“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” is “the Lord’s plan for the eternal destiny of all His children.”
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared this message and more as he spoke to students at Brigham Young University (BYU) on September 23, 2025, the 30th anniversary of the landmark document first read to the public by President Gordon B. Hinckley at a global gathering of women on September 23, 1995.
Elder Rasband, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was speaking to students at the weekly campus devotional in Provo, Utah.
As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband said one of his duties is to teach people about the proclamation. He and other Church leaders have done this with kings and religious and civic leaders around the world, he said. This includes President Henry B. Eyring speaking about it during his 2014 visit to the Vatican.
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“The proclamation helps us as disciples of Jesus Christ to recognize that our lives, our daily choices, distinguish us from the ways and advocacy of the world around us,” Elder Rasband said. “We have accepted the teachings and example of our Lord and Savior to help us live righteously.”
The Apostle, reiterating his April 2024 general conference message that “words matter,” highlighted five words and phrases from the proclamation: family, creator, eternal destiny, children, and happiness.
Family
First, Elder Rasband spoke about the word “family.” He said families come in many forms: Single-parent families, families of one, families with many or no children, blended families, and more.
He urged students to follow this pattern outlined in the proclamation: “[Parents] have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.”
Elder Rasband reminded students that, as it says in the proclamation, they are each “a beloved [spirit] son or daughter of heavenly parents.” “That eternal connection is the constant in your life; it will never change,” he added. “You belong to an eternal family, so set your course today with ‘faith and repentance and . . . holy works’ (Alma 12:30).”
The Apostle urged students to make the Savior of the world the beating heart of their family life.
“Whether there is just one in your family or already a handful, decide right now to put the Lord Jesus Christ at the center of your family,” he said. “Read the scriptures together. Pray together and ask the Lord to guide you in these critical years ahead.”
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Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Melanie, arrive at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.Creator
The second word Elder Rasband focused on was “creator.”
God “created the plan that brought us here,” the Apostle said. “And if we live according to His plan, it takes us back to our Father in Heaven’s presence.”
He encouraged BYU students to take advantage of the opportunity they have at a faith-based school to zoom out and see the bigger picture of life’s purpose.
“Here, you are spiritually strengthened at the same time you are intellectually engaged,” Elder Rasband said. “The religious focus of BYU prepares you to follow the Savior and Redeemer. Following and becoming Christlike is the real test of this life. That does not mean only on Sunday or in your free time, but all the time.”
Eternal Destiny
Elder Rasband also focused on the phrase “eternal destiny.” The proclamation is clear that “our life did not begin here in mortality, nor does it end at the grave,” he said. “You are here, on earth, with a physical body and the agency to choose your direction in life.”
He urged students to stay vigilant in their spiritual pursuits.
“Everyone is vulnerable [to turn away from God],” he said. “In the days and years ahead, you are going to need the greater discernment and commitment found in the proclamation to ‘progress toward perfection’ and become ‘heirs of eternal life.’”
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Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greets BYU students in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.Children
The Apostle then focused on the word “children.” The proclamation teaches that each person is a “son or daughter of heavenly parents.” That means God “loves us. Every one of us — no exceptions,” Elder Rasband said.
“[God] knows where we will thrive, what experiences in mortality will help us grow in spirituality, and in what circumstances we will bless the lives of others,” he explained.
To illustrate this, Elder Rasband shared an experience from his teenage years. He wanted to serve a mission in Germany because his father, his brother, and his sister’s boyfriend and future husband went to Germany. He struggled to accept his call to serve in the eastern United States. Prayer and scripture study helped him change his perspective. He said the mission experience turned out to be “perfect” for him.
“When you think the Lord is taking you off your track, calling you back to the bench, reordering what and where, when you think to say ‘Really?’ Know this: We are the children of a Father in Heaven who has a place in His plan just for us,” Elder Rasband said.
Happiness
Finally, Elder Rasband considered the word “happiness” and how we find it.
“The answer to finding happiness is always Jesus Christ,” he said. “As it states clearly in the proclamation, ‘Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.’”
He encouraged students to follow the Christ-centered principles mentioned in the proclamation, including “faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”
“The Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘I the Lord am with you,’” Elder Rasband said. “We could not have a better teacher, friend, companion, or mentor. Expect impressions to come to your mind about how to be more like Him, how to reshape your priorities, how to find greater happiness.”
Elder Rasband closed with his witness that the proclamation came to “prophets by revelation.”
“It was inspired 30 years ago, and it continues to inspire us today if we are faithful to its words. … It is the will of the Lord,” he said
“I bless you to strengthen your testimony of ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World,’” he concluded. “I testify it is the will of the Lord. May you be blessed by its eternal truths: Family. Creator. Eternal Destiny. Children. And Happiness.”