For the past several years, teaching in Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Society in Sunday meetings have focused on the teachings of former presidents of the church.
This coming year, these meetings will focus on the teachings of living prophets and apostles. This announcement is both exciting and terrifying.
Exciting because members of the church frequently take for granted that we enjoy the counsel of prophets and apostles who are guided by Jesus Christ. There have been times when only a small family such as that of Noah or of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob enjoyed this type of guidance. In the days of Moses, or during the reign of the Kings of Judah and Israel, a small nation had access to prophetic guidance. The current availability of prophets to people around the globe is unprecedented, and frequently overlooked. Emphasis on these inspired messages in Sunday meetings provides an opportunity for those who attend to receive the servants of God.
Terrifying because many people have sat through "Teachings for our Times" lessons that focused on general conference talks that follow this tired formula:
1. The instructor gets a volunteer to read a paragraph from a talk
2. The instructor tells everyone that they like the paragraph
3. The instructor asks a question that can be answered by "read your scriptures, go to church, pray."
4. The instructor checks the clock, and unless it is at least 5 minutes passed when the class is supposed to end, they begin again at step 1
The new teaching materials for youth and now for Priesthood and Relief Society are titled "Teaching in the Savior's Way," and this focus is intended to do promote that. Rather than have a structured lesson from a manual, the philosophy is meant to provide opportunity to counsel and instruct based on the needs of the individuals. This format is intended to promote a more natural expression of truth, faith, and testimony, and less of a canned one-size-fits-all lesson.
This is exactly how Jesus taught. To some people, he emphasized truths using dramatic comparisons such as the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. To others, he spoke more abstractly, such as his message to Nicodemus about being born again (John 3), or his teachings about the need to seek the bread of life to those who were hoping Jesus would give them a free meal (John 6). He spoke with impressive authority in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and with patience for little children (Mark 10). He knew how to handle those who were argumentative (Matthew 21:23-45), and those who needed help (Mark 2).
Jesus wanted people to think deeply about eternal truths. His approach encouraged people to search the scriptures and the words of the prophets, and persuaded people to pray, even though he did not emphasize the use of questions like "what are some ways we can follow the prophets?" or "who has a personal experience about this principle that they would be willing to share?" Though the words of prophets were fundamental to his message, he demonstrated their importance through application and demonstration rather than a shallow proclamation such as "I like what Isaiah said there."
For those who are assigned to teach in any capacity, I hope that this new focus encourages you to teach as Jesus did. Let the words of the prophets and the guidance of the Holy Ghost help you to persuade bad men to become good... and good men to become better... "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)
