”
“There is so much power in the simplicity of the gospel. It is beautiful.”
– Elder Brian J. Holmes
About Elder Brian J. Holmes
Family: Brian John Holmes was born on December 5, 1977 in Salt Lake City, one of 12 children, to Michael H. and Marian R. Holmes. He married Maggie Wilson on March 29, 1999 at Salt Lake Temple. The elder and sister Holmes were parents of six children and lived in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Education: Bachelor’s and PhD in Political Science and Jurisprudence from Arizona State University.
Employment: He worked as Vice President of Holmes Holmes in Arizona, founded Holmeslow PLC and most recently worked as a legal counsel for Charter One LLC.
Church Worship: At the time of his call as a general authorities, Elder Holmes served as Region 70 in Southwest North America. He also served as stake president, high councillor, bishop and missionary at the Munich Mission in Germany.
