“Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on February 25th, 2024 at 09:46 pm

General Conference Applied

S2 E20 – Sunday, February 18, 2024 | “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation” by Brother Jan E. Newman; October 2023 General Conference

Listen on Amazon Music | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Google Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Corresponding Talk Outline: “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation“

Podcast Episode Outline

REMEMBER THIS

If you remember nothing else from this podcast episode, remember this:

  • Brother Newman has invited us to help our children know Jesus deeply and specifically.

Introduction

Doctrines, Principles, and Christlike Attributes

As we have discussed in previous episodes of General Conference Applied, it is important to identify the fundamental doctrine, principle, and Christlike attribute of each General Conference address. In “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation,” I identified Marriage and Family as the fundamental doctrine, Family Responsibilities as the fundamental principle, and Diligence as the fundamental Christlike attribute. I have included a detailed breakdown of this doctrine, principle, and Christlike attribute in the talk outline, but I will share additional insights during this podcast episode.

In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:

  1. What is the speaker inviting me to do?
  2. How might I consider taking action?

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

Invitations

1: “One of our most sacred responsibilities is to help our children come to know deeply and specifically that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, their personal Savior and Redeemer, who stands at the head of His Church! We cannot allow our covenant voice to become muted or silent when it comes to Him.”

  • What This Means (in 6 words or less): Help children know Jesus deeply, specifically.

Overview

Bio

“Jan E. Newman and his wife, Lucia, are the parents of six children.

“Jan E. Newman earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Brigham Young University.

“He has served in a variety of Church positions, including bishop, stake president, Scoutmaster, ward Young Men president and temple worker. As a young man, Brother Newman served a full-time mission in the Belgium Brussels Mission. From 2006 to 2009 he served as president of the Nebraska Omaha Mission. He was serving as a stake president when he was called to the Sunday School general presidency.

“He has worked in the software industry in Utah for over 30 years. He is a serial entrepreneur and has founded several successful software companies. He is currently a partner at SageCreek Partners, a technology consulting company in Utah.”

BYU Speech, February 6, 2024, “Magnifying Our Precious Gift of Time”

“Because my mission language was French, I was hired as a student teacher of entry-level French classes here at BYU. In fact, it was in one of these classes that I met my future wife, Lucia. I will never forget when she walked into my classroom in the JKHB on the first day of class. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I was super disappointed to find out she wasn’t actually enrolled in my class.

“Back then, in order to add a class, you had to get the teacher to sign a card. At the end of class, about twenty students came to the front of the room wanting to add my French 101 class. Lucia was at the very back of the group. Fortunately I have very long arms, so I reached over about three rows of hopeful students, grabbed Lucia’s card, signed it, and handed it back to her. Some of the other students were not pleased with my overreach.

“Before dating Lucia, I thought it would be a good idea to seek approval from the department chairman. When I asked him if it was okay to date a girl in one of my classes, he simply replied, ‘Isn’t that what BYU is all about?!’

“Now, it is not what BYU is all about, but for me it was right up there.

“That signature and approval changed my life forever. We began dating and were sealed in the Oakland California Temple about a year later.”

Jesus Christ
  1. How does this message help me become more like Jesus Christ?
    • 3 Nephi 17:21-25 – Jesus taught little children. Of all the things he could have been doing, he made time for these “little ones.” See also Mark 10:13-16.
  2. What does this message teach me about Jesus Christ?
    • Jesus Christ is deeply concerned about and invested in the children and youth of the Church. And, since Jesus Christ is deeply concerned and invested in the children and youth of the Church, I need to be as well.
“Child of the Covenant”

“Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation”

  • “Choices for Eternity“, May 15, 2022, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, President Russell M. Nelson:
    • “Labels can be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things. Many labels will change for you with the passage of time. And not all labels are of equal value. But if any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating. For example, if I were to rank in order of importance the designations that could be applied to me, I would say: First, I am a child of God—a son of God—then a son of the covenant, then a disciple of Jesus Christ and a devoted member of His restored Church. Next would come my honored titles as a husband and father, then Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. All other labels that have applied to me—such as a medical doctor, surgeon, researcher, professor, lieutenant, captain, PhD, American, and so forth—would fall somewhere down the list. Now, let us turn the question to you. Who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God. Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Tonight, I plead with you not to replace these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.”
    • I understand “child of God” and “disciple of Jesus Christ”, but why is “child of the covenant” so important?
  • President Russell M. Nelson, October 2011 General Conference, “Covenants“:
    • “One of the most important concepts of revealed religion is that of a sacred covenant. In legal language, a covenant generally denotes an agreement between two or more parties. But in a religious context, a covenant is much more significant. It is a sacred promise with God. He fixes the terms. Each person may choose to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant. We know that ‘when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.’ Through the ages, God has made covenants with His children. His covenants occur throughout the entire plan of salvation and are therefore part of the fulness of His gospel. … When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us. His law is written in our hearts. He is our God and we are His people. Committed children of the covenant remain steadfast, even in the midst of adversity. When that doctrine is deeply implanted in our hearts, even the sting of death is soothed and our spiritual stamina is strengthened. The greatest compliment that can be earned here in this life is to be known as a covenant keeper. The rewards for a covenant keeper will be realized both here and hereafter.”
    • “Child of God” connects me with our Heavenly Father. “Child of the covenant” connects me with my neighbor – i.e., everyone else. There is no room for hatred, discrimination, or racism. We are connected. The scriptures teach of the covenant people. I learn from them, and my children can learn from them as well.
“Behold Your Little Ones”

“Then, speaking to the multitude, Jesus said:

“‘Behold your little ones.

“‘And as they looked … they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven,’ ministering to their children.” (3 Nephi 17:23-24)

“I have often thought about this experience. It must have melted every person’s heart! They saw the Savior. They felt Him. They knew Him. He taught them. He blessed them. And He loved them. It’s no wonder that after this sacred event, these children grew up to help establish a society of peace, prosperity, and Christlike love that lasted for generations.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our children could have experiences like that with Jesus Christ—something that would bind their hearts to Him!”

  • Church News Podcast Episode 114: The Sunday School general presidency on coming closer to Jesus Christ using the 2023 ‘Come, Follow Me’ curriculum on the New Testament, December 13, 2022: “So we had met with the First Presidency a couple of weeks ago and President Nelson, again, told us how much he loved the Book of Mormon videos. He says, ‘Have you watched those?’ And I’m like going, ‘I haven’t watched all of them.’ So I went home and started watching. My wife started watching. And there was one scene where the Savior, He brings the children, He blesses them and He says, ‘Behold, your little ones.’ And these angels descend from Heaven and minister to the people. And right then I had this really strong impression that these angels who came and ministered to these people knew them. I don’t know exactly who they were, but they knew them. And there was a familiarity with these Heavenly beings in the people, you could just see it. And my wife had watched it earlier that day and then she said, ‘Hey, I had a really interesting impression about that video.’ And I go, ‘Was it the familiarity of the angelic visitors with the people?’ And she goes, ‘You had the same feeling?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I just had never felt that before.’ And I’d never felt that as I’ve read the scriptures, but when I saw it, it really impressed upon my mind. About five minutes later, our daughter called us, said, ‘Hey, I just watched this video where the angels came and ministered to the people and I had this impression.’ And she said the exact same thing. And we’re like going, ‘OK, that was pretty great.’ That three different people having different experiences and a similar feeling about — a powerful feeling about — the message that that video portrayed. And it may be something totally different to someone else, but we just lost a little baby in our family. And this daughter that called has been going through a very difficult time and that really touched her heart. And it made Heaven seem a little closer and that one day, her little daughter would be there as a heavenly being and that she would experience that. So, for a family, it was just so touching.”
  • Church News Podcast Episode 170: The Sunday School general presidency on personal conversion, the 2024 ‘Come, Follow Me’ curriculum and the Book of Mormon, January 9, 2024: “I love the fact that the Book of Mormon videos, they tell stories, and they take a section out of the scriptures and they tell a story. And that’s just not a story; it’s doctrine, and it’s principles and it’s things to build faith. And we were at the First Presidency one time, and we were talking about teaching. And President Nelson said, ‘You know how I taught my children?’ He says, ‘I used to use one of those little filmstrip projectors, where it beeped and you turn it.’ He says, ‘That is how I taught my children the gospel, was using that to tell these little stories.’ Now we have these beautiful videos that can do the same thing. And I will never forget when the second group of videos came out and President Nelson talked about them in conference. And we sat down and watched, and the one that just was so touching to me was when the Lord said, ‘Behold your little ones’ (3 Nephi 17:23), and the angels descended out of heaven and ministered to them. And as we sat and looked and listened — I’ll never forget my wife, she goes, ‘I had the impression that these people that were descending out of heaven knew these people. They were family. They were ancestors. They were people that really knew them. They just weren’t someone that was random, but they were very special to the people that they appeared to.’ And as we thought about that, and we shared that with our family, it was just really a touching moment for us.”
Don’t Be Timid

“We cannot allow our covenant voice to become muted or silent when it comes to [Jesus Christ].”

Connection

Brother Newman has delivered two General Conference addresses. His first address was delivered in the April 2021 General Conference. As I have shared in my podcast trailer, the invitation that Brother Newman shared in that April 2021 General Conference address (“Teaching in the Savior’s Way“) ultimately led to the creation of the General Conference Applied Podcast.

  • “The Church provides many teaching resources in the Gospel Library app and on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. One such resource is titled Teaching in the Savior’s Way. I invite you to read and study its every word.”

I can still remember where I was when I heard that invitation (halfway up a flight of stairs in my home) and the thoughts that immediately followed: “I want to accept that invitation.” And, “what other invitations are being extended in General Conference that I am missing?”

How might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “One of our most sacred responsibilities is to help our children come to know deeply and specifically that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, their personal Savior and Redeemer, who stands at the head of His Church! We cannot allow our covenant voice to become muted or silent when it comes to Him.”

  • What This Means (in 6 words or less): Help children know Jesus deeply, specifically.
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
  1. “He invites us, as He invited those parents in the Book of Mormon, to bring our little ones to Him. We can help them know their Savior and Redeemer the way these children did. We can show them how to find the Savior in the scriptures and build their foundations on Him.”
    • Church News Podcast Episode 170: The Sunday School general presidency on personal conversion, the 2024 ‘Come, Follow Me’ curriculum and the Book of Mormon, January 9, 2024 (President Mark L. Pace): “I invite us to get a clean copy of the Book of Mormon. I invite us to read it with questions that we have. And I invite us to mark and see how the Lord answers our questions as we read the Book of Mormon. When I was a bishop, I had a list of all the youth in my ward, and I wrote down all their names. And then on the other side of the page, I wrote ‘Those who have read the Book of Mormon.’ And as I interviewed the youth, I would ask them, ‘Have you had a chance to read the Book of Mormon?’ ‘Well, we’ve read it as a family.’ I said, ‘Have you had a chance to read it yourself?’ ‘Well, no, I haven’t.’ I said, ‘I would encourage you to read it yourself. You need to know.’ And as we’d have subsequent interviews, I would ask them about that. And sometimes I’d have an interview, and Sarah would look at me, and she’d say, ‘Aren’t you going to ask me?’ And I’d say, ‘Sarah, yes, I was. How are you doing on reading the Book of Mormon?’ And she said, ‘I just finished it.’ And then there was a Spirit that rested down over us. And I said, ‘And how was it, Sarah?’ And she said, ‘It was wonderful.’ Then I wrote Sarah’s name over on the other side of the piece of paper. Sarah had read the Book of Mormon, and on and on and on. And my effort as a bishop was to get as many of the youth’s names from the left side of my piece of paper to the right, because as their names came over on the right-hand side of the page when they’d read the Book of Mormon, my ‘fears did cease concerning [them]’ (1 Nephi 4:37), because they were in a different level spiritually, and their lives had changed.”
  2. “To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep. We remove anything that is sandy or superfluous in our lives. We keep digging until we find Him. And we teach our children to bind themselves to Him through sacred ordinances and covenants.”
    • President Emily Belle Freeman, October 2023 General Conference, “Walking in Covenant Relationship with Christ“: “We call this walking the covenant path—a path that begins with the covenant of baptism and leads to deeper covenants we make in the temple. Perhaps you hear those words and think of checkboxes. Maybe all you see is a path of requirements. A closer look reveals something more compelling. A covenant is not only about a contract, although that is important. It’s about a relationship. President Russell M. Nelson taught, ‘The covenant path is all about our relationship with God.'” (“The Everlasting Covenant“, October 2022 Liahona)
  3. “For the rising generation, it’s not enough for faith in Jesus Christ to be ‘the tradition of their fathers.’ They need to own faith in Christ for themselves. As the covenant people of God, how can we instill within the hearts of our children a desire to make and keep covenants with Him? We can start by following the example of Nephi: ‘We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.’ (2 Nephi 25:26) Nephi’s words imply a constant, ongoing effort to teach our children about Christ. We can ensure that the voice of the covenant people is not silent in the ears of the rising generation and that Jesus is not a Sunday-only topic.”
    • In our 2/17/2024 Stake Conference adult session, Elder Paul N. Clayton (Area Seventy and son-in-law of President M. Russell Ballard) called this verse from 2 Nephi “intentional parenting.”
    • Diligence (Christlike Attribute): “Diligence is consistent, earnest effort. In missionary work, diligence is an expression of your love for the Lord. When you are diligent, you find joy and satisfaction in the Lord’s work (see Alma 26:16). Diligence includes doing many good things of your own free will instead of waiting for leaders to tell you what to do (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–29). Continue to do good even when it is hard or you are tired. Yet recognize the need for balance and rest so you do not ‘run faster than [you have] strength’ (Mosiah 4:27). Center your heart and interests on the Lord and His work. Avoid things that distract you from your priorities. Focus your time and efforts on the activities that will be most effective in your area and most helpful to the people you are teaching.” NEVER GIVE UP!
  4. “So what does it look like to feast on the words of Christ and hear Him? Well, it looks like whatever works best for you! It might be gathering with your family to talk about the things the Holy Ghost taught you in your scripture study using Come, Follow Me. It might be gathering each day with your children to read a few verses from the scriptures and then looking for opportunities to discuss what you learned as you spend time together. Just find what works for you and your family; then try to do a little better each day.”
    • Church News Podcast Episode 169: Elder Dale G. Renlund on his testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Church’s distribution of 200 million copies of the sacred text
      • “The wonder of ‘Come, Follow Me’ is that it is terrific for busy moms and busy dads because of the way it is organized. So if we are really busy, the worst thing that we can do is to make it overly complex, to think that it has to be done in a certain way, it has to be a lesson, it has to be that way. Instead, what we can do is we can take out our little Gospel Library app, we can go to “Come, Follow Me” 2024 tile, we go to Individuals and Families, we go to the material, you go to the week and you see what is there. And you can scroll through it, and you get to a place that talks about ideas for family scripture study and home evening, and all of a sudden, you have some passages. You can just read those, you can ask what the application is, or you find where there is a video that you can show and ask people in the family what they saw. And it does not require a huge amount of preparation to do that, because it is laid out, it is simple. And I think then, you do just that; you show the video, ask your children, and then you say, as a busy mom or busy dad, ‘Well, that was great. Let’s have prayer and go to bed.’ And so I think the biggest challenge is thinking that there is a huge preparation that is needed, whereas just getting into it, just starting at picking the week, just looking through and seeing what little piece you want to read out of there, I think that helps.”
  5. “Ward councils are authorized to organize teacher council meetings for parents. In these quarterly meetings, parents can gather to learn from each other’s experiences, discuss how they are strengthening their families, and learn key principles of Christlike teaching. This meeting should be held in the second hour of church. It is led by a ward member selected by the bishop and follows the format of regular teacher council meetings, using Teaching in the Savior’s Way as the primary resource. Bishops, if your ward is not currently holding teacher council meetings for parents, work with your Sunday School president and ward council to organize yourselves.”
    • Brother Jan E. Newman, “Teaching in the Savior’s Way“, April 2021 General Conference: “The Church provides many teaching resources in the Gospel Library app and on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. One such resource is titled Teaching in the Savior’s Way. I invite you to read and study its every word.”
    • Handbook Section 13.5: “Improving Learning and Teaching in the Home. Parents are responsible for teaching the gospel to their children. They can ask the Sunday School president to help them improve as teachers. The ward council may organize teacher council meetings for parents to help them improve gospel teaching in the home. Like other teacher council meetings, these are held during the 50-minute class time on Sunday. Teaching in the Savior’s Way is the main resource for these meetings.”
    • Church News Podcast Episode 170: The Sunday School general presidency on personal conversion, the 2024 ‘Come, Follow Me’ curriculum and the Book of Mormon, January 9, 2024 (Brother Jan E. Newman): “So, the one thing with teacher council meetings for parents is we’re trying to put something in place so parents don’t feel alone. And that could be grandparents, it can be single parents, it can be anybody that is working in their home to teach family members. And I think sometimes we just feel really alone. And it really is a council meeting. So, the first little part we spend counseling together, sharing what we’re experiencing; the good and maybe some of the challenges. And we take 15 minutes or so, and we do that. And that’s one of my favorite parts. I do this all the time with members, and I love listening, especially when people are kind of raw and really honest, and they just say, ‘We are really struggling with this.’ And they say what they’re struggling about, and someone says, ‘You know what? I remember our family was like that one time. Here’s what we did.’ And all sudden, all of this great momentum comes together, right? The next one is you learn together, take 15 minutes, and you take a principle out of ‘Teaching in the Savior’s Way,’ Christlike teaching, whether it’s ‘Love Those You Teach,’ ‘Teach the Doctrine,’ ‘Teach by the Spirit,’ ‘Invite Diligent Learning.’ And you learn together, and you share ideas and thoughts. And then the last thing, for 15 minutes or so, you talk about the things you learned that day. And then you invite people over the next three months or so to implement those things. And I think the best thing we can do is we create a group that can then talk to each other, outside of that teacher council meeting, about what’s going on, and they can support each other.”
    • 2/13/2024 journal entry: Elders Quorum and Relief Society are more than a meeting – they are a mastermind. While a large group setting is not necessarily ideal for discussing individual efforts at teaching the gospel in the home, perhaps breakout groups in these meetings, or ministering visits in the homes, are ways to discuss these efforts more frequently than once a quarter. Utilize teacher council meetings for parents to generate ideas, but then more individual efforts to take action on those ideas.
Other Ideas
  • Teacher council meetings for parents:
    • ‘Think and Grow Rich‘ by Napoleon Hill: “The Mastermind principle: Two or more people actively engaged in the pursuit of a definite purpose with a positive mental attitude, constitute an unbeatable force.”
    • Organize a book club to study Teaching in the Savior’s Way with members of my Elders Quorum
    • Schedule ministering visits with the families to whom I minister and plan to discuss certain sections of Teaching in the Savior’s Way during these visits (discuss with my ministering companion)
    • Make a list of ideas for how I might better teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to my children. In a 2/17/2024 Stake Conference adult session, Elder Paul N. Clayton shared two excerpts from Elder David A. Bednar’s April 2019 General Conference address (“Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing“) and then invited us to consider ways we could 1) transform our homes into missionary training centers and 2) transform our homes into “vital temple preparation classes.” We could do this individually, as a couple, etc. (even if we don’t have our own children).
      • “The ultimate missionary training center is in our homes; secondary missionary training centers are located in Provo, Manila, Mexico City, and in other locations.”
      • “Vital temple preparation classes occur in our homes; important but secondary temple preparation classes also may be conducted periodically in our meetinghouses.”

Report on Prior Week’s Action Item

Last week I committed to studying ‘The Living Christ’ and then taking 20 minutes to write my testimony of Jesus Christ in my journal.

I echo the closing words of ‘The Living Christ’: “He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”

This Week’s Action Item

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician

“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”

Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.

“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”

Mitch Peterson

I will contact a member of my ward council and ask them to discuss, in their next ward council meeting, organizing teacher council meetings for parents in my ward.

Let Me Know

How will you take action on this General Conference address? Let me know on social media or email me.

REMEMBER THIS

If you remember nothing else from this podcast episode, remember this:

  • Brother Newman has invited us to help our children know Jesus deeply and specifically.

Tags

Children | Councils | Covenants | Jesus Christ | Parents | Scripture Study | Teaching

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“More Than a Hero” by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell)

Next Podcast Episode (“Do You Want to Be Happy?” by Elder Yoon Hwan Choi and “Hallmarks of Happiness” by Elder Gary B. Sabin)

All Podcast Episodes

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial