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- The Church History Department will host its first conference on Christ's role in the Church of Jesus Christ.
- The event aims to help members see Christ's influence in church history.
- Keynote speakers include Elder Kyle S. McKay with panels on historical challenges.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is preparing to host a conference this week that is the first of its kind.
While hosting a church history conference is nothing new for the Church History Department, this conference may be more accessible to average church members, according to Matthew Godfrey, the department's senior managing historian.
The department began hosting an annual conference on "The Joseph Smith Papers" in 2017, and continued that event until the volumes were completed in 2023. However, Godfrey said department leaders wanted to continue hosting conferences and developed a plan to hold one every odd year, while continuing to co-sponsor church history symposiums with BYU on even years.
The theme of this year's conference is about discovering the presence of Jesus Christ in church history. "Even though we're the Church of Jesus Christ, I think sometimes when we look at our past, we don't necessarily think about Christ being involved in the day-to-day affairs," Godfrey said.
The conference, titled Jesus Christ at the Center of Church History, takes place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6, and will include panels, keynote speakers and scholars presenting their research.
Godfrey said he hopes those who attend will leave with a clearer understanding of Christ's hand in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
'Applicable to everyone'
Petra Javadi-Evans, an editorial manager in the Church History Department and the other co-chair of the conference, said that for the Joseph Smith Papers conferences, the audience they expected was scholarly. However, the organizers hope the audience for this conference will include more everyday church members. She said they especially want to see church educators and leaders, including those who teach young adults about church history.
"The theme of Christ at the center of church history is applicable to everyone," Javadi-Evans said.
She said she believes the only proper way to engage with church history is by focusing on Christ. She said the conference could help both those who love church history and those who are wary of it see how, historically, church members have relied on the atonement of Jesus Christ.
"This is his history, and he's been there all along," she said.
She is looking forward to the keynote message from Elder Kyle S. McKay, a general authority seventy in the church, and a panel he will moderate that includes former church historians and recorders. The panel will discuss how they worked to keep the church's historical records focused on Jesus Christ.
Godfrey said he thinks a planned roundtable discussion with a focus on navigating challenging issues in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ and another on how academics put Jesus Christ in their church history writing will be useful for church members.
"We hope it'll be edifying to them and that they'll come away with a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ," he said.
Godfrey said that in the last 20 years, with more information available on the internet, members are more often faced with challenging issues in church history. He said he hopes this conference's focus on Christ can help them as they navigate those issues.
Focus on Christ
Godfrey also shared how the Doctrine and Covenants, scripture written during the modern church's history, has taught him about Christ and given him a better understanding of the Atonement.
"Sometimes we focus on — as we rightly should — the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ, but I think the Doctrine and Covenants is also another testament of Jesus Christ and about his mission and how essential he is to both cleansing us and helping us live happier lives here," Godfrey said.
He said the church's history affects everyone and encourages members to attend this conference to become more familiar with it. "I think people will really come away from this being able to see Christ more in our history. And by doing that, I think they'll be able to see Christ more fully in their lives," he said.
Javadi-Evans said that although the Church History Department is still publishing scholarly work, it also wants regular church members to learn about church history. So, they are also focusing on helping members gain appreciation for the church's history through publications like "Saints" — a recently published series of books about church history, from the beginning to modern day.
How to attend
Godfrey said there is still space available for people who want to attend the conference. Anyone is welcome to register to attend in person, at the Conference Center Theater, or online until the final day of the conference.
Each presentation will be available both online and in person. However, those who are present will be able to ask questions after the sessions and interact with other attendees.
In conjunction with the conference, the Church History Department will also hold a panel discussion on Sept. 4 at the University of Utah Institute in Salt Lake City. The panel will feature young adults discussing their experiences of reading "Saints" through a Christ-centered lens,
Godfrey said the next church history conference, planned for 2027, doesn't have a theme yet, but department leaders aren in the process of developing one.
"We hope that this will be the commencement of several more church history department conferences that will probably be on a variety of different themes," he said.
