Lesson 35: Doctrine and Covenants 20–22

Doctrine and Covenants 20:1–36

The Organization of the Church of Jesus Christ

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in the Peter and Mary Whitmer home in Fayette, New York, on April 6, 1830. Doctrine and Covenants 20 reveals the Lord’s desires for the newly restored Church. This lesson is intended to help students understand the significance of the Savior’s Church.

Possible Learning Activities

The importance of a church

Consider placing students in small groups to practice explaining how they might respond to the following scenario. You could also consider using the scenario provided by President Dallin H. Oaks in his talk “The Need for a Church,” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to 0:48.

Imagine that while discussing with your friends what you did over the weekend, you mentioned attending church. One of your friends replied: “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t understand the point of organized religion. Do you really feel like you need a church to feel close to God and be a good person?”

• Why do you think some people don’t see the need for organized religion?

  It may be helpful for students to consider their current feelings about the importance of the Savior having His Church on the earth. You could invite them to answer the following question in their study journals:

• How would your life be different without the Church of Jesus Christ?

After students have had time to write their answers, a few willing students could share their responses with the class. Encourage them as they study today to look for truths that can help them better understand the significance of the Savior’s Church.

The organization of the Church of Christ

To help students understand the historical context of the organization of the Church, you could summarize the following paragraph or have a student read it. Alternatively, you could read about the events surrounding this occasion in Saints: The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ in The Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 84–86.

Eleven days after the Book of Mormon was published, on April 6, 1830, the Church of Christ was organized. The organization took place in the home of Peter and Mary Whitmer in Fayette, New York. To satisfy the legal requirement, six people were chosen to become the first members of the new church. Around 40 others were also present to witness this momentous occasion. Later, in 1838, the Lord revealed the name of the Church as we know it today: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:1–4, looking for the Lord’s role in organizing His Church.

• What did you find?

  One truth students might identify could be that Jesus Christ organized His Church in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

  You may want to invite students to ponder their answers to the following question before discussing answers as a class or in groups.

• Why do you think the Savior would want His Church on the earth?

To help students better understand the Savior’s purposes for having His Church on the earth, consider distributing the accompanying handout. Give students time to study alone, with a partner, or in a small group.

Explain that after they study, they will have an opportunity to summarize what they have learned about why we need the Savior’s Church on the earth. Encourage them to make note of things they want to remember as they prepare their explanation.

Why Does the Savior Have a Church?

1. Read the following statements and underline reasons why the Savior has a Church.

   

   The restored Church of Jesus Christ has been established to teach the fulness of His doctrine and to officiate with His priesthood authority to perform the ordinances necessary to enter the kingdom of God. Members who forgo Church attendance and rely only on individual spirituality separate themselves from these gospel essentials: the power and blessings of the priesthood, the fulness of restored doctrine, and the motivations and opportunities to apply that doctrine. (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Need for a Church,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 25)

   

   Following the apostasy and disintegration of the Church He had organized while on the earth, the Lord reestablished the Church of Jesus Christ once again through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The ancient purpose remains: that is, to preach the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and administer the ordinances of salvation—in other words, to bring people to Christ. And now, through the instrumentality of this restored Church, the promise of redemption is placed within reach even of the spirits of the dead who in their mortal lifetime knew little or nothing of the Savior’s grace. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Why the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 108)

   Write a brief summary of what you learned from these statements about why the Savior has a Church on the earth.

2. When the Church was organized in April 1830, the Book of Mormon had recently been published for the first time. In Doctrine and Covenants 20:9–36, the Lord emphasized many of the truths that are taught in the Book of Mormon.

   Study the following sets of verses, looking for important truths the Savior taught about Himself and His doctrine. Consider using the footnotes for these scriptures to help discover important information.

   • Doctrine and Covenants 20:8–15 (The Book of Mormon and its role in the Restoration)

   • Doctrine and Covenants 20:17–25 (The plan of salvation)

   Choose two or more of the truths you studied. Write down why you think it would be important for these truths to be emphasized as the Church was being established.

Encourage learners to share truths they are learning: The following section of the lesson gives students a chance to ponder and then share what they are learning. For more practice on this, see the training titled “Help students create or begin gospel conversations,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Invite Diligent Learning.

After students have had sufficient time to complete the handout, remind them of the scenario from the beginning of the lesson. Then give them the following instructions:

Using what you have learned today, create a response to help someone who does not understand the need for the Savior’s Church upon the earth. If desired, the following questions could help guide you:

• What does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have to offer that no other organization can give us?

• How does the Savior’s Church help us learn of Him and come unto Him?

• How has being a member of the Savior’s Church blessed your life?

After students have had sufficient time to prepare their responses, give them an opportunity to share with another student. A few willing students could also share their responses with the entire class.

Conclude the lesson by testifying of the truths you have studied today.

Additional Resources

What are other reasons we need the Savior’s Church?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

Despite the good works that can be accomplished without a church, the fulness of doctrine and its saving and exalting ordinances are available only in the restored Church. In addition, Church attendance gives us the strength and enhancement of faith that come from associating with other believers and worshipping together with those who are also striving to stay on the covenant path and be better disciples of Christ. (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Need for a Church,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 26)

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

God Is at the Helm

Exaltation is the goal of this mortal journey, and no one gets there without the means of the gospel of Jesus Christ: His Atonement, the ordinances, and the guiding doctrine and principles that are found in the Church.

It is the Church wherein we learn the works of God and accept the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that saves us. It is within the Church that we form the commitments and covenants of eternal families that become our passport to exaltation. It is the Church that is powered by the priesthood to propel us through the unpredictable waters of mortality. (M. Russell Ballard, “God Is at the Helm,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 27)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Why the Church

If one believes that all roads lead to heaven or that there are no particular requirements for salvation, he or she will see no need for proclaiming the gospel or for ordinances and covenants in redeeming either the living or the dead. But we speak not just of immortality but also of eternal life, and for that the gospel path and gospel covenants are essential. And the Savior needs a church to make them available to all of God’s children—both the living and the dead. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Why the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 110)

Other helpful resources

• “What Church Leaders Are Saying about Why We Need the Church,” Ensign, Mar. 2020, 32–35

• The sixth paragraph of “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org

Supplemental Learning Activities

The role of the Book of Mormon in the Restoration

As part of your study of Doctrine and Covenants 20:8–15, consider inviting the students to think about how the Church was not organized until after the publication of the Book of Mormon. Why is that significant? Invite students to silently ponder or share their answers to the following questions. Consider displaying them one at a time so students can think about their answers to each one.

• How would The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints be different without the Book of Mormon?

• What would your life be like without the Book of Mormon?

President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” includes lists about the Book of Mormon (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 63). To help students see the significance of the Book of Mormon in the Restoration of the Savior’s Church, consider giving them copies of these lists.

The Day the Church was organized

To help students visualize being present on the day the Church was organized, consider showing one of the following videos. As students watch, invite them to ponder what it might have felt like to be present at this momentous occasion. After watching, students could share thoughts they had as they pondered.

A Day for the Eternities

Joseph Smith finishes the translation of the Book of Mormon.

A Day for the Eternities

Joseph Smith finishes the translation of the Book of Mormon.

Organization of the Church

The Church of Jesus Christ is restored to the earth in 1830.

Whitmer Farm: A Place of Miracles

Missionaries welcome you to the farm of Peter and Mary Whitmer.

Blueprint of Christ’s Church

Consider helping students see that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same Church that Jesus Christ established during His earthly ministry. You could show “What Is the Blueprint of Christ’s Church?” by Elder Tad R. Callister, then of the Presidency of the Seventy, from time code 13:25 to 15:06. Then the class could discuss how doctrine and ordinances found in the Church today were also found in Christ’s New Testament Church.