Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. Eight

The Family Proclamation is Needed More Now than Ever Before

The intensifying battle regarding the family. An old military maxim states, “that when there is a battle underway, persons who desire to join the fray should march to sound of the guns”. As President Oaks begins his responsibility as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the great battles that he has chosen to engage in relates to the doctrine taught in The Family – A Proclamation to the World. If we want to be engaged in this battle we should march to the sound of the guns and be prepared to actively support and defend the doctrine taught in the family proclamation. President Oaks is teaching the importance of the family proclamation and he invites us to engage in the battle to defend it. This battle is more intense now than ever before, more so than when the family proclamation was first taught 30 years ago.

After President Nelson died and before the First Presidency was reorganized, President Oaks presided over the Church as president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. At the October 2025 general conference spoke on The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said in part:

“The family proclamation, announced 30 years ago, declares that ‘the family is ordained of God’ and ‘is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.’ It also declares ‘that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.’ And ‘we further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.’ As then-Elder Russell M. Nelson taught a Brigham Young University audience, the family is “pivotal to God’s plan. … In fact, a purpose of the plan is to exalt the family.’”

“The Church of Jesus Christ is known as a family-centered church. It is! Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His spirit children. We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.”

The purpose of marriage and the value of children. “In the United States we are suffering from a deterioration in marriage and childbearing. For nearly a hundred years the proportion of households headed by married couples has declined, and so has the birthrate. The marriages and birthrates of our Church members are much more positive, but they have also declined significantly. It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children. That is the future for which we strive. ‘Exaltation is a family affair,’ President Nelson has taught us. ‘Only through the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ can families be exalted.’ The national declines in marriage and childbearing are understandable for historic reasons, but Latter-day Saint values and practices should improve—not follow—those trends.

President Oaks’ first book as Prophet is entitled Learning the Great Fundamentals and was published in 2026. In this book he explains how the family proclamation is different from the world’s belief and practice regarding the family.

Marriage, Family, and Gender. “Our knowledge of the great plan of happiness also gives us a unique perspective on the subject of marriage and the bearing of children. We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fulness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship.”

“Fundamental to us is God’s revelation that exaltation can be attained only through faithfulness to the covenants of eternal marriage between a man and a woman (see D&C 131:1-3). That divine doctrine is why we teach that ‘gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity” (The Family – A Proclamation to the World).

“This is also why the Lord has required His restored Church to oppose social and legal pressures to retreat from His doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman, to oppose changes that homogenize the differences between men and women or confuse or alter gender.

“The emphasis we place on the law of chastity is explained by our understanding of the purpose of our procreative powers in the accomplishment of God’s plan. Outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman, all uses of our procreative power are to one degree or another sinful and contrary to God’s plan for the exaltation of His children.”

Children. “Eternal doctrine also provides a distinctive perspective on children. We look on the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a joyful and sacred duty of those given the power to participate in it. In our view the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity. Therefore, we must contend for principles and practices that provide the best conditions for the development and happiness of children – all children.

“When married couples postpone childbearing until after they have satisfied their material goals, the mere passage of time assures that they seriously reduce their potential to participate in furthering our Heavenly Father’s plan for all of His spirit children. Faithful Latter-day Saints cannot afford to look upon children as an interference with what the world calls ‘self-fulfillment.’ Our covenants with God and ultimate purpose of life are tied up on those little ones who reach for our time, or love, and our sacrifice.”

Satan’s opposition. “We are beloved children of a Heavenly Father, who has taught us that maleness and femaleness, marriage between a man and a woman, and the bearing and nurturing of children are all essential to His great plan of happiness. Our position on these fundamentals frequently provoke opposition to the Church. We consider that inevitable. Opposition is part of the plan, and Satan’s most strenuous opposition is directed at whatever is most important to God’s plan. He seeks to destroy God’s work…. He also seeks to confuse gender, to distort marriage, and to discourage childbearing – especially by parents who will raise children in truth.

“A uniquely valuable teachings to help us prepare for eternal life, ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7), is the 1995 proclamation on the family. Its declaration are, or course, different from some current laws, practices, and advocacy, such as cohabitation and same-sex marriage. Those who do not fully understand the Father’s loving plan for His children may consider this family proclamation no more than a changeable statement of policy. In contrast, we affirm that the family proclamation, founded on irrevocable doctrine, defines the kind of family relationships where the most important part of our eternal development can occur.”

Testimony. I believe that the family proclamation is a litmus test for members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then we should ask ourselves how well we stand with teachings of the Lord’s living prophet. Here President Oaks has unequivocally taught that the family proclamation is not negotiable because it is the mind and will of God, and it is an essential part of the great plan of happiness.

Released on March 1st. 2026