Conferences of the Church (Stake Conference)

 What makes us so buoyant and joyful on occasions like this? … It is because there is a union of good feelings, good desires and aspirations and one spirit inspires the whole, forming a phalanx [or organized body] of power, of faith, and of the Spirit of the Lord. A single taper [or candle] will give a light, and it is pleasant to look upon, but thousands of the same kind of light make a general illumination. With us, it is a time of union, of light, of life, of intelligence, of the Spirit of the living God; our feelings are one, our faith is one, and a great multitude possessing this oneness forms an array of power that no power on this side of earth or hell is able to cope with, or overcome.

Chapter 11: Finding Joy in Life

John Taylor

Teachings of Presidents

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-john-taylor/chapter-11?lang=eng&verse=#p

It exists in time and will exist in eternity. This church fail? No!

 This Church has the seeds of immortality in its midst. It is not of man, nor by man—it is the offspring of Deity. It is organized after the pattern of heavenly things, through the principles of revelation; by the opening of the heavens; by the ministering of angels, and the revelations of Jehovah. It is not affected by the death of one or two, or fifty individuals. It possesses a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, having the power of an endless life, “without beginning of days or end of years.” [D&C 84:17.] It is organized for the purpose of saving this generation, and generations that are past. It exists in time and will exist in eternity. This church fail? No! Times and seasons may change, revolution may succeed revolution; thrones may be cast down; and empires be dissolved; earthquakes may rend the earth from center to circumference; the mountains may be hurled out of their places, and the mighty ocean be moved from its bed, but amidst the crash of worlds and the crack of matter, truth, eternal truth, must remain unchanged, and those principles which God has revealed to his saints be unscathed amidst the warring elements, and remain as firm as the throne of Jehovah.

Chapter 9: Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration

John Taylor

Teachings of Presidents

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-john-taylor/chapter-9?lang=eng&verse=#p

The Family Circle Is the Ideal Place to Learn Eternal Values

 The family circle is the ideal place to demonstrate and learn eternal values, such as the importance of marriage and children, the purpose of life, and the true source of joy. It is also the best place to learn other essential lessons of life, such as kindness, forgiveness, self-control, and the value of education and honest work

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/58oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

We Are a Family Church

 I know that many other families are not so happy, but every single mother can teach of the love of a Heavenly Father and the eventual blessings of a temple marriage. You too can do this! Heavenly Father’s plan assures this possibility for everyone. We are all grateful for temple marriage and for the prospective blessings of being sealed as an eternal family. Like my mother, we love to quote Lehi’s promise to his son Jacob that God “shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2). That applies to every Latter-day Saint family, complete or currently incomplete. We are a family church.

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/58oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of childre

 It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children. That is the future for which we strive. “Exaltation is a family affair,” President Nelson has taught us. “Only through the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ can families be exalted.”

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/58oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

The Church of Jesus Christ is sometimes known as a family-centered church. It is!

 The Church of Jesus Christ is sometimes known as a family-centered church. It is! Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His spirit children. We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/58oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family

 The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. Essential to our doctrine on the family is the temple. The ordinances received there enable us to return as eternal families to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/58oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

This Is the Last and Final Dispensation

We stand on the summit of the ages, awed by a great and solemn sense of history. This is the last and final dispensation toward which all in the past has pointed. I bear testimony and witness of the reality and truth of these things. I pray that every one of us may sense the awesome wonder of it all as we look forward shortly to the passing of a century and the death of a millennium.

At the Summit of the Ages

October 1999

1990–1999

Gordon B. Hinckley

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1999/10/at-the-summit-of-the-ages?lang=eng&verse=#p

The objective is not simply consensus among council members but revelation from God.

 These same patterns are followed today in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. The President of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelation to him (see, for example, D&C 138). Doctrinal exposition may also come through the combined council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see, for example, Official Declaration 2). Council deliberations will often include a weighing of canonized scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in the end, just as in the New Testament Church, the objective is not simply consensus among council members but revelation from God. It is a process involving both reason and faith for obtaining the mind and will of the Lord.

The Doctrine of Christ

April 2012

2010–2019

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ?lang=eng&verse=#p

His goal has been to refine you into pure gold, to save and exalt you as a co-inheritor with Him in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. But that needs to become your goal, too. It is your choice.

 The Savior refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “my church” because He commissioned it to accomplish His purposes—preaching His gospel, offering His ordinances and covenants, and making it possible for His power to justify and sanctify us. Without His Church, there is no authority, no preaching of revealed truths in His name, no ordinances or covenants, no manifestation of the power of godliness, no transformation into who God wants us to become, and God’s plan for His children is set at naught. The Church in this dispensation is integral to His plan.

I invite you to commit yourself more fully to the Savior, His gospel, and His Church. As you do so, you will find that the combination of the Savior’s gospel and His Church brings power into your life. This power is far greater than dynamite. It’ll shatter the rocks in your way, transform you into an inheritor in God’s kingdom. And you will be “filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.”...If you receive what the Lord’s Church offers, you can be perfected in Christ before His Church is perfected, if it ever is. His goal is to perfect you, not His Church. His goal has never been to, metaphorically, turn kieselguhr into diamond; His goal has been to refine you into pure gold, to save and exalt you as a co-inheritor with Him in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. But that needs to become your goal, too. It is your choice.

“This Is My Gospel”—“This Is My Church”

October 2024

General Conference

Dale G. Renlund

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/15renlund?lang=eng&verse=#p

Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more.

 Consider how your life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth. Without priesthood keys, you could not be endowed with the power of God. Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more. Without priesthood keys, none of us would have access to essential ordinances and covenants that bind us to our loved ones eternally and allow us eventually to live with God.

Priesthood keys distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth. Many other organizations can and do make your life better here in mortality. But no other organization can and will influence your life after death.

Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys

April 2024

General Conference

Russell M. Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/57nelson?lang=eng&verse=#p

There is also great importance in testifying of the truth of the Church as an institution.

 We should testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and other fundamentals are true, but there is also great importance in testifying of the truth of the Church as an institution. In the temple we learn that that is where our consecration is focused. As we feel the truthfulness of the organization that the Lord Himself directs, then we feel responsible to be true to the doctrine and practices taught by the Church

What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?

June 2024

Liahona

J. Devn Cornish

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/06-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-the-church-is-true?lang=eng&verse=#p

What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?

 What do we mean when we say the Church is true if we don’t mean that it’s perfect?

First and foremost, we mean that it is led by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself through living prophets and apostles.

We mean that it has all the scriptures God has revealed and every doctrine and truth of importance for our salvation.

We mean that it holds the priesthood authority to direct the Church and to administer the essential ordinances, and we mean that those ordinances will be valid both in this life and in the eternities.

We mean that those who follow its precepts will have enduring joy both in this life and forever.

We mean that those who receive the saving ordinances and keep the associated covenants, repenting sincerely as required, positively will be exalted in the celestial kingdom of God.

And especially we mean that the Holy Ghost will bear witness of these things to sincere seekers of the truth.

Following the teachings of the Church works—it makes us better people, brings us peace and joy, and prepares us to return to our Heavenly Father.

....

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its fundamental mission to build up the kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion, all in joyful anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In doing so, we recognize that it is only through the formal institution of the Lord’s restored Church that those precious purposes can be accomplished.

.....

Of course, we should testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and other fundamentals are true, but there is also great importance in testifying of the truth of the Church as an institution. In the temple we learn that that is where our consecration is focused. As we feel the truthfulness of the organization that the Lord Himself directs, then we feel responsible to be true to the doctrine and practices taught by the Church.

What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?

June 2024

Liahona

J. Devn Cornish

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/06-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-the-church-is-true?lang=eng&verse=#p

it is only through the formal institution of the Lord’s restored Church that those precious purposes can be accomplished.

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its fundamental mission to build up the kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion, all in joyful anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In doing so, we recognize that it is only through the formal institution of the Lord’s restored Church that those precious purposes can be accomplished.

What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?

June 2024

Liahona

J. Devn Cornish

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/06-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-the-church-is-true?lang=eng&verse=#p

But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest … ye be found even to fight against God.

My brothers and sisters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “out of obscurity,” bringing remarkable blessings across the earth. There will be those who cheer us forward and those who do not. I have thought of the words of the wise Gamaliel, who, upon hearing of the miracles of the Apostles Peter and John, warned the council in Jerusalem:

“Let [these men] alone: for if … this work be of men, it will come to nought:

“But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest … ye be found even to fight against God.”

You and I are part of God’s important work upon the earth. It will not come to naught but will continue to move across the world, preparing the way for the Savior’s return. I testify to the words of President Russell M. Nelson: “In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns … , He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.”

Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven

October 2023

General Conference

Neil L. Andersen

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/22andersen?lang=eng&verse=#p

Forming eternal bonds with God and each other, .... “...temple-building spree” is money well spent.

 I appreciated Meagan Kohler’s recent Deseret News article explaining what she hoped major media would understand about the Church and temple buildings. I loved her description that “temples are monuments. . . . They are beacons of light and peace, piercing clouds of cynicism, conflict and despair.”13 She was concerned that some media articles had primarily focused on temples as beautiful, financially expensive buildings. She declared:

If the church’s significance and impact is only measurable in dollars distributed, then it’s a charitable organization rather than a church. To decide whether the church spends its money well, you must first decide what matters most. If the answer is forming eternal bonds with God and each other, then “a temple-building spree” is money well spent.14

Preparing Students for Eternity, QUENTIN L. COOK, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 28, 2023

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again

 Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, Russell M. Nelson, April 2018 General Conference

You Won't Find It Anywhere

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uniquely empowered and commissioned to accomplish the necessary preparations for the Lord’s Second Coming; indeed, it was restored for that purpose. Can you find anywhere else a people who embrace the present era as the prophesied “dispensation of the fulness of times,” in which God has purposed to “gather together in one all things in Christ”? If you don’t find here a community intent on accomplishing what needs to be accomplished for both the living and the dead to prepare for that day, if you don’t find here an organization willing to commit vast amounts of time and funds to the gathering and preparation of a covenant people ready to receive the Lord, you won’t find it anywhere.

Preparing for the Lord’s Return

April 2019

2010–2019

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/44christofferson?lang=eng&verse=#p

This reminds me of this Quote by Elder Tad R. Callister

You cannot go anywhere else in the world and get that.

You cannot go anywhere else in the world and get that.

If someone turns from these restored doctrines, where will he go to learn the true nature of God as taught in the grove of trees? Where will he go to find the doctrines of the premortal existence, baptism for the dead, and eternal marriage? And where will he go to find the sealing powers that can bind husbands and wives and children beyond the grave?

Through Joseph Smith have been restored all the powers, keys, teachings, and ordinances necessary for salvation and exaltation. You cannot go anywhere else in the world and get that. It is not to be found in any other church. It is not to be found in any philosophy of man or scientific digest or individual pilgrimage, however intellectual it may seem. Salvation is to be found in one place alone, as so designated by the Lord Himself when He said that this is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30).

I bear my witness that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration, just as he claimed to be. I echo the strains of that stirring hymn: “Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!” (“Praise to the Man,” Hymns, no. 27).

Author: Tad R. Callister

Title: Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration

Where: Ensign, Nov 2009, 35–37

This reminds me of this Quote by Elder Christofferson:

You Won't Find It Anywhere

The Promise If We Will Do Our Best to Restore the Correct Name of the Lord's Church

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen.

The Correct Name of the Church

October 2018

General Conference

Russell M. Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng&verse=#p