Lesson 128: Doctrine and Covenants 115–120

Doctrine and Covenants 115

“Thus Shall My Church Be Called”

To escape persecution in Jackson County, Missouri, thousands of Saints gathered about 50 miles (80 km) north and created a new settlement called Far West. In a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Far West, the Lord revealed that His Church should be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This lesson can help students feel the importance of using the correct name of the Savior’s Church.

Possible Learning Activities

Called by the wrong name

Consider speaking with a few students before class begins. Ask them to call you by the wrong name in front of other class members before you begin teaching the lesson. This could be a fun way to help students think about the importance of using correct names.

• What experiences have you had with being called by the wrong name? How do these kinds of experiences make you feel?

• What are some examples of incorrect names people sometimes use when referring to the Church?

Invite students to think about reasons why it is important to use the correct name of the Church. You could invite a few students to share their thoughts. Then encourage them as they study to look for truths that can help them better understand the importance of using the correct name of the Savior’s Church.

Jesus Christ declares the name of His Church

Explain that after experiencing increased persecution from enemies of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith left Kirtland, Ohio, in January 1838. He and his family relocated to Missouri, where the Saints had established a new settlement called Far West. Shortly after relocating, the Prophet received a revelation in which the Lord provided guidance about building up the Church in Far West.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 115:1–4, looking for what the Savior taught the leaders of the Church in Far West.

• What did Jesus Christ teach about the name of His Church?

  If needed, help students identify that Jesus Christ declared that the name of His Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Invite students to mark the name of Christ’s Church in Doctrine and Covenants 115:4.

• What does this name teach you about the Church?

• Why do you think Jesus Christ wants us to refer to His Church by its correct name?

As part of your discussion of the previous questions, it may be helpful to invite students to read 3 Nephi 27:7–8. You may want to invite students to link or cross-reference these verses with Doctrine and Covenants 115:4.

The importance of using the correct name of the Church

If possible, give students time to study President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “The Correct Name of the Church” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 87–90). Print copies for students who do not have digital access.

As students study, invite them to look for teachings that help them understand the importance of using the correct name of the Savior’s Church. Students could study the entire talk individually, or you could assign small groups to study portions of it and then to share what they learned with the rest of the class.

To help students discuss their findings, consider asking questions like “What did you learn about why using the correct name of the Church is important to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?” or “What stood out to you the most from President Nelson’s message? Why?”

If it is not possible for students to study directly from the talk, consider using the following statement.

President Russell M. Nelson discussed the importance of using the correct name of the Lord’s Church:

The name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be and even precedes His declaration with, “Thus shall my church be called,” He is serious. …

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Correct Name of the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 87, 89)

• What blessings did President Nelson promise us as we use the correct name of Jesus Christ’s Church?

“Arise and shine forth”

Read Doctrine and Covenants 115:5–6, looking for how the Lord desires to bless people around the world through His Church.

To help students understand the Lord’s invitations, consider spending time analyzing important words or phrases. For instance, you could ask students to draw or act out the phrase “arise and shine forth” (verse 5). It may be helpful for students to understand that the word standard used in verse 5 refers to an ensign, which is “a flag … around which people gather in a unity of purpose or identity” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Ensign,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• How might using the correct name of the Lord’s Church help us honor the Lord’s invitations in verses 5–6?

• How have you or a family member been able to be a light to others by using the correct name of the Savior’s Church?

As part of your discussion of the previous question, consider sharing the following experience, summarized by Elder Neil L. Andersen.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared one of many experiences people are having around the world:

There are thousands and thousands of Latter-day Saints who have courageously proclaimed the name of the Church. As we do our part, others will follow. I love this story from Tahiti.

Ten-year-old Iriura Jean resolved to follow the counsel of President Nelson.

“In her school class they discussed their weekend … and Iriura talked about … church.

“Her teacher, Vaite Pifao, said, ‘Oh, so you are a Mormon?’

“Iriura stated boldly, ‘No, … I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!’

“Her teacher replied, ‘Yes, … you are a Mormon.’

“Iriura insisted, ‘No teacher, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!’

“Ms. Pifao was amazed at Iriura’s conviction and wondered why she was so insistent on using [the] long name of her church. [She decided to learn more about the Church.]

“[Later, as Sister] Vaite Pifao was baptized [she expressed gratitude] that Iriura heeded the counsel of President Nelson.” (Neil L. Andersen, “The Name of the Church Is Not Negotiable,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 118–19)

Ask questions that invite discovery: To help you practice asking questions that help students discover truths, see the training titled “Create open-ended search questions that help learners discover gospel doctrine and principles for themselves and do not lead students to a specific response” in Teacher Development Skills: Teach the Doctrine.

• What stands out to you from this experience?

• What have you learned or felt today that helps you better understand Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Testify of the truths you have discussed. Encourage the students to follow the Lord’s commandment to use the correct name of the Church in their interactions with others.

Additional Resources

Where can I learn more about the history of the Saints in Far West, Missouri?

For more information, see Church History Topics, “Far West” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org/study/history/topics).

What can we learn about the Church from its name?

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

I have thought a lot about why the Savior gave the nine-word name to His restored Church. It may seem long, but if we think of it as a descriptive overview of what the Church is, it suddenly becomes wonderfully brief, candid, and straightforward. How could any description be more direct and clear and yet expressed in such few words?

Every word is clarifying and indispensable. The word The indicates the unique position of the restored Church among the religions of the world.

The words Church of Jesus Christ declare that it is His Church. …

Of Latter-day explains that it is the same Church as the Church that Jesus Christ established during His mortal ministry but restored in these latter days. …

Saints … simply refers to those who seek to make their lives holy by covenanting to follow Christ. (M. Russell Ballard, “The Importance of a Name,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 80)

Why does it matter that we use Jesus Christ’s name when talking about His Church?

President Russell M. Nelson said this about using the name of Jesus Christ:

When we omit His name from His Church, we are inadvertently removing Him as the central focus of our lives.

Taking the Savior’s name upon us includes declaring and witnessing to others—through our actions and our words—that Jesus is the Christ. …

If we as a people and as individuals are to have access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ—to cleanse and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately to exalt us—we must clearly acknowledge Him as the source of that power. We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Correct Name of the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 88)

How can the Lord bless those who strive to use the correct name of His Church?

The following are examples of how individuals were blessed by using the correct name of the Church.

Elder Neil L. Andersen shared an experience from Brother Lauri Ahola:

President Russell M. Nelson shared an experience from Elder Benjamín De Hoyos:

Supplemental Learning Activities

What is in a name?

One way to start a lesson on the name of the Lord’s Church is to first talk about other organizations’ names. You could display the following questions and discuss names and logos of several appropriate companies that students would likely be familiar with.

• What does the name of the organization communicate?

• Who leads the organization?

• What does the organization do?

After briefly discussing different organizations, show the logo of the Church and discuss the same questions as a class.

Role-play

Invite students to imagine that they were asked “Are you a Mormon?” or “Are you a member of the Mormon Church?” Give them an opportunity to practice responding to one or both of these questions with a partner or in a small group.

Doctrine and Covenants 115:5. “Be a standard for the nations”

After reading and discussing Doctrine and Covenants 115:5, you could invite students to ponder who might benefit from their examples as members of the Lord’s restored Church. Invite students to make a flag, or standard, that represents some things they can do to be a light, or example, to others.

Doctrine and Covenants 116. Adam-ondi-Ahman

Consider reading Doctrine and Covenants 115:18 with students and explaining that after Joseph Smith relocated to Far West, Missouri, he and a group of Church leaders found a beautiful area. Then ask students to read Doctrine and Covenants 116 to learn what the Lord revealed about the place known as Spring Hill, Missouri.

You could invite students to turn to the map and picture of Adam-ondi-Ahman in their scriptures (see Church History Maps, no. 5, “The Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa Area of the USA”; Church History Photographs, no. 10, “Adam-ondi-Ahman”).

It might also be good for students to know that Adam-ondi-Ahman will be the location of the future fulfillment of a prophecy made anciently by the prophet Daniel (see Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14). That prophecy describes a latter-day event in which the Savior and Adam will visit the earth and preside over a meeting prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to all the world (see Doctrine and Covenants 27:5–14).

Once students know about the significance of the place, consider inviting them to sing the hymn “Adam-ondi-Ahman” (Hymns, no. 49).