Church News

During the 2023 holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collaborated with religious organizations on more than 60 projects serving some 42,000 children in the New York metro area. One of many leaders supporting this interfaith partnership is the Reverend Que English , who has said that this alliance is a model of how “we come together to bring hope” in a divided world . The...

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “obtaining an education and getting knowledge are a religious responsibility,” said President Russell M. Nelson . Charged with taking education to Latter-day Saints and others in the world is Elder Clark G. Gilbert , a General Authority Seventy and commissioner of Church education. He joins this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss the ex...

Church News reporter Christine Rappleye joined the Church News three years ago, after serving as editor of the Deseret News features department. As a returned missionary; a Brigham Young University graduate; a talented writer ; a Relief Society, Primary and Young Women leader; and aunt and sister, she has shown how continual service can help individuals along the covenant path. She joins this epis...

" Remember " is the theme of RootsTech 2024 , a three-day global online and in-person family celebration conference happening February 29 through March 2, 2024, in Salt Lake City. Hosted by FamilySearch International , the event will also include a never-before-seen video featuring the late President M. Russell Ballard , acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recorded before his de...

The 2023 season for the Brigham Young University women's soccer team was unforgettable. The team defeated a No. 1-ranked opponent, becoming No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings, and captured headlines with a come-from-behind victory over North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The BYU women's soccer team completed the season with an overall record of 20-3-3, going undefeated in...

Every week devotional speakers enlighten, instruct and uplift students at Brigham Young University. But these BYU Speeches are not only for the student body, they are recorded, curated and digitally shared for the world at large. With over seven decades of devotionals from Church leaders, BYU presidents, professors, scholars and invited guests, there are thousands of speeches. And now, with the ar...

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focus “ Come, Follow Me ” study on the Book of Mormon this year, the Church’s 2024 youth theme declares, “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ” (3 Nephi 5:13). This episode of the Church News podcast focuses on this theme with Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman . They are joined b...

Since President Russell M. Nelson announced “ Come, Follow Me ” in October 2018, the unified scripture study experience has revolutionized home and church study in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has strengthened personal testimonies and created a transformative experience for partakers of the program. Now, as Latter-day Saints study the Book of Mormon in 2024, this episode of...

The collective “ Come, Follow Me ” study of the Book of Mormon for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2024 comes as the Church is celebrating a significant milestone for the distribution of the sacred book. In 1830, the Church printed 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, that number grew to 100 million copies distributed by the year 2000, and as of the summer of 2023, tha...

At the conclusion of 2023 — a remarkable year for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Doug Wilks , Deseret News executive editor, and Hal Boyd , Deseret News editor and executive editor of Deseret Magazine , join the Church News podcast to discuss the news of the Church and how it intersected with national, local and government news this year. They talk about temple construction, ded...

Family history is important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and during the Christmas season the significance of understanding family traditions and recalling family stories often increases. This episode of the Church News podcast features Dan Call, FamilySearch.org manager of Discovery Experiences and Centers . He explores how Latter-day Saints can learn about and ho...

Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward to holiday music as an important part of Christmas celebrations , including the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s annual Christmas concert . This episode of the Church News podcast features Tabernacle Choir President Mike Leavitt and Karmel Newell, the choir director of member support, discussing the music...

In a world increasingly defined by division, this episode of the Church News podcast is dedicated to connection — with ward members, neighbors, communities, and those of other faith traditions and friends around the globe. No one is better at this than Aaron Sherinian, the senior vice president of global reach at Deseret Management Corp . This Christmas season, Sherinian invites listeners to conne...

The historic St. George Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Church’s longest-operating house of the Lord. Originally dedicated on April 6, 1877, and rededicated on Nov. 11, 1975, the temple is set to be rededicated again after extensive renovations. President Jeffrey R. Holland , Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will rededicate the edifice on...

On Sunday, Nov. 12, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Okinawa Japan Temple , the fourth temple in Japan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . While the first missionaries arrived in Tokyo in the early 1900s, the Church didn't have a presence in Okinawa until the 1940s, when World War II brought American servicemen to the area. During April 2...

President M. Russell Ballard , Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, at the age of 95 . In this special memorial episode of the Church News podcast, the Church News celebrates his life in his own words. The podcast features interviews and talk excerpts highlighting his teachings as a devoted husband, be...

Last week's Church News podcast was the first in a two-part series featuring the Rev. Dr. Andrew Teal , an Anglican priest and theologian specializing in Christian church history at Oxford's Pembroke College. This episode continues interviews with Rev. Teal in his office and on campus at Oxford University. He is joined for segments of the podcast by David W. Checketts and his wife, Deb Checketts ,...

During the summer of 2017, Elder Matthew S. Holland — then president of Utah Valley University and now a General Authority Seventy, knocked on a door with a sign that read, “chaplain,” at Oxford University. Behind the door was Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal , an Anglican priest and theologian specializing in Christian church history at Oxford’s Pembroke College. Unbeknownst to either of them, that first...

For Issac and Rebecca Goeckeritz, working with the Orchestra at Temple Square has become more than just a calling. It is the organization that brought them together as a married couple and allowed them to use their talents to share their testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Rebecca is an inspirational violinist and a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square. Issac is a vi...

Brigham Young served as the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in other governmental positions from 1844 to 1877. As a result, sorting through the library of his written word, images, lectures, journals and other documentation is a mammoth task. Still, the scholars at the Brigham Young Center are set to tackle this task with the upcoming Brigham Young Papers pr...

Members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in the 193rd Semiannual General Conference on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Rabbi Joseph Charnes, a long-time friend of the Church and an interfaith advocate, attended In the Conference Center to listen as Latter-day Saint leaders offered counsel and direction. This episode of the Church News podcast features Rabbi Charnes...

Millions tuned in to the 193rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2023. During the conference, messages from the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other Church leaders focused on faith in Jesus Christ , the happiness that comes from covenant keeping and the invitation to “think celestial .” This special edi...

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, C. Shane Reese was inaugurated as the new president of Brigham Young University , becoming the 14th president of the Church’s flagship university. President Dallin H. Oaks , first counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles officially installed President Reese, who Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelv...

On the evening of Sept. 21 and the morning of Sept. 22, 1823, the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith, teaching him and revealing the nearby location of an ancient record written on gold plates — the Book of Mormon. He quoted scripture about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gathering of Israel. With the approaching 200th anniversary of Moroni’s visits — four total — the Chur...

In August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out and spread devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Property and lives were lost, including five members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church members and others in the community rallied to support each other and begin the long process of recovering from the disaster.   Church News reporter Mary Richards traveled to the island...