June 22, 2025, 2am MDT
Leaders of the Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ have long taught us the power of sound and uplifting music. They put those principles into action by striving to become artists and creating Christ-centered worship music.
The effort is the Youth Channel of the Latter-day Saints’ Church of Jesus Christ, dedicated to strengthening youth around the world through Christ-centered music and message.
This music can be found through streaming platforms by striving for youth albums produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This year, through local concerts and upcoming Festival 2025: Youth Concerts, youths can worship Jesus Christ and find peers and communities through music.
He strives to be three artists – Pierce Morris, Ashley Hess and sister Ellie Barry are currently serving missionaries.
Worship intentionally
Morris, from Southern Utah, said that worship music helps people focus on their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This goes beyond the hymns sung at the Sacramental Conference. Many styles of music can worship music. As long as the core message guides those close to God and the Savior, Morris said.
He also said that “worship” is an important and powerful word. He said that worship is about mental intent, so someone can attend churches or temples without actually worshiping them.
“The music that we strive to produce is (deliberately) made to direct people towards Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I think that’s a really important aspect,” he said. “And that’s why I think it’s so powerful to worship music.
Hess, who is striving to become an artist in Fremont, California, said the music at the service “removed worship from the box for me.”
Music broke through the barriers and she continued. “I think it’s personally surprising to me to worship through music myself, but then collectively, worship through music with a group of people is very powerful.”
Sister Barry, a service missionary in Pleasant Grove, Utah, added that when people worship music to sing together, they sing about their relationship with God.
“It’s the Bible that they sing, it’s the doctrine that they sing, it’s the eternal truth that they sing,” Sister Barry said. “And that’s a very beautiful part about worship music. It’s about helping God reach their hearts in such a special way.”
Message to the world
As a performer, Hess said he is easy to get closer to the concert with the idea of entertaining the audience. But trying to become a concert is unique, she said. Because those performances are worshiping the Lord. The goal is for the audience to have experiences with Christ, not with singers.
“It really goes from performance to offering and I’m willing to take my testimony and provide what I have, even if it’s not that much,” Hess said.
When people see “Festival 2025: Youth Concert,” she continues, hoping that listeners will have a deeper understanding of God’s love. Hess said people sometimes have spiritual experiences in worship music.
“I hope this merely engraves the spiritual experience of God’s love for the hearts of young people, so that as soon as they hear this song they bring them back to the moment they feel God’s power and love,” Hess said.
She added that performances as an effort to the artist taught her to use the Lord as an effort to do so by anyone who is pleased with his work.
“The power of music is very universal, and God is very universal,” she said. “And that combined, for me, my spirit is so ignited and I’m very excited about what’s going on.”
Sister Barry is also excited. As a full-time ministry missionary, her purpose is to help others come to Christ, she said, and for her, it means singing about him. But there are many ways to serve him. “And so many different gifts that we all have been given to help this work move forward,” Sister Barry said.
All three artists declared that their efforts to become music are for everyone, not just for young people.
“Is the message of Jesus Christ just for the young people or for the world?” Morris added that the music “directs people towards Jesus Christ. That message is for everyone.”
Details of “Festival: Youth Concert”
The Festival 2025 is designed to be held anytime after August 7th, making it the perfect day and time for your local needs and schedule. It is recommended that young people aged 14 to 18 years old be involved.
Event notifications on churchofjesuschrist.org list three ways to experience festival 2025.
1. I’ll watch and sing together
Participate in one of the pre-recorded concerts. These concerts will be published in English, Spanish and Portuguese on Thursday, August 7th.
2. Rethinking
Local singers will be used to hold local concerts to perform the same songs featured in pre-coded concerts.
3. I’ll create it
Create a musical event that offers the opportunity for young people to come together to celebrate their faith in Jesus Christ.
Planning resources, suggestions and tools are available at the Youth section of the Evangelical Library and at Youth.churchofjesuschrist.org.
