Church Doctrine

General Conference April 2025

Justin Baer

At our stake conference in March 2025, Elder Colin C. Stauffer (a visiting Area Seventy),1 encouraged us to focus on “prophetic priorities.”

I’ve thought a lot about that. What are “prophetic priorities,” and what does it mean to focus on them? Those may seem like simplistic questions, but I’ve learned a lot these past several months as I’ve thought about that phrase.

What are prophetic priorities?

A search of that phrase in the Gospel Library App reveals only a few uses:

  • Russell M. Nelson: “Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities.”2
  • Quentin L. Cook: “Prophets are inspired to provide us with prophetic priorities to protect us from dangers.”3
  • Claudio R. M. Costa: “In our day the prophet of God has told us to keep the commandments, to love our fellowman, to serve, to take care of the rising generation, to rescue the inactive or less active—to do many things that we call prophetic priorities. We need to understand that these priorities are God’s priorities and the prophet is His voice in communicating them to all of the Church and the world.”4

There are other examples, but these statements demonstrate that “prophetic priorities” are principles that are taught to us by prophets, seers, and revelators to help us navigate the society in which we currently live. Although the basic, fundamental principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ do not change, prophetic priorities might be adjusted to help us better navigate current circumstances.

So, perhaps the best place to find the current prophetic priorities is the most recent general conference. Over the past few years, President Russell M. Nelson frequently invited us to study general conference messages:

  • October 2024: “In this conference, the Lord has spoken to us through His servants. I urge you to study their messages. Use them as a litmus test of what is true and what is not during the next six months.”5
  • April 2024: “We have once again been blessed with a sacred outpouring of the Spirit. I hope you will repeatedly study the messages of this conference throughout the coming months.”6
  • April 2023: “My dear brothers and sisters, we have been spiritually fed during these last two days. The choir music was superb. Those who have spoken have been instruments for the Lord. I pray that you will seek for the Holy Ghost to guide you in your study as you contemplate the truths taught from this pulpit. They have truly been heaven sent.”7

As I pondered Elder Stauffer’s invitation to focus on prophetic priorities, I realized that I had never really studied general conference talks like I had studied the scriptures. So, following the April 2025 General Conference, I determined to study those talks with as much effort as I study the scriptures.

My process

The last couple of years, I have started using the “journal editions” of the scriptures.8 They have wider margins, some versions have lined margins, and they have thicker paper. These are much better for note-taking than the standard sets of scriptures. They make journal editions of many different books, including general conference.

I bought a journal edition of the April 2025 conference, and I used the same marking system that I’m currently using with my scriptures: four colors based on the four missionary lessons in the Preach My Gospel manual.9 I love studying this way, because I have found that those four lessons contain a beautiful outline of the plan of salvation. As I study the scriptures thinking about those lessons, I find that I am able to see connections and relationships between doctrines because I’m thinking about the bigger picture of the plan of salvation, and trying to understand how what I’m reading fits within the framework of the plan.

I spent several months studying the conference talks, and after I had completed my study, I wrote down all my notes and copied some of my favorite passages that I had highlighted. And this is where it gets interesting, as I’m doing something in this post that I’ve never before done: I uploaded my notes to Copilot (Microsoft’s AI tool) and asked it to identify common themes.

I think it’s important to recognize that the notes are mine. I asked AI to find patterns in my notes, so the following outline is from my notes, which means this is what I saw and understood as I read.

My notes – organized by AI

Again, just to be clear, this is based on my notes. I didn’t ask AI to analyze the general conference talks. Instead, I uploaded my notes to Copilot, and asked it to find common themes or patterns.

In my notes, I only listed the last names of the speakers. This was just a convenience for me to more quickly transfer my notes, but I’ve left only their last names and hyperlinked the names to their talks. In keeping just their last names, I hope it’s not seen as a sign of disrespect, it’s just shorthand.

  1. Jesus Christ: Centrality, Atonement, and Discipleship
  2. Faith, Hope, and Healing
    • Faith in Christ begets hope, which reinforces faith—a virtuous cycle (Johnson, Renlund).
    • Healing may not always be immediate or physical; wholeness can come spiritually (Johnson).
    • The Lord’s timing in healing and the importance of enduring with faith (Johnson, Cook).
  3. Covenants, Ordinances, and the Temple
    • The power and necessity of covenants and ordinances (Lund, Bednar, McCune).
    • The temple as a place of mercy, transformation, and spiritual protection (Rasband, JamesRasband, Soares).
    • The importance of regular temple worship and making time for the Lord (Rasband).
  4. Charity, Service, and Ministering
  5. Personal Revelation, Agency, and Spiritual Growth
    • The necessity of personal prayer, scripture study, and seeking the Holy Ghost (Eyring, Vargas, Oaks).
    • Agency and the daily choice to soften our hearts and repent (Kim, Runia).
    • Gradual spiritual growth and the importance of reverence (Soares, Oaks).
  6. Identity as Children of God
    • The foundational truth that we are God’s children—breathtaking and transformative (Kearon).
    • Accepting and receiving this identity unlocks other spiritual gifts (Kearon, Tai).
  7. Family, Children, and Teaching the Rising Generation
    • The innocence, faith, and love of children as examples (Holland, Wright).
    • The role of parents and leaders in helping children believe, belong, and become (Wright).
    • The importance of education and spiritual nurture (Rasband, Wright).
  8. Repentance, Forgiveness, and Grace
    • Repentance as a repeated commandment and a source of hope (Runia).
    • Grace and mercy as gifts that enable us to progress despite weakness (JamesRasband, Shumway).
    • The Lord’s willingness to forgive and compensate for our righteous desires (Causse).
  9. Worship, Reverence, and Sacredness
    • Worship as intentional, transformative, and central to spiritual life (Christofferson).
    • Reverence as the foundation of spirituality and a safeguard against apathy (Soares).
    • The sacredness of ordinances, images, and all things pertaining to God (Soares).
  10. Enduring Trials, Rescue, and the Plan of Salvation
    • Life’s challenges as part of the refining process (Cook).
    • The Savior’s rescue—both physical and spiritual—through His Atonement (Cook).
    • The plan of salvation as a plan of mercy and happiness (JamesRasband, Oaks).

Copilot also created a “summary of insights,” (again, based on my notes, and not an evaluation of the full general conference):

  • The most dominant theme is the centrality of Jesus Christ—His Atonement, love, and the invitation to follow Him through covenants, repentance, and service.
  • Personal spiritual practices (prayer, scripture, temple worship, reverence) are repeatedly emphasized as the means to draw closer to God and receive His power.
  • Identity as children of God is presented as a foundational truth that shapes all other aspects of discipleship.
  • Charity, service, and ministering are not just duties but the natural outgrowth of true discipleship and covenant living.
  • Enduring trials with faith, hope, and trust in the Lord’s timing is a recurring encouragement.

I think that’s fascinating. Reducing my notes into five main points gives me insight into what I was seeing and studying over these past several months. I believe that is quite significant, as it might not be what someone else would see as they studied. I am convinced that as we study, the Holy Ghost inspires us, and through the teachings at general conference, we can hear the Lord speaking to us.

President Nelson Quotes

One of the most fascinating things I learned by studying the April 2025 general conference talks was seeing how many of the speakers quoted President Nelson. I haven’t performed an exhaustive analysis, but as far as I can tell, there were only three or four talks in all of conference that did not quote something by President Nelson.

By studing general conference, I have gained a greater understanding of what it means to focus on “prophetic priorities.” It is fascinating to me to see how many of the speakers in general conference quoted President Nelson. These quotes show us what our general authorities and officers see as President Nelson’s priorities. There were even several who based their whole talks on prior messages given by President Nelson. For example, Elder Ronald A. Rasband titled his talk, “Right Before Our Eyes,” and he based it entirely on a President Nelson Quote: “Do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.”11 During his talk, Elder Rasband quoted President Nelson at least six times.

Another example was Elder Benjamin Tai. He quoted several invitations that President Nelson has given us, from four separate talks: “President Russell M. Nelson has invited us to ‘remove, with the Savior’s help, the old debris in our lives’ and to ‘lay aside bitterness.’ He has encouraged us to ‘bolster our spiritual foundations’ through ‘centering our lives on [the Savior] and on the ordinances and covenants of His temple.’ He promised that ‘as we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. … We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance!'”12

The president of the Church is the presiding high priest, and as we study his messages, we see the current “prophetic priorities.”

We sustain the president of the church

We have recently learned of the passing of President Nelson. The announcement, with a brief tribute, was released by the Church on September 27, 2025. As a result, we will sustain a new president of the Church. That process is well-known, and is explained in the institute manual “Teachings of the Living Prophets.”

When President Nelson was sustained as the president of the Church in 2018, I received a witness through the Holy Ghost that he was the Lord’s prophet. It is significant that we sustain the president of the Church, whoever he may be. Once the new president is sustained, he will teach us the Lord’s will for us. His teachings will be our prophetic priorities.

References

  1. Topics and Questions, General Church Leadership, Quorums of the Seventy, “Area Seventies are called and set apart to serve in specific geographical areas but may also be assigned to serve in other areas as needed.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/area-seventies?lang=eng. ↩︎
  2. Russell M. Nelson, “Sustaining the Prophets,” October 2014, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/sustaining-the-prophets?lang=eng. ↩︎
  3. Quentin L. Cook, “Give Heed unto the Prophets’ Words,” April 2008, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/give-heed-unto-the-prophets-words?lang=eng. ↩︎
  4. Claudio R. M. Costa, “Obedience to the Prophets,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/10/obedience-to-the-prophets?lang=eng. ↩︎
  5. Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” October 2024, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/57nelson?lang=eng. ↩︎
  6. Russell M. Nelson, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” April 2024, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/57nelson?lang=eng. ↩︎
  7. Russell M. Nelson, “The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ,” April 2023, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/58nelson?lang=eng. ↩︎
  8. See examples at Deseret Book: https://www.deseretbook.com/category/church-resources_scriptures/church-resources_scriptures_scripture-journal-editions/. ↩︎
  9. Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Chapter 3: Study and Teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/preach-my-gospel-2023/04-chapter-3/06-chapter-3-intro?lang=eng. ↩︎
  10. This was a cross-reference I made, and AI put it in this outline. I left it, although it doesn’t refer to a conference talk, because I love how we can see so many patterns and consistencies between the general conference talks, the handbook, and the scriptures. ↩︎
  11. Ronald A. Rasband, “Right Before Our Eyes,” April 2025, quoting Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” October 2024. ↩︎
  12. Benjamin M. Z. Tai, “The Love of God,” April 2025. The talks by President Nelson that Elder Tai quoted are listed in his talk, so I haven’t included them here. ↩︎

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