“Doctrinal Mastery Training,” Seminary Curriculum Training (2025)

Doctrinal Mastery Training

Introduction to Doctrinal Mastery: A Pattern for Seeking and Finding Divine Answers

In the Book of Mormon, Jacob relates an experience he had with a man named Sherem. Sherem was learned and used much flattery and power of speech to lead away the hearts of many and to “overthrow the doctrine of Christ” (see Jacob 7:2–4). Jacob explains that Sherem “sought much opportunity that he might come unto me. … And he had hope to shake me from the faith” (Jacob 7:3, 5). Jacob recorded, however, that “I could not be shaken” (Jacob 7:5). Because of the diligent efforts Jacob had made throughout his life, no question or circumstance could ever remove Jacob from his foundation firmly established on Jesus Christ and His gospel.

In our day, the youth of the Church face many difficult questions and circumstances that could shake them from their faith. Doctrinal mastery is one way students can prepare for these challenges. As students develop doctrinal mastery, they will be better prepared to never be shaken from their faith in Jesus Christ. President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following with teachers in seminaries and institutes about doctrinal mastery:

[Doctrinal mastery] will focus on building and strengthening our students’ faith in Jesus Christ and fortifying them with increased ability to live and apply the gospel in their lives. …

This initiative is inspired and timely. It will have a wonderful influence on our young people. However, the success of doctrinal mastery, and of all the other programs of study in CES, will depend to an important extent upon you. (M. Russell Ballard, “The Opportunities and Responsibilities of CES Teachers in the 21st Century” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 26, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Doctrinal Mastery in the Curriculum

In the teacher manual, doctrinal mastery learning experiences have been included periodically to help students accomplish the outcomes of doctrinal mastery. The following graphic illustrates the outcomes of doctrinal mastery. For more information, see the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023).

The seminary curriculum helps students accomplish the outcomes of doctrinal mastery in the following three ways:

Introductory lessons to doctrinal mastery and the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge
Doctrinal mastery scripture passages taught in context along with the Come, Follow Me schedule
Doctrinal Mastery Practice lessons

Just as a rock climber needs equipment to safely rappel down a steep canyon wall, these learning experiences help equip students with the skills to navigate challenging questions and circumstances with faith in Jesus Christ.

Introduction to doctrinal mastery and acquiring spiritual knowledge lessons

There are five doctrinal mastery lessons, designed to help students understand the purpose of doctrinal mastery and learn about principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Strengthening Your Spiritual Foundation: Introduction to Doctrinal Mastery. Provides students an overall vision of what doctrinal mastery is and what kinds of learning experiences they can expect to help them develop doctrinal mastery. Best taught at the beginning of the school year if many students are new to seminary or as a mid-year review.
Seeking Personal Revelation for My Questions: Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 1. Helps students understand how they can receive guidance and revelation from God through the Holy Ghost. Best taught at the beginning of the school year.
Acting in Faith to Find Answers: Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2. Helps students understand how to act with faith in Jesus Christ as they seek answers to their questions. Best taught at the beginning of the school year.
Examining Gospel Topics and Questions with an Eternal Perspective: Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 3. Helps students see concepts and questions more like Jesus Christ as students examine them with an eternal perspective. Best taught at the beginning of the school year.
Turning to Divinely Appointed Sources to Help Find Answers: Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 4. Helps students understand the importance of seeking truth from sources that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have lovingly provided. Best taught at the beginning of the school year.

Doctrinal mastery passages taught in context

When teaching a lesson from a scripture block that includes a doctrinal mastery passage, look for ways to emphasize the passage. Teach the passage in context, and focus on the doctrine it teaches. You will notice this icon whenever there is a doctrinal mastery passage. You may want to encourage students to mark each passage so that students can locate them later.

The Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023) contains a list of the 24 doctrinal mastery passages for each course. Your pacing guide will likely not include all lessons that address the doctrinal mastery passages in context while seminary is in session, so be sure to look for opportunities to help students review all 24 passages.

When the doctrinal mastery passages are studied in class, be sure to spend sufficient time studying the doctrine taught in the doctrinal mastery passage so that students know and understand it. Each lesson with a doctrinal mastery passage includes a suggestion to help students practice memorizing the scripture reference and key scripture phrase as part of the lesson and to practice again in future lessons. Students will need regular practice to memorize the references and key scripture phrases. “Doctrinal Mastery Review Ideas” includes suggestions for how you might help students practice memorizing the reference and key scripture phrase. This can be found in the appendix of the seminary teacher manual.

Doctrinal Mastery Practice Lessons

Doctrinal Mastery Practice lessons are scheduled periodically, about every four to six weeks. They provide students with opportunities to work toward accomplishing the outcomes of doctrinal mastery. Each doctrinal mastery practice lesson contains two sections:

Doctrinal Mastery Review
Learn and Apply Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge

Doctrinal Mastery Review

In the Doctrinal Mastery Review section, students will practice understanding and explaining doctrine using the doctrinal mastery passages, locating the doctrinal mastery scripture passages and memorizing the key scripture phrases, and applying the doctrine taught in these passages. Although these reviews are important and should be a regular part of students’ learning experiences, manage class time effectively so the majority of time is given to the Learn and Apply Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge section.

Learn and Apply Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge

The Learn and Apply Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge section should take the majority of the time in the Doctrinal Mastery Practice lessons. This section provides students opportunities to practice applying the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to real-life situations.

Each practice begins with an opportunity to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Remember that even though one or two students know the principles well, others may still need more time and practice. Do your best to help all students become confident using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. “Reviewing Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge Ideas” includes suggestions for how to review these principles. This is located in the appendix of the seminary teacher manual.

Students will then be presented with a scenario that illustrates a question or situation where a correct understanding of true doctrine can help. To respond to the question or situation, students can practice using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and the doctrine taught in doctrinal mastery passages, other scriptures, or Church leaders’ teachings that students have studied recently.

Providing students with many opportunities to practice is necessary for their success with doctrinal mastery. Think of how someone in defensive martial arts needs extensive practice to develop muscle memory. This prepares them to respond to a variety of different attacks. Similarly, students need extensive practice with doctrinal mastery. As students engage in regular practice, faithful responses to challenges will become natural and instinctive.

To see an example of a practice application, consider watching one or both of the following videos, located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. As you watch, look for how the teacher helps students practice using all three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

You can adapt the scenarios and the suggested questions or other learning activities as needed to better meet the needs of students. You can also vary the order in which students apply the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Be sure that any adaptations still give students opportunities to practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and the doctrine to a realistic situation. If adapting scenarios, try to preserve the main question or concern of the scenario. The questions or concerns at the heart of each scenario have been carefully planned for all four years of seminary.

For ideas on how to make appropriate adaptations to practice applications, consider watching one or more of the following videos located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Skills to Effectively Teach Doctrinal Mastery

The following trainings teach skills that can help students develop doctrinal mastery. It may be effective to incorporate these skills a little at a time.

Skill: Explain the reason for a doctrinal mastery activity.

Define

Sharing or having students share a reason for doing a doctrinal mastery activity can motivate students to engage in it. It can also allow the Holy Ghost to teach them about the activity’s importance. After you share what the class will be doing, share one or two reasons why you are doing the activity or ask students to share why they think the activity could be helpful.

Model

“Class, for the next few minutes we are going to explain the doctrine we learn from Luke 2:10–12, that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. One reason we are doing this is to help us be able to confidently respond if someone we know asks us why Jesus Christ is important to us.”

To see an example of how this could be done, watch one or more of the following videos located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Practice

Choose one of the following prompts and complete the sentence.

“Let’s do an activity that will help us memorize the doctrinal mastery reference with the key phrase. One reason we are working to memorize this is …”
“For the next few minutes, we are going to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Knowing these principles can help us …”
“We are going to practice using the three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Using these principles can …”

Analyze

What are you learning as you practice explaining the reasons for doing a doctrinal mastery activity?

Incorporate

As you prepare to have students practice a doctrinal mastery activity, write down at least one reason it can be of value to students.

Skill: Invite students to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Define

As you regularly review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge with your class, the Holy Ghost can help students remember and use the principles in times of need. You can invite students to review these principles before you share a scenario or while students are working through the scenario. These invitations include an opportunity for students to review at least one principle, instructions for how long they should review the principle, and an opportunity for them to share what they learned. By doing this, students will be better able to use the principles as part of the practice application. For ideas on how to do this, see the “Reviewing Principles of Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge Ideas” in the appendix of the seminary teacher manual.)

Model

“Today we will review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge from the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023). We will divide into groups of three. Each student in the group will review a different principle.

“Take three to four minutes to read and prepare to share with your group one way your principle can help someone who is facing a difficult question or circumstance.”

For an example of a way to help students review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge, watch “Provide students opportunities to review all three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge,” located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

2:54

Practice

Write down another way you might invite students to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Analyze

What are you learning about extending invitations for students to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge?

Incorporate

As you prepare your next Doctrinal Mastery Practice lesson, plan how you will invite students to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Skill: Ask questions that help students verbalize how the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge can help in real-life situations.

Define

After students review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge, share with them the scenario and invite them to verbalize in groups and later with the class which principles they feel might help with that scenario. Doing so can help students build their confidence in using these principles in their own lives.

Model

After reviewing the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and introducing the scenario, you could ask questions like the following:

“Which principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge do you think could help in this scenario, and why?”
“How could these principles help you when facing a question like the one in this scenario?”

For an example, watch one or both of the following videos located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Practice

Write down a few questions you could ask that might help students verbalize how the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge could help them respond to their friend in the following scenario.

One of your friends who is not religious recently saw a pair of missionaries talking with some people in the park. Your friend asked you, “Why do missionaries from your church go out and preach about Jesus? It seems like you’re trying to force your beliefs on other people. Why can’t you just let them be happy as they are?”

Analyze

Why do you think it is important for students to verbalize how they might use the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge?
How do you think using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge might influence students’ lives?

Incorporate

What can you do to help students verbalize how the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge can help them and others when facing a difficult question or circumstance?

Conclusion

Imagine how your students will be able to address questions or concerns after working consistently toward the outcomes of doctrinal mastery in seminary. In the beginning, students will need more help and support from you as a teacher to apply the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and the doctrine to real-life situations. It takes time for students to master the doctrine and become confident using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. However, as you continue to give students regular opportunities to practice, this will become something that they do naturally. This is one way you can help your students build their foundation firmly on the rock of Jesus Christ and deepen their conversion to Him and His doctrine.