The relationship of the Prophet Joseph Smith to missionary work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is vital, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, told new mission leaders on Saturday, June 21.
“It is very important that our missionaries have a testimony of the divine calling and miraculous work of the Prophet Joseph Smith. That needs to be part of your teaching and counseling,” he said.
Speaking at the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders at the Provo Missionary Training Center, President Oaks titled his remarks “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.”
“In speaking of the Prophet Joseph Smith, I hope to contribute to your understanding of the unique and miraculous accomplishments of the founding prophet of this dispensation,” he said.
What did the Lord restore through Joseph Smith?
Though President Oaks did not personally meet Joseph Smith, “I feel I know him, and I love him through what he revealed and taught,” he said.
President Oaks noted that some Latter-day Saints are not aware of the “massive additions” the Lord inspired Joseph Smith to make to the fullness of Christian doctrine. In addition to Joseph Smith bringing forth the Book of Mormon, the Lord restored the following doctrine through him:
- “The nature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
- “The relative functions of these three members of the Godhead and Their relationship to mortal beings.
- “The nature of the Fall of man.
- “The purpose of mortal life in furtherance of the Father’s plan for His children to attain their eternal destiny.
- “The role of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in assuring immortality and providing the opportunity for eternal life.
- “The role of earthly and eternal marriage in the Father’s plan.
- “The role of priesthood and ordinances in the Father’s plan.
- “The role of proxy ordinances and temples in the Father’s plan.
- “The knowledge that God desires to save all of His children and that every person who has lived upon this earth — whether knowing of Jesus Christ or not — is capable of attaining the highest glory hereafter.
- “The relationship of the threefold sources of truth about man and the universe: science, scriptures and continuing revelation.”
President Oaks said: “Anyone who studies even a small part of this list — whether believer or nonbeliever — must acknowledge that Joseph Smith was the prophetic source of an immense stream of bold and new and precious religious ideas.”
He counseled new mission leaders not to let missionaries’ teachings assume that those they are teaching have much knowledge about Joseph Smith’s role as a prophetic servant of the Lord and about the remarkable additions revealed to him for the restored Church.
“The restoration of the fullness of Christian doctrine is a sunburst of light and truth,” President Oaks said.
Researching the Prophet Joseph Smith
President Oaks shared insights from researching and writing about Joseph Smith, including a book titled “Carthage Conspiracy” that he co-authored with Marvin S. Hill, and a Brigham Young University Law Review article titled “Joseph Smith and Legal Process: In the Wake of the Steamboat Nauvoo” that he co-authored with Joseph I. Bentley.
“The Joseph Smith I met in my personal research, mostly in Illinois, was a man of the frontier — young, emotional, dynamic and so loved and approachable by his people that they often called him ‘Brother Joseph,’” President Oaks said.
President Oaks spoke of the Prophet’s comparative youth — including receiving the First Vision at age 14 and finishing the translation of the Book of Mormon at age 23 — and the mortal afflictions he endured in his 38 and a half years of life. President Oaks also spoke of Joseph’s rapid acquisition of spiritual knowledge and the love and loyalty of his followers.
With the publication of The Joseph Smith Papers, individuals can understand Joseph Smith’s life and work as never before, President Oaks said. “The Prophet’s life is truly an open book that anyone can read.”
An upcoming biography of Joseph Smith commissioned by the First Presidency will build upon the foundation laid by The Joseph Smith Papers project, he added.
“In this life, Joseph Smith accomplished more than any mortal man could have accomplished in so short a time,” President Oaks affirmed. “The only possible explanation is heavenly help.”
President Oaks concluded: “Brothers and sisters, I testify of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who appeared with the Father to the boy Prophet and of whom the Father said, ‘This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!’ … I testify of the calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the calling of the prophets who have succeeded him in this great work in which you are engaged.”
