September 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” which proclaims that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

On this episode of the Church News podcast, reporter Mary Richards continues the discussion of “The Family Proclamation,” as she is joined by Jenet Erickson, an associate professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University. Erickson teaches, researches and presents on the family as a fellow of both the Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies. Together they discuss the divine design of the family, mothers’ well-being and how the proclamation’s principles promote family stability and happiness.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Thirty years ago, on Sept. 23, 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stood at the pulpit in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and gave a proclamation to the world on the sacred importance of the family. Over the next three decades, this powerful document, titled “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” has guided members of the Church, and others, in strengthening home and family by adhering to its prophetic principles in an increasingly changing world. 

On this episode of the Church News podcast, Church News reporter Mary Richards continues the discussion of “The Family Proclamation” and the family itself. She is joined by co-directors of Brigham Young University’s American Families of Faith Project, Loren Marks and David Dollahite, both of whom are professors of family life at Brigham Young University. They highlight their 25-year interfaith research on religiously active families and how resilience is built through faith practices. 

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Sept. 23, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the publishing of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Members of the Church also refer to this proclamation as the family proclamation. For three decades, the principles and doctrine outlined in this document have helped members of the Church, as well as others, to strengthen and understand the importance of family in God’s eternal plan.

In this episode of the Church News podcast, W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project, joins Church News editor Ryan Jensen to discuss the benefits of a “marriage mindset.”

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

During his nine-year tenure as president of Brigham Young University and roughly two decades serving the Church’s flagship university before that role, Kevin J Worthen has learned a lot from the school’s mission statement to “assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.” Worthen and his wife, Peggy Worthen, join Church News editor Ryan Jensen in this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss their learnings about family, humility and trusting the revelations of scriptural and modern prophets. They share their unique perspective of BYU and the power of embracing the opportunities of service, one step at a time. 

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The "Together in Christ" Utah Area YSA Conference 2025 will once again bring thousands of young single adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from across Utah to Salt Lake City. They will gather together for this three-day event filled with devotionals, breakout sessions, concerts, socializing activities and even speed dating. Conferences like this are not the only places these members are gathering. 

Around the world, gathering places are being formed by the Church to help single members ages 18 to 35 and their friends participate in wholesome activities and experiences that bring them closer to one another and to God. In this episode of the Church News podcast, Church News editor Ryan Jensen is joined by Sarah Kellar, the creative director of this year's Utah Area YSA Conference, and event co-chairs and YSAs Sienna Jenson and James Fetzer. They share insights into how events and places like these strengthen young adults, both spiritually and socially, as these programs and more draw them "Together in Christ."

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

For Church News reporter Sydney Walker, the journey into journalism involved viewing challenges as opportunities and trusting the Lord would guide her to where she needed to be. A Brigham Young University journalism graduate in 2017, she interned for the Deseret News’ Faith section, worked as an assistant in the Priesthood and Family Department at Church headquarters and later became a reporter at the Church News. In this episode of the Church News podcast, Walker joins Church News editor Ryan Jensen to discuss how faith in a loving Heavenly Father and in the Savior, Jesus Christ, has helped her embrace opportunities to serve in various roles and places.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

In 2026, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will study the Old Testament again for “Come, Follow Me” at home and church. According to Seminaries and Institutes of Religion teacher Aaron Coombs, focusing on gospel principles like covenants and the Atonement of Jesus Christ can help audiences understand thousands of years of history and cultural context found in these sacred texts. Coombs joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast for a primer on the Old Testament, offering tips for teaching all ages and levels of understanding.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was announced by President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 1, 2023. For Sister Mary N. Cook, who served with her late husband, Elder Richard E. Cook, as the first mission leaders in Mongolia in 1995-1996, this announcement marked decades of challenges and miracles in this Central Asian country. Sister Cook joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast to talk about the Church’s miraculous start and growth in Mongolia, as the restored gospel of Jesus Christ “shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:58).

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Since the early days of the Restoration, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have championed the fundamental human right to religious freedom. In 2023, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, asked, “Where would the absence of religious freedom lead society?” To consider this important question, author, researcher and professor on religious law Steven T. Collis joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast. They discuss the importance of understanding religious freedom, including Collis’ conversion story; how to advocate for it by being peacemakers; and the need to promote this freedom worldwide. 

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The partnership of Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and his wife, Sister Kalleen Lund, has been an international one. Having met first in Frankfurt, Germany, while President Lund was enlisted in the U.S. Army after serving a mission, they reunited later as students at BYU in Provo, Utah, and married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1980. They have four children and several grandchildren, have served as mission leaders in the Georgia Atlanta Mission and have built a life of both religious and community service. They join Church News editor Ryan Jensen on this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss how patterns of service and sacrifice have blessed their lives as they serve their Church, community and family.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.