The LDS Seminary Teaching Tradition

James Austin Owen was a “religious educator” for a little over four years.  As an LDS Seminary teacher Brother Owen made a difference in the lives of high school aged youth in Burley, Idaho between September 1948-November 1952.   

 The Burley, Idaho Seminary building in 1948.  Note by Maxine Owen, the Seminary Teacher's wife.

He was really one of the “pioneers” in a program that began in 1912 and continues to evolve.  After teaching for four years in Burley, he contracted polio.  He was moved from Idaho Falls Hospital to the Veteran’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT and never returned to a full time seminary teaching position.

In the summers, Dad helped keep the youth in Burley out of trouble by organizing the “Knothole Gang” and playing baseball.  He also coached in a basketball league.

When we were younger, Dad loved to have a family gospel sharing time on Sundays.  We each had small black notebooks with our initials monogrammed on the side in white. My favorite time was when we just asked gospel questions and he would answer them using the scriptures.   Much of my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ came from these question and answer session.

Maxine Owen, James Owen, and Ida Ellen Fish Owen, Jim's mother, holding Ralph Owen in Burley, Idaho in 1950.  Jim had been teaching seminary for 1 1/2 years when this picture was taken.

Photo shows a young Boyd K. Packer, left, as a seminary teacher at the Brigham City, Utah, Seminary in 1953. (Deseret News archive)  We don’t have any pictures of Jim with his seminary students.

In January 2012, a worldwide broadcast was held to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of the seminary program.  The website says that today the seminary and institute programs teach over 700,000 students in 143 different countries through the efforts of nearly 50,000 full-time, part-time, and volunteer teachers and administrators.¹

 Over 100 years ago the first released-time seminary program was launched at Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Begun largely as an experiment by a single stake, the program has since grown into a worldwide system of religious education, bringing gospel instruction to young members of the Church throughout the entire world. From small beginnings, the seminary program and its collegiate counterpart—institute of religion—grew to become the primary educational entities in the Church, with a larger enrollment than any other LDS educational venture and a wider reach than almost any educational organization worldwide.

 In 1977 Elder Boyd K. Packer commented, “In the history of the Church there is no better illustration of the prophetic preparation of this people than the beginnings of the seminary and institute program. These programs were started when they were nice but were not critically needed. They were granted a season to flourish and to grow into a bulwark for the Church. They now become a godsend for the salvation of modern Israel in a most challenging hour.”²

Today on the website for Seminary and Institute it states:  Our purpose is to help youth and young adults understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven.

I think Dad would have agreed that was his purpose although the program has changed and evolved into something quite different than it was in 1948.

 L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said,

“I know the power that comes from associations in the seminary and institute programs. It has enriched my life, and I know it will do the same for you. It will put a shield of protection around you to keep you free from the temptations and trials of the world. There is a great blessing in having a knowledge of the gospel. And I know of no better place for the young people of the Church to gain a special knowledge of sacred things than in the institute and seminary programs of the Church.” 
Ensign, Nov. 1997, 61-62

The tradition of working with youth in the Seminary Program has continued in our extended family.  If we counted the number of Jim Owen’s posterity who have attended Seminary it would be a significant percentage.  Many are four year seminary graduates and have attended Institute classes while in college. 

Craig Ostler, husband of Sandy Owen Ostler, worked for the LDS Seminary program for many years before joining the faculty at Brigham Young University.

As Volunteer Teachers, Mark and Cyndy Weiss have served a combined 22.5 years in teaching Seminary and Institute classes.  Mark taught seminary one year in Kirkland, Institute 3 years in Redmond, Institute 3 years in Vancouver, and Institute 5 years in Logan.

Cyndy Weiss taught seven years in Redmond, Washington, was one of the first Stake Supervisors ever called (as it was a new position in the Church), and supervised teachers for 1.5 years in Redmond and then again for 2 years in Vancouver.  When I was teaching, I would sometimes bring the younger children to watch their older brothers’ or sisters’ classes.  These young siblings loved scripture chasing and were oft times quicker at finding the passages than the older students.

Getting up early for a 6:00 a.m. Seminary class was just something you did during your high school years.   When we moved to Logan, UT, William and Joseph Weiss didn’t have that opportunity to arise extra early as they participated in a released time Seminary program. 

Mark Weiss also worked for three years for Seminary and Institutes (S&I) creating a system for a fourth option for seminary instruction.  Along with released time, early morning and home study seminary, now some students will be allowed to do on-line seminary classes.   Along with Tyler Griffin, Mark worked created the original curriculum for the on-line Book of Mormon Class.  

Recent Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual

I am thankful for the scripture mastery verses that I have retained over the years.  I know they have helped my own children in making important decisions.  Now as Mark and I have the opportunity to serve in a Young Single Adult Ward and we see yet again the difference regular attendance in religious education classes can make the lives of USU students.

It is fun to imagine “Brother Owen” standing at the chalkboard with his scriptures open in his hand.  I’m sure he was respected and well liked.  It is easy for me to visualize him doing similar teaching in the spirit world.  He was a gifted teacher and served as Gospel Doctrine teacher for many, many years.   His love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is part of his legacy to us.