As a seminary teacher, there are several foundational principles that are critical to understand about your role and the learning experience you provide for your students. Study these principles carefully. Understanding and applying these principles will help increase your capacity to bless your students lives.
1. Deepening Conversion to Jesus Christ is our goal
The Objective of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion states:
Our purpose is to help youth and young adults deepen their conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven.
True conversion is more than changing behavior—it is changing our very nature (see “Conversion,” Topics and Questions, Gospel Library). Every lesson you prepare and teach is a chance to help students take another step toward becoming more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Conversion takes time; it doesn’t happen in one lesson.
2. The Spirit is the real teacher and the true source of conversion
Teaching in the Savior’s way reminds us:
The Holy Ghost is the true teacher. No mortal teacher, no matter how skilled or experienced, can replace His role in witnessing of truth, testifying of Christ, and changing hearts. But all teachers can be instruments in helping God’s children learn by the Spirit ("Teach by the Spirit," Teaching in the Savior’s Way).
Because the Spirit is the real teacher and the true source of conversion, the learning experiences you create should invite the presence of the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost is present, He can personalize a learning experience to address individual needs of every student who is sensitive to His promptings in your class. Great care must be given to what is and is not done in class to ensure the continued presence of the Holy Ghost.
3. As teachers prepare themselves spiritually, they invite revelation to guide them in their teaching
Live the Gospel
The LIVE paragraph of the objective states:
We live the gospel of Jesus Christ and strive for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Our conduct and relationships are exemplary in the home, in the classroom, and in the community. We continually seek to improve our performance, knowledge, attitude, and character. We listen carefully to God’s living prophets and follow their inspired teachings and direction.
No greater preparation can occur than that of living a life worthy of the guiding, enabling companionship of the Holy Ghost. Be careful what you do and say so His influence can remain.
Pray for Help
The Lord taught “And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:14). Pray with faith for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Teachers can ask for the gift of discernment to better understand each student, for help to reach individual students, and for the gift of charity to love those students who may be more difficult to love (see Moroni 7:48).
Study the Scriptures Personally
This preparation includes regular, personal study of the scriptures, with emphasis in studying the Book of Mormon as well as studying the scriptures along with the Come, Follow Me schedule. Studying along with Come, Follow Me is an important way to prepare to teach students. This also includes regular study of current teachings of prophets and Church leaders. The learning experiences you prepare will need an inspired teacher who regularly studies the word of God and seeks the companionship of the Holy Ghost. As you regularly study the scriptures, you can be confident that Heavenly Father will inspire you through His Spirit on how to meet the needs of your students.
Exercise Faith
An effective teacher has faith in Jesus Christ, has confidence in the power of the word of God, trusts in the Holy Ghost to perform His role, and trusts students to perform their role. When teachers are not successful, it is often because one of these elements is lacking.
Faith in Jesus Christ. The responsibility to teach the gospel to youth and young adults can feel overwhelming. Remember, this is the Lord’s work and He helps those who turn to Him in faith. Mormon taught, “And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33). The Lord understands the needs of every student, and the Spirit can carry the gospel message to each student and meet their needs.
Confidence in the power of the word of God. Teachers may be tempted to believe that students will not like studying the scriptures, or that they cannot teach the scriptures day after day and maintain students’ interest. However, the scriptures and words of prophets are your greatest tool for student engagement and learning by the Holy Ghost. Brother Chad Webb said, “with consistent effort, we can learn to understand and love the scriptures and trust that they have the answers to the questions of the soul” ("That All May Be Edified," Liahona, Oct 2025).
Trust in the Holy Ghost to perform His role. We cannot force spiritual things, but we can create an environment that invites the Holy Ghost to perform His role. This can be done by cultivating a learning environment of love, respect, and purpose. A teacher can also do much by praying for the Holy Ghost to be present during class. Then, include time in class for students to seek inspiration from the Holy Ghost to help them receive revelation from their Father in Heaven to help them with what they are facing in their lives.
Trust Students to Perform Their Role. Teachers can trust in the students when they see them as Heavenly Father and His chosen servants see them. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught “the youth of the church are hungry for things of the Spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted…You do not have to sneak up behind this spiritually experienced youth and whisper religion in his ears; you can come right out, face to face, and talk with him. You do not need to disguise religious truths with a cloak of worldly things; you can bring these truths to him openly” ("The Charted Course of the Church in Education"). Prepare and teach in a way that shows your trust that students are diligent learners. Elder Clark G. Gilbert taught: “Please trust your students. This is the only way they will become who the Lord needs them to become.… When we teach our students to learn diligently by becoming active participants, we are also teaching them how to seek and receive direction from the Holy Ghost. It is this skill set that will bless them long after they have left our classrooms” (“The Power is in Them,” S&I Annual Training Broadcast 2025).
4. The Word of God Found in the Scriptures and Teachings of Prophets Is the Primary Source
The primary source for preparing learning experiences is the word of God found in the scriptures and teachings of prophets. The Lord instructed Hyrum Smith before he attempted to preach the gospel, to "first seek to obtain my word". Before helping your students have a meaningful experience in the word of God, you need to have your own experience. When you have paid your own price in the assigned scriptures and teachings of church leaders the Lord can then promise you, as he did to Hyrum, "then shall your tongue be loosed... you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men" (Doctrine and Covenants 11:21).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland made a significant declaration. You can watch this video from time code 32:46 to 33:10 or read his statement below.
Unless you feel passionately about something, you cannot possibly, worlds without end, ever make your students feel passionately about it. May I repeat that? Unless you feel passionately about something, you cannot possibly hope to make your students feel passionately about it. ("Angels and Astonishment", S&I Broadcast, 2019).
Study carefully the scriptures and quotes in each curriculum lesson. As you prayerfully study the scriptures and words of prophets the Holy Ghost will help you meet the needs of your students.
5. S&I Curriculum Is the Primary Resource
The S&I curriculum is your primary resource for preparing the learning experience. The curriculum will indicate which scriptures and teachings of church leaders to help students study. Start by adopting the lesson as written in the manual. This helps you stay balanced in applying principles from Teaching in the Savior’s Way. It also ensures doctrinal accuracy, reflects the intent of the inspired author, adds variety to the learning experience, and prepares you to appropriately adapt the curriculum according to your student needs and impressions from the Holy Ghost.
President Dallin H. Oaks provided the following counsel. You can watch this video from time code 22:26 to 23:25 or read the statement below:
We first adopt, then we adapt. If we are thoroughly grounded in the prescribed lesson that we are to give, then we can follow the Spirit to adapt it. But there is a temptation, when we speak about this flexibility, to start off by adapting rather than adopting. It’s a balance. It’s a continual challenge. But the approach of adopting first and then adapting is a good way to stay on sound ground. And if you find yourself constantly working off in another direction you need to question whether you are really doing it to follow inspiration or to follow personal preference (“A Panel Discussion with Elder Dallin H. Oaks” [Seminaries and Institutes of Religion satellite broadcast, Aug. 7, 2012], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
For an example of how adopting the content in the teacher manual helped a teacher be better prepared to receive inspiration from the Holy Ghost to adapt to meet the needs of his students watch this video:
A seminary teacher explains how shifting from planning everything on his own to relying on the seminary teacher manual freed up time and mental space—letting him focus on what matters most: his students.
6. Teaching in the Savior's Way Will Lead to Conversion
Jesus Christ is the perfect example of teaching that leads to conversion. As you incorporate principles of Christlike teaching, outlined in Teaching in the Savior’s Way, you provide an opportunity for the Holy Ghost to fulfill His role in deepening your student’s conversion to Jesus Christ. The curriculum is designed to help you incorporate principles of Christlike teaching. As you increase your ability to recognize these principles modeled in the curriculum, you will be better able to incorporate and apply them regularly in the learning experiences you provide for your students.
Each learning experience should:
- Be taught in an atmosphere of love and respect (love those you teach).
- Be centered on Jesus Christ (focus on Jesus Christ).
- Help students learn the gospel from the scriptures and words of the prophets (teach the doctrine).
- Help students fulfill their role in learning for themselves (invite diligent learning).
- Invite the Holy Ghost to guide and teach (teach by the Spirit).
The curriculum is best suited to help you Focus on Jesus Christ, Teach the Doctrine, and Invite Diligent Learning. The learning experiences in the curriculum, however, are limited in their ability to help you Love Those You Teach and Teach By the Spirit. These principles are your responsibility as a teacher.