Difference between revisions of "Ensign Magazine"

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Before 1971 there were numerous magazines being published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its members. This included the Improvements Era, Instructor, and the Relief Society Magazine. Then, in 1971, leaders of the Church thought it would be wise to create one magazine for all of its adult members. This new magazine was called The Ensign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The magazine is printed with ten regular issues and two issues that contain General Conference addresses. Leaders of the Church express that the Ensign is the link between Church Headquarters and its adult members and should help “strengthen the faith of the members promulgate gospel truths, and keep members up to date on Church policies, programs, and events.  
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[[Image:Ensign_magazine.jpg|300px|thumb]]
  
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The title of the magazine holds great significance, “The word "ensign" is rich in meaning. The King James Bible translators used it to mean a signal, sign, identifying symbol, standard, or banner. Hence, we read the biblical prophecy that in the last days the Lord would ‘set up an ensign for the nations’ (Isa. 11:12), a standard to which Israel and the righteous of all nations might gather in preparation for the Millennium (Isa. 5:26; 18:3; 31:6-9; 49:22; 62:10; Zech. 9:16). In latter-day scriptures, ‘ensign’ symbolizes such ‘standards’ as the new and everlasting covenant (D&C 45:9), the gospel of salvation (D&C 49:8-9; 2 Ne. 29:2), the latter-day Zion (D&C 64:41-43), and THE CHURCH of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints (D&C 115:4-6)” (see Guide to the Scriptures).
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The [[First Presidency]] of [http://comeuntochrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] announced on August 14, 2020, that effective January 2021 the Church would replace its four current magazines with three global magazines: the ''[[Friend Magazine|Friend]]'' (for children 3–11), ''[[For the Strength of Youth]]'' (for youth 12–18), and the ''[[Liahona Magazine|Liahona]]'' (for adults).
  
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The magazine contains “a monthly First Presidency message, used also in home teaching; a monthly Relief Society visiting teaching message; articles on scripture, doctrine, and member experiences and testimonies; and support articles for individuals, couples, parents, and local Church leaders and teachers.” Since 1976 the editor for the Ensign has always been a General Authority. This is because it is official curriculum of the Church and needs to be looked over by a General Authority to be so.  
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The length and format of the new printed magazines will undergo changes. For example, print pages for adult English readers will be reduced while members who read languages that currently have translations in only one print magazine per year will now be able to receive a print magazine every other month. Several factors—such as the number of subscribers, availability of translators, and distribution capability—affect the frequency of publication in different languages.
  
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A subscription can be ordered online, by going to www.ldscatalog.com and then clicking on the title Subscriptions, Renewals and Gifts. When the next page loads, click on Subscribe. You can also mail a request for a subscription to International Magazines, 50 East North Temple, Floor 25, Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3223, USA. You can also get a subscription by talking with you ward or branch magazine representative, executive secretary, clerk, bishop or branch president. You can also subscribe to any of the magazines through any Church distribution center. Gift subscriptions can also be ordered. Any language can be sent to any part of the world. In some areas, magazines can’t be delivered directly to people’s homes. In these cases, the magazines are mailed to the ward or branch for distribution to its members. If you have any other questions about how to get a subscription, you can visit: http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LDSMagazinesHelp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1.
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: “Church magazines are a valuable resource for learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ and feeling a sense of belonging in His Church,” the First Presidency said in a letter to all Latter-day Saints. “Our desire is that members everywhere will subscribe and welcome this faith-sustaining influence into their hearts and homes.”[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-magazines-2021#faq]
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: These global magazines will help share more unified messages across a wider group of readers. This simplification will also allow the Church to send content to different areas of the world more frequently than ever before. For example, some languages that currently receive only one magazine per year will now receive magazines every other month. Several factors—such as the number of subscribers, availability of translators, and distribution capability—affect the frequency of publication in different languages.[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-magazines-2021#faq]
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==History of the ''Ensign''==
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In 1971, leaders of the Church thought it would be wise to consolidate the magazines it published and create one magazine for all of its adult members. This new magazine was called ''The Ensign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' or simply the ''Ensign''. The magazine was printed with ten regular issues and two issues that contained [[General Conference]] addresses. Leaders of the Church expressed that the ''Ensign'' is the link between Church headquarters and its adult members and should help in strengthening the faith of the members, set forth gospel truths, and keep members up to date on Church policies, programs, and events.  
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The word "ensign" is rich in meaning. The King James Bible translators used it to mean a signal, sign, identifying symbol, standard, or banner. Hence, we read the biblical prophecy that in the last days the Lord would "set up an ensign for the nations" (Isa. 11:12), a standard to which Israel and the righteous of all nations might gather in preparation for the [[Millennium]]. In latter-day scriptures, ''ensign'' symbolizes such ''standards'' as the new and everlasting covenant (Doctrine & Covenants 45:9), the gospel of salvation (Doctrine & Covenants 49:8–9; 2 Nephi 29:2), the latter-day [[Zion]] (Doctrine & Covenants 64:41–43), and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Doctrine & Covenants 115:4–6).
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The magazine contained a monthly [[First Presidency]] message, used in [[Home Teaching]]; a monthly [[Relief Society]] [[Visiting Teaching]] message; articles on scripture and doctrine, plus the experiences and testimonies of members and leaders; and provided supportive articles for individuals, couples, parents, and local Church leaders and teachers. Since 1976 the editor for the ''Ensign'' had always been a [[General Authorities|General Authority]]. This is because it is official curriculum of the Church and as such needed to be reviewed by a General Authority.  
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Subscriptions can be ordered online, by going to [https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/usa/en store.churchofjesuschrist.org]. Full PDF versions of the ''Ensign'' are also available on the Church's website, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/magazines/ensign?lang=eng]
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''See also [[Church Magazines]] and [[Liahona Magazine]]''
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[[Category:LDS Literature]]
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[[es: Revista Ensign]]
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[[zh: 旌旗雜誌]]

Latest revision as of 21:00, 31 August 2020

Ensign magazine.jpg

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on August 14, 2020, that effective January 2021 the Church would replace its four current magazines with three global magazines: the Friend (for children 3–11), For the Strength of Youth (for youth 12–18), and the Liahona (for adults).

The length and format of the new printed magazines will undergo changes. For example, print pages for adult English readers will be reduced while members who read languages that currently have translations in only one print magazine per year will now be able to receive a print magazine every other month. Several factors—such as the number of subscribers, availability of translators, and distribution capability—affect the frequency of publication in different languages.

“Church magazines are a valuable resource for learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ and feeling a sense of belonging in His Church,” the First Presidency said in a letter to all Latter-day Saints. “Our desire is that members everywhere will subscribe and welcome this faith-sustaining influence into their hearts and homes.”[1]
These global magazines will help share more unified messages across a wider group of readers. This simplification will also allow the Church to send content to different areas of the world more frequently than ever before. For example, some languages that currently receive only one magazine per year will now receive magazines every other month. Several factors—such as the number of subscribers, availability of translators, and distribution capability—affect the frequency of publication in different languages.[2]

History of the Ensign

In 1971, leaders of the Church thought it would be wise to consolidate the magazines it published and create one magazine for all of its adult members. This new magazine was called The Ensign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or simply the Ensign. The magazine was printed with ten regular issues and two issues that contained General Conference addresses. Leaders of the Church expressed that the Ensign is the link between Church headquarters and its adult members and should help in strengthening the faith of the members, set forth gospel truths, and keep members up to date on Church policies, programs, and events.

The word "ensign" is rich in meaning. The King James Bible translators used it to mean a signal, sign, identifying symbol, standard, or banner. Hence, we read the biblical prophecy that in the last days the Lord would "set up an ensign for the nations" (Isa. 11:12), a standard to which Israel and the righteous of all nations might gather in preparation for the Millennium. In latter-day scriptures, ensign symbolizes such standards as the new and everlasting covenant (Doctrine & Covenants 45:9), the gospel of salvation (Doctrine & Covenants 49:8–9; 2 Nephi 29:2), the latter-day Zion (Doctrine & Covenants 64:41–43), and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Doctrine & Covenants 115:4–6).

The magazine contained a monthly First Presidency message, used in Home Teaching; a monthly Relief Society Visiting Teaching message; articles on scripture and doctrine, plus the experiences and testimonies of members and leaders; and provided supportive articles for individuals, couples, parents, and local Church leaders and teachers. Since 1976 the editor for the Ensign had always been a General Authority. This is because it is official curriculum of the Church and as such needed to be reviewed by a General Authority.

Subscriptions can be ordered online, by going to store.churchofjesuschrist.org. Full PDF versions of the Ensign are also available on the Church's website, [3]

See also Church Magazines and Liahona Magazine

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