Teens Read the Book
Bringing the sound of scripture
to a world-wide audience
Success
April 2023
In 2021, 250 teens from around the world submitted recordings of themselves reading the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which we assembled and published as the Teens Read the Book podcast. The recordings, available on all major podcast platforms, iTunes, and Spotify, have been heard by many thousands of listeners from 72 countries. You can also listen to the recordings on this website under the Book of Mormon tab.
The project enjoyed some great publicity, including a December 2021 article in the Church News, a July 2022 Instagram post by Church’s General Young Men’s Presidency member Brad Wilcox, a December 2022 post on the Church’s youth focused Gospel Living app, and a December 2022 article in the Church’s For the Strength of Youth magazine.
More important is the project’s influence for good on its listeners. One person wrote “I had been praying for a new way to read [the Book of Mormon] or a fresh way to study. This project has been an answer to my prayers. I can not thank you enough.”
Messages like this show the potential this has to be an influence for good. We shouldn’t be surprised, though. It’s “the virtue of the word of God” that people are responding to when they hear these scriptures (Alma 31:5).
Thank you again to the many of you who sent in records or encouraged your kids/siblings/friends to do so. We will keep making the podcast available for a very long time, hopefully permanently.
Next Phase
What's Next?
We have had many requests asking the obvious: When will we publish additional works of scripture read by teens? We feel the time is approaching to do that. Specifically, we are preparing to assemble and publish recordings of the King James Version of the Bible (including chapter headings as published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
If you are a teen or have one in your family/household, would you like to be a part of the committee organizing this effort? We will meet by zoom as needed in coming months to coordinate our work and get this job done. We are looking for visionary teens who can see the importance of this ambitious effort and want to be a part of it. In a day of instant media that sometimes only lives for hours, these recordings will last for years, decades, or even longer!
If you or your teen would like to take a leadership role in the next step of this meaningful project, drop us a message at teensreadthebook@gmail.com and we will invite you to our first zoom organizing meeting in a few weeks.
As with your recordings of The Book of Mormon, I believe our efforts to produce the remaining books of scriptures will fill a unique need in the world. To those who listen, they will make a big difference. Together, we will do something that will bless lives and increase faith around the world for many years to come.
-McKay
Tips for Making a Good Recording
What to read
Record yourself reading the whole chapter (English version only, for now), including the the chapter number, introductory explanation, and all verses.
What to record with
Use your phone or any recording device that can export your audio file. We can accept audio files of all types.
Cadence
Don't read too fast or too slow. Read at a pace that is comfortable for you and can easily be understood.
Shhh..
Eliminate background noise. Use a silent room without an echo. Closets work well.
Put your phone down
Don't have your phone or recording device in your hands. Put it down to eliminate clicks and tapping noises. Have your phone at a consistent distance from your mouth, probably 1-2 feet. And obviously, put your phone on airplane mode and silence all alarms.
What if I mess up?
Just read normally. It doesn't have to be perfect. If you mistake a word, just repeat it. You are a teen, not a professional. Just do your best and it will be good enough.
Be authentic
Don't try to sound like a professional or like anyone else. Be you. Your unique voice is what just is needed here.