General Conference Leadership Meeting
April 2021 Leadership Instruction


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Bound to the Savior through Covenants and Ordinances

This leadership instruction was introduced during the April 2021 general conference leadership meeting.

Training Outline for Area, Coordinating, Mission, Stake, Ward, and Branch Councils

During this instruction, you will see and hear experiences of children of our Heavenly Father at different places on the path of becoming bound to the Savior through covenants and ordinances. You will hear how loving, sharing, and inviting has helped them progress on the covenant path with joy. You may recognize how sharing the gospel, temple and family history work, and caring for those in need all play a part. But above all, you may notice how all these things are “gather[ed] together in one … in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

Life Stage 1: Children

Watch the video with President Joy D. Jones and children, and then discuss what you will go and do to help children bind themselves to the Savior on the covenant path.

  • What did the Spirit teach us as we watched this video?

  • How do the principles of love, share, and invite help children as they strive to share the gospel?

  • How does service help children stay on the covenant path after baptism?

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Life Stage 2: Youth

Watch the video with President Bonnie H. Cordon and President Stephen J. Lund and youth, and then discuss what you will go and do to help youth bind themselves to the Savior on the covenant path.

  • How can we help youth keep their baptismal covenants and prepare for the next step along the covenant path?

  • How do the principles of love, share, and invite help youth participate in temple and family history work?

  • How can we help youth feel hope and belonging as they become bound to the Savior?

Life Stage 3: Young Adult

Watch the video with President Mark L. Pace and young adults, and then discuss what you will go and do to help young adults bind themselves to the Savior on the covenant path.

  • What do we learn from the loving, sharing, and inviting that others offer to us?

  • How can we help young adults feel hope and belonging as they increase in self-reliance and serve others? How can we help them know that they are needed in the Lord’s Church?

  • What role do meaningful Church activities and caring leaders play in binding young adults to the Savior?

Life Stage 4: Adults

Watch the video with President Jean B. Bingham and adults, and then discuss what you will go and do to help adults bind themselves to the Savior on the covenant path.

  • How do our covenants bring healing and help us stay on the path—even in difficult times?

  • What ways have we found to help members bind themselves and others to the Savior through covenants and ordinances?

  • How does developing spiritual self-reliance help us love, share, and invite?

Resources for Area, Coordinating, Mission, Stake, Ward, and Branch Councils

For Children and Youth

Children and Youth Overview

The Children and Youth program is designed to strengthen the rising generation’s faith in Jesus Christ and help children, youth, and their families progress along the covenant path as they meet life’s challenges. It helps children and youth in their efforts to participate in the gathering of Israel and the work of salvation and exaltation in their everyday lives. It is centered in the home and supported at church.

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Hopes for the Rising Generation

Children and Youth helps the rising generation grow in many ways, including through revelation, agency, and relationships. Individuals learn to receive and act on personal revelation as they exercise agency and choose opportunities to grow for themselves. This also happens as youth learn to lead in quorum and class presidencies. They build relationships with their families, their leaders, and others their own age as they work and serve together and come to know that they belong and are needed in the Lord’s work.

Where Should We Start Today?

We invite children, youth, and their parents and leaders to commit or recommit to become more like the Savior by participating in His work. These efforts don’t have to be difficult! Here are some simple places to start:

Parents
  • Gather your family for gospel study. Come, Follow Me resources can help. You might consider having discussions about topics such as covenants, revelation, agency, and patriarchal blessings.

  • Plan a family activity. How could you safely serve someone in your neighborhood or community? Where available, JustServe can help you find ideas.

  • Meet individually with each son and daughter. Discuss their interests and talk about how they want to grow. Help and support them with personal development. Talk about what goals they have set or want to work on.

Primary leaders
  • Know the home circumstances of the children, and seek revelation to help them as individuals.

  • Begin holding Sunday meetings and Primary activities in person or virtually (when safe and authorized).

  • Don’t worry about connecting individuals’ goals to activities! Your focus is on connecting with and blessing children and their families—especially when they need or ask for help.

Adult leaders of youth
  • Begin holding Sunday meetings and quorum and class activities in person or virtually (when safe and authorized). Encourage youth to memorize and start meetings with the new Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood quorum themes.

  • Call, set apart, and empower quorum and class presidencies. Help them to hold regular presidency meetings and to plan and lead Sunday meetings and activities. Hold ward youth councils, and encourage participation in missionary and temple and family history coordination meetings. Mentor and support presidencies as needed without taking over. Help presidencies learn leadership skills using quorum and class presidency resources.

  • Plan and hold youth camps and youth conference in 2021, following safety guidelines.

  • Don’t worry about connecting individuals’ goals to activities! Put your energy into connecting with youth themselves. You might also help quorum and class presidencies connect activities to the needs of youth.

For more information, see ChildrenandYouth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

For Adults

YSA Gathering Places

The First Presidency has given approval for areas to establish gathering places for young single adults based on area needs. A gathering place is a designated location in an existing facility (such as a meetinghouse or institute building) where young single adults and their friends can gather to participate in some or all of the following (based on local needs and resources):

  • Religious education and gospel learning (including institute)

  • Service and social activities

  • Temple and family history activities

  • Self-reliance and educational opportunities

  • Missionary and community-outreach activities

  • Other Church programs

All gathering places must be approved by the Area Presidency and overseen by stake presidents and bishops.

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Callings for Young Single Adults and Single Adults

Recent policy changes and clarifications have resolved possible misunderstandings and traditions about limits on opportunities for single members to serve in the Lord’s Church. These policy changes and clarifications, approved by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve and included in the General Handbook, explain that young single adults and single adults can be blessed by and can bless others in many callings, including as stake and ward leaders. The same policies are now in effect in all Church units, including young single adult and single adult units. Restrictions against young single adults and single adults serving in stake presidencies, bishoprics, and stake Relief Society presidencies in young single adult and single adult units have been removed.

Single members may serve in leadership positions including ward and stake organization presidencies, elders quorum presidencies, bishopric counselors, high councilors, and stake presidency counselors.

Needing and Welcoming All—Love, Share, and Invite

When members struggle to feel a sense of belonging, sometimes leaders and others inadvertently say things that reinforce these members’ belief that they don’t fit in or aren’t needed.

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Remembering these truths about love, share, and invite may help in welcoming all to activity, fellowship, and belonging in the Church of Jesus Christ:

  • Every person is a beloved child of God with a divine nature and destiny. In addition to the eternal blessings He promises to the faithful, He wants to bless His children now, during this life.

  • Each child of God is needed in the work of building His kingdom.

  • To help someone feel he or she belongs and is needed, begin with love. Listen to understand his or her experiences. Don’t assume that you already know or understand.

  • We do not have answers to all questions we or others face in this life. For example, we don’t know the reasons a person may be facing a particular challenge.

  • Be open and nonjudgmental. Welcome each person, wherever that person is in his or her journey. Offer to help, and focus on the truth that each person is needed in the Church.

  • If you inadvertently say something hurtful, don’t be defensive; apologize and then seek forgiveness and improvement.

For information about helping members in specific circumstances, see Counseling Resources.

How One Conversion Grew into a Band of Brothers

Principles of Love, Share, and Invite

Promised Blessings as We Love, Share, and Invite