Philippines Area Unveils Inspired Area Priorities

To “help establish and build the Church” in the Philippines, the Philippines Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the Philippines Area Priorities on February 2, 2025, through a five-minute video shared on official social media channels.

Philippines Area President Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr. and his counselors, Elder Chi Hong Wong and Elder Michael B. Strong, urged Filipino Latter-day Saints to focus on three key priorities: Come Unto Christ, Make and Keep Temple Covenants, and Strengthen the Rising Generation.

Elders Revillo, Wong, and Strong were called as General Authorities to lead the Philippines Area in August 2024. They face the unique challenge of supporting a growing Church membership in the Philippines, which has the fourth-largest Latter-day Saint population in the world and is the fastest-growing in Asia.

"As we prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, let us all come together to help establish and build up the Church by inviting all to come unto Christ, make and keep temple covenants and strengthen our family and the Church here in the Philippines," Elder Wong said.

"To help us achieve this we would like to introduce our vision for all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines," Elder Strong added.

Since 1961, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has steadily grown in the Philippines. Today, approximately 890,000 Filipino Latter-day Saints gather in 1,325 congregations across the country.

Another sign of the Church’s growth is the increasing number of temples. Since the dedication of the Manila Philippines Temple in the early 1980s, the country now has 13 temples in various stages. Three are in operation (Manila, Cebu, and Urdaneta), five are under construction (Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Tacloban), and five have been announced (Iloilo, Laoag, Naga, Santiago, and Tuguegarao).

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are distinct from regular meetinghouses and are not used for Sunday worship. Considered sacred houses of God, they are places of holiness and peace, set apart from worldly concerns.

Within temples, Latter-day Saints make sacred covenants with God. These holy spaces also serve as the setting for the Church’s highest ordinances, including marriage and the sealing of families for eternity.

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“Come Unto Christ”

“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness'' (Moroni 10:32).

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Latter-day Saints are encouraged to minister to non-participating members, reaching out with compassion to help them find their way back to Church activity.

1. To invite friends and family members from other faiths to Come Unto Christ, Latter-day Saints should Love, Share, and Invite in normal and natural ways.
2. In the case of large, part-member families, ministering members and full-time missionaries should link arms and work together to invite non-participating members back to full membership in the Church and help their friends and family belonging to other faiths accept the gospel.

Call to Action: Invite a friend to join you and experience the joy of worshipping Jesus Christ at a sacrament meeting

“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9).

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Make and Keep Temple Covenants

“Under authorized priesthood keys, we make sacred promises to God and receive sacred ordinances that prepare us to live in His presence. Beginning with baptism and confirmation and then in the temple, we move forward on a path of covenants that leads us back to Him.”

—Elder Shayne M. Bowen, “Miracles, Angels, and Priesthood Power,” April 2024 General Conference

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The Area Presidency taught that once Latter-day Saints enter the covenant path through baptism, their next goal should be to become worthy of a temple recommend so they can enter the temple and make higher covenants with the Lord.

“And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22).

Call to Action: Follow the prophet's counsel to live worthy of a temple recommend and receive heavenly power by making and keeping temple covenants.

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Strengthen the Rising Generation

“I am inviting every young woman and every young man between the ages of 12 and 18 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel.”

—President Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018

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President Russell M. Nelson has always expressed his love for the youth. One of the earliest initiatives he launched as a prophet was encouraging young men and women to come to Christ. He did that by holding a Worldwide Devotional for Youth on June 3, 2018, at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

It has been said that the Church's future depends on the strength of the rising generation. Church leaders should prioritize increasing the number of participating youth and helping them prepare to serve full-time missions.

By definition, a participating youth is any member between the ages of 12 and 18 who meets at least one of the following criteria: pays a full or partial tithing, holds a current temple recommend, serves in a calling, is a convert attending in the first year of membership, and attends seminary classes regularly.

Attending seminary, going to the temple, and serving in the Church will prepare the rising generation to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God” (Alma 37:35).

Call to action: Prepare and support the rising generation to serve a full-time mission

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Through the Area Priorities, the Philippines Area Presidency encourages Filipino Latter-day Saints to make "discipleship" the highest priority in preparation for the second coming of Christ.

"Brothers and Sisters, let us wholeheartedly embrace our three area priorities, apply them in our daily lives and let these policies guide our goals in the year 2025 individually and as a family," they said.

"Let us all come unto Christ, make and keep temple covenants and strengthen the rising generation. Together, let us build a legacy of discipleship that leads us all back to Him," the Area Presidency emphasized.