Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from October 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Blessed Are the Peacemakers”
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Saturday morning session of October 2025 general conference.
- Theme: Peacemaking begins in hearts, homes and families.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Stevenson’s message here.
Outline
- As general conference begins, many mourn loss and feel uncertainty caused by tragedies around the world.
Capernaum in Galilee
- Imagine a young teenager in Capernaum during the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the thoughts and feelings that might have come from listening to Him speak.
- Christ often invited listeners to become peacemakers. In a world of commotion, is it possible to be a peacemaker? As peacemaking begins in hearts, then homes and families, it can spread to streets and villages.
Fast forward 2,000 years
- Today, many youth feel pressures from the difficulties of life. Gratefully, young men and women are drawn to “Sermon-on-the-Mount moments” and invitations from living prophets to be peacemakers.
- The rising generation is filled with testimonies of Jesus Christ and hope for the future. With that hope, becoming a peacemaker is possible.
Peacemaking in our hearts
- All are born with divine inclinations toward kindness and compassion. Peacemaking begins within oneself.
Peacemaking at home
- Peacemaking in the home begins with persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, meekness and love unfeigned (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:41).
- A struggling family made peacemaking a family affair by forgiving and deliberately building up others instead of tearing them down.
Peacemaking in our communities
- A Muslim imam and a Christian pastor from Nigeria overcame contention, forgave and now travel side by side as peacemakers.
A one-week peacemaker plan
- To become a peacemaker, commit to building a contention-free home zone, share goodness online and repair and reunite strained relationships.
Conclusion
- Peacemaking is a Christlike attribute. It has been taught by Christ, scripture and modern-day prophets. As God’s children strive to become peacemakers, they fulfill a divine role given by Heavenly Father.
Reflection questions
What can you do to allow peacemaking to enter your heart more fully?
What can you do to help create a contention-free zone in your home?
How can you transform your social media into a place of peace?
Who in your life can you apologize to, minister to or reunite with?
Why is peacemaking important in our day?
Speaker quotes
- “Today, peacemaking still begins in the most basic place — in our hearts. Then in homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking will spread into our neighborhoods and communities.”
- “When we come to know the glory of God, then we ‘will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably’ (Mosiah 4:13). In our congregations and our communities, may we choose to see one another as children of God.”
- “Peacemaking is a Christlike attribute. Peacemakers are sometimes labeled naive or weak — from all sides. Yet, to be a peacemaker is not to be weak but to be strong in a way that the world may not understand. Peacemaking requires courage and compromise but does not require sacrifice of principle. Peacemaking is to lead with an open heart, not a closed mind. It is to approach one another with extended hands, not clenched fists. Peacemaking is not a new thing, hot off the press. It was taught by Jesus Christ Himself, both to those in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Peacemaking has since been taught by modern-day prophets from the earliest days of the Restoration even to this day.”
Reference scriptures
- “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
- “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
- “And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.”
Invitations and promises
- “A contention-free home zone: When contention starts, pause and reboot with kind words and deeds.”
- “Digital bridge building: Before posting, replying or commenting online, ask, ‘Will this build a bridge?’ If not, stop. Do not send. Instead, share goodness. Publish peace in the place of hate.”
- “Repair and reunite: Each family member could seek out a strained relationship in order to apologize, minister, repair and reunite.”
Stories
- Imagine a young teenager hears Christ speak in Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee. They travel home, sharing what they learned from Him. They ask their parents if it’s possible to become a peacemaker in a world of commotion. Their father tells them that it’s possible — it begins in hearts, then in homes and families, finally in streets and villages.
- Children in a family struggled with a relationship with an adult whose demeanor is grumpy, condescending and curt. As the family spoke about those struggles, each committed to be deliberate with kind words and thoughtful deeds. The children found joy in the transformation that occurred from those changes.
- A Muslim imam and a Christian pastor in Nigeria stood on opposite sides of a painful religious divide. Through the healing power of forgiveness, they each set aside their differences and became friends. They established a center for interfaith mediation. Their efforts helped others, and they eventually became nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Additional resources
- Related image: “And He Opened His Mouth and Taught Them” by Michael Malm
- Related video: “How To Show Christlike Kindness to Others”
- Related hymn: No. 1011, “Holding Hands Around the World”
Recent conference talks on peacemaking
- President Russell M. Nelson: “Confidence in the Presence of God” (April 2025)
- President Dallin H. Oaks: “Following Christ” (October 2024)
- Elder Quentin L. Cook: “Be Peaceable Followers of Christ” (October 2023)
Who is Elder Stevenson?
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Oct. 3, 2015. He lived in Japan for more than nine years and attended two Japan temple dedications and one rededication as an Apostle.
