Lesson 1 Teacher Material

Studying the Doctrine of the Eternal Family

The doctrine of the family pertains to all of us. In this lesson, students will be invited to evaluate their trust in Heavenly Father’s wisdom and His plan for families. Students will also consider what they can do to help establish an environment of Christlike love, sensitivity, and respect when discussing the doctrine of the family.

Note: If possible, contact students who register for this course prior to their first day of class and invite them to study the class preparation material for this first lesson. Ensure all other students have a copy of the preparation material as you start class. During your class discussion, utilize the preparation material so students can see how it will help them prepare for and enrich their learning experience. Feel free to spend 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of this lesson getting to know each other and welcoming students to the course.

Suggestions for Teaching

We can trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s perfect love and wisdom.

As an introduction to this course, you might show students the table of contents or syllabus for the first half of the course. To become more familiar with your students’ needs, invite them to write a short, anonymous note to you about which topics they are most interested in or want to better understand. You might also invite them to write any questions they hope this course will help answer for them. Collect their responses and consider them as you prepare for future lessons.

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Discover students’ needs and interests. Students will feel a greater desire to learn when they feel that lessons are designed to meet their needs and interests. Provide opportunities for students to communicate their interests and questions about the family. Based on students’ responses, follow the Spirit to know when to emphasize and discuss their interests and questions during the course.

Consider asking the following questions:

• Who are some people you trust, and why?

• What would you trust these people with?

Arrange students into groups of three. Provide each group with a copy of the following handout, and ask them to follow the instructions.

Trusting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

The Eternal Family Teacher Material—Lesson 1

Invite each member of the group to read one of the following passages, looking for truths about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that can help us trust Them: 2 Nephi 26:24; Mosiah 4:9; and Isaiah 55:8–9. Then discuss the following questions:

• What can we learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from these passages? How do the truths you discovered influence your desire to trust Them?

• When have you experienced or witnessed the value of trusting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

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Trusting Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Explain that one of the greatest evidences of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love and wisdom is the doctrine of the eternal family. Our trust in Them and in the Father’s plan can help us navigate the world’s differing views on family matters.

Provide students with a copy of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or ask them to access it digitally. Invite students to choose a few paragraphs to read and to mark phrases that describe the blessings and joy Heavenly Father desires for them and their families. After sufficient time, invite students to share what they marked and why.

• How do your desires for your family align with Heavenly Father’s desires for your family?

• What value is there in trusting the wisdom and eternal perspective of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ over the wisdom and perspective of the world?

Testify or invite students to testify of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s wisdom and desires for our present and future families.

We can create a learning environment of love and respect.

Display a picture of your family. Share some things you love about your family and some of the ways your family situation is unique.

Invite a student to read aloud Elder Neil L. Andersen’s statement in section 2 of the preparation material.

• What stands out to you about what Elder Andersen taught? (You might help students identify the following truth: Because all families are different, we need to discuss the Lord’s pattern for families in a thoughtful and sensitive way.)

You might invite students to share what we can learn from the Savior’s example of love, sensitivity, and compassion for others who experienced challenging personal or family situations. (Examples can be found in the “Want More?” section of the preparation material.)

Consider giving students a few minutes to record their thoughts on the following question:

• What can I do to help others feel loved and respected while discussing the family and other sensitive topics? (If students studied section 2 of the preparation material, they may have already recorded some thoughts about this question. You could give them time to review what they wrote.)

Invite a few students to share some of the thoughts they recorded.

In your own words, you might explain that throughout this course students will discuss many truths that require the assistance of the Holy Ghost to understand. Because of the uniqueness in personal and family circumstances, students will need personal revelation to understand how to apply the teachings. Because some of our strongest feelings are associated with our families, our ability to learn from each other and the Spirit requires that we have an environment of Christlike love, sensitivity, and respect. Invite students to do their part to contribute to such an environment.

You might conclude the class by showing students how to access the preparation material. Ask them to consider how their individual study of the preparation material before class could help the entire class learn the doctrine of the family more deeply. Invite them to faithfully prepare for each class.

For Next Time

Encourage students in their study for the next class to look for why the leaders of the Lord’s Church hold firmly to the doctrine of the family laid out in the family proclamation, even when popular opinions may be against this doctrine.