Why Don't We Discuss the Three Main Missions of the Church?

LDS Perspective

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to operate under the threefold mission announced by President Spencer W. Kimball in the April 1981 general conference: to proclaim the gospel, to perfect the Saints, and to redeem the dead. These three pillars remain foundational to the Church's purpose, which is to assist Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in Their work "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). While the specific terminology may vary in different decades or curricula, the actual work represented by these three missions—missionary work, spiritual development of members, and temple ordinances for the living and the dead—remains the central focus of Church operations worldwide. President Kimball taught that these three missions are "part

Historical Perspective

The provided Knowledge Base context does not mention the threefold mission of the Church—often articulated as proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the saints, and redeeming the dead—because the source material focuses on specific critiques of institutional editing practices, historical transparency, and the distinction between organizational authority and spiritual principles rather than doctrinal mission statements. The primary sources provided center on Boyd K. Packer's 1981 address "The Church vs. The Gospel" (commonly called the "Pullman Talk") and its subsequent editorial revisions, which the Mormon Stories Podcast participants analyze for how the Church modified language regarding the relationship between the institutional Church and the Gospel itself. These discussions emphasize how