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Episode 230: RootsTech 2025 helps attendees around the world ‘discover’ their family heritage

Events director Jonathan Wing previews global family history conference

RootsTech, a three-day global family history event, is scheduled for March 6-8. The gathering will reach a worldwide audience online while also featuring an in-person experience in Salt Lake City.

This year’s theme is "Discover," and organizers hope to empower attendees to uncover their family history and make new, meaningful connections. The lineup for 2025 includes a variety of keynote speakers, including Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as performances by musical artists, hundreds of classes and fun activities.

In this episode, Church News reporter Mary Richards is joined by Jonathan Wing, director of events for FamilySearch International, to preview events and discuss how family history can help individuals and families discover, connect and become part of the family of God.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Jonathan Wing: Now, we’ve been saying this question: “What will you discover?” And I love that question, because I can guarantee that every person who experiences RootsTech will discover something. And one thing that comes to mind is the idea of discover. You can see that as a moment in time, but really, we’re all on a journey of discovery. But I know that it’s not about the event; it’s about the people. It’s about God’s children all around the world, whether they are members of this Church or not. He loves each and every one of them. And this experience is bringing people from around the world together. It’s connecting each of us.

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.

1:13

Mary Richards: The three-day global family history gathering known as RootsTech returns in 2025 on March 6-8, both in person and online. This year’s theme is “Discover,” and organizers hope attendees will be empowered to discover their stories, discover connection, discover themselves and more.

I’m Mary Richards, a reporter with the Church News. On this episode of the Church News podcast, I’m joined by Jonathan Wing, director of events at FamilySearch International, to discuss how discovering our family tree can help us connect not only to our past but, importantly, to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Welcome, Jonathan.

Jonathan Wing: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

1:54

Mary Richards: This is a busy time for you. Tell me how you became involved with FamilySearch and RootsTech.

Jonathan Wing: Well, this year marks my 10-year anniversary of working for the Church, and I’ve been involved in supporting RootsTech since the very beginning; not the beginning of RootsTech, but the beginning of my start at Church employment. And I served in various capacities. I started out as a project manager, and then a program manager, then an account manager, and then I joined officially the events team in FamilySearch at the very end of 2019. And just this last year, I stepped into the role of director of events at FamilySearch International.

Jonathan Wing, third from right on the front row, poses for a picture with fellow RootsTech team members at the event in 2023. Wing is the director of RootsTech.
Jonathan Wing, third from right on the front row, poses for a picture with fellow RootsTech team members at the event in 2023. Wing is the director of RootsTech. | Provided by Jonathan Wing

2:35

Mary Richards: I was going to say: Since we’ve had you last on the Church News podcast, this is a new title for you, new responsibilities and things?

Jonathan Wing: Yes. I don’t sleep very much.

Mary Richards: I’m so sorry.

Jonathan Wing: No, it’s great. It’s such thrilling work, and I have such a fantastic team to work with.

2:48

Mary Richards: And we’re getting closer, too.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah, next week. And we’re so thrilled. Last year, we had 4.7 million attendees from around the world, 232 countries and territories represented. It’s just mind-blowing how much RootsTech has grown and how individuals around the world are gravitating to this message of family history.

3:14

Mary Richards: And this year’s theme is “Discover.” So tell me what we can expect at RootsTech 2025 with that theme.

Jonathan Wing: Well, what’s so beautiful about the word “discover” is it captures the moment where there’s true emotion. For all of us who have been involved in family history, when you find something — when you find that story, or you find that record, or you find that name — you’re hit with this very real emotion. Part of that could also be discovering more about your culture or your heritage or the meaning of your last name.

So, discover really encapsulates this emotion, whether it’s laughter — “Oh, my dad used to do that, and I do that too” — or this meaningful experience. I remember when I first started working at FamilySearch, another employee helped me learn a little bit more. I wasn’t this savvy genealogist. I still wouldn’t call myself a genealogist, although there are plenty of those individuals with that skill set. I sat down with this individual, and she helped me find these two missing children. And I can’t tell you at that moment what that felt like, the emotion that I had, and that’s just one example of so many.

And I think that’s what’s so beautiful about this theme: the emotion that accompanies those meaningful discoveries in family history. Now, we’ve been saying this question: “What will you discover?” And I love that question, because I can guarantee that every person who experiences RootsTech will discover something.

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4:51

Mary Richards: It’s an invitation, too, isn’t it?

Jonathan Wing: It is. It’s a call to action.

Mary Richards: Oh, yes. You’ve mentioned so many online. Tell me more about that growth of this global online audience and those who are really from around the world being involved in RootsTech.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah, it really was in the lead-up to RootsTech 2023, which was our first year back in person at the Salt Palace. This was after two years of holding the event virtually, and those events opened the floodgates to all of the attendees that have joined from around the world. And we knew as we were coming back to this in-person experience that we couldn’t ignore what just happened, this miracle of millions joining in the experience of RootsTech.

So at that time, we strategically said, “RootsTech is an online event enhanced by an in-person experience.” Now, prior to the pandemic, it was not that. But when the majority of your audience is online, you have to think differently. You have to plan the event differently. And when your audience base is as diverse as it is now, our programming is evolving. It’s changing. It’s meeting the needs of our attendees worldwide.

Jonathan Wing, second from right, poses for a picture with fellow RootsTech team members at the event in 2023. Wing is the director of RootsTech.
Jonathan Wing, second from right, poses for a picture with fellow RootsTech team members at the event in 2023. Wing is the director of RootsTech. | Provided by Jonathan Wing

6:08

Mary Richards: Give us some spoilers. What can some of those attendees expect online? And then we’ll go into some of the in-person things too.

Jonathan Wing: Well, along the lines of discovery, people who come to RootsTech want to know how to make those meaningful discoveries. So, the most important thing that we start with is the class offerings. So, with our classes, people might not know this, but we have over 2,000 classes already available on RootsTech.org, and they’re available in just under 50 languages. So this library of classes to help people make those meaningful discoveries is already available on RootsTech.org.

But every year, we refresh. Every year, we analyze. We see, “Where are we missing pieces?” or “Where are we missing content that can help individuals make discoveries?” And that includes, “What regions of the world are we missing?” Because doing family history in different parts of the world is very different than what we here in North America are used to, or for those of us who have strong connections to Europe. So, we have been curating curriculum, curating classes, that can help people on their journeys of discovery.

So, every year at RootsTech, we have over 250 live sessions that take place at the Salt Palace. And this year, we’ll be broadcasting more of those than we ever have before. So 70 of those will be made available to those who are joining online, which is great, because at the end of the day, it is about empowering individuals to make those meaningful discoveries.

7:46

Mary Richards: And then for those in person, they’re choosing which class to go to at what time. Can they watch those classes later too?

Jonathan Wing: Yes, they can. And when they make their schedules online, they’ll have the details to understand whether it is a recorded and broadcasted session. So yeah, the whole point is to help people learn the skills and the tools and see what innovation is out there that can help them find their family.

8:10

Mary Richards: You say innovation, it makes me think of a class I went to at RootsTech a couple years ago about all the new technology and innovations that are coming on board. That seems to be an exciting class too.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah, that’s part of the history of RootsTech. That’s why it’s called “RootsTech.” Back in 2011, it was really just a couple thousand people in a room together, genealogists and technologists, and that’s always been core to the event. So, fast-forward to 15 years later, we still have sessions that highlight the newest innovation in the industry. We have a forum called the Innovation in Tech Forum, where our partners and friends within the industry come to share what’s new and exciting.

We also have the FamilySearch Global Tech Forum, where FamilySearch has the opportunity to share the specific product offerings that can help individuals around the world make discoveries in their family history. And of course, many classes that are devoted to how technology is helping accelerate the work and helping individuals find their family.

9:15

Mary Richards: Another really exciting thing that I always look forward to is Family Discovery Day. Can you talk about that this year?

Jonathan Wing: Yes, Family Discovery Day is the free day at RootsTech for those who come in person, and it always has a session with a featured member of the Quorum of the Twelve. We are so lucky this year to have Elder Neil L. Andersen, along with his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, to be the featured speakers at Family Discovery Day. And part of that session will include a performance from the Piano Guys. They’ll be playing and entertaining, and then we’ll transition into a beautiful devotional with Elder and Sister Andersen.

It’ll be a little different from this last year. Of course, last year we recorded a piece with President M. Russell Ballard, and that was such a beautiful experience. And this next year, a lot of the address will be given live by Elder and Sister Andersen, but there are some pieces that we prerecorded. Elder Andersen shared in his announcement video recently that he’s sharing lessons that he learned from a dairy farm, and you’ll see him on a dairy farm with livestock and sharing these beautiful messages that he learned and how his faith grew when he was a young boy. And Sister Andersen has remarkable family stories of sacrifices her family made so that her family could be blessed by the covenants and ordinances of the temple. So it’s going to be a very special session.

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10:53

Mary Richards: This sounds so great. There’s so much always, too, on the main stage and in the expo hall, and we can look forward to a lot of exciting things there, too.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah. The main stage, as we said, we think about what’s happening online, and then how does the in person enhance that? So this next year, you’re going to see many more keynotes. We’ve recorded what we’re calling “virtual keynotes,” which are keynotes that we’ve recorded prior to the event. And those keynotes are representative of our audience base around the world.

Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, stands on a stage as an emcee during a previous year at RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, stands on a stage as an emcee during a previous year at RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. | Provided by Jonathan Wing

So, we have Los Chicaneros. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but they’re a family originally from Colombia. They live now near Orlando in Florida, and so they’ve shared a beautiful, beautiful message about the sacrifices that they made to be together as a family. It wasn’t always easy for them, but what I love about the experience is we gave them a family history experience that brought their father to tears. And I’m not going to spoil it. You’ll have to watch it.

But we also have Ndaba Mandela, who’s the grandson of Nelson Mandela. Now, Ndaba Mandela grew up with his grandfather. Of course, Nelson Mandela’s children were quite young when he was incarcerated, and part of his paying back to his children for not being there was taking his grandchildren in and educating them and helping them. And Ndaba was a beneficiary of that. He lived with him for 20 years. So he shares these beautiful stories and life lessons that he learned from his grandfather, who to him wasn’t just the father of the nation; he was his grandfather.

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We also have Ysabelle Cuevas who will be joining. She’s a YouTube singer and star from the Philippines, and she shares an incredible message about her family history and her family’s journey. And she also sings a version of our theme song for this next year, which was really quite beautifully done.

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Marco Lui is another keynote that will be on our virtual offering, and he’s an entertainer in Italy, and he brings us to the city of Verona, which you’ll know from Romeo and Juliet. But he takes us around the city and shares some stories. He’s an entertainer. They call him the Ryan Seacrest of Italy; at least, that’s how he was described to us. So we enjoyed and laughed our way through Verona, and we ate a lot of gelato while we were there as well. So that was a wonderful experience.

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But those are all prerecorded, and many classes that are available online. Now, the main stage on site, so we’ll have keynotes that are live, on site, in Salt Lake at the Salt Palace, and their addresses will be broadcast in many languages. We have Steve Rockwood, of course, CEO of FamilySearch International, who will speak that first day. And we have one more keynote that we have not announced yet, but we look forward to announcing.

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And then on Friday, we have a keynote address from Dana Tanamachi. You might not know her name, but you most certainly know her work. She’s a renowned artist who’s kind of the modern-day founder of chalk art, and she rose in prominence when Oprah Winfrey identified her as an incredible rising star as an artist. But what people don’t know about her is her family history story, which is so meaningful. Dana has an incredible family history story of resilience, and a story that inspired not only her art but the strength that she can receive through the meaningful stories and struggles and sacrifices of her ancestors. I’m so excited for people to hear her message.

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And on Saturday, the “golden couple” is coming to RootsTech. We have Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall. You’ll remember them as the “golden couple” from the Paris Olympics. Both of them won gold; Tara, of course, in the long jump, and then Hunter in the Paralympics. They’ll be joining us and sharing their message and their journey to their gold medals, and we’re so excited to have a couple on the stage together, excited to have that dynamic and to hear their stories.

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15:25

Mary Richards: I really can’t wait for all of these. I learn so much from other people’s stories. And you realize that everybody has a story of how their background, their roots, their family history has shaped them, how they are on the shoulders of those who came before. And when you see that, don’t you think, “Hopefully people will then feel that urge to — ‘Well, what can I learn from my past? Who’s in my family tree?’”

15:51

Jonathan Wing: I love how you’ve said that, because it really is about the inspiration. That’s what we call the main stage: It’s the place of inspiration. And it’s funny because we’ll have people ask us, they’ll say, “Why do you put celebrities on the stage? What do they have to do with family history?” But everyone has a family story. Everyone has been touched in some way by someone who came before, and that’s what makes it so unique.

I get to sit on the phone calls when we have the first sit-down with these keynotes. And it’s surprising to me — I guess it’s not surprising anymore, but it used to be surprising to me that people would sit down and say, “I’ve never heard of a conference like this. You just want me to talk about my family? This is amazing.” But it’s great because, like you said, everybody has that, and when they share those stories, it becomes inspirational. People can’t help but think, “What can I discover?”

16:51

Mary Richards: Exactly. Exactly. And we have global emcees again this year to look forward to?

Jonathan Wing: Yes. Our global emcees are the eyes and the ears for our audience worldwide. And that experience, which just was a random idea one day, has become such an important aspect of RootsTech. Those who go to RootsTech.org may not know this unless they toggle to that globe symbol and change to a different language, but there is programming in multiple languages, and the programming changes depending on which language setting you have on the website.

A group of emcees talk about their experiences relative to their native countries during Day 3 of RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 2, 2024. | Brian Nicholson, for the Deseret News

And those global emcees become so important because they’re like the sideline reporters at a game. They’re the ones who are showing the excitement and the life of the event in the Salt Palace, but they’re also the ones who are specifically catering the experience to those who are participating in other countries. We love our global emcees. We can’t wait to release the new content that they’re working on this year. It’s going to be an even more immersive experience than it has been.

18:05

Mary Richards: There’s something else you told us a little bit about before we started recording, for the youth. Tell me more about what’s coming for youth in particular this year.

Jonathan Wing: We’re so excited. Although the majority of our attendees are not members of the Church — which is always surprising to some people — we still create experiences for our members. And this year for the rising generation, we are trying something new. We’re creating a specific global youth activity for 11- and 12-year-olds, so specifically for those who are new to temple attendance and temple worship. What a milestone in their life to start serving, to start worshipping in the house of the Lord.

We just thought what an incredible experience it would be to bring these individuals together to acknowledge and celebrate this momentous occasion and milestone. And then, what a great opportunity for us to make the connection between family history and temple worship and how they work together, and how it really is about leading with the Savior and helping our ancestors get the opportunity to bind themselves to the Savior.

19:20

Mary Richards: This is exactly what’s happening in my house right now.

Jonathan Wing: Oh, really?

Mary Richards: We have a new deacon. He’s 11, and so in January, he became a member of the Young Men organization, following his older brothers. And he has been so excited for this, because he has seen them, “We’re going to the temple today. We’re having this activity,” or whatever, and now he’s a part of that. And his first time in the temple was so sweet. It was so sweet. We wanted to get family names to take for his first time doing baptisms in the temple, and so he went to Ordinances Ready. It’s so easy to do.

Jonathan Wing: It is.

Mary Richards: It was just so great. And it even said on there how they were related to us. And my husband printed out four names for our 14-year-old son, and I printed out four names for our 11-year-old, and I’m trying to show him, “These are our family members, and this is what first cousin five times removed means,” and all of these things. And he was pretty thrilled. He was also very excited about the burger he had after going to the temple.

20:16

Jonathan Wing: Who wouldn’t be? But that is incredible, and I’m sure that was such an incredible experience for you, your husband and your son. And so, we’re so excited to be able to create something for this demographic that is experiencing it for the first time.

Now, as you talked about Ordinances Ready, isn’t it incredible? If you think of when we first, back in the day, when we first went to the temple, family history was all about research; and of course, that’s a massively important aspect of it. But technology has enabled us to be able to just with a click of one button find family names and ordinances to be performed for those individuals within our family. It’s incredible how the Lord is hastening His work.

21:03

Mary Richards: Exactly. And our youth, they catch the vision of this, don’t they? And this youth activity at RootsTech, can this be something that different wards can use for their young men and their young women?

Jonathan Wing: That’s exactly how we planned this. This session is going to be like nothing else we’ve ever done. There are going to be acrobats, there’s going to be a lot of entertainment, but of course there will be a wonderful message from Primary General President Susan H. Porter and Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, first counselor in the Young Men general presidency. And so, we’ll have an in-studio audience, and we’re bundling this so that Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood activities that are held during the week can leverage this material for their activities, so they can be a part of that celebration. And this will also be produced in languages, so people around the world will be able to participate in this experience.

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22:00

Mary Richards: That is wonderful. This reminds me to ask you about this year’s Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction, because that’s also something that people are able to access and use around the world, right?

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Jonathan Wing: Yeah. You could describe it this way: Family Discovery Day is the message for members, but the Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction are for the leaders. And this year, the leadership instruction is focused on accessing God’s power through temple covenants and ordinances. Elder Neil L. Andersen and Elder Patrick Kearon are joined by members of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, and together in a panel, they discuss how leaders can help their members access greater power and the specific resources available to them.

22:53

Mary Richards: Now, for those coming to the in-person experience, tell me more about what’s happening in the expo hall, and also how that will be connected to the online audience as well.

Jonathan Wing: I’m so glad you asked it that way. I’m going to lead with online. So, on RootsTech.org, the expo hall exists. All the companies have a presence there, and attendees can chat with them, so they can still have access to these companies that have the innovations that help them make those meaningful discoveries. We also have lots of activities, FamilySearch activities, specifically Relatives at RootsTech is a favorite that we’ve had for the past few years. And there are other experiences that are just fun to see who you look like the most in your family tree, or to learn more about your surname.

23:41

Mary Richards: I look like my grandma, and I’m so happy. I loved her, and when I did that feature in the app, I was so thrilled when it came through that I looked like her.

Jonathan Wing: I’m pretty sure that I look like my grandma too. Those Filipino genes were really, really strong. We have lots of activities in person as well. For Family Discovery Day, there will be lots of activities and ways that people can connect to their ancestors.

But we have activations as well. There’s a world art exhibit that will be there, and an online equivalent. There will be a Latin America experience. So for the first time ever, we’re going to have classes on site in Spanish and Portuguese. It’ll be in the expo hall, and there will also be opportunities for those within the Latino audience to experience RootsTech in a way that they never have before. We’re so thrilled for that opportunity.

But lots of games for the kids. People always think it’s a genealogy conference, but it is a conference for families. So bring your families, bring your kids, especially on Saturday, Family Discovery Day, because it’s all free, even classes catered specifically for members and nonmembers, and lots of fun for the family.

Jayden Monson sits on the shoulders of Cole McClure to build a massive Lego tower during the RootsTech after party for young adults at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.
Jayden Monson sits on the shoulders of Cole McClure to build a massive Lego tower during the RootsTech after-party for young adults at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024. | Brian Nicholson, for the Deseret News

25:00

Mary Richards: And that’s another way for us to engage the rising generation in discovering more about their family history, discovering a love for this work and gathering Israel, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught us so lovingly to do.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah. Most people wouldn’t connect family history with a VR headset, but we do at RootsTech. Those who come will be able to put on a VR headset and walk where their ancestors walked. Isn’t that just incredible that we can do that nowadays?

Mary Richards: Wow. You might see me doing that very thing.

Jonathan Wing: I hope you do.

25:37

Mary Richards: Now, I also, since you’re here, want to talk to you a little bit about all the things you’ve done behind the scenes over the years, some of the memorable music and videos you’ve produced. As you said, you’ve worked with keynote speakers and other things.

What are some of your favorite RootsTech moments and experiences?

25:54

Jonathan Wing: Well, I’ll start with the first thing you brought up, which is the music. This is the fourth year that we’ll have a theme song for RootsTech, and this year’s theme song is called “Who I Am.” And I love this idea of discovering who you are as you engage in family history, because the stories of those who came before are all a part of you. It took so many people to create you. And the message of that song really is about letting go of the weight of the world and what the world tells you you are, and just realizing that you’ve always known, it’s always been there.

Now, most of our audience aren’t members of the Church, and so it’s not overtly religious, but we as members of the Church can understand that, with a different lens, that we are children of our Heavenly Father, and that identity is there. President Nelson has taught us time and time again. And I love that that message is in that song and that we’re able to share it in a way that can reach people globally.

And the song is available in multiple languages, too. That’s actually my favorite part, is hearing a song sung in different languages. And we don’t just translate it and layer in the same music. We change the music so that the version in Spanish has the guitar and different percussion, and there’s an Arabic version this year for our Arabic-speaking audience that has different instrumentation. And it’s just another testament of the global nature of the event.

But the theme songs are the sonic touchpoint of the RootsTech experience, the message is ingrained, and it’s just so fun to be able to use that part of my brain just to further establish the RootsTech message.

People arrive for a keynote address at the 2023 RootsTech conference at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 2, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

27:50

Mary Richards: And it’s not just this music. You also have a music video.

Jonathan Wing: Yeah, we’re doing a music video this year. It’s a lyrical dance. But we also have different language versions. Do you want to hear some of the music?

Mary Richards: Yeah, let’s listen to that.

Jonathan Wing: OK, let’s preview some.

28:07

“Who I Am” RootsTech 2025 theme song: Who is this face staring back in the mirror? Oh, there was a time when the vision was clearer. No tumbleweed tossed in the wind as it crossed, but an anchor set firm, safe and sound. Then I set off in search for what I could discover. The person I am or the voice of another. The diamonds and gold lost the promise they told, ’cause the truth’s shining clear in my soul.

So I’ll give back the weight of the world. And I’ll take back the place I call home. Where nothing can break me, no storm overtake me. My feet planted deep in the ground. Oh, I’ll pull back away from the clouds as I push back this doubt in my mind. Find the light to awake me. Let no one mistake me. I’m here in the place where I found who I am.

29:36

Mary Richards: I love that.

Jonathan Wing: You asked what is my favorite memory. I think my favorite experience, if I can slightly change the question, is production, having an idea and then creating something that then touches the hearts and minds of people around the world. There’s nothing more thrilling than that type of creation, and creation with a purpose, a purpose that is so important, the most important thing in the world: gathering Israel.

It’s such a thrilling opportunity and such an immense blessing. And everyone on the RootsTech team throws everything into the preparations of RootsTech. For me, that looks different than the other managers. For me, it’s, “Oh, OK, I’ll write a theme song,” or “We’ll come up with these great ideas for a video,” or “We’ll help craft a message or an experience.” And for others, it’s different. But what an incredible connection to deep and meaningful purpose.

30:44

Mary Richards: You’re making me think of one of the covenants we make in the temple, in the house of the Lord, to use our time and talents in such a consecrated way.

This may be your job, but do you sometimes view it in that lens of, “This is a covenant I made in the temple, to use my time and talents to further the work of the Lord and establish the kingdom of God on the earth,” and all those things that you’re doing here in this role?

Jonathan Wing: I often think about that. And what a beautiful, what a wonderful career to have, to be so intimately connected in building the kingdom. I just thought about this. I went to the temple last week, and that actually really stuck out to me. So I ... I want to make it funny now.

Mary Richards: I’m right there with you, I know. It’s hard to —

Jonathan Wing: Well yeah, I wasn’t hired to write songs for the Church, but I love that I have the opportunity to apply the experience from my past to be able to help build the kingdom.

31:48

Mary Richards: This has been so wonderful to talk to you about all of these topics. We of course need to let people know: How can they register and find out more?

Jonathan Wing: Well, just go to RootsTech.org. If you go to RootsTech.org, whether you’re planning to come in person, whether you’re coming to the free experiences or the paid experiences, or if you just want to experience RootsTech from the comfort of your home, RootsTech.org will help you. You can register, you can subscribe for updates so you don’t miss a beat on all of the exciting announcements that we have leading up to the event.

32:17

Mary Richards: Well, we always like to give our guests the last word on the Church News podcast, and we ask them, “What do you know now?” And so, Jonathan, I would love to know: What do you know now about family history as you contemplate this theme, “Discover”?

Jonathan Wing: One thing that comes to mind is the idea of discover. You can see that as a moment in time, but really, we’re all on a journey of discovery. Discovering is an ongoing thing. What has been confirmed to me time and time again is that the Lord is in charge.

I’ve been a part of RootsTech over the past 10 years and have contributed in a variety of capacities, but as I’ve stepped into this new role, I know even more now that the Lord really does direct this work. I don’t think any of us could have guessed that RootsTech would grow in this way, but the Lord knew. He just needed willing servants who were willing to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and be willing and humble to listen to His voice.

And it’s been a remarkable experience as I’ve tried to be humble and as I’ve been brought to my knees in earnest desire to understand His will for this event. But I know that it’s not about the event; it’s about the people. It’s about God’s children all around the world, whether they are members of this Church or not. He loves each and every one of them. And this experience is bringing people from around the world together. It’s connecting each of us.

And I know that those who come will discover. So my question for everyone listening is, “What will you discover at RootsTech 2025?”

34:34

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.

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Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, talks to an attendee during a previous RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, talks to an attendee during a previous RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. | Provided by Jonathan Wing
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, poses with his family for a picture in front of the FamilySearch booth at RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2023.
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, poses with his family for a picture in front of the FamilySearch booth at RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2023. | Provided by Jonathan Wing
Jonathan H. Wing, now director of RootsTech, speaks during RootsTech in Feb. 2020.
Jonathan H. Wing, now director of RootsTech, speaks during RootsTech in Feb. 2020. | Screenshot from YouTube
People walk through the expo room at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, poses with fellow RootsTech team members on a stage in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2023.
Jonathan Wing, director of RootsTech, poses with fellow RootsTech team members on a stage in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2023. | Provided by Jonathan Wing
The theme for RootsTech 2025 is "Discover."
The theme for RootsTech 2025 is "Discover." | FamilySearch.org
A woman hangs a photo on a Tapestree at RootsTech held in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.
A woman hangs a photo on a Tapestree at RootsTech held in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016. FamilySearch is celebrating its 130th anniversary on Nov. 13, 2024. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
From artificial intelligence advancements to the upcoming RootsTech conference, FamilySearch has big plans for this year. See what to expect from the genealogy organization in 2025.
From artificial intelligence advancements to the upcoming RootsTech conference, FamilySearch has big plans for this year. See what to expect from the genealogy organization in 2025. | FamilySearch International
Exhibitor Christopher Bradford, left, talks with Andrew Clark about food during day three of RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 2, 2024. The exhibit taught how people connect with their ancestors by passing down their favorite recipes for future generations to enjoy. | Brian Nicholson, for the Deseret News
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