History was made Sunday night in Independence, Missouri. The Community of Christ gathered for the election and ordination of the 1st female prophet president in Community of Christ. It was a a momentous occasion. The focus of the event was Stassi Cramm, who was anticipated to take on this significant leadership role, following Steven Veazey’s retirement. She will be the 1st female prophet-president of Community of Christ, and just the 2nd female leader of a Restoration Church since Pauline Hancock.
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
I was surprised that they formally dissolved the First Presidency, before the nomination process moved forward. (That seemed like an LDS thing to do to counter Sidney Rigdon’s claim to the presidency.) Following that procedure, the conference was turned over to the president of the Council of Twelve, Mareva Arnaud Tchong (a French-speaking Tahitian woman) who led the conference through the succession process.
In one of the Saturday sessions, Stassi Cramm formally accepted her nomination. Leading up to the vote, which was scheduled for 2:00 PM Central time, discussions were held in quorum caucus meetings. While it was acknowledged that there might be some opposition or abstentions, there was strong anticipation of support for Stassi Cramm, with reports of full support from the evangelists quorum and no opposition reported in the high priests quorum, though some abstentions occurred. It was speculated that the vote could be a slam dunk, indicating overwhelming support. I would estimate that 95+% of the delegates voted in favor of Stassi’s ordination. There were a few who voted in opposition.
1st Female Prophet-President
The anticipation culminated in the official proceedings. On June 1st, 2025, Stassi Cramm was officially sustained during the 2 pm session, and ordained prophet president of the Community of Christ during a 7 pm session. This moment was described as an “amazing service” that was “spirit-filled.” This ordination marks a truly historic milestone for the Community of Christ, as Stassi Cramm becomes the first female prophet president for the church.
It should be noted that Stassi is not the first female to lead a restoration group. Pauline Hancock is noted as the first female leader in the restoration movement. Stassi Cramm holds this specific title for the Community of Christ. Following the ordination, a rousing anthem was sung by the congregation, “A Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning,” with special emphasis of “We’ll sing, and we’ll SHOUT with the armies of heaven.” It was quite a moment.
The theme of the week was is “to have hope,” and Stassi Cramm’s leadership is seen as potentially sparking that hope further, encouraging members not to give up on the church or its doctrines.
Stassi comes in at a tough financial time in the church, which sold off the Kirtland Temple and significant Nauvoo properties. She will have a tough time righting the financial ship as tithe payers age and younger members haven’t been stepping up to support the church.
The conference will continue through the rest of the week as delegates vote 6 new apostles (to replace retiring or apostles moving onto other callings) and several resolutions dealing with copyrighted works, the Holy Land, stewardship of church properties, reviewing bylaws, climate emergency, confiscation of monies in AIP accounts, sale of church properties, bicentennial D&C/Book of Mormon, and reducing gun violence. Delegates will vote to amend, affirm or oppose these resolutions this coming week.
At any rate, the week started off with a celebration of Stassi Cramm’s ordination as new prophet president. What are your thoughts on the news?
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:39 — 9.0MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Email | | More
