After being sustained in the April 2024 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the new Sunday School general presidency began serving on Aug. 1, 2024.
Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson and his first counselor, Brother Chad H Webb, and second counselor, Brother Gabriel W. Reid, join this episode of the Church News podcast to introduce themselves as well as share how studying the ongoing Restoration can help shape stronger testimonies of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.
They discuss what they hope Latter-day Saints will learn from this year’s “Come, Follow Me” curriculum and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
President Paul V. Johnson: The first thing you see when you open “Come, Follow Me,” and the first text, is “Conversion Is Our Goal.” It says, “The aim of all gospel teaching and learning is to deepen our conversion and to help us become more like Jesus Christ.” That’s what we’re after. It says, “For this reason, we study the gospel.” That’s why we’re doing it. We’re not just looking for new information. We want to become a new creature. This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, our views, our actions and our very natures. That’s the core of what we want to see happen, and one of the ways to get there is to focus on the Savior, find Him, learn about His attributes, and know that He and our Heavenly Father are really after helping us to be converted and to come unto Them.
0:58
Jon Ryan Jensen: This is Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the April 2024 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a new Sunday School general presidency was sustained. And on Aug. 1 of the same year, this new Sunday School general presidency began to officially work together as the head of the Sunday School.
We’re excited on this episode of the Church News podcast to sit down with new President Paul V. Johnson, Brother Chad H Webb and Brother Gabriel W. Reid to talk about some of their experiences of these past few months since officially beginning their service in this calling. And we also hope to give members a preview of what they are going to study in 2025 and what this presidency hopes Latter-day Saints will learn from Doctrine and Covenants this year. We recorded this episode from their offices in the Church Office Building.
So, brethren, thank you for letting us come and speak to you today.
President Paul V. Johnson: Great to be with you.
2:03
Jon Ryan Jensen: I’m really excited because I have had interactions with each of the three of you in different settings, and it was great when the three of you were called to reflect on the different experiences that you have had individually and to consider how those experiences are going to come together to the benefit of members of the Church. And I want to give you a chance — because we haven’t had a general conference yet where any of the three of you have spoken — so I wanted to give you a chance to introduce yourself a little bit to members of the Church.

And so, President Johnson, would you go first and give people maybe a little background about yourself?
2:36
President Paul V. Johnson: Sure. I’m Paul Johnson, and I was born in Florida; grew up in northern Utah, in Logan; served a mission in Norway; and I’ve had the chance to serve in the Seventy for a number of years and have met wonderful members of the Church around the world; and have a large family. So I’m very interested in the teaching in the Church, both in Primary and in Young Men, Young Women, Sunday School, seminary and institute.
We raised nine children. We have 43 grandchildren. So I’m very, very focused on how teaching goes in the Church. And I’ve been involved in education for a number of years and am excited to be in this calling in the Sunday School. By the way, this week, my wife just got called to be a Primary teacher, and she is so happy and excited about this, and those young children are in for a treat.
3:31
Jon Ryan Jensen: And the fact that whole families get to study all of this together, that there’s not independent lessons, it’s a great shift.
President Paul V. Johnson: It is. It’s great. Thank you.
3:41
Jon Ryan Jensen: Brother Webb?
Brother Chad H Webb: Chad Webb. I was born in Rexburg, Idaho, and grew up in Washington State and then mostly in Idaho Falls, Idaho. My wife, Kristi, is from Southern California. We have six daughters. Two are married, and we have two grandchildren that we love. My career has been in Church education and Seminaries & Institutes. I’ve taught both seminary and institute and now serve as the administrator of Seminaries & Institutes, and we’re thrilled to be part of the Sunday School. I love these two men and serving with them and the opportunity to help in any way we can.
4:14
Jon Ryan Jensen: It’s exciting to bring that lifelong experience in Seminaries & Institutes now to the Sunday School presidency. Brother Reid?
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: Thank you, Ryan. It’s good to see you again.
Jon Ryan Jensen: Good to see you too.
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: My name is Gabe Reid. I’m originally from American Samoa. Like Elder Johnson, I actually come from a large family, a family of 13 children. My wife, Heather, and I have four children and one granddaughter, and one grandson on the way. And so our family is growing. Recently my wife and I, our family, just returned as being mission leaders in the Australia Sydney Mission.
4:48
Jon Ryan Jensen: I wondered if you were going to say you have 300 children.
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: Yes, well, I was getting to that point. Now, our mission children, we have over 500, from 30 different countries, and so we love and adore them as well. But I’m grateful to be here. I’m grateful to serve with these wonderful men. I’ve already learned so much from them. And I’m just grateful to be here.
5:07
Jon Ryan Jensen: I love considering the international experience that each of the three of you have had. And I wonder, as we start to talk about Doctrine and Covenants and “Come, Follow Me” for this year, is there an approach that the three of you have talked about where you bring all of those experiences, having met people from countries and having served in those countries, where you can say, “Boy, globally, this is really what ‘Come, Follow Me’ can do to the benefit of members of the Church around the world”?
5:35
President Paul V. Johnson: We have had some international experience; I’ve been in a couple of area presidencies outside the United States. But one of the things that we did is we focused on an advisory council that included people from different parts of the world and that spoke different languages, because we want the input so that we can focus on things that would be relevant and helpful to other parts of the world. So it is on our mind, and we’re really hopeful that we can make some progress there, too.
And if I recall correctly, it has men and women on it.
Yes, oh yes. Yeah, there are five women and four men.
6:07
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I think that’s a great comment. I was just thinking it’s interesting with the opportunity to travel and to be in many countries and know people from all over the world. It really blesses your life. It expands your vision. It teaches you a lot of things as you watch disciples of Jesus Christ from around the world and their faith and goodness. It’s interesting, also; if something happens in a place, if it’s a natural disaster, you know people, and you hurt for them, and you can picture people that are being impacted. And if something wonderful happens, you celebrate, knowing, “Hey, so-and-so is happy,” that their country just won the World Cup, or whatever. And it’s just fun to think about those people.
But with relationship to “Come, Follow Me,” everybody’s circumstances might be a little different, and situation might be unique; cultures, languages, challenges. But I do think that there’s some common things among all of Heavenly Father’s children. We’re all blessed by faith in Jesus Christ. The power of the word is real in every culture among every people. The principles of the gospel are timeless and stretch across all cultures. And so, while there are differences, there’s some things that are more similar than different, and one of them is the blessing of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and deepening our faith in Him and how we’re blessed by a study of His word.
7:27
Jon Ryan Jensen: The last time that the Church collectively studied Doctrine and Covenants, the world was a little bit different. The world was in a little bit of a different spot and having emerged a few years from the height of the COVID pandemic.
Are there things that you perhaps hope that members will see in terms of focus on the Savior and building spiritual momentum, as President Russell M. Nelson has talked about?
7:52
President Paul V. Johnson: Well, I think there has been a collective focus. You think about the proclamation on the Restoration that was given, and that has helped us focus on the Savior, Jesus Christ, what He’s doing in His Church and in the world now, the preparation for the Second Coming, the progress that we’ve made based on the teachings we’ve had from President Nelson and the rest of the First Presidency and the Twelve over the last few years.
And I think it’s been a reminder to us also about the continuing nature of the Restoration, that we’re in the middle of this, that we’re all part of it, and that the Savior is leading this work and this Church at this time. And I think it helps us as we now focus in on the Doctrine and Covenants, the early history of the Church, to be able to see the line-upon-line nature of this ongoing Restoration and how the Savior is bringing us closer to Him and preparing us and the world for His Second Coming.
8:54
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: I think it’s just an exciting time to unpack the Doctrine and Covenants. As you mentioned, in previous years, we’re at a very different time in the world, but such an exciting time to be able to study the Doctrine and Covenants. I love what the Prophet President Joseph Fielding Smith said, that it is our book and it was written for us. And especially in this day and age, with all the different things that are going on in the world, I’m really looking forward to really unpacking the Doctrine and Covenants this year, because it contains a variety of different revelations, whether it’s for health or physical health or adversity. It is our book, and I look forward to really studying it.
And I believe it was President [Boyd K.] Packer that said, “You adopt it, and then you adapt it.” And so as I learned and applied it, and then being able to adapt it as I’m either teaching in my home or doing trainings in different areas of the Church, to be able to use this wonderful revelation of resource to be able to help others draw closer to the Savior.
9:59
Jon Ryan Jensen: I love that thought of it as our book. In my own ward, as we studied the first week of “Come, Follow Me,” one of the comments that was brought up was you look at the Old Testament, the New Testament and Book of Mormon, and they were all compressed and edited from larger sets of scripture recordings, and Doctrine and Covenants is probably the most complete, beginning to end, set of scripture that we have, and so they have a little bit different role. We get maybe a little bit more level of detail in Doctrine and Covenants than we get in the other books.
Is that something that you hope that members pay attention to, is maybe the level of detail that the Lord is involved in the Restoration of His Church and preparation for His Second Coming?
10:41
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I think so. I think that’s a really interesting insight, the level of detail He’s involved, that He’s very present with His Church and those He’s called to lead to be His mouthpiece on the earth. I think also with the Doctrine and Covenants, it’s wonderful to recognize that it’s His voice. You hear His voice in other scriptures, certainly in the New Testament, but probably more in the Doctrine and Covenants where He is actually speaking than any other place in scripture. And I think there’s power in that.
I have a friend who was sharing with us that as a young missionary, just less than three weeks into his mission in a foreign country, in a foreign language, the local police came and took his companion away. He didn’t know what was going on, and he was alone, and he didn’t know where to go, and it was in the days before he had a phone, and he tried to find somebody the next day, he went to the church — but you can imagine; that would just be terrifying. And he didn’t know what to do, so he went back to his apartment and just opened up the Doctrine and Covenants and started to study, because that’s what was on his schedule, was to study.
And he shared as he opened the Doctrine and Covenants, and he quoted certain verses as the Lord spoke to him directly. And He was speaking to Joseph Smith and other early leaders of the Church, but as he read, “Fear not,” “Doubt not,” “I am with you,” “I will uphold you,” “I am on your right hand and on your left hand” — he said, “I have never felt more powerfully the voice of the Lord speaking directly to me.”
And he bore his testimony that since that day, he’s recognized that when you open the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord is speaking. And that makes this a powerful experience in the scriptures.
12:20
President Paul V. Johnson: That is one of the things that I think we hope for this year, that we can see clearly as we’re reading the Doctrine and Covenants and also studying the associated history to give us the context; “What’s going on that triggers these questions and these answers from the Lord?” that we can see how He deals with the prophets and with His people. And then it also becomes clear to us He deals with us in the same way and that we can hear His voice. It isn’t just to them. And I think that’s really something that we hope will happen this year as we study the Doctrine and Covenants.
12:59
Jon Ryan Jensen: You mentioned that there are some other pieces of study material that can help us with that understanding of the study of Doctrine and Covenants, and I’d love to hear what maybe some of the resources are that you engage with and that you hope members will remember as they’re participating in their study of Doctrine and Covenants this year.
13:15
President Paul V. Johnson: If you’re studying with printed materials, we start with the scriptures. That is really what we’re after. Then we have the “Come, Follow Me” manual that helps us, and I would always also have available “Saints, Volume 1,” which ties in so closely with what we’re studying. The “Revelations in Context,” which is another book that has really been developed to give us the background for most of the sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, and it comes, a lot of it, from the Joseph Smith Papers project. It’s available in print and Gospel Library. And then the magazines — the Liahona, the For the Strength of Youth and the Friend — all of them, more than ever, are tied in with what we’re studying in “Come, Follow Me.”
So if I were doing print, that’s what I’d have. If I’m on digital, if I’m on an iPad or a phone or something, or a tablet or a phone, if you’re in the scriptures and then you’re using “Come, Follow Me,” you’re automatically taken to “Revelations in Context.” They have embedded videos. In fact, there’s a new one this year that they’re just starting, “Insights From the Apostles.” And we saw the first one in section 1 with Elder [Patrick] Kearon talking about his insights into the weak and simple things, taking the gospel to all the world. That’s available.
They have videos, they have references to other things. In fact, there’s a new section they have that is “People, Places, Events,” and it has a few links for very basic things. And then they have other links. If you follow that in the “Come, Follow Me,” It has — I noticed one that had even historic sites, and you could take a virtual tour of the John Johnson home, for example. And these are all embedded in “Come, Follow Me,” along with some teaching tips and other things.
So, it’s just very, very rich, and it’s better than it’s ever been in the history of the world, probably, to get all these resources available to us at our fingertips. You get most of them in print, and you get even more if you do it digitally.
15:29
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I love what you said. I would underscore one thing that you started with, that the primary source of our study this year is the Doctrine and Covenants. We don’t want anything to get in between us and our study of this word of God and, with the help of the Holy Ghost, learn what He would teach us.
But I love what Elder Johnson said. Another way to get to it, if you go to the Gospel Library, you see there is a “Church History” button on the Gospel Library app, and when you click on “Church History,” you have access to all of that. You can see it through “Come, Follow Me.” But there’s even more than is in “Come, Follow Me.” I love the example of “Revelations in Context.” It’s really helpful, what was the context in which the question was asked and why the revelation was given, and it just broadens our understanding of each of the revelations. The Joseph Smith Papers, there’s podcasts about it, there’s videos. There’s so many, so many helpful things.

I would add one other if I could. It’s not in the “Church History” section, but it is in the Gospel Library app. There’s a drop-down button here that’s “Topics and Questions,” and a lot of people, because this is fairly new, don’t know about this; but when you open that up, you see “Seeking Answers to Questions” and “Helping Others With Questions” principles to think about information and questions you might have and how to come to truth, how to help other people who have questions. And then an entire list in alphabetical order of topics that people can study.
And in addition to that, if you click on “Categories” under “Topics and Questions,” you will see “Church and Gospel Questions,” “Gospel Study Guides” and “Life Help.” So, “Church and Gospel Questions” has, so far, five different topics that some might say are a little more complex or sensitive questions, and they do a really nice job of addressing questions that people have. And in “Life Help,” some challenges and opportunities that people have, and what the Lord teaches, what the scriptures teach, what the prophets teach about these situations and questions.
And there’s just so many resources to help people, whatever their question is. But having said that, I would point us back to the primary resource are the scriptures and teachings of living prophets, and then these are secondary resources.
President Paul V. Johnson: And the purpose of the secondary resources is to help us understand and apply what we read in the scriptures and what we hear from the prophets. That’s why we have them.
17:52
Jon Ryan Jensen: A thing that I love about something like “Revelations in Context” is that it really does underscore the continuity and the consistency of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. When it comes to His gospel, there have been prophets throughout time who have talked about these same things. Sometimes we can feel very alone when we’re facing an individual challenge. “No one’s ever felt what I feel. How can anyone else understand this?” And yet, when you have those experiences in the scriptures and in these supporting resources, you could realize, “Somebody else already overcame this. There’s a path forward because someone else did it. Now, maybe I feel a little bit more courageous to deal with it on my own as well.”
President Paul V. Johnson: Great point.
Jon Ryan Jensen: Brother Reid, I’m sure you saw some of that, maybe in your mission. And I remember being with some of your missionaries and hearing some of their thoughts as they were preparing to go home. And one of the things that stood out to me after I came back from that experience was thinking about those of them who were here who didn’t have a lot of multigenerational Church member support in their families.
For those who are studying Doctrine and Covenants maybe for the first time in their life, is there something that you hope that they gain or that they see as they do their study of Doctrine and Covenants this year?
19:04
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: Yeah, that’s that’s a great question, and especially maybe even for some of those who are international, where they read about the history of the Church, and like, “Well, I don’t have any ancestors that necessarily are pioneers or from that part of the world, but it is absolutely for us,” because even though it happened in a different part of the world, the things that they learn and the promises that were given to them, the revelation that was given to them, whether through a question that was being asked or a need or circumstances, it’s applicable to all of us, regardless of where we’re at in the world.
And so, I would invite them to just give it a chance and make sure to put in the spiritual work to really unpack the Doctrine and Covenants, and you’ll find that it is definitely written for for me as a Polynesian, as someone in other parts of the world, just as much as it was for someone who was born here in North America.
19:59
Jon Ryan Jensen: Brother Webb, looking at those who you have interacted with as students in Seminaries & Institutes, I’ve got a son and a daughter both in the seminary program right now, and I watch them, and I worry about, “How can I help them to be immersed in this?”
Is there maybe a piece of advice or counsel that you would give to parents or leaders of youth as they work to engage children and teenagers in their learning around Doctrine and Covenants?
20:29
Brother Chad H Webb: I think for youth as well as all of us, really, I think it’s helpful when we study the scriptures to first maybe read just to understand: “What’s happening in the story? What’s being taught here?” But I think it’s so much more than that. The scriptures were preserved to teach us eternal truth, gospel principles. So it’s not just knowing the story, it’s not just knowing the speech, it’s understanding what truth is being taught within the context of this story or this experience, or even this revelation.
But more than that, I would say, for me, what makes scripture study come to life is what President Nelson has taught us, maybe two things that he’s taught us. One, that we should be looking for Jesus in all that we do, in our service in the Church, in our worship in the temple and in our study of the scriptures. The point is to deepen faith in Jesus Christ, our conversion to Him, to see Him and to strive to become more like Him, to know Him better. So, one of the things that makes the scriptures come alive for me, and I think for youth as well, is to see, “What do the scriptures teach us about Jesus, His character, His attributes and His promised blessings?” And as we look for Jesus in the scriptures, they really become more powerful. “What role does He play in here?”

I’ll give you a quick example. The Doctrine and Covenants is amazing this way. It actually takes a lot of opportunity to introduce Him. In fact, a friend of mine showed me this the other day, but in the first 100 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, 56 of them start with Him introducing Himself by giving a title or an attribute. And so it’s not just “What does He ask of us,” but “What does He teach us about who He is?” And when we understand who He is, then it changes what He asks, right?
I’m thinking of Doctrine and Covenants 64. A lot of people will know that’s about we’re supposed to forgive each other, but the first few verses is Him saying, “I want you to overcome the world. I have compassion on you. I want to be merciful. I want to help you with what you’re facing,” which was contention in the Church, “so let me teach you how to.” And knowing who’s asking me to forgive other people, and knowing what He’s done so that people can be forgiven, and knowing that He’ll be patient with me and my weaknesses, it changes the way I read His invitation for me to forgive other people, because He’s introduced who’s speaking and who’s extending this invitation. So, I would really encourage people to find the Savior in every way, by looking for His voice, His characteristics and attributes, His promised blessings. I think that makes the scriptures powerful.
And then lastly, what of course President Nelson has taught us is that we read the scriptures to hear Him. So it’s one thing to see the black-and-white printed page. It’s another thing to say, “What am I learning? How does this apply to me? What is the Spirit inviting me to do,” or “The comfort or the guidance, or whatever is coming, because I’m reading the scriptures.” It’s not, “I read the scriptures, check the box, I’m waiting for the blessing.” The blessing is reading the scriptures and the Spirit that comes and the promptings that come and the healing that comes, because when we hear the voice of the Lord, those blessings are part of our day, every day.
23:45
President Paul V. Johnson: Just tying in with what Brother Webb just said, the first thing you see when you open “Come, Follow Me,” and the first text, is “Conversion Is Our Goal.” It says, “The aim of all gospel [teaching and learning] is to deepen our conversion and help us become more like Jesus Christ.” That’s what we’re after. It says, “For this reason, ... we study the gospel.”
That’s why we’re doing it. We’re not just looking for new information. We want to become a new creature. This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, our views, our actions and our very natures. That’s the core of what we want to see happen. And I think Brother Webb just explained one of the ways to get there is to focus on the Savior, find Him, learn about His attributes, and know that He and our Heavenly Father are really after helping us to be converted and to come unto Them.
24:44
Jon Ryan Jensen: President Johnson, I think one of the questions that comes off of that, if I’m a teacher and I’m hearing you say that, I fear maybe being repetitive. Every single lesson, I’m focusing on the Savior. Every single lesson, I want people to learn more about Him and to feel His love.
Do you have any teaching tips for those teachers who are out there saying, “I don’t want to sound like a broken record every week, and yet, I do want to have that focus.” What can those teachers do to stay engaging every week?
25:15
President Paul V. Johnson: I think that’s a great question. I’ll give you a reference that the teachers can look at. There’s a booklet called “Teaching in the Savior’s Way,” and it’s really a handbook to help us be teachers. And part of that handbook is helping us focus on Jesus Christ. And it has actual, specific helps for a teacher, how they can help focus on Jesus Christ in their lessons.
And I think it’s more than just saying, “Let’s focus on the Savior.” When we’re studying a section in the Doctrine and Covenants or a part of Church history, it’s seen how the interaction goes with the Savior and the people, and it’s a little bit different every time. The person’s the same, the Savior is the same, but the way He reaches out to the people, the way He teaches them, is a little different. So every week, even though the focus is on the Savior, the incident, the teachings that come from the Savior from that particular section of the Doctrine and Covenants, have a little bit of a different focus because the situation was different. And I think we can still help our people find the Savior and not come across as repetitive.
26:22
Jon Ryan Jensen: And I think some of that, too, as you say that, I go back to what Brother Webb said about how the Lord introduces himself. Rob Jex, who helps work on the Gospel Library app, he once upon a time showed me something that he had done with the tagging feature within Gospel Library, where he created a tag for names of the Savior, and I copied him because that was a great thing to do. And I know that when I’ve studied and seen the Lord start, “I am Alpha and Omega,” then I know we’re about to get some perspective, because how He introduces Himself does change it. And so I love this idea of looking at that perspective and the different experiences that He’s approaching things through.
Is there a specific part of Doctrine and Covenants that you are just really itching to get to and really excited for members to hit specifically at some point this year?
27:16
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: They don’t have to wait very long to hit one of my favorite parts in the Doctrine and Covenants, and that is in section 3 and 5 and 10, because I have a great love for the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. And in the process of the Prophet Joseph Smith, some of his shortcomings in translating the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, I just find so much strength in knowing that even though he fell short, that the Lord still had a work for him to do.
And that gives me great strength, and especially in my current capacity, my responsibility now, I feel inadequate, and I just know that the Lord’s work will move forward. And it gives me great hope. And I hope as people, regardless of what they’re going through, whatever calling they’re serving in, as a stake Sunday School president, as a teacher, that they look at that if they do fall short in any way, just knowing that this is the Lord’s work, and the Lord’s work will never be frustrated.

28:17
Brother Chad H Webb: That’s an impossible question.
President Paul V. Johnson: It really is.
Brother Chad H Webb: I love Gabe’s answer. You could go on and on. I love section 18, and the Lord talks about the worth of a soul. Section 19, when He talks from His own voice about the experience in Gethsemane and the Atonement. And with President Nelson inviting us to study the Atonement every week for the rest of our lives, there’s a lot in the Doctrine and Covenants that will help us to do that.
There’s wonderful revelations on the organization of the Church. I’m just thinking of the next section, section 20, the organization of the Church (see section 21), and all the way through with the dedication of the Kirtland temple (see section 109), those revelations with Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail (see section 121). And there’s just so many powerful, powerful experiences contained in the Doctrine and Covenants. That’s a really hard question to answer.
29:04
President Paul V. Johnson: Yeah, I don’t know that I can pinpoint something. Some of the places I’ve been thinking about recently have to do with this calling and teaching. And I think about those sections in the ’40s and the early ’50s, when they’re having the challenges in Kirtland and how the Lord teaches them about teaching and how to discern between the good and the bad. And I love that part.
And then also, you get into section 88 and what we learn about teaching, and I think about our teachers and what they’re facing and the great work that they’re doing around the world. And I just think about what we learn about that from this great source, the Doctrine and Covenants. And then generally, how does the Savior teach throughout this whole scripture text, and how He focuses on the things that they need at the time, and that their questions bring His answers, and that that’s an important thing for us to realize.
In the introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants, it says that these are real questions — I don’t remember; I can’t quote it, but — real questions from real people, and they receive these revelations. And I think we need to know that too. We have real questions. We’re real people. We have real situations. And the Savior will help answer our questions, too, in our situation.
30:31
Jon Ryan Jensen: Joseph Smith was the first Prophet of this dispensation. And as we sit here, President Russell M. Nelson celebrated his 100th birthday recently. And as you look back at those first years of Joseph Smith and the Restoration, and then you look at the seven years of President Nelson, they’re in very different times.
But are there maybe some similarities that you see prophetically between those two Prophets in the way that they encourage members to go to the Savior?
31:04
President Paul V. Johnson: I think so. One of the very obvious connections is that the heavens are open. They opened wide when Joseph Smith was there. They’re still open, and President Nelson is still receiving revelation to help guide this Church, and he’s very much in contact with heaven, just like Joseph Smith was. And I also see, as you watch Joseph Smith, it started, it built. This step had to be taken first, then this step, then this step, and the Church began to grow and to learn and to come together organizationally and everything. I think that’s happening with President Nelson, too. It is at a different stage of development of the kingdom and the Church, but that Restoration continues to happen.
31:54
Jon Ryan Jensen: I was thinking about that recently and wondering: We have the revelations of Joseph Smith, and he saw into the future and what perhaps heaven and the celestial kingdom may be like. And I wonder if then he stepped back and said, “I’m not sure how we’re going to get from here to there.” And yet, here we are 200 years later, and I don’t know where we are on that path, but 200 years removed from that moment, and seeing how the Lord helps us get closer to that.
Brother Reid, the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and is typically the first book that missionaries are taking and using to say, “This is something that is going to help you come to an understanding and testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
How do you think that maybe missionaries can use Doctrine and Covenants to also help in their teaching of those who are looking at the Church right now?
32:49
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: I think of how this is, again, just like the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the Doctrine and Covenants testifies of Jesus Christ, and we’re able to have just so many examples of revelation of how the Lord is speaking to His servants. And as a missionary, they should be putting themselves in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s shoes as well, in the sense that the heavens are open, but even to you personally, that you can receive personal revelation, and understanding that good information leads to good inspiration. And this is a very valuable tool and resource as you’re testifying of the Restoration of the gospel, because as a missionary, everything you do in “Preach My Gospel” teaches you that whatever it is that you’re teaching, you always try to get back to the Restoration and teaching about the Restoration. And the Doctrine and Covenants ties right into that and testifies of the Restoration and the divinity of our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Church.
Jon Ryan Jensen: It all points back.
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: It all points back to Him.
33:55
Jon Ryan Jensen: President Johnson, I forgot as we were talking about resources to also mention the illustrated stories for children. I see this picture on the wall of some of your grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
As you look at them and you think about how they can learn from those experiences from Doctrine and Covenants, what would you say to parents and grandparents who are helping to teach them, and Primary teachers who are trying to reach them?
34:19
President Paul V. Johnson: I think the resources are going to be helpful. As you mentioned, the illustrated stories from the Doctrine and Covenants. There also are coloring books, and in “Come, Follow Me,” they have different activities to help them. But the key thing is that the parents and the teachers love the Lord and love the children. And they’ll be inspired in ways to help them understand things, to be simple, to help those children and to listen to them. And I think they can see great things “out of the mouth of babes” (Matthew 21:16) from these children as they’re exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and how the Savior works with His children.

34:58
Jon Ryan Jensen: We talked about seminary-age students, but another age group that is important — both because of the ages they were when Doctrine and Covenants was being written and the current state of the Church, with the numbers of CES students engaged in institute, in the Church universities — is our young adults.
Is there a message that you pull from Doctrine and Covenants about them?
35:22
Brother Chad H Webb: One of the things that I appreciate about early Church history is that there is an unspoken message to young adults of the Church. Joseph Smith was in his mid-20s when the Church was organized. So were most of the early leaders of the Church. You think about Gabe and his missionaries, the Lord puts incredible trust in 18-, 19-year-old young people, remarkable trust to take His message to all the world and to be the face of the Church of Jesus Christ to people who don’t yet know about Jesus and His Church.
And Church history is an example of the trust He puts in young adults and that they can do wonderful things with the Lord’s help. They made mistakes, and they grew, and they learned, and that gives me hope. That doesn’t discourage me; that makes me think I have a chance to learn and grow and be who Heavenly Father would have me be. But they did remarkable things at a very young age with the Lord’s help. And I think that’s an interesting message for the young adults of the Church today.
36:23
President Paul V. Johnson: And I would just add it isn’t just that there is great responsibility that they have now, and that they can do great things, and the Lord will bless them to do great things, but not too long in the future, we pass all the batons to them, and they’re going to be here to help carry this kingdom and this work forward. We’ll be gone, and the more they can learn about how the kingdom was built and grew and connected with the Savior, Jesus Christ, the more prepared they’ll be when the batons get passed completely to them.
37:00
Jon Ryan Jensen: President Johnson, on that note, I think this is a good spot for us to begin to wrap up. And as we do with each episode of the Church News podcast, we like to give our guests the final word, and we do that by asking you, “What do you know now?”
And so, for each of you — I’ll ask Brother Reid and Brother Webb and then President Johnson — what do you know now, now that you’ve had a few months in this calling and a few months to prepare, for the Church to be studying in Doctrine and Covenants?
37:24
Brother Gabriel W. Reid: I know now, very similar to the pattern we see in the Doctrine and Covenants, that the Lord calls weak people to do His work, and I’m one of them. And so I’m just grateful to know that the Lord does qualify those who He calls and that this is His work, and so my responsibility is just to do my best. And so that’s one thing that I know now. I’ve always known that, but that was just reinforced with this new responsibility that I have.
38:01
Brother Chad H Webb: As we think about the Doctrine and Covenants in Church history, I would just add my testimony. I know and am grateful that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. Because of that and other experiences, he was called as a Prophet, and I know that. And I know President Nelson is a Prophet of God and that the Restoration is ongoing, with priesthood keys and with ordinances and covenants and with the gifts of the Spirit and the scriptures and temples. And all of the blessings we have through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are evidence of God’s love for us as His children.
And I love the Doctrine and Covenants. I love hearing the voice of the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants. It’s a voice of hope and happiness and joy. It’s a message of deliverance and the joy of deliverance through a Redeemer. And I know there’s a lot of challenges in the world, and there’s a lot of problems, but there’s so many reasons to be hopeful and happy and optimistic, because the Lord’s in charge, and I’m grateful to know of Him and His restored gospel and His Church, and so thank you. Thanks for asking.
39:16
President Paul V. Johnson: Maybe a couple things. One thing, I know that the Lord is grateful for the teachers around the world. I have been so blessed and touched as I’ve been in these classes and watched. I’m grateful for every one of those teachers and for the parents who are involved in teaching the gospel to their children. I know the Lord will bless individual teachers and parents as they teach the students and they teach their own children.
And I know that the heavens have been opened. This dispensation is the dispensation of the fullness of times. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lives, and He is guiding His Church today through Russell M. Nelson and the other Apostles. I am so grateful to be involved. I know that God lives, and I’m grateful for all He does for us, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
40:24
Jon Ryan Jensen: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m your host, Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.