This year, local units and areas of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the option to plan their own in-person music experiences to bring youth together in worship and celebration of their faith.
A notice from the Church to local leaders on Thursday, June 25, outlines options for music devotionals or other in-person music experiences for units to plan and hold before the end of 2026.
“Youth benefit from feeling a sense of belonging and exercising faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Music is a powerful tool to invite those feelings and experiences,” the notice said.
Branches, wards and stakes can begin preparing now by reserving a date and adding the event to their local calendar.
The notice said music experiences should be centered on Jesus Christ, include the 2026 youth theme, “Walk with me,” and emphasize the eternal truths from the newly expanded “For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices.”
The options are:
Youth music devotional. For this music experience, branches, wards or stakes can host their own 60-minute devotional in a local chapel, preferably on a Sunday unless local circumstances necessitate a different day. They will use provided resources from the Church such as music, lyric videos and a suggested program that will be published on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org in August in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Youth concert. This event has a more celebratory style of music. Youth can gather as a stake or multiple stakes in an outdoor location or large gathering place — perhaps as part of a youth conference, camp or other stake or district activity on a day other than Sunday. This can be held instead of or in addition to a youth music devotional. Resources to plan a local or area-led concert are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Faith walk. A faith walk is a more reflective experience, usually done individually or in small groups, and allows personal reflection and quieter settings. The walk combines movement with guided spiritual prompts and music to invite youth to contemplate their own faith in Jesus Christ. This can be experienced on its own or alongside other music experiences above. It can also be combined with camps or youth conferences on any day of the week. Resources to create a faith walk are available now on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org in English.
Whichever music experience is chosen is an opportunity for youth to gather and strengthen their discipleship of Jesus Christ, the notice said.
Principles for youth music experiences
The letter outlined the following principles for planning and carrying out the youth music experiences:
Let youth lead: Where possible, invite the stake youth leadership committee or other youth leaders to oversee the planning and carrying out of the event (see General Handbook 29.3.9).
Encourage participation: Songs will be available at youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org once the resources are published. Youth should feel welcomed and encouraged to sing along with songs. Providing lyrics on a screen and ensuring sufficient volume levels can help encourage participation.
Invite friends: For music devotionals and concerts, encourage youth to invite friends of other faiths to sing and celebrate Jesus Christ together.
Consider size: Consider whether to gather as a ward or branch, stake or district, or as multiple stakes or districts.
Cost and funding: When considering cost of music experiences, leaders should ensure that funding comes from the correct organizational level so budgets are not negatively impacted.
