Learning
the
gospel of Jesus Christ is much, much more than a weekly
classroom activity. It is a lifelong search to know
the
Lord and to transform our lives in his image.
Learning
the
gospel of Jesus Christ is much, much more than a weekly
classroom activity. It is a lifelong search to know
the
Lord and to transform our lives in his image.
How, then, can we make
the
gospel an integral part of our lives? We must pray and
serve. We must study
the
scriptures,
which reveal
the
Lord’s nature and record his
teachings.
Faithful members of
the
Church are promised that they may learn
the
gospel of Jesus Christ “line upon line, precept upon
precept.” (D&C
98:12.)
To help individuals and parents study and teach
the
gospel,
the Church provides courses of study and learning
aids based on this important principle of growth.
The
curriculum of
the
Church endeavors to teach
the
gospel in a three-fold approach.
The
children’s curriculum acquaints
the
children with
the
gospel.
The youth curriculum reinforces this
learning at a deeper level. And
the
adult curriculum further solidifies a member’s
understanding of
the
scriptures
and
teachings of
the
prophets.
All curriculum is geared toward creating a greater
love of our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus
Christ, and in motivating us to exemplify
the
principles of
the
gospel in our daily living—especially in our
relationships with our fellow men.
The
following charts identify
the
major emphases of Church curriculum for children, youth,
and adults. Other resources to help individuals and
families are also listed.
Child Curriculum
In Primary, young children learn that they are
children of God. They learn about
the
beautiful world Heavenly Father and Jesus created for
them. As they approach baptismal age, children are
taught to have faith in Jesus Christ.
The
principle of repentance and
the
gift of
the Holy Ghost are introduced to help prepare
them for baptism. Basic
scripture
stories and passages from
the
Savior’s life and from
the
Book of Mormon are used to illustrate important gospel
principles.
Lesson concepts and objectives become broader for
children from ages 8 through 11. Children are taught to
keep their baptismal covenants by learning about Old
Testament and Book of Mormon prophets, pioneer men and
women, and latter-day prophets. Boys are helped to
prepare to receive
the
Aaronic Priesthood and girls to join
the
ranks of
the Young Women.
The
Primary curriculum systematically acquaints children
with the
major characters and events from each of
the
standard works as well as from Church history. Children
are taught about and expected to commit to memory
the
Articles of Faith.
Following are
the
major emphases in
the
lessons for each age group.
3–5 years old
Strengthening Relationships with Heavenly Father,
Jesus Christ, and Family
-
Heavenly Father
-
Faith in Jesus Christ
-
God’s creations
-
I am a child of God
-
Prayer
-
Reverence
-
Obedience
-
Happiness
-
Family
6–7 years old
Following Jesus and Preparing for Baptism
-
Faith in Jesus Christ
-
Jesus’ life and
teachings (Matt.;
Mark;
Luke;
and
John)
-
Agency
-
Prayer
-
Obedience
-
Articles of Faith 1, 4
[A
of F 1:1, 4]
-
Repentance
-
Baptism
-
Gift of
the
Holy Ghost
-
Honesty
-
Kindness
-
Sabbath day
-
Joseph Smith
-
Restoration of
the
Church
-
Book of Mormon stories
-
Word of Wisdom
8–9 years old
Living Baptismal Covenants
-
Agency and accountability
-
Obedience
-
Prayer
-
Holy Ghost
-
Sacrament
-
Following Church leaders
-
Honesty
-
Tithing
-
Word of Wisdom
-
Journals
-
Old Testament stories
-
Early Apostles (Acts)
-
Latter-day prophets
-
Pioneer heroes
-
Articles of Faith 2, 3, 7, 8, 9,
10 [A
of F 1:2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10]
10–11 years old
Preparing for Aaronic Priesthood or Young
Womanhood
-
Plan of salvation
-
Agency and accountability
-
Prayer
-
Restoration of
the
Church
-
Priesthood
-
Scriptures—Book of Mormon, Doctrine and
Covenants, Articles of Faith 5, 6, 11, 12, 13
[A
of F 1:5, 6, 11, 12, 13]
-
Service
-
Eternal family
-
Virtuous living
-
Missionary work
Youth Curriculum
The
curriculum prepared for
the
youth provides an intensive study of
the
gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to
the
weekly experiences in Sunday School and Young
Women and Aaronic Priesthood meetings,
the
youth are guided through a vigorous, four-year study of
the
standard works daily in Seminary.
In Sunday School, youth are prepared for Seminary by
learning how to use
the
scripture
study tools. They also learn of
the
lives of latter-day prophets. Courses 15–17 teach
the
doctrines of salvation and
the
plan of life.
Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood courses emphasize
duties of
the priesthood, service, principles of dating and
virtue and help prepare youth for missions and temple
marriage.
Following are
the
major emphases in
the
curriculum for each age group.
12–13 years old
Living as Sons and Daughters of God
-
Loving God and his commandments
-
Major
scripture characters
-
Scripture study aids
-
Service
-
Priesthood duties
-
Combating worldly influences
-
Moral cleanliness
-
Word of Wisdom
-
Social skills
14–15 years old
Developing a Testimony
16–17 years old
Preparing to Receive
the
Melchizedek Priesthood and to Enter
the
Temple
-
Loving
the
Savior
-
Plan of salvation
-
Developing spiritually
-
Scriptures
-
Priesthood duties
-
Planning for
the
future
-
Preparing to be a missionary
-
Preparing for temple marriage
-
Physical, social, and emotional
health
-
Teaching skills
Adult Curriculum
The
scriptures
are the
basis of all adult
teaching
in the
Church, supplemented by
the
inspired statements of those we sustain as General
Authorities. In
the
adult curriculum,
the
standard works are
the
texts. Although teachers’ supplements and study guides
are prepared for use in organizing class instruction,
the
scriptures
are the
main source of reading for each adult member.
The
standard works are studied on a four-year rotating
basis. Each year
the
Gospel Doctrine course in Sunday School focuses on one
of our standard works, presenting
the
unfolding drama of
the
scriptures
in their historical setting.
The
priesthood and Relief Society instruction goes into
depth on doctrines taught in
the
scriptures.
Following are
the
major emphases in
the
adult curriculum.
Melchizedek Priesthood
-
Gospel doctrines and principles
-
Priesthood service and
responsibilities
-
Parenting skills
-
Temple preparation
-
Relief Society
-
Gospel doctrines and principles
-
Service
-
Parenting skills
-
Human relations
Sunday School
Gospel Doctrine: Systematic
study of standard works in
the
following sequence:
Old Testament, New Testament, Book of
Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants
Gospel Essentials: Basic gospel
principles
Family Relations: Husband-wife
relationships and parenting skills
Member-missionary: Missionary
skills
Genealogy: Basic research and
record keeping
Teacher Development:
Teaching
skills
Family Curriculum
A variety of resources are supplied by
the
Church to help parents fulfill their scriptural charge
to teach their children
the
basic doctrines of
the
kingdom (D&C
68:25), to pray and walk uprightly (D&C
68:28), and to love and serve one another (Mosiah
4:15).
The
objective is to strengthen family love and unity through
family prayer, gospel study, and family activities.
Entire Family
Children
-
The
Friend
-
Scripture storybooks, tapes, filmstrips, and
videotapes
-
Old Testament
Reader
-
New Testament
Reader
-
Book of Mormon
Reader
-
Doctrine and Covenants
Reader
-
Scripture Stories (book and tape only)
-
Sing with Me
-
Primary courses
-
Walk in His Ways manuals, A
and B
-
Audiovisual materials
Young Women
Young Men
Adults
-
The
Ensign
-
The
Church News
-
Melchizedek Priesthood Personal
Study Guide
-
Relief Society Courses of Study
-
Sunday School courses:
-
Gospel Doctrine
-
Gospel Essentials
-
Family Relations
-
Member-missionary
-
Genealogy—From You to Your
Ancestors
-
Teacher Development
-
Home
Teaching Lessons for New Members
-
Temple Preparation Seminar
-
Church Education classes
-
Pamphlets and tracts on special
subjects
-
Leadership materials
-
The
Latter-day Saint Woman manuals, A and B
-
Duties and Blessings of
the
Priesthood manuals, A and B
To order these materials, see
the
Salt Lake Distribution Center Catalog, available
at your meetinghouse library, call, or write
the
Salt Lake Distribution Center. Available online at
www.ldscatalog.com.
Salt Lake Distribution Center
1999 W 1700 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
1-800-537-5971
ldscatalog@ldschurch.org
Resources for a Growing Church
In areas where Church membership is small but
growing,
the curriculum of
the
Church is adapted to suit local needs. For this reason,
different phases of instruction have been designed to
accommodate
the
needs of Church units at
the
various levels of membership growth. Each successive
phase includes all materials from previous phases,
offering a more comprehensive learning program.
Basic Member Program
Special materials have been prepared for areas of
the
world where only a very basic Church program is
possible. Seven self-contained manuals for developing
areas introduce Church members to gospel principles and
doctrines, teach
the
duties of priesthood, offer instruction on
the
role of women in
the
Church, and prepare children for lives of service.
The
materials prepared include:
Standard Works
7 Manuals
Childrens’ Curriculum—Walk in
His Ways, parts A & B
Youth and Adult—Gospel
Principles
Aaronic and Melchizedek
Priesthood—Duties and Blessings of
the
Priesthood, parts A & B
Young Women and Relief Society—The
Latter-day Saint Woman, parts A & B
4
Scripture
Story Books
Book of Mormon
Reader
Doctrine and Covenants
Reader
Old Testament
Reader
New Testament
Reader
Temple Ceremony
Simplified Full Church Program
A simplified, flexible curriculum is available where
Church units are small and where, because of small
numbers, it would be advantageous for youth and children
of different ages to be grouped into fewer classes.
The
plan offers an option that reduces cost, space, and
teacher requirements, yet allows
the
units to select appropriate materials from
the
full curriculum plan. To
the
basic materials are added 13 manuals.
Full Church Program
The
curriculum for
the
full Church program is described on pages 20–23. To
the
basic materials are added 26 manuals.
“Church
Curriculum: Helping Us Learn and Live
the
Gospel,” Ensign, Jan. 1986, 20
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