The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inviting youth and their leaders to begin preparing now to host and participate in local music devotionals or other in-person music experiences as celebrations of faith before the end of 2026.
“Youth benefit from feeling a sense of belonging and exercising faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ,” the church’s Priesthood and Family Department wrote in a letter sent to local units. “Music is a powerful tool to invite those feelings and experiences.”
Music experiences — which local congregations may choose to host as music devotionals, concerts or faith walks — should be centered on Jesus Christ, highlight the 2026 youth theme and emphasize the eternal truths from the newly updated “For the Strength of Youth” guide.
Here are resources, guidelines and further details the church has provided for each type of music experience.
Youth music devotional: Guidelines and resources
Local congregations may choose to host their own music devotional as wards, branches or stakes, using church-provided resources.
The resources — including music, lyric videos, a suggested program and other tools for planning and carrying out the devotional — will be made available on Youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org in August. They will be published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Local music devotionals should last about 60 minutes and involve youth and congregations regardless of musical ability, a recent church press release states.
Devotionals should also be held in local Latter-day Saint chapels to “maintain reverence.” While local circumstances may require adjustment, Sundays may be the best option to host this kind of music experience, the church press release adds.
Local unit leaders can begin to prepare now for music devotionals by reserving a date and adding the event to their local calendars.
Youth concert: Guidelines and resources
Latter-day Saint youth may choose to gather as a stake or multiple stakes for a youth concert.
Resources to plan local or area-led concerts are available now in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French on Youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Concerts may be held in addition to youth music devotionals. They may be best held in outdoor locations or large gathering places and not on Sundays due to the celebratory style of the music and event, the church’s press release states.
Local congregations may choose to host this kind of music experience as part of a youth conference, camp or other stake or district activity.
Youth faith walk: Guidelines and resources
Congregations may also choose to organize a youth faith walk, which is a reflective experience using spiritual prompts and music to invite youth to consider their faith and discipleship.
Resources for local units to organize their own faith walk events are available now in English on Youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
A faith walk may be completed individually or in small groups, and the event may be planned on its own or alongside other music experiences.
The church’s press release says faith walk events are best held outdoors, but indoor versions can also be successful. The flexibility of this experience allows for any day of the week to be suitable, the press release adds.
General guidelines for youth music experiences
The church’s press release and event notice both list the following general guidelines for youth music experiences:
- Where possible, church congregation leaders should invite stake youth leadership committees or other youth leaders to oversee the planning and carrying out of their units’ music experiences.
- Youth are encouraged to become familiar with selected songs before their congregations’ music experiences and should feel welcome to sing along.
- For music devotionals and concerts, youth are encouraged to invite friends of other faiths to sing and celebrate Jesus Christ together.
- When considering the cost of music experiences, leaders should ensure that funding comes from the correct organizational level so budgets are not negatively impacted.