“Roles and Responsibilities,” For the Strength of Youth, Jan. 2027.

Roles and Responsibilities

Young Women

Builder of Faith (beginning the year you turn 12)

A builder of faith helps build God’s kingdom through her faith in Christ, steadfast witness, and actions that uplift and encourage others (see Ephesians 2:19–20; “As Sisters in Zion,” Hymns, no. 309, verse 1).

What does it mean to be a Builder of Faith?

As a Builder of Faith, you are blessed by priesthood ordinances. God invites you to access His power, through priesthood ordinances and covenant promises, and to understand how that power works within you (see Doctrine and Covenants 25:8). Ponder how the ordinance of the sacrament, along with your covenant promises, allow you to draw upon the gift of God’s power and the Savior’s enabling strength to overcome. As you partake of the sacrament and keep God’s commandments, your companionship with the Spirit and with angels will increase, empowering you to navigate life with divine guidance (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:20).

How can I help with God’s work?

As a Builder of Faith, you:

Serve others. You reflect the love of Jesus Christ by creating a spirit of encouragement and belonging in your home, school, and class. You can receive a temple recommend and go to the house of the Lord to be baptized and confirmed for your ancestors. Other opportunities to serve will come from callings, assignments, or from spiritual promptings to reach out to people around you.
Invite all to come unto Christ. You can serve as a greeter at sacrament meeting, helping people find places to sit and setting the tone for Sunday worship with kindness, reverence, and joy. Learn people’s names and build their faith as you help them feel at home in Christ’s Church. Show by your words and actions that they are “fellowcitizens with the saints” and members “of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). You can also speak in meetings, share the gospel, and bear testimony of Christ.

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you can accept a new invitation from the FSY guide. This will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a Builder of Faith.

Messenger of Hope (beginning the year you turn 14)

A Messenger of Hope carries Christ’s message of hope to the weary, speaking peace, sharing comfort, and lifting hearts through the power of the Spirit (see Mosiah 18:8–9; “As Sisters in Zion,” Hymns, no. 309, verse 2).

What does it mean to be a Messenger of Hope?

As a Messenger of Hope, you can study how faithfulness, walking in paths of virtue, and holding fast to your covenants will allow God’s power to flow into your life more fully (see Doctrine and Covenants 25:2, 13). This will empower you to fulfill your purpose and reach your full potential. As you partake of the sacrament and take the Savior’s name upon you, you renew your covenant to stand as a witness of Him “at all times and in all things and in all places.” This includes responding as He would by bearing one another’s burdens, mourning with those who mourn, comforting those who stand in need of comfort (see Mosiah 18:8–9).

How can I help with God’s work?

As a Messenger of Hope, you have all the responsibilities of a Builder of Faith. In addition, you:

Serve others. You stand as a witness of Christ as you show compassion, speak peace, and offer strength. As a Messenger of Hope, you can be assigned as a ministering sister and give Christlike care to the people you are assigned to and anyone else you notice who is in need (see General Handbook, 21.2.2).
Invite all to come unto Christ. As a ministering sister, you help others strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, receive ordinances, make and keep sacred covenants, and grow spiritually. Your Christlike love, care, and service help those you minister to experience hope and joy in Christ.

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you can accept a new invitation from the FSY guide. During your years as a Messenger of Hope, you can also begin attending seminary and FSY conferences. All of this will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a Messenger of Hope.

Gatherer of Light (beginning the year you turn 16)

A Gatherer of Light trusts divine guidance and draws strength from covenants as she seeks, gathers, and reflects God’s light (see Doctrine and Covenants 50:24; “As Sisters in Zion,” Hymns, no. 309, verse 3).

What does it mean to be a Gatherer of Light?

As a Gatherer of Light, you trust that priesthood ordinances, combined with your covenant promises, will allow the power of godliness to be manifest in your life (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:20; 1 Nephi 14:14). Accessing this power in your life will require the same things that the Lord instructed Emma Smith to do in Doctrine and Covenants 25. Learn all that you can about Jesus Christ. Above all, learn of His great atoning sacrifice, which allows His gifts of repentance and grace to bless your life and the lives of others. Through His power, the Lord will heal your heart, enlarge your capacity, and transform you into the woman He knows you can become.

How can I help with God’s work?

As a Gatherer of Light, you have all the responsibilities of a Builder of Faith and Messenger of Hope. In addition, you:

Serve others. You encourage others, minister in love, and teach the gospel as you are guided by the Spirit. You have gone before, and you know the way. You are now prepared to lead, teach, and encourage Builders of Faith and Messengers of Hope, supporting them as they accept FSY invitations, become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, and live up to their privileges as covenant daughters of God.
Invite all to come unto Christ. The Lord wants you to “expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:7). You can do this through words but even more powerfully through the way you live (see 1 Timothy 4:12).

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you continue to accept invitations from the FSY guide. You also strengthen and encourage other young women with their invitations and sacred responsibilities. During these years, you can attend seminary and FSY conferences. All of this will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a Gatherer of Light.

This is a sacred season, when you prepare to become a woman of righteous influence. This includes receiving your temple endowment, serving a mission if desired, and preparing for an eternal family.

Relief Society (after you turn 18)

Relief Society helps God’s children prepare to return to His presence. As daughters of heavenly parents, members of Relief Society “expound scriptures,” “exhort the church,” lift hearts, and “cleave unto the covenants [they have] made” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:7, 13).

What does it mean to be a member of the Relief Society?

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the purpose of Relief Society is to save souls and relieve suffering. He told the women that the Church of Jesus Christ was not fully organized until the sisters were so organized. As a member of the Relief Society, you will work together with other sisters to help accomplish God’s work, guided by the Relief Society motto, “Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:8). You serve others, fulfill covenant responsibilities, build unity, and learn and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How can I help with God’s work?

As a Relief Society sister, you belong to the organization that the Lord prepared for all adult women in the Church. In addition to the responsibilities you learned as a young woman, you:

Serve others. When you join the Relief Society, you will belong to one of the largest women’s service organizations in the world. As a follower of Jesus Christ, and as part of this lifelong sisterhood, you have a responsibility to reach out in love to those in need. You seek ways to serve and minister to others in the ward and community, offering relief as Christ would. Emma Smith, the first President of the Relief Society, said, “We are going to do something extraordinary. … We expect extraordinary occasions and pressing calls.”
Invite all to come unto Christ. Members of Relief Society invite all to receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 18:9). They do this by sharing the gospel and strengthening others. They are willing to share “not the gospel of God only, but also [their] own souls, because [others are] dear unto [them]” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). This includes providing both temporal and spiritual relief to all within their reach.

Aaronic Priesthood Holders

Deacon (beginning the year you turn 12)

“Every … deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him … by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:60).

What is the Aaronic Priesthood?

The priesthood is the authority and power of God. It is given by the laying on of hands to worthy men who are willing to represent Jesus Christ and serve Him. The priesthood is not earned or used for personal gain; it is given so you can bless others and help them come unto Jesus Christ. The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels, the gospel of repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins. It also administers “outward ordinances” (see Doctrine and Covenants 13:1; 84:26–27; 107:20).

In the year you turn 12, you can receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained a deacon.

What does God want me to do as a deacon?

As a deacon, you:

Serve others. You pass the sacrament to help people remember Jesus Christ and make covenants to follow Him. You can receive a temple recommend and go to the house of the Lord to be baptized and confirmed for your ancestors. Other opportunities to serve will come from your bishop (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:68) or from spiritual promptings to reach out to people around you.
Invite all to come unto Christ. The Lord wants you “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:59). You can do this through words but even more powerfully through the way you live (see 1 Timothy 4:12). You can also speak in meetings, share the gospel, and bear testimony.

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you can accept a new invitation from the FSY guide. This will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a deacon.

Teacher (beginning the year you turn 14)

A teacher is to “watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:53).

What is the Aaronic Priesthood?

In the year you turn 14, you can be ordained a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood.

What does God want me to do as a teacher?

As a teacher, you have all the responsibilities of a deacon. In addition, you:

Serve others. You can help ward members make sacred covenants with Jesus Christ by preparing the sacramental bread and water, which represent the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. You can be assigned as a ministering brother and give Christlike care to the people you are assigned—and to anyone else you notice who is in need (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:53–55).
Invite all to come unto Christ. The Lord wants you “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:59). As a ministering brother, you help others strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, receive ordinances, make and keep sacred covenants, and grow spiritually.

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you can accept a new invitation from the FSY guide. During your years as a teacher, you can also begin attending seminary and FSY conferences. All of this will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a teacher.

Priest (beginning the year you turn 16)

A priest is to “preach, teach, expound, exhort, … and visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:46–47).

What is the Aaronic Priesthood?

In the year you turn 16, you can be ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.

What does God want me to do as a priest?

As a priest, you have all the responsibilities of a deacon and teacher. In addition, you:

Serve others. You help ward members make sacred covenants with Jesus Christ by blessing the sacramental bread and water, which represent the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. You can baptize—including in the temple for deceased ancestors. You can also ordain other priests, teachers, and deacons. Additionally, you can lead, teach, and encourage deacons and teachers, supporting them as they accept FSY invitations.
Invite all to come unto Christ. The Lord wants you “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:59). As a ministering brother, you help others strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, receive ordinances, make and keep sacred covenants, and grow spiritually.

How can the FSY guide help?

Each month, you can accept a new invitation from the FSY guide. You also strengthen and encourage deacons and teachers with their invitations and priesthood responsibilities. During your years as a priest, you can also attend seminary and FSY conferences. All of this will help you become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and serve Him more diligently as a priest.

This is a sacred season, when you prepare to become a man of righteous influence. This includes being ordained an elder, receiving your temple endowment, serving a mission, and preparing for an eternal family.

Elder (after you turn 18)

Elder is an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, which includes “the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:18).

What is the Melchizedek Priesthood?

The priesthood is the authority and power of God. It is given by the laying on of hands to worthy men who are willing to represent Jesus Christ and serve Him. The priesthood is not earned or used for personal gain; it is given so you can bless others and help them come unto Jesus Christ. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds “the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:18). Through the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood, “the power of godliness is manifest” in the lives of God’s children (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20).

What does God want an elder to do?

When you are ordained an elder, you will continue to have all the responsibilities you had as an Aaronic Priesthood holder. In addition, you:

Serve others. When you are an elder, you will have authority to give the gift of the Holy Ghost, give children a name and blessing, and give blessings of healing and comfort (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:43, 70; 42:44; James 5:14). Elders “watch over the church” by serving as ministering brothers (Doctrine and Covenants 20:42). They follow the example of Jesus Christ by giving loving service to people who are in need.
Invite all to come unto Christ. Elders have a specific responsibility to “proclaim the everlasting gospel, by the Spirit of the living God, from people to people, and from land to land” (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:1–2). You fulfill this duty by serving as a missionary and by sharing the gospel with others throughout your life.

Presidency Meeting Agenda

If you would like to use this template every time you meet, print a new copy from this blank document or write your answers in a notebook each time you meet as a presidency.

Date:

Conducting:

Prayer:

Follow-Up

Discuss the assignments made in the previous meeting and in ward youth council.

Caring for the Youth

How can we support and minister to the members of our age group or quorum? How can we invite them to come unto Christ? How can we create unity? (See 3 Nephi 18:32.)

Sunday Meetings

Who should teach upcoming lessons? How will we invite the Spirit and teach of Christ?

Date	Adult Leader	Youth(s)

Activities (camps, conferences, service, and other activities)

Date	Activity (see planning template on page T13)

Review Assignments

Prayer:

Other Roles

Young Women Presidencies, Young Men Advisers, and Other Adult Leaders

The Savior can help you be a righteous example and trusted mentor. As you get to know the youth, spend time with them, and listen to them, you will build trust with them. This will help you teach them the joy of keeping covenants and drawing closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

To prepare for their future, the youth will need to discover their spiritual gifts and learn to do hard things. Pray for them and for inspiration to understand and meet their needs. Encourage them and show interest in their interests. Support them by asking questions and offering help.

You have the opportunity to mentor the youth as they learn to be lifelong disciples by believing in Christ, belonging with Him, and becoming more like Him. You help by supporting and advising them in their assignments and responsibilities. Help them prepare talks and teach portions of lessons. Notice and appreciate the good they do, and celebrate their successes and achievements.

Perhaps your most important influence will come as you minister to the youth in a Christlike way and share your experiences and testimony.

Age-Group and Quorum Presidencies

Jesus Christ will help you when you are called to serve in leadership positions. When you are set apart, you receive His delegated authority to fulfill your calling.

In God’s kingdom, a leader is one who serves. Get to know and love the members of your class or quorum. Minister to them as the Savior would. Pray for them. Be an example. Gain their trust through your words and actions. Be patient and positive, be a peacemaker, and share your testimony often. Help everyone feel welcome and included.

You might be invited to attend meetings such as presidency meetings and ward youth council.

You will have the opportunity to help plan activities and events. You can give assignments to class or quorum members to help. As you do, follow through to make sure they are completed, and reflect on what went well and what can be improved.

Under the direction of the bishopric, Young Women age-group presidencies organize youth to greet people as they arrive at sacrament meeting.

Under the direction of the bishopric, quorum presidencies lead Aaronic Priesthood holders as they administer the ordinance of the sacrament.

Working together, quorum presidencies and Young Women age-group presidencies lead out in God’s work of salvation and exaltation, including living the gospel, caring for those in need, inviting others to receive the gospel, and uniting families for eternity. They help those they serve to become lifelong disciples and find great joy in living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lead in the Savior’s Church

Youth Presidency Orientation

Called of God

What does it mean to me to be called of God? (See Luke 1:26–38; Moses 1:3–6.)
Why me?
Why now?

Who Do I Serve?

Go to the Member Tools app or ask the ward clerk for an age-group or quorum list.
How will I get to know and love everyone in my age-group or quorum?
How will I follow the Savior’s example of ministering to individuals and to my whole class or quorum? (See Moroni 6:4.)

What Meetings Do I Attend?

Presidency meetings.
Ward youth council (for age-group and quorum presidents).
Regular Church meetings and activities.

How Do I Do It?

Use a meeting agenda (see “Presidency Meeting Agenda”).
Conduct meetings and participate in councils (see General Handbook, chapter 4, Gospel Library).
Delegate assignments.
Follow through on assignments.
Help class or quorum members feel welcome.

Parents and Family

Heavenly Father has given you, as a parent, the opportunity to help your children grow in faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:25).

Your love for your children and for the Lord can create a safe, nurturing space where your children can grow. Be involved in their lives, and be intentional as you set boundaries, monitor screen time, and know their friends.

“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Gospel Library). Your efforts to live the Savior’s teachings will help you build a Christ-centered home culture.

Believe: Ask about how your child is building faith in Christ, including with their monthly FSY invitations.

Belong: Encourage your child to participate in activities, camps, and conferences.

Become: Support your child as they grow spiritually. Discuss their experiences often.

Bishopric

You are responsible for the rising generation in your ward. As much as possible, delegate other matters to the elders quorum and Relief Society so you can focus on the well-being, growth, and development of the youth.

You can also delegate program and administration tasks to clerks, executive secretaries, advisers, quorum and age-group presidents, and specialists. Ensure that those assisting have clear assignments and authority to act.

Take the time necessary to show you care. Help create belonging by attending activities. Be joyful in serving the youth. Let them see how much you love them and love the Lord.

Meeting with the Youth Individually

For guidelines on meeting with youth, see General Handbook, 31.3.1.

As you meet with youth, ask them about their efforts in accepting FSY invitations and applying gospel principles. Recognize their progress, and let them share what they are learning as they overcome challenges. Ask priests and Gatherers of Light about their experiences as they encourage and teach others.