BREAKING NEWS: Changes to Youth Proxy Baptism Procedures and Annual Priesthood Preview

Hello again, everyone! A comment on my blog earlier today tipped me off to some big Church news that actually was released yesterday but of which I had somehow not been aware until that time.I apologize that I am late in posting about it, but it deserves to be mentioned.

In an official letter from the First Presidency, the Church announced yesterday that, beginning in January 2018, opportunities to serve in the temple would be expanded for the youth of the Church. As most of you are no doubt aware, it has been a long-standing understood practice for priest-age young men of the Church to have the authority to baptize other individuals and also to serve as witnesses to baptisms as well, but that was only for those who are living. With the changes announced yesterday, priests will be authorized to be the baptizers and witnesses to baptisms for the dead in temples everywhere.

Additionally, the First Presidency announced that young women would now be given the opportunity to assist in keeping the baptistery stocked with clean baptismal clothing. As one who worked in a temple for six years, I can say this is great news. During my time serving in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, two problems were consistent: the baptistery never had enough priesthood holders to match the influx of youth that were coming to do baptisms.  And it always seemed like the laundry staff was short of people to deal with the volume of temple clothing that came through.

I don't have specific experience with either the temple laundry in general or that which came particularly from the baptistery, but I have been in meetings with my fellow male workers when our supervisors mentioned that the laundry was short-staffed and there was a scramble to ensure that was covered. If the other 158 temples of the Church are anywhere close to mirroring that situation, then these changes make sense.

Additionally, the First Presidency in that same letter (which will be read in congregations worldwide this Sunday) mentioned that, in a greater effort to ensure that Primary-age children were prepared for the priesthood and to do temple and family history work, the annual "priesthood preview" that had been attended solely by 11 year-old males of the Church in wards and stakes everywhere would be changed to be a "priesthood and temple preview" to which all 11 year-old girls and their parents would be invited as well.

This is not only great for the youth, but also wonderful for adult temple workers as well. Especially in areas where temples are busy and where ordinance workers may be needed elsewhere, this will enable the work of the baptisteries of the Church to go on uninterrupted. This will also hopefully continue to encourage youth everywhere to go to the temple.

That said, as always, there have been those that say these changes are not sufficient enough to put women on equal footing with men in the Church, and that will not happen unless and until women are allowed to officiate and serve as witnesses in the baptistery. And there are several groups pushing for the ordination of women to the priesthood that have said that this is a milestone, not a summit, and that they will continue to petition for women to be able to receive the priesthood until such requests are granted.

Of course, those who have truly studied the gospel, and particularly the doctrine of the priesthood and the Proclamation on the Family that was released 22 years ago will recognize the reasons why there is a separate but entirely equal opportunity for both men and women to serve side by side, both within the temple, and outside of it.

At any rate, as noted above, a copy of the letter outlining these momentous changes (which will take effect as of January 1, 2018) will be read in congregations throughout the world this Sunday, and the youth of the Church that have been interviewed by news media outlets about this change have reacted positively to these changes.

Not only should this be seen as a manifestation of the love the Lord has for the valiant youth of the Church who so faithfully do family history and take names to the temple for baptism and confirmation, but it is an extension of the authority those young men of age enough to be priests in the Aaronic Priesthood. And that will be above and beyond the already-significant participation of the youth of the Church in family history and temple work.

If early reports are any indication, that level of participation is likely to increase dramatically, above and beyond what it has been up to this point. For a more complete report of these changes and the responses of youth who were interviewed about them, see this article from the Deseret News (the parent company of the LDS Church News),

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.