By the Numbers › Speakers › W. Christopher Waddell

General Conference speaker · October 2011 to October 2023

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell gave 6 General Conference talks from October 2011 to October 2023. The main topics of these talks are Missionary Work, Hope, Joy and Peace and Trials, Adversity and Healing. The verse cited most often is Exodus 12:5. Footnotes in 1 later talk by other speakers cite these talks. Weak Things has 6 sketch notes of these talks.

All speakers 6 sketch notes ↓

6talks since 2000 · No. 49 of 370

10kwords · about 68 minutes

13.8footnotes per talk (all speakers: 12.3)

83different verses cited

1later talks by others cite these talks

01 · The timeline

Every conference, April 2000 to October 2026

Each dot is a conference where Bishop Waddell spoke. Hover for the talk; click to open its sketch note.

Callings listed with these talks: Of the SeventySecond Counselor in the Presiding BishopricFirst Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

02 · Topic fingerprint

What these talks are about

The main topic of each talk, shown as petals. Longer petals mean more talks. Gold petals are topics this speaker chooses at least 1.5 times as often as the average speaker.

Missionary Work1 talk4.8× average
Hope, Joy and Peace1 talk6.1× average
Trials, Adversity and Healing1 talk4.3× average
Ministering and Service1 talk3.7× average
Self-Reliance and Welfare1 talk22.7× average
Jesus Christ and His Atonement1 talk1.6× average

Key phrases from these talks

missionary opportunity of a lifetimespectators but participantsLearn, listen, and walkpeace in this worldunexpected pathTurning to the Saviorde facto ministering brotherthere is always hope

03 · The measuring stick

How these talks compare with every talk since 2000

The bar is this speaker. The line marks the average across all 1,946 talks.

04 · The scripture shelf

Which scriptures these talks use

Share of all verse citations by volume of scripture, compared with every speaker. Counted once per talk from footnotes and links in the text.

Verses cited most

The number is how many of these talks cite the verse. Verses with their own page link to every conference talk that cites them.

Books cited most

Mosiah

Doctrine and Covenants

Genesis

Alma

Exodus

1 Nephi

05 · Signature phrases

Words that sound like Bishop Waddell

Phrases that appear in these talks far more often than in other speakers' talks. Bigger type means a bigger difference. The number is how many of these talks use the phrase.

variety of shapes²clearly knew²infant son²lord will magnify²better days²land of egypt²read the account²seek inspiration²lord has provided³teachings of living²

06 · Who these talks quote

The voices in the footnotes

Leaders named in the footnotes, outside authors named in the text or footnotes, and the conference speakers whose talks are cited. Each counts talks, not mentions.

Church leaders quoted

Conference speakers cited

Outside authors

No outside authors on the Bookshelf list are named in these talks.

07 · Who quotes them

How later talks build on these talks

Footnotes in later talks do not yet link to these talks. Newer talks often take a few conferences to be cited.

Speakers who cite these talks most

Paul H. Sinclair

Named in the footnotes of 1 talks by other speakers since 2000. See the citation network →

08 · Kindred voices

Speakers whose talks cover similar ground

Matched by the mix of main and secondary topics. 100 would be an identical mix.

Elder Patrick Kearon80 topic match Elder Jeffrey R. Holland79 topic match Sister Cristina B. Franco75 topic match Elder Anthony D. Perkins75 topic match

The sketch notes

6 talks, one page each

Hand-drawn sketch notes from Weak Things. Each page links to the full talk on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Sketch note of More Than a Hero by W. Christopher Waddell

More Than a HeroOctober 2023

Sketch note of There Was Bread by W. Christopher Waddell

There Was BreadOctober 2020

Sketch note of Just as He Did by W. Christopher Waddell

Just as He DidApril 2019

Sketch note of Turn to the Lord by W. Christopher Waddell

Turn to the LordOctober 2017

Sketch note of A Pattern for Peace by W. Christopher Waddell

A Pattern for PeaceApril 2016

Sketch note of The Opportunity of a Lifetime by W. Christopher Waddell

The Opportunity of a LifetimeOctober 2011

For teachers and families: each sketch note has a printable PDF. Browse all Conference Sketch Notes →

Every talk

All 6 talks, newest first

Titles open the Weak Things sketch note. "Read" opens the official talk on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the source for every number on this page.

Talk	Conference	Main topic	Words	Footnotes	Cited by	Source
More Than a Hero	Oct 2023	Jesus Christ and His Atonement	1489	15	0	Read ↗
There Was Bread	Oct 2020	Self-Reliance and Welfare	1470	19	0	Read ↗
Just as He Did	Apr 2019	Ministering and Service	1818	17	1	Read ↗
Turn to the Lord	Oct 2017	Trials, Adversity and Healing	1792	14	0	Read ↗
A Pattern for Peace	Apr 2016	Hope, Joy and Peace	2086	18	0	Read ↗
The Opportunity of a Lifetime	Oct 2011	Missionary Work	1929	0	0	Read ↗

Sources and method

Where these numbers come from

Talk text, footnotes and callings come from the official General Conference pages on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Every talk above links to its source.
Coverage is April 2000 through October 2026: 1,946 talks by 381 speakers. Sustainings, audit and statistical reports, and videos are left out.
Verse counts use scripture links in footnotes and talk text, counted once per talk. "Cited by" counts later talks whose footnotes link to one of these talks.
Main topics are estimates assigned by a language model from each talk's opening and closing. Signature phrases compare how many of these talks use a phrase with how many other talks do.
Leaders quoted are found by name in footnotes. Outside authors are found by name in the text and footnotes. Sketch notes are Weak Things study aids, not official Church materials.