The Church of Jesus Christ has been Restored.
The Lord revealed to the Prophet the exact day on which the Church should be organized (see D&C 20, section heading and verse 1) In obedience to the Lord’s command, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and others organized the restored Church of Jesus Christ on April 6, 1830. More than 40 believers crowded into the Whitmer family’s log home in Fayette, New York, to witness the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ.
The state of New York required a church to have six official members before it could be legally organized. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had been baptized on the day they received the Aaronic Priesthood, and later Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer Jr., Samuel H. Smith, and David Whitmer had been baptized. These men were the first official members of the Church. All of these men had seen the gold plates and had testimonies that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the person through whom Jesus Christ would restore his church.
After a prayer, Joseph asked the people at the meeting if they accepted him and Oliver as their teachers and spiritual leaders. Everyone said yes by raising their hands (as we do in the Church today when we sustain people to callings). Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery then ordained each other to the office of elder. Joseph and Oliver administered the sacrament to the people at the meeting, and after that they confirmed those who had been baptized and gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now Jesus Christ’s true church was restored and organized on the earth again. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus Christ’s restored church and teaches the same gospel that Jesus taught when he lived on the earth (see enrichment activity 3).
Friend March 2021 “Setting Up Jesus Christ’s Church Again”
Scripture Figures: “The Church Is Organized” (March 2017 Friend)
- Remind the children of some of the important events they have been learning about—such as the restoration of the priesthood and the translation of the Book of Mormon. Why did these things need to happen before the Church could be organized?
- Display pictures of things we do in the Church that are described in section 20, such as learning about God and Jesus Christ, ministering, baptizing, and partaking of the sacrament. Help the children match these pictures with scriptures that describe them, such as Doctrine and Covenants 20:17–21, 47, 70, 72–74, 75–79, and the heading for section 21. What blessings do we have because we are members of the Church?
Liahona March 2021 “What Builds a Strong Foundation” Object lesson about the structure of the church.
- Divide the class into two groups. Give each group one of the following signs: Jesus Christ’s church when he was on the earth Jesus Christ’s restored church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Give the group designated “Jesus Christ’s church when he was on the earth” the Bible references listed below, and give the group designated “Jesus Christ’s restored church” the Doctrine and Covenants references listed below. Matthew 3:13, 16 / D&C 20:72–74 (baptism by immersion by someone having authority) Ephesians 2:19–20 / D&C 21:1 (living apostles and prophets) Amos 3:7 / D&C 21:5 (current revelation) Luke 22:19–20 / D&C 20:75 (sacrament) Have each child read aloud one of the scriptures assigned to his or her group. Discuss with the children what these references say about the church of Jesus Christ. Help the children understand that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized the same way that Jesus Christ’s church was organized when he was on the earth.
“On the Trail: Where the Church Was Organized” (April 2013 Liahona and Friend) A photo story about the Whitmer Farm in Fayette, New York.
See also Saints, 1:84–86; “Build Up My Church,” Revelations in Context, 29–32.
See also Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources 20-22
“Stories of Jesus: Jesus Christ Is the Head of the Church”(April 2013 Friend) An explanation of how Christ is the head of the Church.
“The Church Is Organized in Fayette” (April 2013 Friend) Find the hidden objects around the Whitmer home.
Tell the children why you are thankful that we have The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Explain that being a member of the Church prepares us to live with God again. Help them repeat the phrase “I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” several times or sing “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 77). (As the children sing, have them listen for two things they know and five things they will do as members of the Church. List these things on the chalkboard; then have the children sing the song again.)
Friend March 2021 “Scripture Time Fun” Find something you can build with, like blocks, sticks, or other objects. Then have a race to build a little Church building out of them.
Friend March 2021 “Scripture Time Fun for Little Ones” Help your little ones say, “I belong to Jesus Christ’s Church.” Teach them to make the shape of a Church building with their hands, or help them draw a picture of themselves going to church.
Section 20 is introduced as a “revelation on Church organization and government” (section heading). But before outlining Church policies, priesthood offices, and procedures for performing ordinances, this revelation begins by teaching fundamental doctrine. As you read the first 36 verses of this revelation, ask yourself why that might be. You might also make a list of the gospel truths you find. Here are some examples:
- The Book of Mormon and its role in the Restoration (verses 8–12)
- The nature of God (verses 17–19)
- The Atonement of Jesus Christ (verses 20–27)
Why would these truths be important to emphasize as the Church was being established?
What would we say if someone asked us why we need the Church? What answers do we find in Doctrine and Covenants 20? See also D. Todd Christofferson, “Why the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 108–11.
Doctrine and Covenants Coloring Book “The Restored Church of Jesus Christ”
Liahona March 2021 “Family Study Fun”
Beautiful Creations of God
Doctrine and Covenants 20:17–19
Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:17–19 about how God created “heaven and earth, and all things which are in them.”
- Take a moment to look out a window or go on a walk.
- Point out the creations of God that you see.
- Verse 18 tells us that God “created man, male and female, after his own image and in his own likeness, created he them.” We are some of God’s creations too! Take a moment to admire all the things your body can do. What are your talents?
- In verse 19 we are commanded to “love and serve him, the only living and true God.” How can you use your talents to serve Him?
Discussion: How can we worship God?
I am preparing to be baptized/ When I was baptized, I promised to follow Jesus Christ.
Doctrine and Covenants 20:37, 71–74
When the Church was organized, the Lord taught His Saints about sacred ordinances, including baptism and the sacrament.
If someone in your family is not yet baptized, these verses could lead to a discussion about how to prepare for baptism (see verse 37) and how baptisms are performed. Family members could share pictures or memories from their baptismal day.
Show a picture of a child being baptized (see Gospel Art Book, no. 104), and ask the children to point out things they notice. Read or summarize Doctrine and Covenants 20:71–74, and help the children see how the picture matches the instructions in these verses. Testify that we should follow the Savior’s example and be baptized in the way He has commanded.
71 No one can be received into the church of Christ unless he has arrived unto the years of accountability before God, and is capable of repentance.
See Primary 3 “Lesson 27: The Age of Accountability,” for ideas on how to explain accountability. Includes activities, object lessons, and stories.
Why age 8? Old enough to understand the doctrine of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and prepared and ready to make sacred covenants.
72 Baptism is to be administered in the following manner unto all those who repent—
73 The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
- What authority did John the Baptist have to baptize? (The Aaronic Priesthood.)
- What authority must the person who is baptizing us have to baptize? (He must be a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood or hold the Melchizedek Priesthood.)
74 Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.
Immersion means a person is “immersed” all the way under water and brought back up. Baptism by immersion is beautifully symbolic, not only of the washing away of sins, but of death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism signifies the end of your old way of life and birth to a life committed to following Jesus Christ. (Come Unto Christ “Baptism”)
37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.
Sing “When I Am Baptized”
More Baptism Resources Here
The Sacrament Helps Me Remember Jesus Christ.
Doctrine and Covenants 20:75–79 Doctrine and Covenants 20:37, 77, 79
Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:77 to the children. Ask them to stand when they hear what we should remember when we eat the sacrament bread. Do the same with verse 79. (You may want to point out that we drink water instead of wine.) How can we show that we remember Jesus?
Friend April 2019 “The Living Christ” Draw a picture of one of your favorite stories about Jesus. Then write down a word about Jesus that begins with each letter of the word sacrament. You could think about these words during the sacrament to remember Jesus.
Tell the children about a time when you made a promise and kept it. Invite them to tell similar stories of their own. Explain that when we take the sacrament, we make promises. Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, emphasizing the promises we make to “always remember him” and “keep his commandments.” Invite the children to share a time when they remembered the Savior or obeyed a commandment.
Read together Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, and ask the children to identify the promises we make during the sacrament. To help the children understand that there are things they can do every day to “always remember” Jesus Christ, invite one child to act out something he or she can do to remember the Savior. Ask the others to guess what the action is. According to verse 77, how are we blessed when we always remember the Savior?
Help the children compare Doctrine and Covenants 20:37with verse 77 to find a phrase that is repeated in both. Show the children something that has a name on it (such as a brand name or a personal name). What does the name tell us about the item? Read together Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 to discover whose name we take upon ourselves when we are baptized. What does it mean to take Jesus Christ’s name upon us? How should we think and act because we have this name?
Friend May 2017 “Making the Sacrament Special” Fill in the missing words of the sacrament prayer for the bread. Then cut out the colored card and keep it in your scriptures to help make the sacrament special to you every Sunday!
Duties of Priesthood
Doctrine and Covenants 20:38–60
- Activity: Display the following wordstrips: “Deacon,” “Teacher,” “Priest,” “Elder,” “Twelve,” “Fourteen,” “Sixteen,” “Eighteen.”Read the following descriptions to the children, one at a time, and invite them to find the two wordstrips that fit the description and post them on the chalkboard. It would be more challenging for older children if the descriptions were read out of order. (The descriptions for Aaronic Priesthood duties are taken from Doctrine and Covenants 20:46–59. The description for the office of an elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood is taken from Doctrine and Covenants 20:38–45; 107:11–12.)
- I have had the Aaronic Priesthood conferred on me. I pass the sacrament. I may serve as a messenger for priesthood leaders. I collect fast offerings. I help care for Church buildings and grounds. What am I? How old am I when I can be ordained? (Wordstrips: “Deacon,” “Twelve”)
- I hold the Aaronic Priesthood. I have all the duties and powers of a deacon, and I prepare the bread and water for the sacrament. I may be assigned to be a home teacher. What am I? How old am I when I can be ordained? (Wordstrips: “Teacher,” “Fourteen”)
- I hold the Aaronic Priesthood. I have all the duties and powers of a deacon and teacher, and I can administer (bless) the sacrament. I have the authority to baptize, help with ordinations of other Aaronic Priesthood holders, and take charge of meetings when there are no Melchizedek Priesthood holders present. I help Church members live the commandments. What am I? How old am I when I can be ordained? (Wordstrips: “Priest,” “Sixteen”)
- I hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. I may serve a full-time mission. I am called to teach, expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the Church. I may give the gift of the Holy Ghost, conduct meetings, bless little children, administer to the sick, and bless family members. What am I? How old am I when I can be ordained? (Wordstrips: “Elder,” “Eighteen”)Ask the children to name one thing they have learned about the duties of these four priesthood offices. (Primary 4: Book of Mormon ““Lesson 30: Nephi Receives Great Power” )
Walking in Holiness
What does it mean to “[walk] in holiness before the Lord”? It might be fun for family members to draw or write on pieces of paper some things that could help them walk in holiness or things that could distract them from doing so. Then they could create a path using the papers and try to walk on the path, stepping only on the drawings that will bring them to Christ.
I am blessed when I follow the prophet.
Liahona March 2021 “Family Study Fun”
Before and After
Doctrine and Covenants 20:11, 21–29
In Doctrine and Covenants 20, we read how God inspired Joseph Smith to organize the Church of Jesus Christ on earth. Doctrine and Covenants 20:11 tells us that “God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old.”
- Display a picture of Christ.
- Split the family into a “before” group and an “after” group.
- The family members in each group will find words of a prophet who testified of Christ either before His life on earth or after.
- Take turns sharing what you each found. Others will guess if it belongs to the “before” or “after” group.
- After sharing, people in the “before” group will stand to the left of Christ’s picture. The “after” people will stand to the right.
- Explain that both groups are important.
Discussion: Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:21–29. How does this modern testimony of Christ help us feel closer to Him? What other testimonies of Christ can be found in sections 20–29 of the Doctrine and Covenants?
- Write on the board Commandments and Blessings. Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 21:4–6, looking for the commandments the Lord gave and the blessings He promised. Invite them to write on the board what they find.
- Show a picture of the current prophet, and invite the children to share something they learned or heard from him recently.
- What does it mean to receive the prophet’s words in patience? in faith? When have we received the blessings promised in verse 6?
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