Constant Yet Ever-Changing

by Daniel Barker

We live in a changing world. The Church is no different. At conference, especially lately, we hear exciting changes announced over the pulpit. We might feel we live in an era of change, however, change was the norm since day one of this great Church. For instance, during the 1920s, Primary children, ages 8 through 11, attended the temple along with their parents and participated in Baptisms for the dead. What was the Rag Mission, or better yet, the Gold mining Mission? Did women actually administer to the sick? And the list goes on and on. From baby blessings to numerous accounts of African American men given the priesthood and serving missions, history is full to overflowing of unique change.

In this book I identify approximately 75 practices that in many cases don't exist in today's Church, but at one time were alive and well. Along with the practice, I also share why the practice ceased if I was able to discover the reason. As interesting as the change is, the reasoning for a number of these practices is equally as compelling.