Seminary and institute enrollment among youth and young adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at a record high, following the late President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to become closer to Christ through regular attendance and participation.
On this episode of the Church News podcast, reporter Mary Richards is joined by Brother Chad H Webb, administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion and the first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, and Becky Scott, associate administrator of operations for seminaries and institutes, to discuss the growth and impact of these programs.
They emphasize the importance of seminary in fostering faith, supporting youth and encouraging life, missionary and temple preparation.
Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
Jon Ryan Jensen: This podcast was recorded prior to the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some edits have been made to note his passing, and some interviews include remarks made before his death.
0:21
Brother Chad H Webb: Seminary is just a program that allows young people to study the scriptures with the Holy Ghost in an environment with supportive friends who have similar life goals, who support them on their journey, on their trying to stay on the covenant paths, and that really supports and helps them. It just reminds me that Heavenly Father loves His children, that He has a perfect plan for all of us and for each of us, that Jesus Christ is the central figure in that plan as the Savior and Redeemer of the world, that He is the perfect example of what it is to follow the will of our Father in Heaven. And what a privilege it is to teach His gospel from His scriptures each day as we try to help young people to follow His teachings and to watch the impact of the Holy Ghost in this experience, as the Holy Ghost testifies of truth and answers questions and gives direction and brings peace and brings healing and all of the roles the Holy Ghost performs to bless us. But it’s remarkable to watch this generation. There is something wonderful happening.
1:25
Mary Richards: This is Mary Richards, reporter at 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.
Currently, more than 900,000 students worldwide are enrolled in seminary and institute, the highest enrollment in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These programs enrich young people’s lives in 38 languages across more than 180 countries.
At a time when religious activity is declining among young people, the trend is reversed among the youth of the Church, with more than 235,000 seminary and institute students added over the last four years.
On this episode of the Church News podcast, we are taking a look at seminary, in particular, and the youth in high school, or roughly ages 14 to 18, who are following the Prophet’s invitation and becoming closer to Jesus Christ through regularly attending seminary classes.
I’m joined by Brother Chad H Webb — administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, and the first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency — and Becky Scott, associate administrator of operations for seminaries and institutes.
Welcome, both, to the Church News podcast.
Brother Chad H Webb: Thank you.
Becky Scott: Thank you. So happy to be here.
2:51
Mary Richards: in November 2023, in a message to youth, President Russell M. Nelson extended his personal invitation to attend seminary. How have you seen youth accept the Prophet’s invitation to attend seminary, or what have you seen as a result of that invitation?
Brother Chad H Webb: So, I think that’s one of the most exciting things that we’ve seen. Our youth of the Church love President Nelson. They respond very well when he extends an invitation. And you see so many young people not only attending seminary but trying to make the most of it, to learn and prepare for their futures. And it’s just been really gratifying to see how much they’ve been drawn to his teachings and wanted to respond faithfully to what he’s invited them to do, and to extend that invitation to friends, to invite them to come and be part of this as well. It’s been really exciting to see.
3:39
Becky Scott: I agree, and the youth have responded so well to the life preparation lessons overall, and then also to President Nelson’s promises. A young man named Leo in Canada recently told us that by attending seminary, his faith has become rock solid, which is exactly what President Nelson promised him. He also said that by attending seminary, he’s been able to make lifelong friends, which is another one of President Nelson’s promises.
4:08
Mary Richards: You bring up some points; I want to delve into each of those. Why don’t we start with this idea of friendship? Invite a friend. Youth have been encouraged to invite a friend to seminary, and my sons have had classmates at their high school attend seminary, though they’re not Church members. They go with their friends, they like how they feel there. And then we just recently had a young woman in our stake baptized after going to seminary.
What are you seeing overall about this?
4:32
Becky Scott: The “invite a friend” campaign has just really brought a new level, just by encouraging both seminary and institute students to invite their friends. This last year, we’ve seen more than 72,000 friends of other faiths in both seminary and institute enroll in our classes. That’s an incredible number. The impact of one friend inviting another friend can affect an entire family.
We have one boy named Will in California who went to early morning seminary, and he was extended an invitation to invite a friend on “invite a friend day” in seminary. So he invited his friend Will. And Will said that he felt so good day after day attending seminary. He got up at 6 a.m. He said, “I could do that. It was amazing.” And every day he came, and it made him smile, and he felt better about himself, and he felt better about Christ, that it was a natural next step for him to be baptized. All because his friend Will invited the other friend Will to seminary. He became baptized, and incidentally, two of his brothers also became baptized later, following his example.
Mary Richards: Wow. Families changing through this, yeah.
5:47
Brother Chad H Webb: It’s also interesting to note that about 1 in every 3 who enroll in a seminary or institute class will eventually be baptized. So it’s really a remarkable thing that’s happening that so many people are coming to find the Church through seminary and institute. We’ve had lots of teachers really do a lot of wonderful things to make it more welcoming, to have them come over for activities or for lunch, in addition to inviting them to come to class.
And I think it’s an easy invitation for the youth and the young adults to invite their friends to something like that, and then they have a chance to start to study the gospel, and they feel some things and are drawn to want to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the things that they’re learning. And so it’s remarkable to watch all of that.
6:29
Mary Richards: Yeah. Like this young woman in my stake, she’d had some touchpoints with the Church, and she’d kind of grown up knowing a little bit about it. But then experimenting on it, on the word, learning actually what it was all about, really did change her life. And then, by extension, her family’s life. And like the example you gave of Will, Becky, of his family’s life too.
6:49
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I think it’s an easy invitation. It’s easy to invite your friends to come over for a Church activity, and those are wonderful, and we should do all of that that we can. They don’t always have spiritual experiences in some of the activities. It’s harder to invite someone to attend church. If they do come, they often have a spiritual experience. But for some reason, that’s a leap of faith to say, “Come to my church worship service.”
But this is somewhere in the middle that I think is an easy invitation but allows them to feel the Spirit, to be drawn to something that’s more significant than maybe an activity would be. And it’s really resulting in some miracles that are happening.
7:25
Mary Richards: I think, too, maybe we don’t — I’m talking to myself here — need to be too afraid of inviting. Because I sense a hunger out there, a need for people looking for — well, really, they’re looking for Jesus Christ in their lives, wouldn’t you say?
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah. We see that all of the time. There’s young people that are very serious-minded about what’s important, and they want to know, and they want answers to their questions, and they have challenges, and they want help. And when they start to sense that there’s something here that will bless their lives and help provide answers and vision and perspective and bless them in the ways they’re looking for, it’s remarkable how quickly they gravitate toward this.
8:05
Becky Scott: And whenever you have a prophet, President Russell M. Nelson has encouraged us to gather Israel, I think that is something special that happens all over the world where Christ is working to gather His people, and they feel that. So we are so happy about the growth in seminary and in institute combined, but we fully recognize that all of that is the Lord gathering Israel. And we are just blessed to be a part of that and to be on the front lines seeing that miracle occur.
8:40
Mary Richards: I love that you brought up President Nelson and miracles. And when you talked in the beginning, Becky, about that young man named Leo and his faith becoming rock solid. I want to read what President Nelson had said in that invitation. He said in his message to youth, “As you face many wonderful opportunities, important choices and even difficult challenges in your lives, what can help? I encourage you to participate in seminary. Seminary can change the course of your life. It really can.” Amen, right? You’re seeing this?
9:12
Brother Chad H Webb: We do. We see it every day. We get excited about the growth, and we should. It’s really, really exciting to see how much seminary and institute’s growing. But even if it weren’t growing, the impact that it has, I think, sometimes almost goes unnoticed because it’s so well embedded in the Church, and it’s part of the Church culture and almost the expectation for the youths. But when we stop and maybe take a step back and really look at the impact it’s had from seminary, it really is remarkable.
So many young people will share that their lives have been changed by their seminary experience, and it really shouldn’t surprise anyone. We invite them to come in and study the scriptures. There’s power in the word of God. We do it in a setting where they can feel the Holy Ghost, and so they start to see some things differently and have a more eternal perspective, and they receive answers to their prayers and questions that they have. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Seminary is working, because it really is.
It’s not seminary; seminary is just the program that allows young people to study the scriptures with the Holy Ghost in an environment with supportive friends who have similar life goals, who support them on their journey, on their trying to stay on the covenant path and to make good choices. And that friendship really supports and helps them. And we put them with really loving, capable teachers who lift them; who are, in some cases, mentors to them; and who really do care about them and want to help them. And you put them in that environment, and wonderful things are happening.
10:41
Becky Scott: That is so true. I’m so glad you mentioned our teachers. We have such dedicated teachers all over the world. We have more than 70,000 volunteer teachers that teach every day to these beautiful youth the words of Christ and help them develop that relationship with their Father in Heaven and with their Savior. And that truly is what makes the difference, is they know where to go for answers.
11:09
Mary Richards: I immediately think of 2 Nephi 25:26: “[So] that our children may know [where they can] look for a remission of their sins.” I thought of that. And where you can look for answers and how you can study.
Talking about teachers immediately popped into my brain beautiful Sister Butler in St. Louis, Missouri, when I was in early morning seminary. And I still have markings. I still have that Book of Mormon. It’s fallen apart, but the notes there that were from her and different things that I wrote in there, aha moments or cross-references that she’d brought up that I didn’t see in the footnotes and ways to really study the scriptures, and how that changed my life.
I also want to do a little shoutout to Sister Sika, who is the seminary teacher for my boys in high school right now. Now they have release time, whereas I had early morning. So sometimes I like to tease them about that, that I got up at 5 and 6 in the morning, and they can just walk across the street from where we live.
But there are different forms of seminary around the world, if you want to talk a little bit about some of those ways that our young people are learning through seminary?
12:11
Brother Chad H Webb: So, you mentioned a couple of them. We do have, in most of the world, about two-thirds of our students are taught in what we now call daily seminary. Much of that is early morning. In some parts of the world, that might be after school, just because of whatever circumstances they live in, including safety concerns and things. So we try to make sure that it’s available when it’s best for the students, that we’re there to serve them. And so we provide seminary when it’s most accessible to the students.
So, daily seminary is a big program, including early morning. Of course, in the Western United States, in many states where there’s a lot of members of the Church that can justify this approach, we have released-time seminary, and that’s usually a building across the street from a school, and we have a full-time teacher that teaches on more of a traditional teacher schedule, and so they can come during their school hour and be released from the school and come and have seminary.
And then we have an increasing number of people who are taking seminary online. We’re trying to make this available to everyone. We do have, in some places that are rural and don’t have good internet access across the world, a home-study printed manual. But most of those places now are able to get online, and they have a teacher teach them in either some type of webinar setting where they can interact, and they turn on their cameras and have a more traditional class where they’re teaching using technology. Or an asynchronous approach, an online class where they do their work through the week and send it to the teacher, who reviews it and comments, and they have a relationship through an online class.
13:41
Mary Richards: I remember another time, when my family lived in rural Missouri, I did those packets at home, and then we would meet together once a week at the Church building and go over those with our teacher.
I find — and I bet you find — all of these approaches are working really well.
13:58
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, and we leave it up to local people. Parents have a say in this, and whatever meets the needs of their children. Of course, we allow stake leaders, both Young Women leaders and stake presidents and bishops and others, to weigh in on what would be best for their circumstance and the needs of the individuals. And so we try to provide as many options as possible so we can meet everyone’s needs.
14:18
Mary Richards: And would you hope, Becky, that then parents or these youth leaders would then help with that, find a way to make it work for a young person?
Becky Scott: They absolutely do. I think one of the most wonderful things about the seminary program is how highly adaptable it is to the local circumstances, right down to the individual. We often see cases where the seminary teacher is also the Young Women’s president or has another calling in the ward or in the stake, and the students and their teachers just forge these relationships, much like what you were citing from your experience, that are so strong.
Research has told us that one of the ways that students really relate to the material being taught is through the relationship with their teacher. So this model where it can be adapted worldwide to meet the need, and where that relationship between the teacher and the student can be so close — can be my neighbor, can be my leader at church — they really get to know these youth, and they really understand what they’re going through and can help them in unique ways.
15:30
Mary Richards: This is reminding me of Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who said in his April 2025 general conference talk, called “Right Before Our Eyes,” he said, “Our youth gather in a variety of ways, from early morning, daytime and evening classes to online and in-home study,” which you’ve been talking about. He said, “They are a mighty and righteous battalion, gaining strength from each other as they learn of Jesus Christ, follow and testify of Him as the Son of God.”
16:02
Becky Scott: It gives me chills. It makes me a little emotional to watch this rising generation have such great faith, and I appreciate it so much. Elder Rasband’s talk connecting that with the overall growth of the Church, but not underestimating what the youth are doing. I noted in President Russell M. Nelson’s last general conference talk, he had a specific callout to the youth who are attending the temple and flooding the temples, and they are so righteous.
And I think, wow, we are living at a miraculous time, where this generation desires to have a connection with God. They desire to know their Heavenly Father. They desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Seminary is just one of the ways, one of the helps, but attending the temple and receiving that opportunity to do baptisms for the dead strengthens them so much, and they are such an example for all of us.
17:08
Mary Richards: And, Brother Webb, we’ve been kind of excited about this growth and this movement, but I keep going back to something you said earlier about how it really is one by one, isn’t it?
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I think that’s well said. A whole lot of ones makes 900,000. And we have teachers who are going out and knocking on doors, inviting students to come, and, like we mentioned, friends who are inviting friends. I think there’s also just something remarkable when Elder Rasband quoted President Nelson, the idea of, “Don’t miss the majesty of this moment, this remarkable thing that’s happening.” The truth is I’m amazed at the growth. I think the Lord is hastening His work.
It reminds me of the verse in the Book of Mormon that says even the high priests were amazed at the growth of the Church in their day (see Helaman 3:25). And we have teachers who are working hard, and we’ve implemented some initiatives to try to make seminary more relevant, and we have life preparation lessons that are connecting with the questions and the needs that they have, and we’ve tried to help share President Nelson’s promises. And we’ve done all that we can to try to invite all of the youth, and they’re responding really well, but there’s something more than that.
There really is a wonderful thing that’s happening in the Church, where the youth are responding to mission calls, where they’re responding to advancements in Young Men and Young Women’s and preparing themselves for ordinations and opportunities, and they are coming to seminary in numbers we’ve never seen before. And I really believe that the Lord is working in His vineyard, and He is doing something special, and it’s just remarkable to watch His hand in our work every day.
18:47
Mary Richards: Wow. I love that, the miracles you see happening.
Let’s talk about some of these initiatives and newer curriculum and other things you’ve mentioned, life preparation lessons. Tell me more about those and these other things that are in seminary.
18:59
Brother Chad H Webb: So, seminary for more than 100 years has taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ll always do that. We teach it from the scriptures. We have a four-year rotation with the standard works of the Church. A number of years ago, we switched to align our curriculum calendar to the Church’s “Come, Follow Me” calendar, which was a really big blessing to our students and to their families.
It used to be that a student would be asked in seminary to study the Doctrine and Covenants on a year when maybe Sunday School was studying the Old Testament, and then the bishop would say, “Would you please all read the Book of Mormon this year?” And the youth were pulled on what they were to be studying and what they were focused on. And now, since we aligned our curriculum with “Come, Follow Me,” a family or an individual will be reading the same section of scripture that we’re studying in seminary.
And we think that that’s a blessing both ways — a family could study part of the scriptures and then a young person could go to class having studied and have something to contribute in class because of their individual study or their family study. But also the opposite could happen; they could go to seminary and then come home, and in a family discussion, they could share what they learned in a seminary class. And so it gives a benefit both ways.
So, that was a big step for us to align our curriculum, and that was years in the making and has meant that we then start with the new calendar year a new set of scriptures, even though it may be right in the middle of a school year. But our teachers have adapted really well, the students understand that, and we align wherever we are in the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum.
Because of that and a few other things, I think we were unique in our history because we’re now not only relying on the seminary experience, but also the personal study and the home experience and the Church experience to supplement the study of that part of the scriptures that’s outlined in “Come, Follow Me.” So that freed up maybe a little more time that we used to not have feeling like we were the only ones trying to cover that information.
So, because of that unique time in our history — maybe also because of some other unique things about seminaries and institutes — we’ve really tried to focus on being centered on Jesus Christ, and being rooted in the scriptures. And so there were needs and questions that young people had that even though they can get help in other places, we can help them through the lens of the gospel.
So, for example, a lot of young people need conversations about emotional resilience, and they can go and need to go, some of them, to professionals who can help them with some of those questions and needs. But we can also provide for them what the gospel teaches and what the Savior offers them, if that’s a challenge or question they have, or how to help someone else with that challenge. We could help them with their educational pursuits, to do well in school right now, but also to continue in school beyond high school.
And other people are doing that, and they need other people, like school counselors, to do that, and teachers, but we can help them see that education is a religious responsibility, that we should be as educated as we can be, to serve other people and to prepare for our families. And we can help them understand that the Lord wants to be part of all of their lives, and He will help them in their education, and they can turn to Him in prayer. And so we can teach them things about topics that maybe they’re learning about in other places, but through a little different lens.
So, we did some extensive research and tried to find out through talking to a lot of youth and through research that’s been done in the Church about the needs of the youth and to identify what their needs were. And then, instead of just teaching sequentially through the scriptures — which we still do three days a week on a traditional five-day school schedule — we would still teach that “Come, Follow Me” course or calendar three of the five days a week, and then we would free up the other two days to identify very specific themes and topics that we could address; still in the scriptures, still centered on Jesus Christ, but in a way that’s very relevant in meeting their needs.
And the response of the young people has just been enormous, that these are some of the most relevant lessons they have, that it’s answering their questions, that it’s helping them in the moment with things that they’re dealing with. It’s been a really positive reception. We’ve been doing this now for just a couple of years in parts of the United States and finished all of last year, a year and a half now globally, and it’s been really well received.
23:27
Becky Scott: It really has been. And I love that life preparation lessons are giving you kind of a practical guide or a practical application of the gospel principles that they’re already learning in the scriptures. “And now, here’s what you do with that to help you in your next steps,” whether it’s a mission or higher education, whether you’re struggling. Brother Webb mentioned emotional and physical health. That’s such a big topic among many, many different nations right now. And having a lesson on managing stress and anxiety, for instance, in the context of the gospel, I think is completely inspired and gives these youth a place to go to help them better learn how to apply what they’re teaching to themselves.
24:17
Brother Chad H Webb: Our curriculum team worked with the Missionary Department to write missionary preparation share-the-gospel lessons, because not every seminary student will be a missionary, full-time missionary, but they all have a chance to share the gospel. And so I believe it’s five times a year, four or five times a year, they’ll have a lesson specific on missionary work or sharing the gospel. So over four years in seminary, they’ll have 16 to 20 lessons. They’re specifically preparing them to be missionaries.
Similar numbers for the temple preparation classes, and the Temple Department helped to write those lessons so that young people, when they first go to the temple to receive an endowment, they understand the commitments and covenants that they’re making. They understand more of what they will experience in the temple, and they’re better prepared to have a wonderful experience when they go to the temple for the first time and beyond.
In addition to those types of lessons — and teachings from Church leaders, modern prophets and other Church leaders, when they speak specifically to youth or about issues that youth would wrestle with — in addition to all of those kinds of lessons, as was mentioned, we have physical and emotional health, we have education lessons, we have lessons about goals and time management and using technology safely, and on and on and on, things that the youth identified were their biggest needs. And then we teach them what are very Christ-centered, scripture-based lessons responding to those needs.
25:43
Mary Richards: And it’s all incorporated. Youth aren’t living in a box, “Here’s my church, and here’s my school and my life.” To me, I just keep thinking of the phrase “We are growing disciples of Christ” and all of this. They’re not surprised at 18, “OK, now I’m going to give you some quick missionary prep classes. I was the temple prep teacher in my ward, and I felt like, “OK, quick, we’re going to give you five lessons real fast right before you go.” And this is spreading that out. It’s a part of the makeup of seminary now, is that fair to say?
26:13
Becky Scott: It really is part of the makeup of seminary. And it happens and builds over years, to your point. It’s not a rush at the end to quickly prepare you for the temple. It’s years of learning and understanding that is built that hopefully, by the time a youth is done with high school or their primary education, they understand that taking further steps to enter the temple and being able to make further covenants with their Heavenly Father is a joyful, wonderful opportunity that they can do, that they can take advantage of. They don’t have to have another event in their life to be able to attend the temple. And we hope that they understand that the temple is the destination, and that they feel that they can go and make additional covenants right out of high school. That’s just one of the outcomes that we’re hoping for.
27:09
Mary Richards: So, yes, let’s talk about that a little more. What trends have you observed in how seminary impacts youth testimony, Church activity, missionary service and then moving forward, really like we’ve been talking about, to making that next covenant?
Brother Chad H Webb: There was a study done in one of the departments of the Church that showed that young people who attend seminary for four years are four times more likely to stay connected to the Church throughout their lives. And of course, you could discuss cause and effect and whether or not it’s the same young people who come to seminary who intend to be active in the Church. But the interesting thing to me about the study was that every population of the Church was better off, as far as being connected to the Church, active in the Church, serving in the Church throughout their lives.
And the biggest gains were actually among the young people who don’t otherwise have support systems in their lives — young people who maybe don’t have parents who are members of the Church or don’t support their activity in the Church — actually have greater gains in likelihood of staying close to the Church because of their experience in seminary. So in every population, no matter what a young person’s background is, seminary is a huge blessing, and it might even be the biggest blessing to those who don’t have other support structures.
And it’s not just the statistics of it; it’s people. We know individuals, we all know individuals, whose lives have been changed because of seminary. A friend will invite them, a priesthood leader will invite them, they’ll come to seminary just to see what it is, they’ll start to feel a sense of belonging, they’ll start to make friends, they’ll connect with a teacher, they’ll start to read the scriptures for the first times in their lives. And you see their lives change. And we could find thousands of young people who will bear testimony that their life is better because of this experience.
28:58
Mary Richards: I love that so much. I’m thinking of those whom I love in my ward and stake boundaries who should be going to seminary and are not really right now.
What can we do to invite and encourage these youth to go and claim these blessings we’re talking about that are waiting for them?
29:17
Becky Scott: So, I love the question “How can we invite?” And we actually have a really good pattern that was rolled out several years ago: Share, love and invite. I think we can open our mouths just to extend the invitation. Oftentimes, the Lord cannot work through us if we’re not willing to speak up. So I think extending an invitation even to somebody who may be, “Yeah, I’ve gone, I’ve done that,” but reinvite, because you never know. And then love, regardless of the answer; love, share and invite. So I just think that we can keep extending those invitations to the youth.
Also, it’s a much more powerful invitation if it’s coming from my friend than, frankly, if it’s coming from an adult, because my friend understands me and what’s happening in my life right then, because they’re going through something similar in their life as well. So I think the great power comes — that’s what came from the “Invite a Friend” campaign — was a friend inviting a friend, because “I know what you’re going through. I have something that can help me, and I would love to invite you, because I think it can help you.” And I think that’s where you see some of the best results.
30:36
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, I think those three ideas are really powerful, and the sequence is really powerful; love. Obviously, we build relationships, and not just to invite them to church or to invite them to seminary, but because we genuinely care about people. We then share with them the opportunities, the blessings, the reason why they might want to be part of something like this. And then we invite, and probably more than once, and hopefully they’ll accept that invitation to come and see for themselves.
I will maybe add this. I was asked, it wasn’t too long ago, when I was in a meetinghouse and a bishop walked up to me and said, “There’s a young man in my ward that’s not in seminary. I want you to tell him to go to seminary. So I’m going to go get him to come talk to you.” So he came over. You could tell he was very reluctant to meet me. He knew the bishop had said, “This person’s in charge of seminaries and institutes. You need to talk institutes. You need to talk to him.” And this young man knew he wasn’t going to seminary.
And he came over, and Bishop said, “OK,” to the young man, “you have a question for Brother Webb?” And he said, “Yes: Should I go to seminary?” So I took a page from President Emily Belle Freeman, the general Young Women’s president, who talked about this in general conference. She listed some questions she sometimes asked, and then she answered with, “The answer is: It depends.” I thought she was going to say, “Of course you want all these blessings. Of course you want to make covenants. Of course you want to.” But her answer was, “It depends.” And then she listed, “Do you want this and this and this?”
And so I, for whatever reason, that came to my mind. and when this young man said, “Should I go to seminary?” I said, “I don’t know. It depends.” And it kind of surprised him. And he said, “On what?” And I knew President Nelson’s invitation well enough to say, “Do you want faithful friends that will support you? Do you want your testimony to be rock solid? Do you want to deepen your faith in Jesus Christ?” And he said, “Yeah, I do. Yes, yes.” I said, “Well, then, if you do, you want to go to seminary, because those things will happen in seminary.”
But it wasn’t me telling him that’s what he wanted. It depends on what he wanted, and his choice, his agency, was that he wanted to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I don’t think he had connected that a way to do that was to go to seminary. And so I think it’s interesting just to listen to young people, to love them and then share and invite.
Mary Richards: You found the words in the moment as you talked to him.
32:50
Becky Scott: So, I do think that when we just share our own positive experiences with something, that can give somebody else the courage to try. Just normal, natural ways that, “This has benefited my life, and I’m telling you my story. It might benefit your life too.”
33:06
Mary Richards: Yes. I think about all the things I would love to tell the youth in our ward and stake: “Just go. It’ll be so fun.” But that peer level, friendship level, is so important too. And, too, I think about how these incredible teachers we’ve talked about. Oh, they’re just so incredible. But it’s not just about the teachers, though, that can be so impactful.
Is there so much more to this? The Spirit being there in teaching or that spirit of gathering and that peer support, especially when inviting less active or those who are not members, or friends.
33:42
Brother Chad H Webb: There’s a lot of things that a teacher can do to invite the Holy Ghost into the learning experience. They pray for their students. They pray for the Holy Ghost. We invite students to prepare before they come, so that their hearts are softened and that they’re ready to learn.
We’ve had a really effective learning model that we’ve used with our teachers that focuses on three key elements: focusing on Jesus Christ, because when we speak of Jesus Christ and testify of Jesus Christ, we invite the Holy Ghost. The second one — and these come from “Teaching in the Savior’s Way,” the Church’s inspired manual on teaching and learning — the second one would be to teach the doctrine. As we teach truth, the Holy Ghost can testify of truth. And as we invite diligent learning, it’s not just teachers who stand up and talk at students, but they engage learning and let students look for answers and discuss application. And as we invite diligent learning, then it becomes relevant, and the Spirit can teach them and answer their questions and meet their needs.
So as we do those three things, we believe and experience shows that that invites the Holy Ghost in really powerful ways. And then the Holy Ghost, of course, through the witness of the Holy Ghost, helps them to deepen their conversion to Jesus Christ, to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ, which really is the aim of gospel teaching and learning, is to be deeply converted to the Savior and to become more like Him, and that happens through the Holy Ghost.
Becky Scott: That was beautifully said.
35:13
Mary Richards: Absolutely beautiful. Thank you. I’ve been thinking about what was said in a previous Church News podcast episode with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Clark G. Gilbert, who’s the Church commissioner of education. And they spoke together about the strength of the rising generation. Elder Christofferson said, “It is exciting to see what is happening with these young people.” And Elder Gilbert said, “The Lord is hastening His work through them,” which we’ve talked about today.
How would you describe the youth of today, and maybe some of the unique things they’re facing? But then, what gives you hope as you consider the future of this Church?
35:50
Becky Scott: Well, what gives me hope is to see how proactive they are. They naturally have a desire to want to serve, and they want to take care of everyone. So, I love that. I love that they have come preconditioned, if you will, to gather Israel, because they have a genuine concern about their fellow man, and that comes through in the things that they value, and that brings a wonderful spirit to our classrooms when we have them in seminary and we are talking about patterning our lives after Jesus Christ.
I have observed this generation is off-the-charts wonderful about caring for their fellow man, and it’s something that catches on fire. And you can see this in their desire to do temple work, in their desire to invite their friends and in their desire for themselves to learn more and to have those testimonies become rock solid, as President Nelson has promised them that they could find if they attend seminary, read their scriptures and really study and forge that relationship with their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
37:02
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, that’s really true. They are, by nature, collectively very inclusive, very welcoming. The belonging that our youth and young adults feel when they’re together is really, really a touching thing.
There are a lot of challenges in the world. We’re not naive to the fact that they have challenges, that they carry the problems of the world in their pocket. They have such access to difficult things around the world and in their own neighborhoods, and they worry about them. And they’re looking for peace, they’re looking for answers, they’re looking for help. And many of them know where to turn for the peace that only the Savior can give. And they feel so grateful for that that they’re quick to invite their friends to have the same experience.
Just for fun, I have to tell you: It’s been a number of years, but somebody I know very well, I didn’t know this had happened, but something happened in his neighborhood with some teenagers that had troubled him a little bit, and he called me on the phone, and he said, “I just wanted to ask: What’s going on with the youth today?” And my experience is so positive, not knowing what had happened in his neighborhood. My response when he said, “What’s going on with the youth?” I said, “I don’t know, but isn’t it wonderful?” And he said, “What do you mean?”
Yeah, there’s some who’ve caused problems and made mistakes, and we all have, and everybody’s learning and growing, but it’s remarkable to watch this generation. There is something wonderful happening.
38:24
Mary Richards: Wow. That gives me such hope. I have teenagers, and my two are in the same seminary class, and I just want them, every day, I just want to learn from them and what they’re learning from the Holy Ghost, as you’ve talked about, and the future I hope for them, and every listener hopes for their children in the future of our Church in this world.
The last question on the Church News podcast is: What do you know now? And maybe I’ll start with you, Becky, and then Brother Webb. What do you know now about this work, and how has it impacted your life and your testimony?
39:03
Becky Scott: Well, I have been in Church employment for about five years now, and it has been life-changing for me, because what I know now really is found in Jacob 5, that the Lord is working in His vineyard, and He works side by side with the laborers in His vineyard. And I see that every day in our work. It is guided by Him. Not to say that every decision we make or everything we say is complete inspiration. That’s not true. We’re humans doing our very best. But I’ve had so many particular moments where I have seen the Lord’s hand guide the conversation, when I have felt around the room, “Oh, that’s the direction that we need to go in.”
He is in those details, and He is in those classrooms, wherever the youth are. That’s where He wants to be. He is every bit as interested in their growth and development as we are, and even more so. And I see His hand every single day when a youth bears testimony in seminary. When they’re given that opportunity to bear their own witness and to testify of their own experience, you can feel the Spirit just confirm what they’re saying is true.
So, what I know now that I didn’t know before Church employment was how much in the details the Lord is in our lives and in guiding His work.
40:36
Brother Chad H Webb: I love that answer. Thank you. It’s really true. I think for me, the first time when I started to recognize His hand daily was probably as a full-time missionary watching the impact that His love and His Spirit had in our missionary work. And then to come and get to work in seminaries and institutes and see that same thing every day, it just reminds me that Heavenly Father loves His children, that He has a perfect plan for all of us and for each of us, that Jesus Christ is the central figure in that plan as the Savior and Redeemer of the world, that He is the perfect example of what it is to follow the will of our Father in Heaven.
And what a privilege it is to teach His gospel from His scriptures each day as we try to help young people to follow that perfect example and His teachings and to draw closer to their Heavenly Father through Him, and to watch the impact of the Holy Ghost in this experience, as the Holy Ghost testifies of truth and answers questions and gives direction and brings peace and brings healing, and all of the roles the Holy Ghost performs to bless us because Heavenly Father loves us enough to give us that remarkable gift.
And the impact of the scriptures, the power of the scriptures in the lives of young people and in all of us, there is simply power in the word of God, and I’ve watched that in my own life, as well as the lives of a lot of people in this program every day. So it’s just a privilege to be part of this and watch Heavenly Father do His work and to watch people change their lives as they follow the Savior, Jesus Christ.
42:18
Mary Richards: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News reporter Mary Richards. 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.
