Why is family important?

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Romans 8:16–17; Hebrews 12:9 (We are children of Heavenly Father)

• Genesis 2:18–24; Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4; 138:48 (Gospel truths about the family)

• Mosiah 4:14–15; Doctrine and Covenants 68:25, 27–29; 93:40, 43, 48–50 (Children learn the gospel from their parents)

• Dallin H. Oaks, “The Plan and the Proclamation,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 28–31

• Carole M. Stephens, “The Family Is of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 11–13

• D. Todd Christofferson, “Why Marriage, Why Family,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 50–53

• “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 145

• “Family,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), 14–15

• “Families Can Be Together Forever” (video)

• “The Home Is a Divine Institution” (video)

• “Proclamation” (video)

• Music for youth theme: “Nothing Can Separate Us”

Why is your family important to you? Why do you think families are central to Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation?

What messages are the young women receiving that contradict what the prophets have said about the importance of the family? How can you help them understand the eternal significance of the family?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

• Invite the young women to list on the board several ideas that challenge Heavenly Father’s view of the family and are common in the world today. Then ask them to search in President Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “The Plan and the Proclamation” for some doctrinal statements from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Section IV of President Oaks’s talk contains some examples of such statements. How could these statements help us respond to the ideas we listed on the board? What will we do to accept President Oaks’s challenge to teach the proclamation and live by it? As part of this discussion, you could show the video “Proclamation.”

• Draw a circle on the board. Invite a young woman to draw a family inside the circle. Around the circle, write premortal life, mortal life, and postmortal life. Ask a young woman to read the third paragraph of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and look for ways the family fits into each of these parts of the plan of salvation. Invite the young women to share their feelings for their families and why they want to be united with them after this life.

• Invite the young women to read Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk “Why Marriage, Why Family,” looking for answers to the question “Why are families important?” Invite them to share what they find. What can the young women do to show that they understand how important families are? How will their understanding of the importance of families affect the way they treat their family members?

• With permission from the bishop, invite one or more sisters from the ward who have a strong marriage to share with the class their feelings about marriage and family. What would they say to someone whose family situation is not ideal right now? (See “Family,” For the Strength of Youth, 14–15.) What would they say to someone who doesn’t see the need to get married and have children? Encourage the young women to ask any questions they have about preparing for marriage and family.

• Divide the class into four groups. Have each group study one of the sections of Carole M. Stephens’s talk “The Family Is of God” (each section begins with a bolded truth about the family). Ask each group to prepare to teach the other groups what they learn from their section. How can they teach and exemplify these truths in their families and communities?

• Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.