Reach and Impact of Seminaries and Institutes
June 2024 CES Religious Educators Conference
I’m happy to share with you today an update on Seminaries and Institutes’ efforts to increase our reach and impact and what’s happening with youth and young adults around the world. Some of you may have seen or heard different parts of this presentation already in a variety of settings. But I believe there is value in seeing how all the pieces fit together and thinking about what comes next.
For those of you who don’t work in S&I, I hope this information is of interest and is helpful to you as well.
All of us who work in Church Education constantly think about how we might build faith in the Savior and better support our students in their efforts to live the gospel. So about five or six years ago, when we recognized that institute enrollments had been declining for a few years, it was a great cause of concern for us. Also, knowing that many young adults face very difficult challenges to their faith, we wanted to help because we know that institute can be a great way for them to receive the support they need. We wanted to know what more we could do, not only to encourage them to participate but also to know how we might have a greater impact in their lives. We thought it would be important to find a way to really listen to them, to understand their challenges, and to find out what institute could do to help. So we created a team within Seminaries and Institutes which we referred to originally as the Innovate Institute Committee.
This committee first worked with Correlation Research to engage in studies about young adults in the Church. Then they worked with the BYU AdLab to see what changes we could make to institute to help young adults with their needs.
These experiences were very helpful but also left us wanting to do even more to identify opportunities to further extend institute’s reach and its impact. So we contracted with Bonneville Communications to do a more rigorous analysis.
They did focus groups and surveys with over 5,000 young adults, including many who were not currently participating in institute or the Church. The study was done on five continents and provided extremely valuable information.
At the heart of what young adults told us was that they wanted and needed four things:
They wanted institute to be more relevant in meeting their needs and answering their questions.
They wanted to feel a sense of belonging—belonging to a group of people who help them live the gospel and belonging to a cause, to feel they were part of something important.
They also asked that we make institute more accessible so they could participate despite full schedules and demands on their time and attention.
The most common response was they wanted to feel Heavenly Father’s love and to feel closer to the Savior. This one we labeled as “conversion to Jesus Christ.” Elder Gilbert helped us realize that this one is inherently different than the others.
The purpose of institute is to deepen conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. The others are a means to that end. They must be connected to the goal of conversion, or they will never really have the long-lasting benefit that the young single adults need. We can create relevance that doesn’t lead to conversion or belonging in a club or sports team. But that is not what we are looking for. We need to help them see how the gospel answers the questions of their souls and helps them with everyday challenges. And we need to create covenant belonging. Everything we do must lead to conversion.
So we followed up with young adults to ask them, “What would it look like if institute was more relevant, created belonging, and was more accessible in ways that would help deepen conversion?”
The result was the creation of several initiatives implemented in selected programs over the last four years. Here are a few examples.
To make institute more relevant, we have created workshops. Workshops are two- to five-week seminars based specifically on needs identified by the young adults. So in addition to semester-style classes, they can come and in a short time span directly address what’s on their minds. These workshops are still based in the scriptures and teachings of modern prophets and other Church leaders.
We also added new classes. For example, we created a class based on Elder Andersen’s book The Divine Gift of Forgiveness, which has been remarkably well received.
We’re also grateful to Elder Uchtdorf, who introduced Teaching in the Savior’s Way to all our teachers. That has been the foundation for our training, including how to make our classes more relevant.
In an effort to increase the feeling of belonging, we have emphasized President Nelson’s idea that anytime you do anything to help anyone come to Jesus Christ and to make and keep covenants, you are gathering Israel. Thank you for working so hard to extend invitations and encourage every potential student.
Just by way of example, last year alone in Central America, our teachers personally invited over 25,000 youth and young adults to attend classes. We also asked our students to invite their friends. As a result, there were more than 30,000 friends of other faiths who attended, which resulted in over 9,000 baptisms. For all of the changes that we have made, I think the biggest reason seminary and institute enrollments have grown is because so many of you have captured the vision taught by President Nelson to gather a generation of youth and young adults. Thank you for having the heart of a gatherer and bringing so many more young people to Jesus Christ. The more we align with prophetic vision, the more power we will have in this work.
We’ve done other things, such as renovating classrooms and emphasizing meeting student needs rather than just covering material. We’ve even given students more say in which parts of our curriculum they want to spend more time or less time with.
As for accessibility, the major change is online institute. Annual online enrollments have increased to 25,000, up from 9,000 two years ago. This is primarily due to our collaboration with BYU–Pathway Worldwide and will be a major reason for our continued growth in the future.
We’ve also provided more flexibility with class times and locations to make it easier for students to attend.
We’ve brought activities and other resources to the institute buildings, which has brought a lot more energy and excitement and additional young people to participate in institute. We are also partnering with Church units to provide institute in newly approved gathering places.
To encourage more students to participate, President Nelson created a video invitation. We also captured comments from students about their institute experience. We have called that video “I Love Institute.” Here is a segment combining both.
[video]
Kofi: I think institute has really helped me really get to know my Savior and not just to know Him but to learn about Him and to know what aspect of my life I can work on to become just like Him.
Lily: I love institute because I love Jesus Christ, and institute has been a place where I can talk about Him. And in talking about Jesus Christ, there’s power. And I feel that power in my life.
President Russell M. Nelson: My dear brothers and sisters, I love you. I think about you and pray for you often. You are living in an age unlike any other. You’re at the age where you are making crucial decisions, decisions that will affect the rest of your mortal and eternal life. Making these decisions may seem overwhelming or even frightening at times, but it is also exciting because we are living in a momentous time.
May I invite you to do something that will help you in a way few other things can: attend institute. I have now watched my children, grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren attend institute. Attending institute has been life-changing for them. Institute has helped them and will help you to deepen your conversion to Jesus Christ. Attending institute will help you to feel more of Heavenly Father’s great love for you.
Institute will offer you inspiring instructors, faithful friends, and a feeling of belonging. It will help you to see why living the gospel leads to never-ending happiness. Attending institute will help you to live the gospel and to feel more joy right now.
If you want to know the truth about who you really are, attend institute. If you want to know the purpose of life, attend institute. If you want to stay on the covenant path, attend institute. If you want to learn how to let God prevail in your life, attend institute. If you want to be a peacemaker, attend institute.
I promise you these blessings and express my love for you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[end video]
These videos are on the Church website. They have been used on social media, in classrooms, with priesthood leaders, and many of you have used them in YSA devotionals. Thank you for using these materials to extend the prophet’s invitations and promises.
I love the videos of the students. They’re unscripted, and so many of them talked about the impact their classes are having in helping them come to know the Savior and follow Him. So thank you for what you’re doing; I love to hear their testimonies. And of course, we are so grateful to President Nelson for his message, which has really touched a number of young adults.
When I was in San Diego with Elder Stevenson, a young woman came up to me after the devotional and said that she thought she was done taking institute classes after she graduated. But after hearing the prophet share his promises, she immediately signed up for a class again, and it has been a huge blessing for her.
The result of all these efforts and more is that institute is growing.
After five years of decline, we have added 57,000 additional students in the past two years. That is a 20 percent increase—and we know there are also a large number of students attending that do not officially enroll. It is the largest number in eight years, and we are thrilled to see back-to-back years of growth.
Enrollment growth is just part of the story. Everywhere I go, I hear stories of people’s lives being changed. As young people begin a serious study of the scriptures, they are blessed and receive inspiration and hope. And that is happening in our classes every day.
In addition to these annual enrollments, we know that about 95 percent of active young single adults attend institute at some point as young adults, the majority between ages 18 and 24. But we are not satisfied with this; we are doing all we can to reach out to all active and less-active young adults. So the hope is that percent will be higher than 100 percent of the active as institute is able to reach all the participating YSAs in the Church and many of those not participating to help them come back to activity.
This year, we are on track to add another 20,000 institute students. That means we will have added over 77,000 institute students over the past three years, with over 100,000 in seminary and institute combined. Can I say that again? Over 100,000 additional students in three years—because of your efforts!
That means 100,000 more people who have the opportunity to see the relevance of the gospel in their lives, feel a sense of belonging, and deepen their conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. Thank you!
So what’s next for institute?
We must always focus on and align with our Seminaries and Institutes objective. We are not merely innovating for the sake of innovation. We are innovating to extend our reach and increase our impact.
To help do that, we are providing additional guidance and a process for future innovation. This process begins with listening to help young adults feel loved and heard. Seek to understand their needs. Invite them to be a part of the process.
Next, counsel together and explore possible solutions while considering policies and available resources.
Then seek approval to implement those solutions and measure the outcomes, evaluate outcomes for effectiveness, and listen again to the audience.
Throughout this ongoing and iterative process, work closely with your region or area director. They will provide meaningful guidance and direction.
As Elder Neil L. Andersen recently stated:
“We’re all innovators. It’s just a matter of keeping that spirit in our minds and realizing this Church is an innovative Church. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, so those principles are as old as eternity is. But we are innovative because we’re always adapting, we’re always growing, we’re always doing something a little better. But I expect, at the same time, we are good followers. … Everyone is an innovator.”
I love the spirit of what Elder Andersen taught. Some things will never change, like the eternal principles of the gospel. But we adapt the programs of the Church to better meet the needs of its members.
The core of what we will always do is teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ as found in the word of God with the spirit of the Holy Ghost.
In our efforts to do this in a way that is learner focused, we encourage you to engage in this process of listening to and responding to students.
And please remember: all that we do in innovating institute must be aligned with the objective and help young adults deepen their conversion to Jesus Christ.
So, now, what about seminary? As I mentioned, seminary has also experienced growth. It is not as dramatic as institute, but we have grown by 5 percent in the last two years in seminary. This is significant progress because, despite the seminary potential decreasing by 50,000 students since 2018, we’re still growing. This last year we reached 54.4 percent of seminary potential enrollment. It’s the highest percent we have ever reported, and it’s up from 49 percent five years ago. This year, we are tracking to increase that percentage again to 56 percent and add another 3,000 students.
We are thrilled with this. We used to have a division director in the Church Office Building who, when his team would succeed at something, he’d just yell out, “Ice cream for everyone! I wanna say that to the whole world, right?” All this remarkable work that you’ve done to increase the enrollment and the impact you’re having, just—everyone, go get ice cream, please. And celebrate! This is such a wonderful thing that’s happening. Thank you, thank you. In the spirit, though, of being happy but not satisfied, we continue to ask ourselves, “What more can we do to bless the young people in seminary?”
A few years ago, I shared that the best thing we could do to innovate seminary is to continue to implement doctrinal mastery. The more that we can incorporate doctrinal mastery in the way it was intended, the more it will bless the youth of the Church. Doctrinal mastery will invite deepened experiences of conversion, relevance, and belonging for our seminary students.
Since then, we have included another significant initiative. Starting in 2025, we will introduce life preparation lessons globally in response to current needs our youth and leaders have identified.
These inspired lessons address topics such as missionary and temple preparation, education, physical and emotional health, teachings of modern prophets, and more. The lessons will complement our ongoing sequential scripture teaching and doctrinal mastery efforts.
In speaking to the youth, our commissioner, Elder Clark G. Gilbert, has said, “These life preparation lessons are designed to help you strengthen your relationship with God and receive His help!”
He goes on to state, “President Nelson has promised that by participating in seminary, ‘[youth] will receive answers to some of [their] most difficult questions. [They] will find friends [they] can trust. [They] will become a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.’”
So if you are wondering about innovating seminary, for now let’s focus on powerfully teaching the scriptures sequentially, fully adopting doctrinal mastery, and effectively implementing life preparation lessons. That is how I believe we will best meet the needs of the youth of the Church right now.
Thank you for all you do to support youth and young adults everywhere. Your efforts are extending the reach and deepening the impact of Seminaries and Institutes in significant ways.
I could not be more excited about the thought of 100,000 additional students in our classes in the past few years—and the increase of relevance, belonging, and accessibility that is leading to their conversion to Jesus Christ.
Let’s keep this wonderful momentum going in the coming years to the blessing of more and more of our Heavenly Father’s children.
I testify that the Lord is hastening His work. What a privilege it is to be a part of that. And I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world; that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for His children; that Jesus Christ is the central figure in that perfect plan to save and exalt Heavenly Father’s children. This is His kingdom on the earth, and it is a privilege to be a part of it in any way. To wear out our lives bearing testimony of Jesus Christ is a privilege. I’m so grateful to be a part of that and bear testimony of Jesus Christ and His true Church on the earth, of living prophets, of the Book of Mormon, of all the blessings we have been given because of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.