Teaching and Learning in the Church
The Church prizes education and strongly encourages its members to pursue as much education as possible. “We hope that our people will gain education. We put very strong emphasis on education. It is a mandate from the Lord as we regard it, and we urge that very strongly with our own people.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Noelle's conversion story
(02:07)
I felt comfortable around the Mormon missionaries and Church members. They answered the questions I had and I felt an overwhelming sense of love.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized to perfect and bless the lives of the members. It provides opportunities to teach one another the gospel, fellowship and serve one another, and support one another in the quest for salvation. In the family and through the Church, members are taught the doctrines of the gospel. When members are called to teaching assignments, they are provided materials to enable them to succeed.
The Church emphasizes the importance of continued secular and spiritual education. The Church Educational System (CES) serves as the umbrella for all education programs of the Church, including Church-owned universities and colleges, institutes of religion, and seminary programs worldwide.
- Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, is the largest privately owned university in the United States. The school offers bachelor’s and graduate degree programs for over 30,000 students.
- BYU-Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii, has an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. According to a 2006 U.S. News and World Report survey, BYU-Hawaii is the most internationally diverse campus in the United States, with more than 74 countries represented.
- BYU-Idaho, located in Rexburg, Idaho, the school accommodates over 11,000 students.
- LDS Business College is located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It offers one- and two-year vocational programs to approximately 1,300 students.)
In 2001, the Church established the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) to help young men and women living in areas under very difficult circumstances get a good education and become self-reliant. The program is funded through contributions of Church members and friends and is a revolving resource in which money is loaned to an individual to help pay for advanced education or training. When a student has graduated and is working, he or she then pays back the loan to the fund at a low interest rate. The PEF—patterned after the Perpetual Emigration Fund, which helped more than 30,000 early Church members journey to the Salt Lake Valley from Europe in the mid to late 1800s—currently helps participants between the ages of 18 and 30 in 31 countries.
Importance of Education
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prize education and strongly encourage pursuing as much education as possible. Gordon B. Hinckley, former President of the Church, stated:
“We hope that our people will gain education. We put very strong emphasis on education. It is a mandate from the Lord as we regard it, and we urge that very strongly with our own people and would hope that would carry over to others. . . . Surveys have indicated that the higher the education, the more faithful the individual. . . . We expect people to think. We want them to think. We want them to dig. We want them to read. We want them to improve their minds, and with that message of hope and growth we reach out to them. That is our doctrine, which we teach, and we hope it bears fruit. 'The glory of God is intelligence, or . . . light and truth' (
