During the week of Jan. 4-10, it was announced that President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will dedicate the Burley Idaho Temple on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Church News compiled an article highlighting what current Church leaders, including President Oaks, have taught about the importance of temple worship and the covenants made inside each temple.
Youth are invited to hear from Church leaders — including President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency — in a worldwide discussion to be broadcast Jan. 18. Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, will speak to young adults worldwide during a devotional on Sunday, Feb. 1.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was named as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church announced a new missionary approach at Temple Square to enhance the guest experience and increase missionary opportunities as the Church prepares for the Salt Lake Temple open house in 2027, and new mission leaders are being called for 188 missions worldwide. Also, speakers for RootsTech 2026 were announced, with the list including two Apostles.
In a Church News video, Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the purpose for the restored Church of Jesus Christ, and during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson asked missionaries to seek a change of heart in the new year.
In this week’s episode of the Church News podcast, Brigham Young University associate professor of ancient scripture Josh Sears breaks down how to understand doctrine and seek truth in the standard works.
Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch and BYU–Pathway Worldwide President Brian K. Ashton both testified of the importance of families during the 2026 inaugural devotionals of their schools.
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. President Oaks to dedicate Burley Idaho Temple
The Burley Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is pictured on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, during the temple media day in Burley, Idaho. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
President Oaks will dedicate the Burley Idaho Temple — Idaho’s seventh house of the Lord — on Sunday, Jan. 11. Information about the dedication was published in a Jan. 8 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The Church News will publish more news and updates about the Burley temple following its dedication.
Read more about this story here.
2. What Church leaders have taught about temples and temple covenants
President Dallin H. Oaks, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, looks over the Richmond Virginia Temple in Glen Allen, Virgina, on Saturday, May 6, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
As temples continue to dot the earth, Church leaders have continued to teach about the importance of temples and the covenants made inside them.
Quotes from current Church leaders and their teachings about the temple can help members understand the importance of temple worship.
Read what Church leaders have taught about temples and temple covenants here.
3. Upcoming events with Church leaders
President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, greets youth during the filming of the Jan. 18, 2026, worldwide discussion for youth on the Jerusalem set in Goshen, Utah. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are invited to gather on or after Sunday, Jan. 18, for a worldwide discussion with President Christofferson, Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman. The focus will be the 2026 youth theme, “Walk with me.”
Elder Kearon and Sister Kearon will speak to young adults worldwide during a devotional on Sunday, Feb. 1. The event will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of Institutes of Religion.
Read more about the worldwide discussion for youth here.
Read more about the young adult devotional here.
4. President Uchtdorf named as acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the afternoon session of the 195th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 5, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Following the death of President Jeffrey R. Holland on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was set apart as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Uchtdorf is now the Church’s third-most-senior apostle, after President Dallin H. Oaks, Prophet and President of the Church, and President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency. President Eyring, as the second-most-senior apostle, is president of the Quorum of the Twelve but does not function in that capacity because of his calling in the First Presidency.
Read more about the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles here.
5. Updates to missionary work
Sister missionaries react to an announcement that they will be reassigned from the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission to another nearby mission in Utah during a missionary devotional in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
To enhance the guest experience and increase missionary opportunities as the Church prepares for the Salt Lake Temple open house in 2027, sister missionaries will continue serving on Temple Square but will now be assigned to a surrounding mission, sharing their time between a teaching area and Temple Square. Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about the adjustment in a morning devotional with the 128 sister missionaries of the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission on Friday, Jan. 9.
Additionally, new mission leaders are being called to 188 missions worldwide, including 55 newly created missions.
Read more about adjustments to missionary work on Temple Square here.
See a list of the new mission leaders here.
6. RootsTech 2026 speakers to include Apostles
People attend 2025 RootsTech in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 7, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Elder Rasband and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, will speak during RootsTech 2026 Family Discovery Day on Saturday, March 7. Additionally, Elder Kearon will speak during the Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction.
RootsTech also announced the list of 2026 keynote speakers, which includes athletes, an astronaut and an actress.
Read more about Elder Rasband and Elder Kearon’s roles in RootsTech 2026 here.
Read more about the RootsTech 2026 keynote speakers here.
7. Video: Elder Caussé says he is ‘someone who has been changed through the gospel of Jesus Christ’
Elder Gérald Caussé, newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, responds to a question during an interview in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
In a Church News video titled “Changed Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Elder Caussé discusses his family and preparing for the Savior’s Second Coming.
“I know what it means to change your life, to go from a life of someone who does not know about the restored gospel to someone who has been changed through the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Watch the video with Elder Caussé here.
8. In lieu of New Year’s resolutions, President Camille N. Johnson asks missionaries to seek a ‘mighty change of heart’
Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson poses for a photo with missionaries after speaking at a Provo Missionary Training Center devotional in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. | Jeffrey D. Allred, for the Deseret News
At the Provo MTC, President Johnson spoke to missionaries about seeking a change of heart, like the one spoken of in Alma 5. President Johnson was joined at the Jan. 6 devotional by her husband, Brother Douglas R. Johnson.
Read more about President Johnson’s MTC devotional here.
9. Church News podcast Episode 275: BYU professor Josh Sears on understanding and using Bible translations
Professor Josh Sears, right, an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, joins Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen on the Church News podcast on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. | Screenshot from Church News YouTube
This week’s Church News podcast episode features Josh Sears, BYU associate professor of ancient scripture, as he discusses the flexibility in using Bible translations in home and church studies, helping members understand doctrine and seek truth in the standard works.
Listen to the podcast here.
10. Ensign College and BYU–Pathway Worldwide presidents speak in opening devotionals
Left, Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch and his wife, Sister Alynda Kusch, participate in a campus devotional held in the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026; right, BYU–Pathway Worldwide President Brian K. Ashton and his wife, Sister Melinda Ashton, speak during a devotional broadcast on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. | From left, provided by Ensign College; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
During an Ensign College devotional, President Kusch, joined by his wife, Sister Alynda Kusch, focused on President Oaks’ recent counsel on family and marriage. “I cannot with more emphasis bear my testimony of the importance of trusting and following living prophets,” the college president said during a devotional held in the Conference Center Theater on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
President Ashton and his wife, Sister Melinda Ashton, likewise testified of President Oaks’ teachings during a BYU–Pathway devotional on Jan. 9. “Families are central to God’s plan because we can only be exalted in families,” President Ashton said. “Families are also where we can experience the greatest joy.”
Read more about the Ensign College devotional here.
Read more about the BYU–Pathway devotional here.
