 | |
| Frequency | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| First issue | January 1971 |
| Final issue | December 2020 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | Ensign |
| ISSN | 0013-8606 |
The Ensign of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly shortened toEnsign (/ˈɛnsaɪn/EN-syne),[1] was an officialperiodical ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1971 to 2020. The magazine was first issued in January 1971, along with thecorrelatedNew Era (for youth) and theFriend (for children).[2] Each of these magazines replaced the older church publicationsThe Improvement Era,Relief Society Magazine,The Instructor, and theMillennial Star. Unlike some of its predecessors, theEnsign contained noadvertisements.[3]
As an official church publication, theEnsign contained faith-promoting and proselytizing information, stories, sermons, and writings of church leaders.
For many years, the May and November editions of theEnsign provided reports of the proceedings of the church's annual and semi-annualgeneral conferences. These issues contain the full sermons and business of the conferences, as well as a current photographic list of the church'sgeneral authorities and general officers.
The text of every issue of the magazine is available on the church's web site. Each issue since January 2001 is also available inPDF format.[4]
In April 2018, the magazine discontinued itsFirst Presidency message, an article traditionally found at the front of the magazine written by a member of the church's First Presidency. This message was traditionally used byhome teachers for a lesson as they visited their assigned families. This change coincided with the church's revamping of the home teaching program intoministering.[5]
In August 2020, the LDS Church announced that theEnsign would cease publication at the end of 2020 and would be replaced by the English-language version ofLiahona.[6][7] The final issue was dated December 2020.
The magazine's editors included the following, with all those beginning with Dean L. Larsen beinggeneral authority seventies:[citation needed]
