On Oct. 29, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published the fourth and final volume of "Saints: The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days."
The volume is titled "Sounded in Every Ear."
The four-volume official history of the Church began in 2018 when the first book, “Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth,” was published. The first volume contained the history of the Church beginning with Joseph Smith and his family, moving onward to the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple, the second temple in this dispensation.
Each subsequent volume moved forward in time from that point, narrating the Church's history of both bad and good times, highlighting the hand of Jesus Christ within His church.
“I have been in awe of His power and the goodness that He is, and the way that He has guided this Church in its ups and downs,” Scott Hales, Church historian and general editor of the series said.
The final volume showcases the Church from 1955-2020 and aims to highlight the expansion of the Church throughout the world.
Jed Woodworth, managing historian and editor of the series, explained this volume “details the modern era of the Church, emphasizing international growth, humanitarian efforts and contemporary changes.”
The series is the first official history of the Church since Elder B.H. Roberts of the First Council of the Seventy published “Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in 1930.
What sets the series apart from any other history of the Church is its narrative style and its focus on individual characters.
“Each of the stories that we tell, each of the characters we see are the threads of the tapestry of the Restoration,” Hales said.
The many characters the series explores come from "different regions" across the world. Hales said one of his favorites is Delia Rochon, a young convert of the Church from Uruguay who served as a Primary president in her local congregation at only 13 years old.
Another highlighted character is Billy Johnson, a powerful preacher and convert in Ghana who struggled with the priesthood restriction. The book highlights how through that difficulty, he trusted in the Lord.
The team that works on the series is relatively small, with only up to eight people working on it full-time. They do, however, employ many reviewers that help with each draft. Woodworth explained there were eight review cycles with up to 50 reviewers in each cycle.
Woodworth explained that as the book progressed, it went “all the way up to the apostles and the First Presidency.”
“I think it’s about 70-80 readers who end up helping with the content,” he said.
The characters in this final volume exemplify the many countries, races, ethnicities and ways of life within the Church. Woodworth said a “terrific problem” they had was trying to “represent so many nations.”
“Early on in our outlining meetings, we would pitch characters to each other,” he said.
As these stories progressed, they created criteria that each character was to fulfill before being added to the book.
“First, every story had to be interesting," Woodworth explained. "Second, there had to be some sacred angle to the story ... and third, we would ask, ‘Does the story tell some larger change in the Church over time?’”
As the team behind the series decided which characters to dive into, they found each character exemplified modern day “pioneers, leaders, humanitarians, innovators and covenant keepers.”
Hales explained each character was a covenant keeper and that “covenant keepers are those who bind themselves to Jesus Christ and their Heavenly Father.”
Lisa Olsen Tait, a Church historian and general editor of the Saints series said there were both challenges and benefits to discussing a history that is so recent. Challenges included the little time between now and when the events first unfolded.
“It can be difficult to have enough distance and perspective,” she said.
Though that added difficulty, there were many benefits to the timing of the history.
“For this volume, we were able to interview people — most of the characters are still living,” she said. “In some ways that gave us a huge amount of material that we could use.”
Tait said diving into these individuals' lives brings the Spirit when you read.
“It’s a really sacred thing to read and to share in what other people have experienced in their perspective,” she said.
While the series presents both the imperfect man and the divinity of God within the Church, Hales explained that while working on this project, his testimony in Jesus Christ grew. He hopes that’s what others will gain from it as well.
“There have been times when we as a people have done things really well, and there have been other times where we have really, really missed the mark. He has been there every step of the way directing us back on the path,” he said. “I have gained a better appreciation of His role in the history of the Church.”
Pointing to the testimony of prophets, Woodworth said he had the opportunity to read journals from many of the recent presidents of the Church. Each time he did so, his testimony grew, and his understanding that they were “men of God” became undeniable.
“The prophets write about the good, the bad and the ugly. I testify that these are men called of God,” he said.
Explaining the purpose of the series, Hales pointed to Alma 37:8 in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
“We hope that these books ‘enlarge the memory’ of each and every one of you,” he said. “'Saints,' most importantly, is designed to bring us to a better understanding and ‘knowledge of (our) God unto the salvation of our souls.’”
“Saints, Volume 4: Sounded in Every Ear” is now available to read in 14 languages, and can be listened to in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Read or listen to the book for free on Gospel Library app and on the Church website.