Teachings of Presidents of the Church
Teachings of Presidents of the Church is a series of books published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Each book of the series briefly compiles the teachings and sermons of one of the men who has served as president of the LDS Church. The series is not complete, with 14 books having been released by August 2015. (There have been 16 presidents of the LDS Church.) The text of each book is not limited to sermons preached while the person was President of the Church, but generally contain teachings given during their time as an ordained apostle.
The series began in 1997, with the release of the Brigham Young edition. The books are not being issued in the same order in which presidents served. The books are not intended to be a comprehensive collection of the words, sermons, or writings of their subjects. Church members are encouraged to save the books and make a collection in their homes.
The books serve as a basis for many of the lessons presented in weekly church Relief Society and adult priesthood meetings. Each book is used as class curriculum for one or two calendar years, depending on the length of the book.
The copyright in the books is held by Intellectual Reserve, but they are available in electronic format for free on the LDS Church's website.
In 2010 and 2011, the LDS Church temporarily ceased using this series for weekly communal study at Sunday meetings and instead used a newly revised Gospel Principles manual. Weekly study of the Teachings of Presidents of the Church series resumed in 2012.
Books in the series
| No. | Publication date | President of the Church & years in tenure |
Years used as curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 | Brigham Young (1847–77) | 1998–99 |
| 2 | 1998 | Joseph F. Smith (1901–18) | 2000–01 |
| 3 | 2000 | Harold B. Lee (1972–73) | 2002 |
| 4 | 2001 | John Taylor (1880–87) | 2003 |
| 5 | 2002 | Heber J. Grant (1918–45) | 2004 |
| 6 | 2003 | David O. McKay (1951–70) | 2005 |
| 7 | 2004 | Wilford Woodruff (1889–98) | 2006 |
| 8 | 2006 | Spencer W. Kimball (1973–85) | 2007 |
| 9 | 2007 | Joseph Smith (1830–44) | 2008–09 |
| 10 | 2011 | George Albert Smith (1945–51) | 2012[1] |
| 11 | 2012 | Lorenzo Snow (1898–1901) | 2013[2] |
| 12 | 2013 | Joseph Fielding Smith (1970–72) | 2014[3] |
| 13 | 2014 | Ezra Taft Benson (1985–94) | 2015[4] |
| 14 | 2015 | Howard W. Hunter (1994–95) | 2016[5] |
Presidents of the church for which no edition has yet been published include:
- Gordon B. Hinckley (1995–2008)
- Thomas S. Monson (2008–)
Notes
- ↑ Instructions for Curriculum 2012, lds.org
- ↑ Instructions for Curriculum 2013, lds.org.
- ↑ Instructions for Curriculum 2014, lds.org.
- ↑ Instructions for Curriculum 2015, lds.org.
- ↑ Instructions for Curriculum 2016, lds.org.