“These were days never to be forgotten,” testified Oliver Cowdery. Those words set the stage on a poster inviting young men to a July 13, 2025, broadcast commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Young Men organization with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and young men worldwide.
Following the Aaronic Priesthood restoration, Cowdery penned, “To sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom!”
Forty-one years later, in 1875, the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association was officially organized, and young men around the world could officially share in that utmost gratitude.
The Young Men organization has grown and evolved with the ongoing Restoration of the Church over the past 150 years.
It wasn’t until 1908 that the Church formally recommended ordaining young men into the Aaronic Priesthood at specific ages. The year 1965 brought the first “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet, and in 1977, the name of the YMMIA was changed to “Young Men Organization.”
In 1978, all worthy young men could receive the Aaronic Priesthood, and in 2013, the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum was introduced to youth.
The poster invites young men “to honor this historic milestone” as Elder Andersen, President Lund and five young men “walk the sacred path of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood” where John the Baptist conferred God’s power and authority to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Following Elder Andersen and President Lund’s video, local leaders are encouraged to organize a “reflect and review” exercise with young men.
