Immersing yourself in the Book of Mormon

Church leaders and BYU–Hawaii students share their study methods and techniques in reading the Book of Mormon

A book is open on a table with a small card with a picture of Jesus on top of the book. A person holds the book open with their hands. — Accalia Stancliffe studies her Book of Mormon while keeping a picture of Jesus Christ close by.

“When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.” - President Russell M. Nelson

As another testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon is a divine witness of God’s love for His children and holds eternal truths about the Savior’s Atonement and His Gospel. Apostles from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a BYU–Hawaii professor and students have shared how they elevate their learning and testimonies in their personal studies of the book.

Focusing on the Savior

To read the Book of Mormon, one must find the Savior from its first chapter to the last, said President Russell M. Nelson in one of his conference talks. He said, “When you read the Book of Mormon, concentrate on the principal figure in the book – the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.”

“I try to imagine Christ preaching to the reader as much as He was during the Book of Mormon time period,” said Accalia Stancliffe, a senior majoring in visual arts from Texas. She said opening random sections in the Book of Mormon helps her understand different sections that aren’t discussed often.

When reading, Stancliffe said she makes sure she also learns the full context of what is happening in the chapter. “This method has helped me see different ways Christ is mentioned in the Book of Mormon,” said Stancliffe. “I try to let the Spirit guide me while reading it,” she added.

A woman sits at a table on a bench outside near palm trees, grass, and buildings. She looks at the camera while holding a book open on the table. — Stancliffe smiles while taking a break in her studying.

What would Jesus want me to learn?

“Whenever I read, I would look for at least one principle in the chapter, then ask myself the question, ‘What would Jesus Christ want me to learn?’” said Joseph Ajon, a freshman from the Philippines majoring in business management. He said he had learned this method from his mission president.

He said his methods are simple. “I just look at what I answered for that question and have a self-reflection.” Every week, Ajon said he would evaluate himself, and if he saw he had lapsed in anything, he would try not to be discouraged and work on that principle again.

Having his journal by his side while reading the Book of Mormon is helpful for him to pay attention to the teachings, promptings and inspirations he receives, Ajon said. “I was able to focus on the principles and how I apply them in my life,” said Ajon. “I also learned to set specific goals for myself, like worshipping in the temple every week,” he said.

A man in a white shirt and tie holds up a book labeled "The Book of Mormon." — Joseph Ajon smiles while holding his Book of Mormon, which uses to answer personal questions and self-reflect on his week.

Setting a regular time

Elder Howard W. Hunter, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles then, gave counsel on when to study the scriptures and for how long it should be studied. He said, “It is better to have a set amount of time to give scriptural study each day than to have a set amount of chapters to read.”

He said often people find the best time to study is in the morning when their minds have been cleared by a night’s rest. Others, Hunter said, may prefer ending the day with the scriptures in the quiet hours after the work and worries of the day. “Perhaps what is more important than the hour of the day is that a regular time be set aside for study,” he said.

Hunter said an ideal time for study is an hour a day, but if it’s not possible, a half hour on a regular basis would also result in substantial accomplishment. He also noted how much knowledge and enlightenment a person can acquire in just a quarter of an hour. “The important thing is to allow nothing else to ever interfere with our study,” he said.

Consistency over quantity

Not missing a single day reading the Book of Mormon in five years now, Moevai Tefan, a senior majoring in graphic design from Tahiti, said she was able to continue this because she emphasizes being more consistent rather than how much she reads. “I set a personal rule where I would read the Book of Mormon first thing in the morning before I touched my phone,” she said.

Tefan said she reads a page or two every day. However, there are also days where she can only read one verse. “Overall, it doesn’t matter how much or how little I read, as long as I read it.”

She also shared the importance of her room set-up. “I think where you put the Book of Mormon is important,” said Tefan. “I put my Book of Mormon next to my bed, and then next to it are my highlighters that I use during my reading,” she said. The goal is to make it as easy and accessible as it can be, she said.

She said her study methods made her appreciate reading the Book of Mormon. “Reading it first thing in the morning really set my mind and eyes in Christ,” said Tefan. “Even though I don’t receive big revelations every single morning, it doesn't mean they won’t come,” she continued. “Putting out my faith every single morning is the way I show God that I am faithful and puts me in a place where He can show me miracles,” she said.

A woman sits on the ground outside in the grass laughing while holding a book open. — Moevai Tefan reads her Book of Mormon outside, explaining she makes the effort to be consistent with her reading.

Marking and highlighting

In his October 2022 General Conference talk, Elder Ronald Rasband from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared counsel he learned as a young missionary from Elder Marion D. Hanks who visited his area in the Eastern States Mission. He recalled, “He challenged us to read an unmarked copy of the Book of Mormon at least two times.” Taking up the task, he said, “The first reading I was to mark or underline everything that pointed to or testified of Jesus Christ. I used a red pencil, and underlined many passages.”

Rasband continued, “The second time, Elder Hanks said to highlight principles and doctrine of the gospel, and this time I used blue to mark the scriptures.” As suggested, he said he continued to read the book twice and marked scripture passages using other colors like yellow and black pencils. Rasband said there was much more to his reading than just marking his scriptures. With each reading of the book from front to back, he said he was filled with a profound love for the Lord. “I felt a deeply rooted witness of the truth of His teachings and how they apply to this day,” he added.

Reading in another language

Po Nien Chou, a BYUH professor from the Faculty of Religion, said over the last 35 years he had read the Book of Mormon 174 times already. He said his goal is to read it 200 times on the 200th anniversary of the Book of Mormon translation, which is in 2030.

Chou said he has tried reading the Book of Mormon in various ways. He said if a person is non-English speaking, they should try to study it in English. Originally written in reformed Egyptian and translated into English by the Prophet Joseph Smith, Chou said, “English is the language of restoration and it is the closest to the original.”

He also said English-speaking persons should also try to read it in another language. “I served in a Spanish-speaking mission,” he said. “My mission president promised us that if we read the Book of Mormon in our mission language, then our language will improve.” He said it is true for English and for other languages. Chou said in doing this, he has read the Book of Mormon in about eight languages. “In every language, you can learn something new and different.”

Ho Ying Chan (Rainbow) from Hong Kong, a sophomore majoring in TESOL, said she prays before reading the Book of Mormon. Inspired by the leaders of the Church, she said she learned “praying before reading will help welcome the Spirit to be with us.” She also said praying can help her become more sensitive to receiving inspiration.

As a non-native English speaker, Chan said she needed to learn specific vocabularies used in the gospel setting. “I am thankful for the LDS translation. I treat this as an English-learning tool.” She said she is also thankful for the efforts and dedication of those who translated because it empowers her to learn more.

A woman stands outside at the beach with wind blowing her hair. — Ho Yong Chan (Rainbow) smiles at the beach.

Cross-referencing and understanding contexts

In the 1985 Churchwide satellite fireside, President Thomas S. Monson, then a counselor of the First Presidency, stressed the value of the Topical Guide and cross-references. He said these can be a blessing to each Latter-day Saint in their gospel study. Monson shared an experience by President Harold B. Lee, wherein an author speculated the meaning of a passage quoted from the New Testament.

President Lee said, “If only the author had known his Doctrine and Covenants, he would have known what the Lord had to say at a later time to clarify the biblical account.” Referring to the story, Monson said now there is no need for such confusion because the cross-references in the Topical Guide are designed to solve such problems. “Certainty has replaced doubt. Knowledge has overcome speculation,” he said.