They Accepted It Before We Did

Cedar City Utah Temple - Photo from Mormon Newsroom

"We often wonder if our ancestors will accept the gospel. Ironically, in many instances, they accepted it before we did. Their prayers and faithfulness have brought the gospel into our lives instead of the other way around. Officiating in the temple for them is a deep expression of our gratitude and helps bind us to them.”

 –  S. Michael Wilcox, House of Glory, p.106

An Individual Responsibility

Photo from LDS Media Library

“Much more must be done in our personal genealogical research. We have an obligation to do temple work for our kindred dead. This means that we will do the necessary research in order for the names of our progenitors to be sent to the temples. We have an individual responsibility to see that we are linked to our progenitors.” 

– Ezra Taft Benson, “Our Duty as Latter-day Saints,”

Springfield-Burke Virginia Chapel Dedication, 15 October 1982.

The House of the Lord, a Sacred Space

Manti Utah Temple - © Stuart L. Gardner Photography

“The Lord always has commanded His people to build temples, holy places in which worthy Saints perform sacred gospel ceremonies and ordinances for themselves and for the dead. Temples are the most holy of all places of worship. A temple literally is the house of the Lord, a sacred space specifically set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises.” 

– Elder David A. Bednar, “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises,”

LDS General Conference, October 2017.

They Know Us Better Than We Know Them

“I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separate from them. … We are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors … who have preceded us into the spirit world. We can not forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we can not break. … If this is the case with us in our finite condition, surrounded by our mortal weaknesses, … how much more certain it is … to believe that those who have been faithful, who have gone beyond … can see us better than we can see them; that they know us better than we know them. … We live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever. For now they see the dangers that beset us; … their love for us and their desire for our well being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves.” 

– Joseph F. Smith, in Conference Report, Apr. 1916, 2–3; also Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 430–31.

A Responsibility For Each Of Us

“This is a responsibility for each of us. Not one of us can be made perfect without this work. I doubt if the Lord will accept the excuse that we are so busy with other church work that we cannot spend a part of our time in genealogy. Any part of this we do not do, which we should do, must be done by someone else, for it must be done. If we shirk our responsibilities, how can we expect to receive the blessings?” 

- Elder Eldred G. Smith, “Family Research," LDS General Conference, October 1975.

Refining, Spiritualizing, Tempering Influence

Family history work has the power to do something for the dead. It has an equal power to do something to the living. Family history work of Church members has a refining, spiritualizing, tempering influence on those who are engaged in it. They understand that they are tying their family together, their living family here with those who have gone before. 

- Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, pages 12-17.

Opportunities for Sacrifice and Service

Reno Nevada LDS Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

"There are many different things our members can do to help in the redeeming of the dead, in temple and family history work. Some involve callings. Others are personal. All are expressions of devotion and discipleship. All present opportunities for sacrifice and service.” 

- Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and in Order’”, Ensign, June 1989.

So That No One Is Left Out

Nauvoo Illinois Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“The great work of providing the saving ordinances for our kindred dead is a vital part of the threefold mission of the Church. We do this work for a purpose, which is to redeem our dead ancestors. Temple work is essential for both us and our kindred dead who are waiting for these saving ordinances to be done for them. It is essential because “we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect.”(D&C 128:18) They need the saving ordinances, and we need to be sealed to them. For this reason it is important that we trace our family lines so that no one is left out.” 

- President James E. Faust, “The Phenomenon That Is You,” LDS General Conference, October 2003

Leaving Us More and More Time for Temple Work

“Sister Susa Young Gates related to me that she once asked her father [Brigham Young] how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that must be done, if all are given a full opportunity for exaltation. He told her there would be many inventions of labor-saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work. The inventions have come, and are still coming, but many simply divert the time gained to other channels, and not for the purpose intended by the Lord”

- Archibald F. Bennett, “Put on Thy Strength, O Zion!” Improvement Era, October 1952, p. 720.

Messengers From The Ranks Of Our Kindred

“When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; it was such beings—holy beings if you please—who waited upon the Savior and administered to him on the Mount. The angel that visited John, when an exile, and unfolded to his vision future events in the history of man upon the earth, was one who had been here, who had toiled and suffered in common with the people of God.

"In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” 

- Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970, pp. 435–36.

I Owe My Existence To Them

One young lady, a genealogist, was asked the question, 

“What if you find an undesirable character in your family tree, such as a pirate or convict or the like?” 

She answered, 

“My responsibility does not concern how he lived, but just that he lived and died. After all, I owe my existence to him, and my only way of paying that debt is to do the baptism and sealing work for him. It will be up to him to accept it.”

- Elder Eldred G. Smith, “Family Research," LDS General Conference, October 1975.

A Personal Assignment

Las Vegas Nevada Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“It would be desirable for each member of the Church to think about the work of proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming the dead not only as an expression of the mission of the Church, but also as a personal assignment. Every member should have some ongoing activity in each of these three dimensions, with a total personal activity that does not exceed what is wise for his or her current circumstances and resources. The three dimensions of the mission of the Church overlap and are inseparable.” 

- Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and in Order’”, Ensign, June 1989.

Our Highest Priority: Ordinances for Our Own Kindred

Draper Utah Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“For whom will such temple work be efficacious? Principles of agency pertain on both sides of the veil. There, in post mortal realms, personal choice and accountability will be of paramount importance. Not all will accept these ordinances. Not all that would choose to do so may be worthy to receive them. Scriptures indicate that individual faith, repentance, and obedience will be required to consummate this vicarious work. Here, on this side of the veil, there are limitations of available time and temples. This means that choosing to identify and perform ordinances for our own kindred should receive our highest priority. The Spirit of Elijah will inspire individual members of the Church to link their generations, rather than submit lists of people or popular personalities to whom they are unrelated.” 

- Elder Russell M. Nelson, “The Spirit of Elijah,” LDS General Conference, October 1994.

Essential That It Must Be Given A High Priority

“If we believe in the restoration of the gospel at all, we must believe also in the mission of Elijah. We declare that he has come to earth and delivered the keys of his ministry to the Prophet Joseph Smith. As a result of his labors, the hearts of both the fathers and the children are now turning to each other, and this vital work is being done. 

“But each of us must do our part for our own deceased relatives. It is so essential that it must be given a high priority in our daily lives. And that we may give it this great priority is my humble prayer in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” 

– Elder Mark E. Petersen, “The Message of Elijah”, LDS General Conference, April 1976.

You Can Do This Work

“There somehow seems to be the feeling that genealogical work is an all-or-nothing responsibility. Genealogical work is another responsibility for every Latter-day Saint. And we may do it successfully along with all the other callings and responsibilities that rest upon us. You can fulfill your obligation to your kindred dead and to the Lord without forsaking your other Church callings. You can do it without abandoning your family responsibilities. You can do this work. You can do it without becoming a so-called “expert” in it.” 

- Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Someone Up There Loves You,” Ensign, January 1977.

The Lord Is In This Work

George Taft Benson Family
Louise Ballif Benson is seated 2nd from right.

“The Lord is in this work. He wants it to prosper. He wants us to be successful in our efforts. While living with my grandmother, Louise Ballif Benson, in Logan as a student, I knew she had been working very hard on her research. She kept referring to the fact that there was a gap that she couldn’t fill and it worried her. She prayed about it fervently. One day she received a package address just ‘Benson Family, Utah.’ The package contained a printed book which had come from a man in Syracuse, New York, who had done research independently – not as a member of the Church. You can imagine the joy that filled my grandmother’s heart when she found that this not only filled the gap, but did much more than that. Her prayers had been answered. Yes, there are many ways to help get the job done.” 

– Ezra Taft Benson, “Eternal Memories,” Tenth Annual Priesthood Genealogical Research Seminar, 

BYU, Provo, Utah, 31 July 1975.

Consecrate A Portion Of Our Time And Energy

Billings Montana Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“It has been my experience that some of the happiest people I know are those who are engaged in family history and temple work. Let us demonstrate our willingness to follow the prophet by consecrating a portion of our time and energy to the Lord’s redemptive work, and let us do it in a spirit of love. As we do so, not only will we bless the lives of those who have gone before us, but we will bless our own lives and the lives of our family members as well.” 

– Mary Ellen Smoot, “Family History: A Work of Love,” Ensign, March 1999.

More Than a Hobby

Portland Oregon Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“Genealogy and temple work—you can’t have one without the other. They are two inseparable parts of one supernal decree the Lord has given us to aid in the redemption of the dead. The process of identifying one’s family should be much more than a hobby to a Latter-day Saint. From an eternal perspective, to consider the word genealogy and not its partner temple work—or to think of temple work and disregard its twin, genealogy—makes no more sense than to try to play a game with only half a ball.” 

– George D. Durrant, “Genealogy and Temple Work: 

‘You Can’t Have One without the Other’”, Ensign, August 1983.

Inspirational to One's Descendants

Photo from LDS Media Library

“Not everything we do is important. Not everything we write is important. Not everything we think is important. But occasionally we are in tune with God. Inspiration sometimes comes to us without our even recognizing it. At such times the Lord whispers things into our minds, and what one then writes can become inspirational to one’s descendants. When we write by the Spirit and they read by the Spirit, there is a godly communication between us and them which makes that which we write become meaningful and a source of inspiration to our descendants”. 

- Elder Theodore M. Burton, “The Inspiration of a Family Record,” Ensign, January 1977.

Grand, Vast, Essential, and Urgent

Taipei Taiwan Temple - Photo from LDS Media Library

“We live and serve in the dispensation of the fulness of times. Recognizing the eternal importance of the distinctive dispensation in which we live should influence all that we do and strive to become. The work of salvation to be accomplished in these last days is grand, vast, essential, and urgent. How grateful each of us should be for the blessings and responsibilities of living in this specific season of the final dispensation. How humble we should be knowing that “unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3).” 

– Elder David A. Bednar, “Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work,” Ensign, October 2014.