In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe “that God has revealed” and “will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” However, change can be unsettling when we’ve already gotten into a routine. So, why do Church policies and procedures change? Here are three reasons why:

First, to align with an ongoing Restoration.

Second, to accommodate the needs of a worldwide Church.

And third, to center worship on Jesus Christ.

First, to align with an ongoing Restoration. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again.” 

Second, to accommodate the needs of a worldwide Church. While the fundamental doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ have not changed over time, policies and procedures have, to adjust to the Church’s growing membership. 

And third, to center our worship on Jesus Christ. In October of 1883, Wilford Woodruff wrote that he, “went to the Endowment House… to receive the washing of feet, as was done… 47 years prior by Joseph Smith.” The washing of feet as Christ did for His disciples is no longer part of the initiatory ordinance, but whether that initiatory was performed today or in 1883, its purpose would be the same: to draw us closer to Christ.

Change will always be part of our lives. It is my hope that instead of allowing policy and procedural changes to shake our faith, we will instead be encouraged knowing that “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.”