The Relief Society was formed to encourage women to participate in the work of the Church. Today, women in the Church continue to change the world through God’s power.
In March of 2025, the Relief Society General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met in the upper floor of Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, as reported in the Church Newsroom article “Women ‘Can and Should Change the World,’ Says Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson.” There the Presidency reflected on the organization of the Relief Society that took place 183 years earlier in that very location. Speaking of the women of that day, President Camille N. Johnson emphasizes the “covenant community” they created and how similar that is to our day. But what exactly is a covenant community?
When I picture a covenant community, I tend to focus on the community aspect—the aspect that I have heard most about at church. The images that come to my mind are women reaching out to the other women in their wards or branches, banding together to bring meals to the sick, and chatting in the hallways of church buildings. But this is only part of what makes a covenant community. What impressed me most about President Johnson’s address is the focus on the “covenant” part of this phrase.
In the early days of the Church, covenants were cherished by the Saints. One of my favorite stories is from when the Saints were leaving Kirtland shortly after building the temple. Throngs of people waited to receive their covenants, knowing how precious the blessings of the temple were.
As a young adult woman in the Church today, I feel the same way about covenants. The history of the Church can be difficult for many people, particularly women, but I am comforted by the truth that from the beginning of the Church to today, women have been able to draw on God’s power through covenants. We have always been able to have a personal relationship with Christ, which is the most important aspect of every Latter-day Saint’s life. Those covenants can also help us build community as they unify our resolve and commit us to helping each other (Mosiah 18:8–11).
President Johnson stated, and I add my testimony too, that by relying on a covenant community, women can add goodness to the world. And they should.
Read the Church Newsroom’s article “Women ‘Can and Should Change the World,’ Says Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson” for more highlights of this meeting
Source: Church Newsroom
—Ellie Taylor, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY WALTER RANE
Find more insights
Watch the 2025 Relief Society Devotional to hear the remarks of other General Authorities on covenants and community.
Read the Latter-day Saint Insights article “Remembering the Relief Society: How to Incorporate Women’s History into Church History” by Phoebe English to gain more context on covenant community.
Read the article collection “Women of the Restoration” on the website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for individual stories of women who played a role in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.