Introducing Conference by the Numbers: 26 Years of General Conference, Counted

Which verse do prophets and apostles quote more than any other? When did "covenant path" first show up in a conference talk? Who quotes C. S. Lewis, and how often? We wondered about questions like these for years. So we counted.

Conference by the Numbers is a free, interactive look at every General Conference talk from April 2000 through April 2026. That is 1,909 talks from 53 conferences and 370 speakers, about 3.24 million spoken words, 23,547 footnotes and 22,012 scripture links, all counted, charted and linked back to the original talks.

It is a data project, but the more we counted, the more it felt like something else. Twenty-six years of numbers keep pointing to the same place: to Jesus Christ.

The big picture

What we counted	Total
General Conference talks, April 2000 to April 2026	1,909
Conferences	53
Speakers	370
Words spoken	About 3.24 million
Footnotes	23,547
Scripture links in footnotes	22,012
Talks that cite at least one scripture	96%

A few things jumped out right away:

• The name of Jesus Christ is said more than twice as often. In the early 2000s, speakers said "Jesus Christ" about 20 times per 10,000 words. Since 2022 it has been between 47 and 69.
• More talks are centered on Him. Talks whose main topic is Jesus Christ and His Atonement grew from about 6% of talks in the 2000s to about 20% in the 2020s.
• Talks got shorter, and footnotes grew. Footnotes went from 7.8 per talk in the 2000s to 19.4 per talk in the 2020s. Talks averaged about 1,766 words in 2000–2007 and about 1,514 in 2022–2026.
• Speakers quote each other more. Earlier conference talks went from 19% to 38% of non-scripture sources between the 2000s and the 2020s.

The most-quoted verse since 2000

The No. 1 verse in General Conference since 2000 is Moses 1:39. It is cited in 129 talks, more than any of the 4,315 verses cited in three or more talks.

"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

President Russell M. Nelson cited it in the first conference of this period, in his April 2000 talk "The Creation," and he cited it more than anyone else, in 11 talks. Elder Alan R. Walker cited it again in April 2026. Across 26 years, the verse quoted most is the Lord explaining why He does any of it. His work is us.

The rest of the top five are Mosiah 18:9 (108 talks), 2 Nephi 31:20 (107), Mosiah 3:19 (101) and Matthew 11:28 (99). Moses 1:39 is cited most often alongside John 3:16, in 20 talks.

What you can explore

Conference by the Numbers is a set of connected tools. Start anywhere, and every name, verse and talk links to the next thing you will want to see.

The Scripture Web

The Scripture Web draws every chapter of scripture as a dot, from Genesis to the Articles of Faith. Arcs connect chapters that are cited together, and the brightest arcs show which scriptures speakers reach for together most. The two most-paired combinations are 2 Nephi 31 with Moroni 10 and D&C 84 with D&C 88, each in 49 talks. Search any verse, or open one of the 1,068 verse pages: every verse cited in 10 or more talks has its own page, showing who cites it, when and next to what.

The Phrase Tracker

The Phrase Tracker follows 2,600 phrases used in at least 12 talks, and you can compare up to five on one chart. Some phrases tell the story of an era:

• "Covenant path" appears 302 times in 176 talks. Its first use in this period was Elaine S. Dalton's "Stay on the Path" in April 2007. It peaked in April 2022, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson said it 15 times in "Why the Covenant Path" (April 2021).
• "Hear Him" appears 128 times in 96 talks and peaked in April 2020, when President Nelson gave his talk of the same name and said the phrase 10 times. President Boyd K. Packer had used it back in April 2000.

Try the phrases you grew up with, too. "Family home evening" appears in 106 talks and "home teaching" in 42. "Social media" has already reached 82.

Topics

Every talk is tagged with a main topic, so the Topics page can show how conference emphasis has shifted. Jesus Christ and His Atonement rose the most, from 5.8% to 19.9% of talks. Covenants and Ordinances, Trials, Adversity and Healing, and Unity and Belonging also rose.

Who Quotes Whom

When a speaker footnotes another leader, it leaves a trail. Who Quotes Whom maps those trails among 80 speakers and leaders. President Russell M. Nelson and the Prophet Joseph Smith are quoted most, and all ten of the most-cited conference talks since 2000 are President Nelson's. At the top are "Joy and Spiritual Survival" (October 2016) and "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives" (April 2018), each cited by 36 later talks.

The Conference Bookshelf

Speakers mostly quote scripture and each other, but they also reach for poets, presidents and novelists. The Conference Bookshelf collects the 48 outside authors and sources named in three or more talks. C. S. Lewis leads with 21 talks, followed by William Shakespeare (20), Abraham Lincoln (18) and Viktor Frankl (13). Pull a book off the shelf to see who quoted it and the line they used.

Conference Wrapped

Conference Wrapped turns each conference into six shareable cards: the numbers, the themes, the breakout phrase, the most-cited verses, the voices quoted and more. In April 2026, for example, 15 of the 34 talks made Jesus Christ and His Atonement their main topic, the most-cited verse was John 14:6, and the breakout phrase was "solemn assembly." Save a card and share it with your family or class.

The Journey: 26 years in five chapters

If you only open one page, open The Journey. It is an illustrated scroll through five eras of conference, with the numbers rising and falling as you go:

1. A New Millennium (2000–2007)
2. Covenants and Temples (2008–2012)
3. Joy and Discipleship (2013–2017)
4. Hear Him (2018–2021)
5. The Covenant Path (2022–2026)

The first chapter opens under President Gordon B. Hinckley, with families gathered around television and radio broadcasts. That era's most-cited verse is Moses 1:39. Speakers said the name of Jesus Christ 20.5 times per 10,000 words, and 5.8% of talks centered on Him.

The last chapter ends with April 2026, which began with a solemn assembly to sustain a new First Presidency led by President Dallin H. Oaks. In these years the name of Jesus Christ is said 53.8 times per 10,000 words, and 22.3% of talks center on Him. The most-cited verse of the era is the Savior's own invitation:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

We did not plan for the data to end there. It just did.

Meet the speakers

The new Conference Speakers directory gives each of the 370 people who spoke from April 2000 to April 2026 a page of their own. That includes 46 women, and the 120 speakers who spoke once. Speakers who appear only in our sketch notes are included too, from the apostles of 1971–1999 to the new voices of October 2026. The leaderboards are full of small surprises:

• Most talks: President Thomas S. Monson with 107, then President Henry B. Eyring with 90 and President Russell M. Nelson with 80.
• Most footnotes per talk: Elder Gerrit W. Gong, at 27.3. The average across every speaker is 12.3.
• Says "Jesus Christ" most often: also Elder Gong, at 63.1 times per 10,000 words, among speakers with five or more talks.

Every profile includes a timeline of conferences, a "topic fingerprint," the verses the speaker cites most, their signature phrases, who they quote, who quotes them, and a sketch note for every talk. Start with President Russell M. Nelson's profile and follow the threads: his most-cited verse is Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, "eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." Then open Elder Gong's, where phrases like "covenant belonging" show what makes his voice his own.

The "Voices across the years" chart shows the 40 most frequent speakers as rows of squares, one for each conference. At a glance, you can see apostles' service stretching across decades.

Ways to use it

For teachers

Preparing a lesson on a verse? Open its verse page and find every conference talk that cites it, newest first, each with a sketch note and a link to the full talk. It pairs well with Come, Follow Me 2027.

For speakers and youth giving talks

Look up your topic, see how it has been taught over 26 years, and find the talks that use a phrase most, with a short line from each.

For families

After each conference, open Conference Wrapped together. Guess the most-cited verse before you reveal it, then read it aloud. Then ask who says "Jesus Christ" most often, and check the speaker leaderboards.

For the curious

Pick any speaker, verse or author and follow the links. It is easy to lose an evening this way, and you usually end up reading a talk you had forgotten.

Every talk in the data also connects to the Conference Sketch Notes library, where each talk has a one-page visual summary.

How we built it, and what the numbers can't tell you

• Source: the official talk text and footnotes on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Verse, phrase and speaker pages link back to the source talks.
• What is excluded: sustainings, audit and statistical reports, and videos.
• Topics are estimates. Each talk was tagged with a main topic and up to two secondary topics. Reasonable people could tag some talks differently.
• Phrase counts are exact word sequences, so totals can differ slightly between charts.
• Counting words is not counting faith. These numbers show what was taught from the pulpit and how often. They do not measure anyone's testimony, devotion or worth.

Conference by the Numbers is an independent project by Weak Things, a small family business. It is not an official Church resource.

Frequently asked questions

Is Conference by the Numbers free?

Yes. Every chart, page and profile is free to explore.

Which conferences are included?

Every General Conference from April 2000 through April 2026. October 2026 will be added once its talk text is posted on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

What is the most-quoted scripture in General Conference?

Since 2000, it is Moses 1:39, cited in 129 talks.

Who has given the most General Conference talks since 2000?

President Thomas S. Monson, with 107.

Who do conference speakers quote most from outside the Church?

C. S. Lewis, named in 21 talks, followed closely by Shakespeare and Abraham Lincoln.

Can I share the charts?

Yes. Verse pages, phrase pages and Conference Wrapped cards all have share buttons.

Twice a year, prophets and apostles teach us, and twice a year we add their words to the count. Come explore what they have been teaching, and see where it leads.

Explore Conference by the Numbers →
Or start with The Journey →