The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced today that, beginning in January 2021, the Church will replace its four current magazines with three global magazines: the “Friend” (for children), “For the Strength of Youth” (for youth) and the “Liahona” (for adults).
The current four magazines include three magazines in English—the “Friend” (for children), “New Era” (for youth) and “Ensign” (for adults)—as well as a magazine translated into many languages called the “Liahona” (with material for children, youth and adults).
This adjustment to the magazines will provide several benefits to Latter-day Saints around the world, including the following:
- For the first time, families outside of English-speaking countries will have the opportunity to subscribe to magazines specifically for children and youth.
- Content will be shared more frequently in some areas and languages.
- The global Church family will receive the same unifying messages through the worldwide magazines.
“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.”
“Our desire is that members everywhere will subscribe and welcome this faith-sustaining influence into their hearts and homes.” —First Presidency
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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. See more information about the frequency of publishing in specific languages.
Readers can also expect an improved and expanded digital magazines experience, including “YA Weekly,” located in the young adults section of the Gospel Library app. Digital magazine content will continue to be available for free.
Current “Ensign,” “New Era,” and “Friend” subscribers will automatically roll over to the new configuration in 2021 with whatever time remains on their subscriptions. Current “Liahona” subscribers who wish to receive print content for children or youth next year will need to subscribe to the new “Friend” or “For the Strength of Youth” magazine. New subscription options and updated product information will be available at store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and distribution center retail stores on September 1, 2020.