President McKay, my dear brothers and sisters and friends, I am grateful to be with you. I have been inspired by the words of our beloved Prophet as well as my brethren. The beautiful music and prayers have likewise contributed to the wonderful spirit that has attended each session of this conference. Truly the Spirit of the Lord has been with us.

Preparation for the coming of the Lord

In a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed that "the keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth"  D&C 65:2 "Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come . . ."  D&C 65:6

Our mission is here defined as being worldwide in preparation of the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in fulfilling our mission, the Church is fast becoming a worldwide organization.

In 1947, as the saints were celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the entrance of the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley, President George Albert Smith addressed a communication to the members of the Church entitled "Looking Ahead—Into a New Century of Growth and Development." In this article he stated:

"I assure every man and woman of the Church that you have a great obligation to spread the word of the Lord abroad and to carry the truth to every land and clime so that the power of the Priesthood will be made manifest among our Father's children in many places where it has never yet even been heard of.

"You men of the Church have this responsibility and as one of your number, I would like to say that we cannot let our own personal affairs stand in the way . . .

"That is the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Great is the joy that comes into the hearts of the men and women, who devote themselves to doing what our Heavenly Father desires of them, and great will be their happiness as they participate in the new era of growth and development that lies ahead for the Church as we look forward into a new century of progress." ("Church News," December 20, 1947. Italics added.)

We are now 20 years into this new era of growth and development, and growth and development mean change. We must not resist change, as we believe that God "will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God"  A of F 1:9

Anthropologists tell us that if we were to construct an imaginary graph of the growth of human knowledge, the bar representing everything man knew up to the steam age would be about three inches high. A second bar, representing the gain in knowledge from the steam engine to the atomic bomb, would be about 15 inches high. But a third bar, representing the knowledge gained from the atomic age to the present, would have to be higher than the Washington Monument!

This powerful illustration points up the rapidity of change in our time. The Spirit of the Lord is truly being poured out upon the face of the earth. This is in fulfillment of prophecy.

Since 1947 tremendous changes have occurred in transportation, communication, electronic equipment, and many other areas. The Church has been quick to utilize the jet airplane, television, radio, shortwave broadcasting, and electronic equipment in building a worldwide organization.

True, the basic principles of the gospel are eternal and do not change. However, the methods used in bringing the gospel to the attention of God's children and administering the affairs of the Church on a worldwide basis must be geared to the age in which we live. The patterns of 1920 or 1947 are inadequate for today's worldwide responsibilities.

Looking forward to an enormous increase in membership and operating on a worldwide basis, we see great challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities. Our great need is leaders, and our greatest challenge is to develop them.

As I go about the Church, one of the most frequent questions asked me is: "How do you motivate and inspire people to accept and discharge their responsibilities?" This question is present in every area of life's activities.

Better methods and knowing how

How is a mighty important word in our vocabulary and is often linked to the word know. Thus know-how frequently becomes the key to answering the question "How?"

To be able to inspire and motivate, one must set a good example. He must possess leadership ability. And one can learn to be a leader as he learns other things in life. How then does one develop the know-how to be a successful leader?

In my opinion, he must first prepare himself. This preparation involves: the development of spirituality, the development of faith, and the acquisition of knowledge.

Development of spirituality

For a moment let us consider this formula for developing leadership ability.

First, the development of spirituality: Shortly after the Church was organized the Lord requested the elders to "sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that you may give even as I have spoken"  D&C 43:16 How do we sanctify ourselves? By keeping God's commandments.

Let us quickly consider just two of God's commandments that contribute to the development of spirituality. In answering the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life," the Savior answered, ". . . love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself"  Luke 10:27

We evidence our love of God and of our neighbors as we serve them, and the Church offers many opportunities, such as home teaching, Sunday School teaching, passing the sacrament, and missionary work.

Prayer is another essential element. The Savior instructed his disciples to "pray always"  Luke 21:36 In the atmosphere of peace and communion with God, spirituality is nurtured and developed. Love and prayer are involved in every doctrine and activity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are strong influences in developing spirituality.

Development of faith

The second item involved in one's preparation is the development of faith.

Orson Pratt, in his treatise on "The True Faith," said, "This [faith] is not an abstract principle, separate and distinct from mind, but it is a certain condition or state of mind itself."

Thus we see that faith is a state of mind or attitude, an affirmative and positive attitude. Yes, the attitude of success. A leader must make up his mind to succeed in his assignment. He must be affirmative in his thinking and his speech.

Remember, however, that faith without works is dead  James 2:20 and that this is indeed a gospel of work. Let us develop faith in ourselves; we are spirit children of God the Eternal Father, and as we magnify our callings, by doing our part, God will make us equal to every task.

Acquiring knowledge

The third step in building leadership ability is to acquire knowledge.

The Lord has revealed to us that "it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance"  D&C 131:6 and we are saved no faster than we gain knowledge.

A successful leader must possess knowledge about any matter in which he desires to interest others. I therefore encourage you to study the gospel regularly and particularly the four standard works of the Church. Become familiar with subjects in areas of activity in which you must supervise, inspire, and motivate people.

To a very large extent, then, the know-how to become a successful leader and be able to motivate and inspire people to accept and discharge their responsibilities in the Church or elsewhere is based upon the development of spirituality, faith, and the acquisition of knowledge.

We all need goals and objectives to accomplish, and I challenge each and every member of the Church to develop his God-given leadership abilities.

I am thankful that I am privileged to live at this time when the gospel in its fullness has been restored and in this new era of growth and development when great changes are occurring. The importance of this dispensation was indicated in the first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith, when our Father in heaven personally introduced the Savior to the Prophet by saying, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"  JS—H 1:17

Enthusiasm of testimony

I bear witness to you that God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, do live.

Likewise, I testify without equivocation that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we are blessed to have a prophet at the head of the Church today, our beloved President David O. McKay. May the Lord bless and sustain him in every way.

Worldwide Church of great appeal

Today, as a worldwide Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a tremendous appeal to young and old alike because it is a dynamic yet realistic way of life. It offers involvement and expression for all. When you stop to consider it, every program of the Church is aimed at the development of character and leadership. Truly as we serve in this great cause we will see "the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands, roll forth until it fills the whole earth"  D&C 65:2

Let me again repeat the words of President George Albert Smith who, in 1947, said, "Great is the joy that comes into the hearts of men and women who devote themselves to doing what our Heavenly Father desires of them, and great will be their happiness as they participate in the new era of growth and development that lies ahead for the Church."

May we appreciate the great privilege of living at this time. May we develop our leadership abilities and become a vital part of this great worldwide Church. May we think big as we assume our opportunities to serve, and may we receive the great joy and happiness and growth and development that come through such service, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.