Latter-day Saint Youth to Worship, Celebrate Faith Through Local Music Experiences

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Before the end of 2026, youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be participating in music devotionals or other in-person music experiences as a celebration of their faith.

According to a letter sent to local units, “Youth benefit from feeling a sense of belonging and exercising faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Music is a powerful tool to invite those feelings and experiences.

“To help provide more of these opportunities, local units and areas can plan in-person music experiences to bring youth together in worship and celebration of their faith.”

Local unit leaders are asked to begin preparations for devotionals now by reserving a date and adding the event to local calendars.

Music Experiences

According to the notice, the following youth music experiences should be centered on Christ, highlight the youth theme (“Walk with Me”), and emphasize the eternal truths from the newly updated “For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices.”

Youth Music Devotional

Local units or stakes can host their own devotional using provided resources such as music, lyric videos and a suggested program. These resources for planning and carrying out the devotional will be published to youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org in August 2026 in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

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This devotional should:

• Last about 60 minutes.
• Involve youth and congregations regardless of musical ability.

Location and timing:

• To maintain reverence, the devotional should be held in the local chapel.
• Sunday may be the best day for this music experience, but local circumstances may require a different day.

Youth Concert

For this event, youth can gather as a stake or multiple stakes. Resources to plan a local or an area-led concert are in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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This concert:

• Can be held in addition to the youth music devotional.
• Offer flexibility while still focusing on gospel themes and unity through music.

Location and timing:

• Due to the celebratory style of the music, it may work best to meet in an outdoor location or a large gathering place and not on a Sunday.
• This event could be a great activity as part of a youth conference, camp or other stake or district activity.

See this related story from Church Newsroom. How Latter-day Saint Youth Are Celebrating Faith in Jesus Christ Through Music

Faith Walk

A faith walk is a reflective experience combining movement with guided spiritual prompts and music to invite youth to quietly consider their faith and discipleship. Resources for local units to create their own faith walk are available now on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org in English.

A faith walk:

• May be completed individually or in small groups.
• Can be experienced on their own or alongside other music experiences.
• Can be combined with camps or youth conferences.
• Offer personal reflection, quieter settings and movement-based activities.

Location and timing:

• This activity is best held outdoors. However, indoor versions can be successful with the right creativity.
• The flexibility of this experience would allow for any day of the week to be suitable.

See this related story from Church News. ‘Mountain-top experience’: New Heber Valley Camp night walk aims to help youth ‘look unto Christ’

Principles for Youth Music Experiences

• Let youth lead: Where possible, unit leaders should invite the stake youth leadership committee or other youth leaders to oversee the planning and carrying out of the event.
• Encourage participation: Youth are encouraged to become familiar with selected songs before the event.

These songs will be available at youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org once the resources are published. Youth should feel welcomed and encouraged to sing along with songs. Providing lyrics on a screen and ensuring sufficient volume levels can help encourage participation.

• Invite friends: For music devotionals and concerts, encourage youth to invite friends of other faiths to sing and celebrate Jesus Christ together.
• Consider size: Consider whether to gather as a ward or branch, stake or district, or multiple stakes or districts.
• Cost and funding: When considering the cost of music experiences, leaders should ensure that funding comes from the correct organizational level so budgets are not negatively impacted.