Come, Follow Me
Why do we need the Book of Mormon?

Why do we need the Book of Mormon?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The Book of Mormon was written for our day. It testifies of Jesus Christ, contains the fulness of His gospel, and restores truths lost through the Apostasy. Joseph Smith taught that the Book of Mormon is “the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (introduction to the Book of Mormon).

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

Consider your feelings about the Book of Mormon. How has it brought you closer to Jesus Christ? How did you gain your testimony of the Book of Mormon? How has this knowledge helped you in your life?

Think of the young women in your class. What experiences have they had with the Book of Mormon? How will a testimony of its truth bring strength to them in their teen years and in their future?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior testified of truth and invited His followers to do the same. He used boldness and simplicity so the Spirit could witness of the truth. How can your testimony help the young women understand the importance of the Book of Mormon in their lives and strengthen their testimonies of the truths it contains?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Write on the board the three questions President Russell M. Nelson posed in his talk “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Invite the young women to share how they would answer the questions and then read some of the answers people gave. What parts of President Nelson’s talk inspire the young women to read the Book of Mormon and share it with others?

  • What did Brother Tad R. Callister teach in his talk “God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon” that can help us respond to those who criticize the Book of Mormon? Give the young women time to search the talk to find some of the things that he taught. How does the Book of Mormon testify of the following fundamental truths: “the divinity of Jesus Christ,” “the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith,” and “the absolute truth of this Church”? (page 109).

  • Invite the young women to name things that create power, such as batteries, generators, windmills, and solar panels. Invite the young women to make a list of ways the Book of Mormon brings power into our lives. Ask the young women to search President Thomas S. Monson’s talk “The Power of the Book of Mormon,” looking for insights they could add to their list. Provide time for the young women to ponder how they will incorporate President Monson’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon daily. Ask them to share their ideas.

  • Invite the young women to search Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord,” looking for insights about the Book of Mormon and why it is so important. You could invite the young women to share some quotes from the talk or favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon. You could also encourage them to write down and share their testimonies of the Book of Mormon.

  • Invite the young women to search one or more of the scriptures suggested in this outline or the title page of the Book of Mormon or watch one of the videos in this outline to find answers to the question “Why do we need the Book of Mormon?” Share your testimony of the Book of Mormon. Invite the young women to share how they gained their testimonies or share experiences when a scripture from the Book of Mormon has influenced them or helped them overcome a challenge.

  • Invite each young woman to find a scripture in the Book of Mormon that is important to her or has influenced her life. Divide the class into small groups of two or three, and ask each young woman to share her chosen scripture, why it is important to her, and any experiences she has had with that passage. Invite a few young women to share with the entire class. What do these experiences teach us about the importance of the Book of Mormon?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.