Lesson 208: Teachings of Church Leaders

Preparing for General Conference

Hearing the Savior’s Words through General Conference

Intentionally preparing for and participating in general conference enables us to receive personal revelation. The messages of inspiration and guidance given in general conference come from the Lord through His chosen leaders. This lesson can help students prepare to hear personal messages from the Savior in general conference.

Possible Learning Activities

Preparing for events

Invite students to think of events they enjoy participating in, such as a special holiday, sports game, vacation, or another event. Ask them to share how they have participated or prepared to participate in these events. Discuss how our preparation for events helps us have a more meaningful experience during the event. After discussing, consider displaying a picture of a family watching general conference.

• What do you or your family do to prepare for and participate in general conference?

The purpose of general conference

In February 1831, the Lord gave a revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon instructing them to gather the elders together for a conference, which was held in June of that year.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 44:2 looking for what the Lord promised to do at this conference.

• How can the Lord’s promise in this verse help you understand why we have general conference?

Read the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson, looking for the purpose of general conference.

The purpose of this and every general conference is to help us to hear Him. (Russell M. Nelson, “Opening Message,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 7)

Students could write or link President Nelson’s statement in their scriptures next to Doctrine and Covenants 44:2.

Emphasize the truth that the purpose of general conference is to help us hear Jesus Christ.

• Why is it important to know what Jesus Christ would say to you?

• What are some ways you can hear the Savior in general conference?

To help students reflect on their preparation for general conference, consider displaying the following self-assessment questions on the board. Students could ponder the questions and write their responses in a study journal.

• How well do you prepare to hear the Savior speak to you through the messages in general conference?

• What do you need or hope to receive from general conference?

Preparing for general conference

The purpose of the handout is to help students discover different ways they can prepare for general conference. Students could work in small groups, with a partner, or on their own.

Preparing for General Conference

When Jesus Christ visited the Nephites, He invited them to prepare their minds to hear and understand His message (see 3 Nephi 17:3). Imagine what your general conference experience could be like if you did the same.

1. Study the following resources, looking for ways you can prepare yourself to receive the Lord’s messages in general conference. You may want to mark meaningful words and phrases that stand out to you.

   Mosiah 2:9; Doctrine and Covenants 88:63

   President Russell M. Nelson taught:

   

   From this pulpit today and tomorrow, you will continue to hear truth. Please make notes of thoughts that catch your attention and those that come into your mind and stay in your heart. Prayerfully ask the Lord to confirm that what you have heard is true. (Russell M. Nelson, “What Is True?,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 30)

   President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:

   

   I know the servants of God who will speak to you during this conference. They are called of God to give messages to His children. The Lord has said of them: “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” [Doctrine and Covenants 1:38].

   You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you. (Henry B. Eyring, “Trust in God, Then Go and Do,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 73)

   President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:

   

   As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.

   Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song. A heart filled with gratitude for the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “General Conference—No Ordinary Blessing,” Ensign, Sept. 2011, 4)

2. From what you studied, make a list of ways you can prepare to hear the voice of the Lord in general conference.

3. List some other ways you could prepare to hear the voice of the Lord in general conference.

My preparation for general conference

The following questions can help students apply the counsel from Elder Uchtdorf’s statement on the handout. Students could respond to the questions in their study journal or on a small piece of paper or note card that they could take home as a reminder.

• What questions do I have? What guidance or direction do I need for the challenges I face?

• What is something specific I will do to prepare to hear the Lord’s direction for me in general conference? (Pick one or two ways you listed on your handout.)

Help students report on their general conference experience

After general conference, consider asking students to share how their preparation for general conference impacted their experience. Some students may not have participated in conference. You could provide time for these students to review summaries of the talks.

• What did you do to prepare? In what ways was this helpful?

• How did your preparation help you hear the voice of the Savior and receive direction from Him?

Students could also share their feelings or testimony about what they felt or heard during general conference.

Additional Resources

What is the focus of general conference messages?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

The General Authorities and General Officers of the Church who speak will focus their messages on our Savior, Jesus Christ, His mercy, and His infinite redeeming power. There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul. Imagine how quickly the devastating conflicts throughout the world—and those in our individual lives—would be resolved if we all chose to follow Jesus Christ and heed His teachings. (Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 6)

What is one way to take notes during general conference?

Elder Robert D. Hales (1932–2017) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

When I take notes at conference, I do not always write down exactly what the speaker is saying; I note the personalized direction the Spirit is giving me.

What is said is not as important as what we hear and what we feel. (Robert D. Hales, “General Conference: Strengthening Faith and Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 6)

Why should I participate in general conference?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

I give you my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that He guides the affairs of this sacred work, and that general conference is one of the very important times He gives direction to His Church and to us personally. …

The teachings of general conference are the considerations the Lord would have before us now and in the months ahead. (Neil L. Andersen, “The Voice of the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 122, 124)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternate beginning

As an alternate way to begin the lesson, consider asking why it is important to regularly update the operating system on a mobile phone. How could that relate to choosing to participate in general conferences?

Church leaders’ social media accounts

In the days and weeks leading up to general conference, Church leaders often post about general conference on their social media accounts. Invite students to look at some of the Church leaders’ social media posts that were posted within a few weeks of the last general conference. Consider showing some examples. Invite students to look for any counsel that would help them prepare to participate in general conference. You could discuss any blessings Church leaders promised.

Elder Neil L. Andersen’s invitation to prepare for general conference

Prior to the October 2020 general conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen posted a video on Facebook. In the video, he gave three suggestions on how to prepare for general conference. Consider watching the entire video, “Invitation to Prepare for General Conference” (Facebook, Sept. 30, 2020, facebook.com/neill.andersen; video, 3:01), or just his three suggestions (from time code 1:27 to 2:51). Invite students to consider how his suggestions could help them prepare to hear the Lord’s voice.

Study the For the Strength of Youth Magazine

The March and September editions of the For the Strength of Youth magazines often contain a “General Conference Notebook” that can be downloaded, printed, and used while participating in general conference. Bring a few copies of recent editions of the “General Conference Notebook” for students to look through, or encourage students to access it on the Gospel Library app. Consider asking students to share some of the ideas they discovered from the “General Conference Notebook” that could help them prepare for general conference.

How speakers prepare for general conference

Consider showing “The Voice of the Lord” from time code 3:07 to 5:17. Elder Neil L. Andersen discusses the effort speakers put into preparing a talk for general conference. Invite students to discuss what we can learn by knowing how speakers prepare. The following question may be helpful for the discussion.

• How can learning about the effort speakers put into preparing motivate you to be more prepared?

General conference review activity

Consider giving students an opportunity to review what they learned in general conference. You could write several questions on the board like the following: What made you laugh? What talk are you excited to study again? What did you learn that can help you in your life? What did you learn about the Savior?

You could invite students to write on the board answers to any of the questions. Consider sharing an answer from your experience at general conference. Students could pick some of the answers on the board and invite their classmates to elaborate more on their experiences.