Claudio R. M. Costa

Claudio Roberto Mendes Costa (born 25 March 1949) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1994.
Costa was born in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, into a Roman Catholic family. He became friends with Mormon missionaries as a 12-year-old, and some members of his family subsequently joined the LDS Church while he was living in another city. Costa was baptized in 1977, at the age of 27.
He studied marketing in São Paulo as a young man and later served for 13 years in various positions in the Church Educational System. At the time of his calling as a general authority, he was director of the church’s institute of religion in São Paulo.
Costa has served in the LDS Church as a bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative. In 1990, he became the first president of the church's new Brazil Manaus Mission. In this position, Costa emphasized the need to baptize families.
The year after his service as a mission president ended, Costa became a general authority and a member of the Second Quorum of Seventy. In 2001, Costa was transferred to the First Quorum of Seventy. As a general authority, he has served in several area presidencies and in 2007 he became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. While serving in this capacity, he supervised the work of the church in the Idaho Area. He served in the Presidency of the Seventy until 2011, when he was appointed president of the church's Brazil Area.<ref name = brazilarea/> As of October 2014, when Carlos H. Amado was designated as an emeritus general authority, Costa has been the longest currently serving member of the Seventy.
Costa is married to Margareth Fernandes Morgado and they are the parents of four children.

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