Youth Worldwide Discussion: 'Walk with Me' Theme Unveiled

During the year ahead, youth have the opportunity to study and learn from the 2026 youth theme “Walk with me.” As they do so, President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, said he hopes they will experience a closer relationship with the Lord. In a worldwide discussion for youth, available Sunday, Jan. 18, in Gospel Library, Media Library, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the Church’s YouTube channel, President Christofferson encouraged young men and young women to personally learn more about the life of Jesus Christ and His example of walking with God the Father. “Jesus was the ideal disciple of our Heavenly Father, just as we strive to be disciples of Him and the Father,” he said. President Christofferson was joined by Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman for the broadcast from the Jerusalem movie set in Goshen, Utah, which represents where Jesus lived and walked on earth. President Christofferson promised the youth that as they learn all they can about the Savior’s example, they will get to know Him. “You will know that He knows you and that He is not just the Redeemer, but that He is your Redeemer and friend.” The Savior’s invitation to Enoch and to all The 45-minute broadcast featured two songs from the 2026 youth album. “Walk With Me,” sung by Jensen Diederich, began the broadcast, while near the end, “Your Presence” was sung by Madison Ware and Pearce Morris. The 2026 youth theme is Jehovah’s invitation to the ancient prophet Enoch, “Walk with me,” from Moses 6:34, President Christofferson said. “‘Walk with me’ is also the Savior’s invitation to each of us.” President Christofferson said God called Enoch as a prophet to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people, many of whom had already rejected the Lord and His prophets. “God wanted Enoch to bring the people back to the covenant path,” President Christofferson said. Initially, Enoch felt that he was too young, couldn’t speak well and was disliked by others. In response to Enoch’s doubts and fears, the Lord promised to give him the words and the ability to speak with power. “Then the Lord gave Enoch the promise and invitation that he also gives you and me today. ‘Thou shalt abide in me and I in you therefore, walk with me,’” President Christofferson said. Enoch did walk with God and became a great seer and prophet. The righteous people gathered in one place, and, over time, God took them into heaven (see Moses 7:69). Jesus invites all to walk with Him on His path, which is the only path that leads to eternal life, President Christofferson said. And to walk with the Lord, one can enter into covenants with Him— beginning with baptism — as well as repent, keep trying and always remember Him, he said. “No matter what successes, failures or challenges come to you, He is your answer for everything.” Walk with Him through prayer In the next part of the broadcast, President Freeman shared with a group of young men and young women a favorite Old Testament story about Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat feared the great army that was coming upon his people. So he “set himself to seek the Lord” and proclaimed a fast throughout the land (see verse 3). Said President Freeman: “First, we seek the Lord. And how do we do that? Well, we learn from Jehoshaphat that one of the ways we can do that is through prayer and through fasting.” Next, Jehoshaphat gathered everyone in the land at the temple. After prayer “came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation.” (verse 14). The youth discussed receiving answers to prayer. President Freeman said she hopes the youth would learn from the discussion to be intentional about their prayers each day. “Maybe that looks like morning and maybe that looks like evening, but also maybe it looks like walking and involving Him in that conversation, or pausing in the middle of the school day, or driving in the car or wherever you are, pausing to thank Him for a beautiful sunset. And that’s how answers come and blessings, and that’s how we strengthen our relationship with Him. “ Those watching the broadcast then had the opportunity to pause and discuss the question, “How can heartfelt prayer said with real intent help us to walk with Him?” Walk with Him through repentance President Farnes sat with a group of youth at the part of the Jerusalem set that represents the stairs at the pool of Bethesda. He talked to them about the man who was healed at the pool and was asked to pick up his bed and walk with Jesus (see John 5). “Even though it’s a story about a man being physically healed, let’s apply it to how we can be spiritually healed through repentance, by turning to Christ and recognizing the Savior of the world that He is,” President Farnes said. The man had been ill for 38 years and had never been able to enter the pool at the right time to be healed. One young woman in the discussion said she thought the Savior must have been feeling joy when He saw the man. President Farnes responded, “That’s the same thing the Savior feels as He comes to you and you express your desire to Him, to walk with Him, to change, to turn to Him, to repent.” One of the Savior’s titles is Living Water. When the man at the pool of Bethesda decided he would look to the Living Water instead of the waters in the pool, he was able to stand and walk. “Later on, Jesus found him in the temple. So usually repentance is a precursor to greater things in life, like ordinances, like the sacrament and like the temple,” President Farnes said. The youth discussed some of the things they could do to practice daily repentance. They spoke about changing and becoming closer to Jesus Christ. God’s plan was always to have repentance, President Farnes said, and He provided a Savior so that people could repent. “I hope this story will help you recognize the joy of repentance and that it can happen daily for you. You will choose Him time and time again.” Those watching the broadcast then had the opportunity to pause the video and discuss the second question: “How can daily repentance help us to walk with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?” Walk with Him through covenants President Christofferson spoke with a group of youth about the role of ordinances and covenants in relation to walking with the Savior. These are more than just agreements and promises, he said, they are the way to get a deeper relationship with God and with the Savior. People covenant to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ at baptism and promise to keep His commandments. Temple covenants include sacrifice, chastity and consecration. In return, President Christofferson said, God promises to bless His children for their obedience and send His Spirit to be with them. He promises to provide a Savior, to endow His children with power from on high, send angels to watch over them and give them a place in the celestial kingdom. “We ought not to just say ‘covenants,’” President Christofferson said. “We ought to think about what are the promises of those covenants, and what am I doing in my life to fulfill my promise, and what can I expect from the Lord?” A young woman asked what it really means to follow the covenant path. President Christofferson answered that it is becoming like Christ. “He is the way. He is the path. He shows us the path. His example is something we all want to learn more about.” Another young woman asked how she can bring others with her on the path. President Christofferson responded to truly feel Christlike love for them, to pray for guidance, to look out for others and to help them. “Your example will strengthen people you do not even know are watching you,” he said. The youth also discussed how their preparation for partaking of the sacrament each week helps them walk with Christ. They talked about remembering things they could do to improve and preparing all week to have the Spirit with them in that moment on Sunday. The broadcast then allowed groups watching to discuss the third question: “As you think about covenants, how does your preparation for taking the sacrament each week help you to walk with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?” In conclusion, President Christofferson said he hoped youth would make time to talk further about the theme “Walk with me” and they will experience a closer relationship with the Lord. “I want to remind all of us that our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, love us perfectly,” he said. “And because They love us perfectly, They want us to become like Them and experience the exquisite joy that They experience. They know what it requires. They know how to help us achieve it.”