Church News

The Children and Youth program, first implemented in January 2020, has been refined to help the rising generation become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

The first refinement came in early 2026 with new age-group names for young women. Then the Sunday youth curriculum was refined in September. Additional refinements are coming in January 2027 to help young women Believe in Christ, Belong to Christ and His Church and Become more like Christ.

On this episode, Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and her counselors, Sister Tamara W. Runia and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, join Church News reporter Mary Richards to talk about what the refinements mean for young women, their parents and leaders.

Two other podcast episodes released today with the Primary general presidency and the Young Men general presidency outline what the refinements mean for those organizations.

Refinements to the Children and Youth program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, coming in January 2027, are meant to help the rising generation become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

Now the program will be centered on three pillars: Believe in Jesus Christ (gospel learning); Belong to Jesus Christ and His Church (service and activities); and Become more like Jesus Christ (personal development).

On this episode, Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes and his counselors, Brother David J. Wunderli and Brother Sean R. Dixon, join Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen to discuss what the refinements mean for young men, their parents and leaders.

Two other podcast episodes released today with the Young Women general presidency and Primary general presidency outline what the refinements mean for those organizations.

Beginning in January 2027, refinements to the Children and Youth program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will go into effect.

But the purpose remains the same, said Primary General President Rosemary K. Chibota.

“These refinements are going to make this program clearer and connect more with the child’s daily life,” she said.

On this episode, President Chibota and her counselors, Sister Nina M. Garfield and Sister Theresa A. Collins, join Church News reporter Mary Richards to outline what the refinements mean for Primary children, their parents and leaders.

Two other podcast episodes released today with the Young Women general presidency and Young Men general presidency outline what the refinements mean for those organizations.

In his October 2025 general conference message, President Dallin H. Oaks spoke about his family in a way few members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had heard before. He spoke of the death of his father, the loving care of his widow mother, and of the important role his grandmother and grandfather played in helping raise him.

The doctrine of the eternal family is something the Church’s President has spoken of many times since he was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1984. What many don’t know about him is that his family — all of his extended family — has met together every other year for more than a century. He has missed only a few such family reunions in his nine-plus decades.

This year, while participating in the reunion with his family, he and his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, spoke with Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen about family — his own, specifically; and God’s, generally. President Oaks shared his testimony of Heavenly Father’s plan for His children, the blessings his family saw from missionary service and the importance of preserving personal agency.

“We are here to further our growth toward eternal beings — as children of eternal heavenly parents. And so our Church doctrine is rooted in the concept of family. And so what we do in a family reunion is to further our belief in God and His eternal plan of salvation,” President Oaks said.

The first year of President Dallin H. Oaks as the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints showed both members of the Church and friends of the faith the type of individual he is. It also showed the hope that he has for the future of the Church and the world.

In this episode of the Church News podcast, Rick Turley speaks with Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen about what he saw over the past year.

“He has talked about how all people in all places, at all ages, can serve and help bring about peace. So young people serving in their wards or in their neighborhoods can be peacemakers just as much as adults can be,” Turley says in the podcast.

Richard E. Turley Jr. is a former managing director of the Church History Department and the biographer of President Dallin H. Oaks. With that experience, Turley gives his perspective on how moments from President Oaks’ childhood, marriage, career and personal life of devotion to the Savior have contributed to the way he leads the Church today.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by Rex Warner and Ellie Lewis.