As we see these students as they really are, children of God, our expectations will naturally rise, and we will be more effective instruments in helping them become as God would have them become. Photo by Kenny Crookston, BYU Photo.

Abstract: Trying to amplify the words of the prophets while helping religious educators throughout the world understand the hearts and heads of young adult students as they become lifelong disciples of Christ, Barbara Morgan Gardner, professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU; Matthew O. Richardson, professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU; and Sean Dixon, area director in the Utah South Area of Seminaries and Institutes, led a panel of young adult students. The young adult panelists included Matt Conway (Utah Valley University), Zoe Gomez Paz (UVU), Eastin Hartzell (BYU), Abigail Haven (BYU), Micah Johnson (BYU), and Olivia Osguthorpe (BYU).

Keywords: teaching the gospel, jesus christ, prophets, apostles, testimony

Barbara Morgan Gardner. We are hoping to understand the hearts and minds of our students today. We have invited some panelists today who will be talking to us and answering some questions regarding how we can better teach from their perspective. So today it will be Sean Dixon, myself, and Matthew Richardson who have been working with these students and preparing questions.

Matt Conway. My name is Matt Conway, and I’m from Spanish Fork, Utah. I’m studying at Utah Valley University, and my major is civil engineering. I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ in Honduras in the San Pedro Sula West Mission.

Abigail Haven. My name is Abigail Haven. I am from Kaysville, Utah, I served a mission in Minnesota (Minneapolis), and I am a student here at Brigham Young University studying public relations.

Micah Johnson. My name is Micah Johnson, I am from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I also served a mission in Minnesota (Minneapolis). I’m studying information systems here at BYU, and I just got married last month.

Zoe Gomez Paz. I am Zoe Gomez Paz, I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m currently studying psychology at Utah Valley University, and I had a car accident, and now this is my friend over here. [gestures to her wheelchair]

Eastin Hartzell. My name is Eastin Hartzell. I am from North Ogden, Utah. I am studying journalism at Brigham Young University, and I work for Sister Gardner and Steve Harper, and right now I’m just trying to figure out how best to share the gospel through social media and online means.

Olivia Osguthorpe. My name is Olivia Osguthorpe, and I grew up in Eagle, Idaho. I’m a senior here at BYU studying sociology, and I served in the Alpine German-Speaking Mission.

Taking Charge of Your Own Testimony

Matthew Richardson. In October of 2022, President Russell M. Nelson addressed the membership of the Church and he spoke about what he talked to the young single adults five months earlier. He said: “I urged them then—and I plead with you now—to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Work for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with false philosophies of unbelieving men and women.” He then promised, “As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.”[1] In your quest to take charge of strengthening your own personal testimony, what have you experienced—particularly in your religious instruction and your religion classes—that has been most beneficial to you in this quest?

Micah Johnson. I like that you mentioned “take charge of your own testimony.” As a young adult, there’s not a lot that we have that’s truly our own, especially in this early time of life. Just thinking about that, my testimony is my own, and to make it my highest priority to me means thinking about it often. Something that’s really helped me to think about my own relationship with Christ is when my teachers share a parable or a story from their own life, whether it’s about their kids or when they were my age or even just like a parenting parable. It has really helped me think about that and ponder it after class hours, which has helped me strengthen and prioritize my own testimony.

Eastin Hartzell. Something that great religion educators have done is to teach how to find answers to questions. We need you to teach us how to dive into the scriptures, dive into the words of the living prophets, and make it not just a boring thing but actually studying, actually receiving revelation, learning how to hear him. The second thing I would say is having high expectations of us. President Henry B. Eyring has talked about how we need to have high expectations of our students and young adults.[2] I’ve had some professors who have tried to make an easy religion class, and then I’ve had others whose goal was to help us change. And in those I’ve felt like I’ve been changed, and I’ve grown closer to Jesus Christ.

Abigail Haven. Make it interactive—letting people, again, share their experiences. The example that came to my mind: we were talking about the Passover in the New Testament, and we had a mini-Passover in our seminary class. I could physically touch the bread and what it represented and the other elements of the Passover, and that strengthened me.

What Religious Educators Need to Know About Their Students

Barbara Morgan Gardner. Speaking to the millennials, ten years ago President Nelson instructed, “When I pray about you and ask the Lord how He feels about you, I feel something far different from what the researchers say.”[3] What do you think religious educators should know about you that would help us in our endeavors to better teach you and help you along the covenant path?

Olivia Osguthorpe. Something that I wish each of you could have experienced was the May 2022 devotional that was given by President Nelson.[4] I was just two months home from my mission, gathering with other missionaries I’d served with, and it was just electric. I’ve never seen that Conference Center so full of people.[5] It was so full that they had to send people to the Tabernacle. Then the Tabernacle was full. Then what else did they send people to, the Church History Museum? Then that was full. They then filled all the Church buildings with young adults. And the research says that we millennials don’t do that, that we don’t show up, that we’re not engaged, that we don’t listen to the living prophets. But I saw, what was it? Maybe sixty thousand of us? All at Temple Square gathered together. So, when I get worried about the future, when I worry about what the coming days will bring, I think about that moment. And that’s what you need to know about us as young adults: we’re going to be OK. We will show up. We will listen to living prophets. Because we’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again.

Barbara Morgan Gardner. Olivia, why does that matter to you that we know that?

Olivia Osguthorpe. Because sometimes we listen a little bit too much to the research, and this is coming from a girl who loves the research. That’s my whole thing. I study sociology. But for you to see who we really are, we all need to develop the ability to see the research and see the divine identities of our students. We are not the statistics that you see. We are children of God, children of the covenant, and disciples of Jesus Christ. We need to keep those divine identities in the forefront and maybe keep the research a little bit farther back, but not too far back, because the research is important. But those divine identities need to be front and center because that’s what we see coming from the prophet and that’s what we see in action from each of our young adults. To paraphrase Jacob 4:13, that’s who we really are and who we really will be.

Eastin Hartzell. I think going along with what Olivia just said, especially as disciples of Jesus Christ, I personally have been blown away hanging out with my friends and us being at home during family home evenings or in Sunday School classes and how deep and spiritual and doctrine based we are. And then I walk into an institute class, and it can be a little bit of fluff. Sometimes it’s as President Boyd K. Packer talks about “the hay” that we receive.[6] But I think we as young adults crave the doctrine. We crave to find the answers in the scriptures. Lots of times though, we don’t know how because we’ve been taught a little bit more of the fluff than the deep, grounded doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Zoe Gomez Paz. I think that it’s really important for teachers to know that all of the young adults come from different backgrounds, different stories, and different countries. I’m from Argentina, it’s South America, we speak Spanish, and English is not my first language. As a teacher, if you want to connect with students, the first thing you need to do is listen to them, talk with them, and get to know them. When you start getting to know your students, you become a better teacher, you know what their needs are, and you know what they are going through, you are acting like Christ, and you start to be a friend. I think that’s really important: just be a friend, be a good listener, and be there.

Learn More About Students

Sean Dixon. Zoe, can I ask you a quick question—what would you say to a professor with a lot of students? Do any of you guys have any ways that your teachers can get to know you even when you’re in a larger class setting?

Zoe Gomez Paz. We had a really big Spanish class at the Utah Valley Institute, and Brother Orozco Abajo was teaching there and there were almost three hundred people. It’s hard to get to know that many, but if you’ve got a few students who can help you out, who can be there for you, they can also help you know what they are going through.

Abigail Haven. I had a teacher who had us write down questions that we were seeking at that time in our life before the class started, and then throughout the course of that semester he answered those questions in specific lessons or pointed us to scripture stories that could apply or other principles that could then help us to answer those questions, and so I knew that the lessons were specifically tailored to me or my classmates and the questions we were seeking to answer.

Olivia Osguthorpe. I had a professor once who had us submit a paragraph or two every day about the principles we had learned, and he would call those out in our class, saying, “So-and-so, you had a really interesting thought about this. Would you mind sharing that with us?” Or “You had a really interesting question. Would you mind expressing that to the class?” And that made me realize Oh! He’s reading the things we are learning, and he knows where I’m at in the learning process. So take the time to read student submissions and then acknowledge that in class. That made a big difference for me.

Micah Johnson. Don’t be afraid to try to learn students’ names. I was in a class in an auditorium a similar size to this, and my professor—we knew, we knew, there was no way he was going to learn all of our names—tried every day when he’d call on someone when we’d walk in the room. He’d try and he’d say, “It starts with this,” or “Remind me of your name,” and he even got it right a number of times. I felt a part of the classroom because my professor was trying to show he cared about me. I think that there’s a lot that can be said just for the effort to know your students.

Matthew Richardson. Before we move forward from this question, a covenant relationship in this context is not just between a student and a teacher, but I also think there is a responsibility between a student and a student. What, in your experience, have you had work for a teacher to allow students to interact with each other; not just interacting with the teacher but also with students?

Matt Conway. I was in a great class, it was called “Hear Him, Know Him,” by Brother Bennett at the Utah Valley Institute. There were two things that he did that hammer this point down. One is you’d go into breakout groups, and you’d be able to talk with those students and get their opinions; because sometimes it’s hard to get everybody’s opinion during a fifty-minute class. The second thing he would do is every day he would have one “hear him” and one “know him.” It was about five minutes where a student would come up, share their name, and then share their experiences with Jesus Christ. It’s nothing too crazy, but it helped me get to know the students in my class and to be able to understand them a little better. And then after class, I’d be like, “Dude, that was a sweet experience that you had.” Or when somebody has a struggle, ask them how they’re doing. And you get to know everybody together. It was really cool.

Promoting the Making and Keeping of Sacred Covenants

Sean Dixon. With that high priority that’s being placed on the temple and covenants, how can your teachers create classes that promote making and keeping covenants with the Lord? Any thoughts on that?

Matt Conway. I have three words: commitments, commitments, commitments.

Sean Dixon. There’s a returned missionary right there, right?

Matt Conway. It’s exactly how Jesus Christ taught (Moroni 7:13). And I think it’s exactly how we should also teach. I think it’s no secret that the Lord, through President Nelson, is putting more temples on the earth and he wants us to be drawn to the temples.[7] I was in the temple this last week doing some work, and one of the temple workers said, “It’s so good to see young people in the temple,” and it really is. And I think a lot of people almost let it just go under the rug. And I at times do as well. But, if as institute teachers and seminary teachers, we can invite the students to do that and not only invite them to go to the temple but then follow up with them, we are doing exactly what the Savior taught. And I think if you do commit people to go to the temple they will, and they’ll find the joy that there is there.

Sean Dixon. I love what you said, and I love this idea of coming back to class and having people share their experiences because that inspires their fellow students. Speaking of connecting peer-to-peer, if you’re sharing those experiences, that may be the thing that inspires your friends to want to go to the temple. Does anyone else have any thoughts on what our classrooms can become like to help foster that kind of environment?

Abigail Haven. I think a lot of it has to do with repetition, repeatedly talking about the covenants that we make with the gospel of Jesus Christ so that we know we can remember and engrain those components into our hearts.

Raising Our Sights for the Youth and Young Adults

Sean Dixon. Then President Eyring described the students in seminary, institute, and other Church schools as being remarkable. He said they were spiritually mature and had faith. He then said that they are better prepared than generations have been in the past, having testimonies, knowing the scriptures, and knowing what it takes to repent. I mean, this is a big compliment to what’s happening in the rising generation. But sadly, he said there that there are too many of these remarkable young people who choose to “go with the flow” of the world—at least for now. And then President Eyring told religious educators that what was once sufficient in religious education is no longer enough, and he said, “We must raise our sights” and that our “students need more during the time they are our students. That is when they make the daily choices that will bless or mar their lives. That is when the pressures of temptation and spiritual confusion are increasing.”[8] With this in mind, what more can religious educators provide in the time that they have with you as students? What once was good enough may not be good enough. What more, in your opinion, would help us to provide that?

Olivia Osguthorpe. Something that I was thinking about is that less is more. And so the way that you can do more for us would be to do less. By that I mean: give us more responsibilities in classes, in seminary, in institute. I didn’t always enjoy going to seminary as a youth. But the times I remember enjoying most from seminary were the semesters I was called to be the pianist because I had to be there when it started; I couldn’t show up late after lunch. I had to be there in my seat ready to play the piano, because I had a responsibility. They didn’t just want me to be in seminary; they didn’t just require me to be at seminary; they needed me to be there to play the piano. And so find ways to need your students, to bring them into that process of learning, to give them opportunities to speak, to teach, to serve their classmates; I think that’s how you could do more. Do more by doing less.

Eastin Hartzell. I’d like to bear witness to what Olivia just said. When we have questions and we come to you for those answers, I think, sometimes, the best thing that you can do is not give us the answers. You have studied it, you know it, and you have a testimony of it. Many of us have not. So instead of always giving us the answer, teach us. Explain that when you have a question, you can learn “by study and also by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118); here’s how you can hear him, here’s how to dive into the scriptures, here’s how, when you have a concern, to alleviate that concern, here’s how to “doubt your doubts”[9] and to become more faithful. I’ve had teachers who instead of just giving me the answer, they say, “Why don’t you go check in the book of Matthew?” That was the answer I got once. That’s a pretty big section of scripture to study. But I had such an incredible time studying the book of Matthew as I looked and searched for that answer. And I did put the time and effort it took to find my answer.

Matthew Richardson. Eastin, in that situation, did the teacher follow back up with you?

Eastin Hartzell. Yes, he did. It was a religion professor here at BYU. And about a week later he said, “Have you had the chance to read it?” And I said, “I’m like four chapters in.” And then he followed up the next week. But because he had followed up that first week, I then made it a priority. And I made sure that by the following week, I had studied the entire Book of Matthew.

Matthew Richardson. That’s great. Anyone else?

Micah Johnson. It’s very easy, especially in the BYU classroom or institutes or seminaries around the world. You’ve got a lot of young people coming together who are lights. It’s often really easy to disregard or forget about the one light that’s dimmer than the rest. We do it every year, like Christmas lights, like “Oh, a couple are out. That’s OK; hang them up.” I want to emphasize just the importance of focusing on the one who’s a little dimmer than the rest because it’s so easy for them to hide. It’s so easy to get lost. I think it’s important as teachers to make sure we know as students that it’s not OK to slide by being a dimmer light. Help us to really grasp hold of our own testimonies. Help us be the bright light that we can be.

Matthew Richardson. Any suggestions on that one for any of the examples of how a teacher can make sure that that takes place without a student feeling picked on or isolated et cetera?

Matt Conway. There’s definitely a fine line between always asking that student questions to try to get him to speak up. It’s tough. It goes back to the point made that students are so willing to help. There are so many young singles adults that are so willing to help out in the class, and they love it. And I think the peers, often when they go to class, they maybe don’t feel like they’re getting enough from their class, or they don’t want to listen to their teacher. You can invite a student to go help that peer out. And I think as we do that, like, you invite a student, just go sit by him, talk with him, ask him his thoughts, then they might be a little more open to talking to someone who gets them a little bit more. It strengthens the discipleship of the one that you do ask to do that. So invite your students to help the other students.

Covenant Belonging in the Classroom

Barbara Morgan Gardner. These have been great responses. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, in this last general conference, said the following: “Covenant belonging is to make and keep solemn promises to God and each other through sacred ordinances that invite the power of godliness to be manifest in our lives.”[10] Additionally, the Utah Area Presidency has trained ward and stake councils to build up Zion by creating Christlike communities of faith, unity, love, and covenant belonging.[11] How can we help our CES classrooms be places of covenant belonging?

Zoe Gomez Paz. As someone from Argentina, cultures and languages are different, but going to institute has helped me a lot to feel at home. We got a Spanish class, and we felt like it was a real big family. We just share the same language, maybe not the same culture. But being there, it was like God telling me, like, “Hey, you belong here. You are doing good.” So, something that helped me was to find a place where I belong. In doing that, you know you feel like you’re loved.

Something that we did to get to know each other better is we do a few activities after the class like ten minutes, fifteen minutes, so we can just get to know each other because there are a lot of young single adults that they are going to the same stuff. And just hearing different people and knowing that you’re not alone, it’s really helpful.

Abigail Haven.Students learn well from each other. A lot of us are in very similar life circumstances together. And so, you know, asking a few students to help you with a certain part of the lesson or to share their thoughts and come prepared. I have learned more than anyone else in the times when I’ve had to study things on my own and then come prepared to teach them. And hopefully, some of my classmates can learn from my experiences that may be a little bit more relatable.

Eastin Hartzell. I serve in a young single adult bishopric here. And we had this girl who was struggling with depression and anxiety come to us as a bishopric, and she said, “I’m just struggling, and nobody likes me, and I don’t know what to do.” And my inspired bishop goes, “I’m sorry, what are you going to do about it?” And she goes, “Well, I don’t know what to do.” And he goes, “Well, why don’t we start by: you can invite people over to your house.” And so this sweet girl who had been struggling planned this activity. She sent into our ward group chat, “I have popcorn and chocolate at my house.” And thirty people showed up to her little apartment. Like there were too many people. Since then, she’s become one of the most social girls in the ward. I think this is such an individual question that can be asked to individuals who are struggling, “How are you going to do it?” Or “What do you think would be best for you in this situation?” That can help you in the long term, not just right now.

Olivia Osguthorpe. We sometimes want to tell people how they’re supposed to belong in a place instead of just asking them how we can help them feel like they’re part of the class. We like to prescribe solutions that may not truly solve the problem because we haven’t talked to people about how they would like to be helped. And I think we’ve heard really beautiful examples of different ways people have found belonging in different spheres. I think most importantly, how educators can help us belong is to remind us of those divine identities because that’s a place where we all connect to and belong to. Some of those other identities might slip away, but we are all children of God and children of the covenant and disciples of Jesus Christ. Those aren’t going to change. And when you connect us to those and remind us of those, I think that’s where we find the most belonging.

Gathering Israel on Campus and in the Classroom

Sean Dixon. President Nelson has said, “The Lord is hastening his work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. . . . Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel.”[12] How can our classes become places to continue to gather Israel?

Matt Conway. So, first off, I would just say to encourage your students to serve in Church callings. When they get involved with their own ward and they’re not jumping from ward to ward, they really get to see how the Church works. With that comes ministering. I think a lot of students who are returned missionaries, even myself, have fallen victim to this idea that, when we get home from our missions, we think, “Well, all my opportunities to serve other people every day are all gone,” but they’re not. I found with my own Church service that ministering is key to gathering Israel. Maybe we’re not in a place full of investigators or friends of the Church where we can keep sharing the gospel, but there are always people we can share the gospel with. There are a lot of young adults that need help. They need a little reaching hand back to the Church and back to the covenants, which is Christ. So again, the three words are commitments, commitments, and commitments. Just invite your students to go out and minister and then follow up by asking them to share experiences. And when you do that, I imagine that the whole class will feel the spirit of their experiences and want those for themselves. These YSAs are the rising generation of the Church. They are the future leaders.

Eastin Hartzell. I think with that ministering, giving them opportunities to bear their testimony. I remember the first six months I got home, and I realized I’d probably only borne my testimony like four times, and it was in testimony meeting. After that, I made a goal to bear my testimony at least once every single day. And every single day I pray for opportunities to bear my testimony. And almost every single day, something comes up. A person struggling, my ministering brother or sister, or the people I minister to, or friends who are struggling with their testimony. Every single day I have the opportunity to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ. And as I have done that, I have grown my testimony, but I’ve also helped others come back to church or to start going to church as well.

Barbara Morgan Gardner. So how can you help us do that in the classroom?

Eastin Hartzell. That’s such a good question. I think back to a conversation I had in my home recently with one of my best friends. We were hanging out for twenty minutes, and then all of a sudden it turned into six hours where we were just talking about the miracles that we’ve seen since we’ve been home from our missions. To me, we just had this home environment. It felt like we were in heaven a little bit, and it just felt so warm and loving and such a great environment that happened naturally. It wasn’t forced. It was me bearing my testimony about these miracles. I think when you let students share, even if your lesson gets derailed, or you’re not going where you thought the lesson would go, allow it to go that way and see how you can then bring them to a principle of Jesus Christ or of the gospel.

Matthew Richardson. It seems that when we talk about the gathering of Israel, it’s not just exclusive to inviting those not of the faith; it’s also nurturing and inviting those in new or unique seasons to come unto Christ and keep them close. How have you experienced the gathering of Israel in your religious education classes?

Micah Johnson. I had a teacher once say, “Get to know the person to your left and to your right. Ask them their name.” And that’s I think that’s a big deal and cannot be overemphasized: the power of small and simple things. I think whenever I hear the term “gather Israel,” I think I have to find a nonmember. I have to invite them to come to church with me. And I think, well, I’m a BYU student. What do I do? I think if we emphasize the importance of just gathering Israel in our own spheres, we can step aside from this linear way of thinking I have to find a nonmember; they have to get baptized, and I’m successful, and I’ve gathered Israel. But maybe it’s as simple as, you know, I’ll use a random name, Max sitting next to me. I know Max’s name because I got to know Max. We’re talking now, and he’s paying attention in class. Max goes to church. There he bears his testimony because he had a powerful time in class. Maybe Sally Sue in the audience hears his testimony and brings a friend to church who hasn’t been in a while. A friend at church loves the testimony. I think God works in networks, and we cannot overemphasize the power of small and simple acts. Something as simple as a teacher saying, “Hey, get to know Max to your right.” There’s just a power in hoping you’re providing an atmosphere for students to look to the left, look to the right, and gather within their sphere.

Sean Dixon. Zoe, what makes you want to invite a friend to come with you to institute?

Zoe Gomez Paz. First of all, we are all friends there. When you invite someone you can share the love of Christ with them. If you are a student living on your own, you feel alone. Just inviting someone helps them to see and hear for themselves and not be so alone. I also know that the teaching is really good, and I want to help others experience for themselves what I have experienced as I implement what I understand in my life.

Barbara Morgan Gardner. How have you gathered Israel in your classrooms?

Matt Conway. So, in my ward, every week I really like to go and visit people. I’ve been given the opportunity to serve as the executive secretary, so over the past year I’ve been able to get to know pretty much everybody in the ward when they move in and then when they move out.

That has allowed me to also know their struggles. One of the biggest things I see is that they’re missing a lot of daily religion or daily Jesus Christ. Seminaries and institutes allow people to get that daily Jesus Christ to get those invitations from their teachers to read the scriptures to study a certain passage. So what I’ve tried to do is as I find these peop0le, it’s a simple question: “Hey, do you go to institute?” And if they say no, I’m like, “The Utah Valley Institute is kind of the best place in the world, next to the temple, of course.” And so it starts out super uncomfortable. But, for example, I’m an avid golfer and I’m not that good, but as I’ve gone more, my swing has gotten more comfortable. And it’s the same thing with sharing the gospel. It gets a lot more comfortable, and now I have no problem walking up to anybody in my ward to ask them, “Hey, do you want to come to institute with me?” And I know that we have stake institutes, and we have campus institutes, but it’s the same principle. It’s inviting and doing exactly what you’re inviting them to do. And I think the teachers can also benefit from the same thing.

Eastin Hartzell. One more thing, Sister Gardner, in your class, one of the assignments was to do a self-created project to grow closer to Christ. The project that I felt inspired to do was to put on a little “for young adults by young adults” fireside. I ended up having 450 people show up to this fireside. It was all because of an assignment that you gave me in my class. Since that day I’ve had a lot of people come up to me like, “That was life-changing.” All that took was you inviting me and then me calling my stake president and saying, “Hey, I kind of thought about doing this. Can I use the church building?” and him saying yes. All of a sudden four hundred or so young adults were in this super-full stake center bearing testimony of Jesus Christ. Just because of an assignment from you.

What Has the Spirit Taught You?

Barbara Morgan Gardner. Thank you. Let’s end with one final question: What have you learned from the Spirit today?

Olivia Osguthorpe. Something that I feel when I am with fellow young adults is just a supreme sense of optimism. I grew up with a dad who’s not a glass-half-full kind of guy; he’s just a full glass. He just was born with a full glass. As I am a first-rate worrier, it can be a little bit obnoxious sometimes, but he has instilled in me the belief that it’s going to work out. We live in a world that can be very difficult, and sometimes we like to dwell there. We like to live in this place where we talk about how hard it is, and we just keep talking about how hard it is, and we keep talking about how hard it is. And then we try to finish it up with some thought about how it might get better. What I’ve learned today is that the belief that my dad holds that he preaches to me all the time is true. It’s going to work out. If this is what the future looks like, it’s going to be OK. And if you are the ones making the future, it’s going to be great. There is “no unhallowed hand” that can stop this work of the Lord,[13] and the work that you do as religious educators is so, so vital for us. We’ve all touched on experiences we’ve had here in those spaces. It’s going to work out. It’s going to be wonderful.

Abigail Haven. I think going off of “what has the Spirit been teaching us,” just thinking that this Spirit is going to guide and direct you as teachers to know how to help your students with opportunities, where you need to share your life experiences, where you need to lead and direct. And the Spirit will tell you when it’s time to step back and let your students do the same thing for their peers and themselves. And so I think really pray and ask Heavenly Father to guide and direct you to know what’s your role and what should you be doing in that class.

Zoe Gomez Paz. First of all, everyone’s amazing here, and secondly, if you’re a student, you should know that your teacher loves you. We know you’re trying hard, and that’s what counts. You’re trying to be better. You’re trying to get to know your students. You’re trying to improve, and I really like that. You make students feel good about themselves. You help them make a testimony and get them close to Christ.

Eastin Hartzell. I think my only thing is “Don’t take your job lightly.” We are the future bishops and stake presidents and Relief Society presidents and members of the Seventy—the young adults and the youth that you’re teaching—that is a big deal. And for the rest of their life, they’re going to look back. I still look back to my high school seminary teacher, Brother Busch, the best seminary teacher I ever had. No offense to my others, but I still think, But Brother Bush said this. Don’t think that we’re not going to think about what you teach for the rest of our lives, because we will. I still think back to every religion class I’ve taken in college. Well, Sister Gardner said this, so I think it’s this way. Don’t take that lightly. Make sure that you teach what we need to know and help train us to become the people we need to be so that we can be in your shoes one day.

Matt Conway. One thing is to allow yourself to be vulnerable with your students. It’s all right to be real with your students. Also, don’t take your job lightly. Recognize that Jesus Christ is leading religious education. The Lord has taught me today that the Spirit will guide and direct every one of us. None of us is perfect and we are all in this together. Jesus Christ knows your students perfectly. As you seek his guidance and revelation, he’ll help you find out what the next step is for your students and how to best help them.

Micah Johnson. There was a question asked earlier about what we want our teachers to know about us. At the beginning I was prepared to say that everybody has a struggle. Life is tough. Life is hard. We’re in college. We don’t know what we’re doing. As I listened to the other panelists, though, they were talking about raising the bar, increasing expectations, set higher standards, et cetera. It’s really been kind of a slap in the face for me. The Spirit has taught me that I need to raise my expectations of myself. I think the young adults of the Church, or at least in my sphere need to hear more about the high standards that we have, the duties that we’re going to have down the line. We need to know that we can’t just skirt by, that we can’t just sit in the back of the classroom and do nothing. We need to have the expectations placed upon us from you, our role models. We can do this. We can rise to the challenges that are coming, and we truly can be lights for the dark, dark world out there. The one thing I’m taking away is that I need to raise expectations for myself, and I hope you do that for other students as well.

Matthew Richardson. We are very grateful for your comments, your advice, and your counsel. Jesus invited two of John the Baptist’s followers to “come and see” (John 1:39). I’m grateful for the teachers who humbly invite their students to “come and see.” I’m hoping every teacher will be filled with confidence and be directed by the Spirit to invite and to invite and to invite others to come and personally see the Savior, for he does live, and this is his gospel, and because of the Savior Jesus Christ and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it will work out. And of that we all testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Reflections on the Panel

Olivia Osguthorpe. As I prepared for the conference, I reflected on the experiences I have had within the Church Educational System. Growing up in Idaho, I had released-time seminary, then I came to BYU and immersed myself in religion courses. As a missionary I attended institute, and I continued to attend my YSA stake institute after I resumed my studies at BYU. Seminary, BYU, and institute have become a refuge for me as I find my place in an increasingly confusing world—each learning experience contributing to what I understand about my identity as a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Before the panel, I pulled out a handout I was given in seminary talking about spiritual gifts, and another from the Zurich institute reminding me to “let God prevail.”[14] I noticed the notes in the margins of my scriptures from religion classes that pointed to prophetic priorities and read through personal revelation I had typed on my phone during my YSA stake institute lessons. These small things have blossomed into tremendous personal growth and understanding of my divine identity made possible by thoughtful teaching.

Teaching is the heart of what we do in this Church, and excellence in gospel teaching has made all the difference in my own spiritual progression. As I listened to my peers on the panel and reflected on the conference as a whole, I realized that it is not just excellent teaching that has shaped me, but excellent discipleship. Teaching is an inherently righteous endeavor, but it is not a knowledge of ancient scripture or instructional psychology or Church history alone that has moved my spiritual needle. It is the excellent discipleship of my teachers who have chosen to be mentors rather than sages. This is what has made my CES experiences a refuge during an ever-changing phase of life. Now more than ever, we as young adults need our leader’s honest encouragement, unfailing confidence, and thoughtful mentorship as we take on the challenges set before us.

Eastin Hartzell. In 2018 youth around the world took heed of President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation and enlisted in the youth battalion.[15] Now, as young adults, six years later, I wonder why so many have abandoned their post in this battle between good and evil, “the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth.”[16] Young adults, many whom I am close with, have mentally, emotionally and spiritually discharged themselves from this battalion.

Preparing for this panel, I considered Why won’t they live up to the potential that the Lord sees in them? I believe my friends, many who are lifelong members of the Church, “are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:12) or perhaps have forgotten how to find it. Indeed, they have been in Primary, Sunday School, seminary and institute, firesides, devotionals, missions, et cetera. Well-meaning religious educators and local Church leaders have given us the answers, cited us scriptures, and have borne powerful testimonies; they have even filled us with the goodness that only the gospel can bring. But, as President Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “A student is not a container to be filled; a student is a fire to be ignited.”[17]

Thinking of the many classes that I have participated in this Church, there have been a few that have actually ignited a fire in me. These teachers helped me recognize my role in learning for myself,[18] teaching me how to be a seeker and to learn both by “study and also by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). They have turned me to the scriptures and the words of living prophets. They have placed high expectations on me and have given me small pushes of support and accountability so that I could exceed their expectations. They don’t just teach; they help me learn.

We are the youth battalion of the Lord. Whatever your current expectation of us is, we will exceed it. Now more than ever, we need teachers who love us as students so much that you are willing to step back and call on us to step up. As a “spiritual arsonist,” ignite and watch our “light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16). I hope and believe that if we join in this battalion together, we will one day look back and be able to “glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever” (Alma 26:16). I am so grateful for the teachers that have ignited my spiritual flame, and I cannot wait to bask in the light of my peers whom you will teach.

Barbara Morgan Gardner. While serving as the institute director in Boston, I had an impactful learning moment with my Harvard students. Following the suggested course instruction for the piloted Foundations course, I asked my students to share with me some of the negative comments they had heard regarding the Prophet Joseph Smith. The room fell silent. After a long pause, one of the students, speaking for the rest, responded, “Sister Morgan, we hear enough negativity about tenets of our faith from unbelieving people. We come to class to be inspired and to strengthen ours and each other’s testimonies.” He concluded, “Would you mind if we took this precious time together to bear testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration instead?”

I learned an important lesson that day from among the brightest and most humble young adults in the world. It was a confirmation of what President Eyring quoted J. Reuben Clark as saying almost a century ago: “The youth of the Church are hungry for things of the Spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted. They want to know about the fundamentals I have just set out—about our beliefs; they want to gain testimonies of their truth. They are not now doubters but inquirers, seekers after truth.”[19]

This lesson was reiterated as I listened to the faithful responses of these young adult students representing students all over the world. When Micah Johnson responded at the end of our time together that “the Spirit has taught me that I need to raise my expectations of myself,” the feeling in the room was not only electric but clarifying. As teachers and leaders, we may be tempted to lower our expectations of these students, but the opposite is what these young adults need. As we see these students as they really are, children of God, children of the covenant, disciples of Christ, and devoted members of his restored Church,[20] our expectations will naturally rise, for we would see them and treat them as they really are and therefore be more effective instruments in helping them become as he would have them become.

Notes

[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” general conference talk, October 2022; emphasis in original, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[2] Henry B. Eyring, “We Must Raise Our Sights,” Ensign, September 2004, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[3] Russell M. Nelson, “Stand as True Millennials,” Ensign, October 2016; emphasis in original, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[4] Russell M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity,” worldwide devotional for young adults, May 2022, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[5] Mary Richards, “Young Adults Fill The Conference Center, Take Home a Message of True Identity,” Church News, May 16, 2022, www.thechurchnews.com.

[6] President Jeffrey R. Holland shared that Boyd K. Packer shared this in an earlier meeting with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Teaching and Learning in the Church,” Liahona, June 2007, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[7] In President Nelson’s five years as President of the Church, he has announced 168 temples. See www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2024/04/14/look-at-168-temples-announced-by-president-nelson.

[8] Eyring, “We Must Raise Our Sights.”

[9] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Come, Join with Us,” general conference talk, October 2013, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[10] Gerrit W. Gong, “Ministering,” general conference talk, April 2024, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[11] See “Building Up Zion—Creating Christlike Communities of Faith, Unity, Love and Covenant Belonging,” Utah Area Broadcast, November 15, 2023, utah.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[12] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” worldwide devotional for young adults, June 2018, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[13] “Church History,” 1 March 1842, p. 709, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[14] Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” general conference talk, October 2020, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[15] See a number of youth who accepted this invitation here: www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2018/08/worldwide-youth-devotional.

[16] Nelson, “Hope of Israel”; emphasis in original.

[17] Jeffrey R. Holland, “Angels and Astonishment,” Seminaries and Institutes annual training broadcast, June 12 2019, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[18] “Teach,” Objective of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, 2022, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[19] J. Reuben Clark Jr., “The Charted Course of the Church in Education,” 1994 rev., www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[20] Nelson, “Choices for Eternity.”