The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Announces New Name Guidelines

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is exactly that, so said President Russell M. Nelson in a very strong statement Thursday.

Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name?” President Nelson said Thursday, everything.

That message, say observers, had been as much to Church members as it is to those outside the faith or members of the media. It is not the “LDS Church,” or the “Mormon Church.”

The statement read:

“The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months.”

This was not the first time President Nelson has spoken about the Church’s name. He addressed it during the April 1990 General Conference, held at the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

“By divine directive, the title of the Church bears the sacred name of Jesus Christ, whose Church this is…. I refer to a name given by the Lord. ‘Thus shall my Church be called in the last days. Even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,’” he said.

President @NelsonRussellM of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made the following statement regarding the name of the Church: https://t.co/BOu5IIYBr1

— Mormon Newsroom (@MormonNewsroom) August 16, 2018

Even then, he mentioned other Church leaders speaking of the same issue.

Years ago, its members were cautioned by the Brethren, who wrote, “We feel that some may be misled by the too frequent use of the term ‘Mormon Church.’ Before any other name is considered to be a legitimate substitute, the thoughtful person might reverently consider the feelings of the Heavenly Parent who bestowed that name.”

In that same talk, he also said the word “saint” was used more often in the Bible than the word “Christian.”

“The term saint (or saints) appears in 36 verses of the Old Testament and in 62 verses of the New Testament,” he said.

Former counselor in the General Relief Society presidency, Sheri Dew said then and now, he was speaking first to Church members.

“As I read the press release and tried to contemplate what it actually means, and I’ve read some of those other addresses, I think they’re saying, ‘This is the Church of Jesus Christ. Let’s not cut him out,’” she said. “We are followers of Jesus Christ. You know when you hear somebody say, ‘Well, the Church of the Latter-day Saints?’ and we kind of bristle and say, ‘That’s not who we are!’ And yet we say LDS Church all the time, Mormon Church all the time, Mormonism all the time. None of those really reflect who we are, followers of Christ.”

So, what about The Mormon Tabernacle Choir?  “Meet the Mormons?” “I Am A Mormon?” Mormon Newsroom, Mormon.org and so forth? President Nelson said various Church departments were working on the changes. It wasn’t clear how much was going to change, but changes are likely coming.

One thing that will not change is, “The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” because that title refers to the ancient Prophet Mormon.

“He is the one who pulled all of these ancient records together, complied them, edited them,” said Dew. “That’s why that book is called after him, but it’s not supposed to be an indicator of who we are as a people.”

The next General Conference meetings will take place October 6-7 at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City. President Nelson and other Church leaders will likely address the name of the Church then, if not before.