“Lesson 207—Family History and Temple Service: We Can Perform Ordinances for Our Deceased Ancestors in the Lord’s House,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Family History and Temple Service,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 207: Temple Preparation
Family History and Temple Service
We Can Perform Ordinances for Our Deceased Ancestors in the Lord’s House
In Heavenly Father’s merciful plan, those who died without receiving the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are not lost forever. We can offer our deceased ancestors the help they need by doing family history and temple service. This lesson can help students find the names of their deceased ancestors and prepare to perform ordinances for them in the Lord’s temples.
Possible Learning Activities
Blessings of family history and temple service
Pierre-Alban, a 17-year-old living in France, shared the following testimony about his experience visiting the temple:
The first time I went to the Bern Switzerland Temple, I went with my family and friends. This experience brought me great joy. We all felt the Spirit. I knew that what I was doing was good and that God was proud of our work. I know that the temple brings us many blessings. When we make time to do the temple work for our ancestors, Heavenly Father blesses us. He will be happy with what we have done for His children in His house. (Pierre-Alban C., For the Strength of Youth, Apr. 2022, inside front cover)
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What blessings do you know are available through family history and temple service?
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How might you begin helping someone who wants to participate in temple and family history work but doesn’t know how to start?
Performing ordinances for those who have died
The Saints gathered in Nauvoo for the October 1840 general conference. Joseph taught them more about baptism for the dead, explaining that the spirits of the dead were waiting for their living kindred to receive the saving ordinance in their behalf.
Between sessions of the conference, the Saints rushed to the Mississippi River, where several elders stood waist-deep in the water, beckoning them to be baptized for their deceased grandparents, fathers, mothers, siblings, and children. Soon after, Hyrum was baptized for his brother Alvin.
As Vilate Kimball watched the elders in the river, she longed to be baptized for her mother, who had died more than a decade earlier. She wished Heber was back from England to perform the ordinance, but since Joseph had urged the Saints to redeem the dead as soon as possible, she decided to be baptized for her mother right away.
Emma Smith’s thoughts were also on family. Her father, Isaac Hale, had passed away in January 1839. …
… Emma loved her father and was baptized for him in the river. He had not accepted the restored gospel in this life, but she hoped it would not be that way forever. (Saints, 1:423–24)
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What did you find meaningful from these experiences?
Read Doctrine and Covenants 124:29–36, looking for what the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith about the baptisms the Saints in Nauvoo were performing for the dead.
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What did the Lord reveal?
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What can these verses also teach us about Him?
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What can we learn from the Lord’s use of the words “baptisms for your dead”? (see Doctrine and Covenants 124:32–33; 127:5).
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this about our ancestors:
The Lord in initial revelatory instructions referred to “baptism for your dead” [Doctrine and Covenants 127:5; emphasis added]. Our doctrinal obligation is to our own ancestors. This is because the celestial organization of heaven is based on families. (Quentin L. Cook, “Roots and Branches,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 45)
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How has learning about your ancestors influenced you? How might it influence you?
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How do you think performing temple ordinances for your deceased ancestors could affect your relationship with your Heavenly Father?
The part you can play in the Lord’s work of salvation
On a scale of 1 through 5 (1 = not true and 5 = very true), rate how well these statements describe you.
I know how to find the names of my ancestors.
I know how to submit the names of my ancestors to the temple.
I want to find names of my ancestors and perform ordinances for them in the temple.
I feel the importance of doing work for my deceased relatives.
“Focus on the Temple” (7:18; watch from time code 3:50 to 4:36)
“Spiritual Dynamite” (2:40)
“Gathering the Family of God” (4:18)
Steps you can take
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Step 1. Create a Church account.
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Step 2. Explore the My Family: Stories That Bring Us Together booklet, FamilySearch, or the Family Tree app.
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Step 3. Use the Ordinances Ready feature.
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Step 4. Schedule an appointment and attend the temple.
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“How do I create a Church account using ChurchofJesusChrist.org?”
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“How to Start a Family Tree on FamilySearch: Adding the First Four Generations”
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How do you think participating in temple and family history work now can help prepare you to make and keep covenants with God in His temple?
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How can doing family history and temple service deepen your love for the Savior?