Sunday, February 08, 2026
Writing the Proclamation of the Family
The creation of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" was a process of deliberate preparation and collective revelation that spanned nearly two years.
The Catalyst: UN Conferences and April 1994
The momentum began in early 1994. Elder Boyd K. Packer and other members of the Twelve were deeply concerned by trends at international United Nations conferences, specifically those in Cairo and Beijing. They observed a concerted effort by various groups to redefine the family and remove traditional marriage from the global dialogue.
In the April 1994 General Conference, Elder Packer gave a seminal talk titled "The Father and the Family." He laid the doctrinal groundwork, emphasizing that "the ultimate purpose of the adversary... is to disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home and the family." Shortly after this, Elder Packer famously urged his Brethren, "We had better proclaim our position. We must declare ourselves!"
The Drafting Committee
Following Elder Packer’s prompting in the fall of 1994, the First Presidency assigned a committee from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to draft a formal declaration. The committee consisted of:
Elder James E. Faust (who was then a member of the Twelve)
Elder Russell M. Nelson
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
For nearly a year, these Apostles worked through numerous drafts. They prayerfully considered not only the doctrine but the specific language, seeking the Lord’s guidance on "what [they] should say and how [they] should say it." Every word was scrutinized by the entire Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency to ensure it represented a unified, revelatory voice.
The writing of the Family Proclamation was not a simple drafting of a policy; it was described by those involved as an arduous, prayerful, and deeply revelatory process. The committee—Elders James E. Faust, Russell M. Nelson, and Neal A. Maxwell—did not just write; they "wrestled" with the text.
The Spirit of Inquiry and Rewriting
The committee worked for nearly a year, from the fall of 1994 through the summer of 1995. Their experience was characterized by three distinct phases of inspiration:
The Weight of Responsibility: President Dallin H. Oaks later recalled that the committee felt a heavy burden because they weren't just writing for the present; they were writing a document intended to stand the test of time. They prayerfully turned to the Lord to know not just the doctrines to include, but the vocabulary to use.
The Iterative Process: The drafting was not a linear path. They went through numerous rewrites, often agonizing over single words. Every draft was circulated among the Quorum of the Twelve. Each member of the Quorum provided suggestions, and the committee would then take those critiques back into a state of prayerful revision.
Achieving Unanimity: The process was designed to ensure that the document was not the product of one man's opinion. Elder M. Russell Ballard noted that every word was scrutinized until there was total unanimity among all fifteen men (the First Presidency and the Twelve). They sought the "mind and will of the Lord" until the language felt "settled" in their souls.
"What" and "How"
A key part of their inspiration was the distinction between the message and the method. President Oaks explained that the committee felt prompted to ask:
What should we say? (The core doctrines of gender, marriage, and parentage.)
How should we say it? (Using language that was clear, firm, and yet inviting to all "responsible citizens.")
A Document of Revelation
Elder Boyd K. Packer later provided the most definitive description of the committee’s spiritual success. He stated that the resulting Proclamation "qualifies according to the definition as a revelation." Despite the many pens involved and the dozens of drafts discarded, the final text was viewed by the committee not as their own creative work, but as a "revelatory document" that the Lord had helped them uncover.
By the time President Hinckley read it in September 1995, the committee felt that the "slow stain of the world" (as mentioned in the text) had been clearly identified and countered by truths that had been refined in the "crucible" of their collective council.
The Decision of the First Presidency
By the summer of 1995, the text was finalized. President Howard W. Hunter had passed away in March, and the responsibility now lay with President Gordon B. Hinckley. The First Presidency—Presidents Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and James E. Faust—accepted the document as an official proclamation. The question then became one of timing: when and where should this "warning and forewarning" be delivered to the world?
The Meeting with the Relief Society Presidency
A few days before the General Relief Society Meeting in September 1995, President Hinckley and his counselors met with the Relief Society General Presidency (led by President Elaine L. Jack).
The sisters had been independently focusing their upcoming meeting on the theme of "Family." When President Hinckley sat down with them, he referred to the newly finished (but still private) Proclamation. He realized that the General Relief Society Meeting—a global gathering of the women of the Church—was the perfect, divinely appointed setting to introduce a document centered on the sanctity of the home and the nurturing roles of parents.
The Announcement
On September 23, 1995, President Hinckley stood at the pulpit during the Relief Society meeting and read the Proclamation in its entirety for the first time. He introduced it by noting that with "so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth," the Brethren felt the need to reiterate the standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family.
Boyd K. Packer
It is not possible to measure the total impact of the Proclamation of the Family. It is taught in meetinghouses and families across the church and the world. One measure is the number of talks by Apostles and members of the First Presidency. Since the announcement, 117 talks (about 10%) have mentioned the Proclamation.
Top Speakers by Number of Talks Referencing the Proclamation
These individuals have the highest total count of talks that reference the document:
Dallin H. Oaks: 15 talks
Russell M. Nelson: 10 talks
M. Russell Ballard: 10 talks
Quentin L. Cook: 9 talks
Neil L. Andersen: 9 talks
Boyd K. Packer: 8 talks
Dallin H. Oaks leads in the sheer volume of citations, having referenced it in 15 different addresses. Neil L. Andersen and Quentin L. Cook are the most consistent, with nearly 1 in every 4 of their talks containing a reference to the Proclamation.
References
Ronald A. Rasband, "The Family Proclamation—Words from God," Oct. 2025.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/21rasband?lang=eng Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," April 1994.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1994/04/the-father-and-the-family?lang=eng Dallin H. Oaks, "The Plan and the Proclamation," Oct. 2017.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/the-plan-and-the-proclamation?lang=eng Korth, B. B. (2023). Seership and World Conferences: The Divine Origin and Inception of the Family Proclamation. Religious Educator, 5(3), 83–96. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2016&context=re Williams, L. (2020, February 14). The apostolic discussion that led to the Family Proclamation. LDS Living. https://www.ldsliving.com/the-apostolic-discussion-that-led-to-the-family-proclamation/s/92378 Hartzell, E. (2015, September 22). The events that led to the creation of ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’. Church News. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/events-that-led-to-the-creation-of-the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world Watkins, M. (2025, October 12). Busting myths about the Family Proclamation. Power in the Book of Mormon. https://www.powerinthebook.com/posts/busting-myths-about-the-family-proclamation Winder, C. (2025, May 27). A voice of warning: Prophets and proclamations. Public Square Magazine. https://publicsquaremag.org/faith/proclamation-on-the-family/a-voice-of-warning-prophets-and-proclamations/
Labels: Boyd K. Packer, doctrine, Marriage, Revelation on the family
Subscribe to Comments [Atom]
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.