What Is the True Church?

Adam, Seth, and the Ancient Fathers

The Church began with Adam, the first patriarch, who received the commandments, covenants, and priesthood of God and taught his family to worship the Lord. Though Abel was slain for his righteousness, the sacred covenant was not lost. It continued through Seth and the faithful fathers who followed Him, preserving the knowledge of God from one generation to the next. Enoch, great-grandfather of Noah, was such an example of holiness before the Lord, that he and his city were lifted up to the heavens, removed from the wickedness upon the earth. Through all of the ancient fathers' preaching, ordinances, and faithful examples, the Holy Priesthood was preserved. They called people to repent, receive the covenants of the Lord, and walk faithfully in His presence.

Noah, Shem, Melchizedek, and Abraham

Noah preserved the covenant line through the great flood, carrying the knowledge, commandments, and worship of God into a renewed world. This sacred inheritance continued through his righteous son Shem, or Melchizedek, the great king and high priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and confirmed the divine promises given to him. Abraham received revelation and direction from the Lord, entered into everlasting covenants, and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. Through his faithfulness, he became the father of a covenant people through whom the priesthood, the promises of God, and the blessings of the gospel continued among the nations.

Israel, Moses, Joshua, and the Prophets

The priesthood and sacred covenants were entrusted to Jacob and his twelve sons, establishing the house of Israel. Through the generations, great leaders - including Moses, Joshua, priests, judges, kings, and prophets - guided the Lord's people and called them back to Him. Over the centuries, Israel passed through recurring seasons of faithfulness, darkness, struggle, judgment, and redemption.

Jesus Christ and the Apostles

In the meridian of time, Jesus Christ came in the flesh, taught the true doctrine of the kingdom, called apostles, established sacred ordinances, and entrusted His servants with divine authority. At His death and resurrection, the earth shook, cities fell into the sea, and the course of history was forever changed. The New Testament era began. In the Old World, the twelve apostles led the growing Christian church, while in the Americas, twelve more disciples ministered among the Nephites and Lamanites, and established the same gospel, as recorded in the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon.

The Church After the Apostles: Scripture Preserved Through Confusion

After the apostles in Israel and the Americas fulfilled their appointed missions - preaching the gospel, administering ordinances, and establishing the One True Church of Jesus Christ - the Church entered an age of severe trial. As the original witnesses passed away, the church was gradually strained by persecution, confusion, political empire, competing doctrines, and the traditions of men. Divine authority was obscured and lost, nations and cultures were fractured, and the world was darkened for generations. Yet the Lord did not allow every sacred record to be lost. Portions of Holy Scripture were preserved through faithful hands, while other records were hidden, sealed, or carried into distant lands, protected by divine providence until the time appointed for their recovery and restoration.

Reformation and the Holy Bible

As centuries passed, a great church was established, but ultimately became darkened. Reformers rose to challenge corruption, inherited traditions, and teachings that obscured the word of God. A Reformation spread across Europe and took root in England, where renewed attention to Holy Scripture led to the translation and publication of the King James Bible, and incredible multigenerational prosperity. Through this work, the Bible became more widely available in the language of ordinary people, entering homes and enabling families to read, study, and preserve the word of God for themselves.

The Book of Mormon and the 1830s Restoration Witness

Increasing public access to scripture prepared the way for another great work of reformation in America. In the 1830s, the Book of Mormon was published, bringing forth a preserved record of God’s dealings with His covenant people in the ancient Americas, becoming another witness of Jesus Christ. Together, the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon opened a new era of scriptural discovery, calling people beyond centuries of confusion and inherited tradition toward the fulness of the gospel and the restoration of Christ’s One True Church.

The Present Work of Restoration

In our day, the Lord continues to speak and guide His people. He leads us out of error, restores forgotten truth, opens the meaning of Holy Scripture, and brings forth sacred records prepared for their appointed time. Through revelation, covenant, priesthood, and the witness of the Holy Spirit, He calls His people out of confusion and inherited tradition and back to the doctrine, ordinances, authority, and living faith established by Jesus Christ.

We are part of that continuing work today. The same Lord who called Adam, covenanted with Abraham, led Israel, and established His Church through Jesus Christ and His apostles is still gathering, teaching, and sanctifying His people. We preserve His Scriptures, serve through the restored Holy Priesthood, teach His doctrine, keep His covenants, and invite people and families to come unto Christ and gather with us.