Teachings of Presidents of the Church
Encyclopedia
Teachings of Presidents of the Church is a series of books published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each book of the series briefly compiles the teachings and sermons of one of the men who has served as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The series is not complete, with 9 books having been released by 2007.
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 the person served as president of the church. The books are not intended to be a comprehensive collection of the words, sermons, or writings of the subject. 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
and are available in electronic format for free on the LDS Church's webpage.
In 2010 and 2011 the Church temporarily ceased using this series for weekly study and instead used a newly revised Gospel Principles
manual.
The presidents of the church for which no edition has been published yet are:
The series began in 1997 with the release of the Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
edition. The books are not being issued in the same order in which the person served as president of the church. The books are not intended to be a comprehensive collection of the words, sermons, or writings of the subject. 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
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
and adult priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
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
Intellectual Reserve
Intellectual Reserve, Inc is a non-profit corporation based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It is wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and are available in electronic format for free on the LDS Church's webpage.
In 2010 and 2011 the Church temporarily ceased using this series for weekly study and instead used a newly revised Gospel Principles
Gospel Principles
Gospel Principles is a book that sets out some of the basic doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The book is published by the LDS Church and is provided to its members as a personal study guide and as a church lesson manual.-History:Gospel Principles was...
manual.
Books in the series
| No. | Publication date | President of the Church & years in tenure |
Years used as curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 | Brigham Young Brigham Young Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah... (1847–1877) |
1998–1999 |
| 2 | 1998 | Joseph F. Smith Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... (1901–1918) |
2000–2001 |
| 3 | 2000 | Harold B. Lee Harold B. Lee Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :... (1972–1973) |
2002 |
| 4 | 2001 | John Taylor (1880–1887) | 2003 |
| 5 | 2002 | Heber J. Grant Heber J. Grant Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale... (1918–1945) |
2004 |
| 6 | 2003 | David O. McKay David O. McKay David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church... (1951–1970) |
2005 |
| 7 | 2004 | Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death... (1889–1898) |
2006 |
| 8 | 2006 | Spencer W. Kimball Spencer W. Kimball Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:... (1973–1985) |
2007 |
| 9 | 2007 | Joseph Smith (1830–1844) | 2008–2009 |
| 10 | 2011 | George Albert Smith George Albert Smith George Albert Smith, Sr. was the eighth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:... (1945–1951) |
2012 |
The presidents of the church for which no edition has been published yet are:
- Lorenzo SnowLorenzo SnowLorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
(1898–1901) - Joseph Fielding SmithJoseph Fielding SmithJoseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church...
(1970–1972) - Ezra Taft BensonEzra Taft BensonEzra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
(1985–1994) - Howard W. HunterHoward W. HunterHoward William Hunter was the fourteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1994 to 1995. His nine month presidential tenure is the shortest in the history of the Church...
(1994–1995) - Gordon B. HinckleyGordon B. HinckleyGordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
(1995–2008) - Thomas S. MonsonThomas S. MonsonThomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...
(2008– )