The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have announced a change to the manner in which seminary students will study and share their findings and testimonies with others.
Beginning April 5, 2021, seminary students will no longer be required to attend early-morning or release-time classes. Online classes, which have been more prevalent during the past year, will also be discontinued. Instead, seminary students will be encouraged to read the chapters of scripture outlined in the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum guide. They will then share their thoughts about their study via any of the many social media platforms available today.
Changes to the Church's missionary program in the past year, where full-time missionaries have been using social media to contact people interested in the gospel, have proven to be very successful.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the Church Board of Education, said this change will help youth have a more meaningful experience in their seminary years. "I'm very excited about this new direction," he said. "As more and more of the world's youth spend time on their phones, engaging in social media with friends, they'll have a powerful new opportunity to spread the gospel."
Chad Webb, administrator of the Seminaries and Institutes program of the Church, is also enthusiastic about the changes. "Everyone knows only old people use Facebook. The youth are spending their time on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. By sharing selfies and memes about the gospel, they can really have an impact on their followers."
President Russell M. Nelson further explained, "The youth of this church are our future, and it's vital we do our best to help them succeed. We know they struggle to wake up early or attend boring seminary classes with teachers who have no sense of humor. That's why we're announcing this bold new initiative on April Fool's Day."