He was called into the First Presidency of the Seventy while writing for the Deseret News. Later called as an Apostle replacing his own father-in-law whom passed away.
Considered one fo the greatest doctrinal resources of the Church, although most of his writings ventured beyond the typical writings of Church doctrine, even those written by his fellow Apostles.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once said, "If ever there was a man who was raised up unto a very purpose, if ever a man was prepared against a certain need, it was Bruce R. McConkie. All members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve had important work to do in the publication of the new editions of the scriptures . . . Brother Monson and I served for the years with Brother McConkie on the Scriptures Publication Commitee. I know full well that the work could have been accomplished without me. I venture to suggest, as well, that Brother Monson was not crucial to that work. But it could not have been done without Elder Bruce R. McConkie. Few will ever know the extent of the service he rendered. Few can appraise the lifetime of preperation for this quiet, crowning contribution to the on-rolling of the restored gospel in the dispensation of the fullness of times." This great process took ten full years attention to accomplish. The work included: adding a Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary; footnotes with crossreferences, Greek and Hebrew translational alternatives, and the Joseph Smith Translation corrections which up until this time the Church had no access to aprove for authenticity.
He died of cancer at the age of sixty-nine.
