PROVO, Utah — A new, updated version of “Preach My Gospel” comes at a time when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is experiencing robust, increasing numbers of full-time missionaries and converts.
And it comes in a way to best benefit all involved in the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ — the missionaries, the members and the friends who are being taught and learning.
Such were the messages of three Church leaders — Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon, and Elder Marcus B. Nash, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department — as they spoke to media gathered at the Provo Missionary Training Center.
The leaders — who also serve on the Church’s Missionary Executive Council — spoke following President Russell M. Nelson’s Thursday, June 22, announcement of the release of the second-edition of “Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The clarion call of a Prophet
Elder Cook pointed to the results of President Nelson’s “clarion call” in the latter’s opening message of April 2022 general conference, when he strongly reaffirmed that “the Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission.” He further emphasized that for “young and able sisters, a mission is also a powerful, but optional, opportunity.”
Saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been needed more than it is today as “the only enduring solution for peace,” President Nelson added that Latter-day Saints have “the sacred responsibility to share the power and peace of Jesus Christ with all who will listen and who will let God prevail in their lives.”
Said Elder Cook: “If you think of the clarion call of President Nelson last year and what has happened with missionaries going out, to me it's so exciting.”
Despite fewer missionary-age Latter-day Saints, the Church has seen an increase in the number of full-time missionaries from 56,000 at the end of 2021 to 68,000 this month. “And we really do feel like we’ll exceed 72,000 by the end of the year,” Elder Cook added.
“And so, with fewer available, more are going out,” he continued. “If you look at the youth, their activity rate is higher than it has been. So they have responded in a wonderful way to the clarion call of a Prophet — both in his April 2022 general conference address and in his invitation as president of the Church for youth to gather Israel on both sides of the veil.”
As such, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — who assign newly called elders and sisters to their respective missions — are keeping busy. Usually, a pair of Apostles each week are assigning 150 to 200 new missionaries in one session to missions worldwide. Recently, however, as many as four Apostles have been needed to make needed assignments, extending up to 300 calls during each weekly session, Elder Cook said.
Also, increases are reflected in convert baptisms, which were up 25% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of last year, he said.
Elder Cook said the updated “Preach My Gospel” is available again to members, now in digital form on the Gospel Library app. “It is going to every single one of them, so they will have it,” he said. “When we issued the first in 2004, we didn’t know how many of the members were really going to subscribe to it, since they hadn’t been as much involved before.”
But the numbers soared — some 5 million people obtaining the manual in its two decades, including a million and a half early after its 2004 release, he said.
“And now, I think members are into ‘love, share and invite’ in a special way, and they are trying to do things in normal and natural ways and going into social media,” said Elder Cook, adding that the guide will help members feel more comfortable and confident in sharing the gospel with friends and neighbors, both in person and online.
Sister Mary Cook, Elder Cook’s wife, shared her first impressions of “Preach My Gospel” and her enthusiasm for the new second edition.
“When I was growing up, the members of the Church didn’t have any access to missionary things,” she said. “When the 2004 edition came out, I was ecstatic. I finally knew what our sons were teaching and testifying of during their missions. To have that material in my hands, with our family and as a mother, was just incredible.
“I can’t wait to delve into the second edition.”
‘In-depth understanding’
President Cordon reflected on the “new era” when “Preach My Gospel” was first released. “It was content organized in a way that young missionaries, senior missionaries and the members could use as they were inspired by the Spirit in helping people understand more about the Savior.”
“Preach My Gospel” has changed, since needs and methods change over time, she said. “I think it gives us more of an in-depth understanding to why we make and keep sacred covenants with Christ. So, we are thrilled with this, and I hope that the members of the Church jump in, read this and use this — maybe even more than they did before. Because I think it will help them understand more of why the Lord needs us — and has asked us — to come follow Him.”
As missionaries and members use “Preach My Gospel,” President Cordon expects they will appreciate beautiful visuals, space in the page margins to note thoughts and insights, and updated teachings and quotes from current prophets and apostles.
She is also looking forward to how missionaries and members — today’s “digital natives”— will apply “Preach My Gospel” with its emphasis on technology, including online and social media opportunities.
“This gives them the chance to become confident, really confident, in what they know, in what is in their heart,” she said. “It really helps load their lips in a way they can say, ‘See what is in my heart.’ It helps — especially for young women.”
More joy, more satisfaction
In the first edition of “Preach My Gospel,” chapter headings were questions addressed to the reader, such as “What Is My Purpose as a Missionary?” “How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit?” and “How Can I Improve My Teaching Skills?”
The latest edition features direct, imperative chapter headings — “Fulfill Your Missionary Purpose,” “Seek and Rely on the Spirit” and “Teach to Build Faith in Jesus Christ.”
Elder Nash said the updated headings were intentional, noting that an “active voice is more powerful.”
“Preach My Gospel” readers have a purpose to fulfill, and each chapter helps them fulfill their purpose, he said.
“What the Lord is doing in this second edition of ‘Preach My Gospel’ is building on declarative purpose and adding imperatives to help them fulfill the purpose He has given them. And as they act on it — you know, the impetus is to act — they will have more joy in the work, more satisfaction in it.”
The new edition still teaches doctrine clearly and invites missionaries to act, he said. “And I hope it does so in a clear, gentle and loving way. The tone is faithful, loving, joyous and hopeful.”
He hopes young missionaries will get the message: “Let’s act, sisters and elders. You have a glorious purpose.”
Elder Nash testified of having “felt the hand of the Lord” in compiling and updating the guide, particularly with the involvement of the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It really was revelatory. We felt that heaven was near.”
