I want to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for the countless prayers and messages of support extended to my wife, June, during her time as the First Lady of BYU until 1980. Her deep affection for Brigham Young University, its people, and its endeavors was truly remarkable. Your collective thoughts and prayers were a source of immense strength for both her and me. Many of you have inquired about my well-being in the month since her passing, and I consistently respond, “As well as can be expected.” Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness.
Our conference theme, “Neglect Not the Gift That Is in Thee,” resonates deeply with the unique contribution each of us makes at BYU. This distinctive gift stems from the fundamental difference between working at BYU and at any other institution outside the Church Educational System. My address will center on this gift – this defining difference – with a particular focus on how We Serve at BYU. I offer these reflections as wisdom, not as a directive (see D&C 28:5). My insights are drawn from my experiences in law, higher education, Church education, and the leading councils of the Church, but I am not speaking under assignment or by way of commandment.
In essence, my message can be encapsulated in a single paragraph: BYU faculty and staff are bound by a contractual relationship with the university as their employer and a covenant relationship with the Church that sponsors it. This dual relationship—contract and covenant—positions BYU employees uniquely compared to those at other colleges and universities outside the Church Educational System. It also distinguishes BYU employees from Church members without a contractual employment relationship with a Church entity. The core of my message will explore the implications of this unique position, specifically as it pertains to how we serve at BYU. I urge you to recognize and nurture the distinctive gift that sets you apart.
Your contractual relationship entails compensation, adherence to laws and regulations, and contractual obligations and consequences not generally applicable to Church members. You have specific employment duties and are subject to employer authorities not applicable to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are not BYU employees.
Crucially, as BYU employees who are also members of the Church, you share a covenant relationship with the Church that owns and directs BYU. This covenant brings obligations that extend beyond your contractual duties. (I will address the specific situation of non-LDS BYU employees later.) The interplay of these two relationships in shaping how we serve at BYU is the central theme of my talk.
However, the distinctive nature of a BYU employee’s position is not universally understood or accepted, even among some within our faculty, staff, and student body. This is evident in certain actions and statements. I will refrain from citing specific examples, trusting that you can readily identify them as my message unfolds.
I. The Distinctive Nature of Service at BYU
Service at BYU differs fundamentally from that at other colleges and universities because BYU is owned and governed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church has entrusted BYU with a unique educational mission. While some aspects of this mission align with the teaching found at other institutions, leading to the erroneous conclusion that BYU is no different, other aspects are akin to the teaching of called servants of the Lord, such as General and local authorities, missionaries, and teachers. This has, in turn, led some critics to mistakenly equate BYU teaching with Sunday School instruction. Both comparisons are flawed. They overlook the dual nature of BYU’s mission and the complexity of its twofold task, performed by individuals with dual responsibilities—one by contract and the other by covenant.
Let me offer insights from respected voices to underscore BYU’s unique character. Consider these words from Karl G. Maeser, spoken in 1891 at Brigham Young Academy’s first Founders Day exercises:
It has been said the Saints will be saviors upon Mount Zion, that they are destined to redeem the world. Redeem the world from what? From the thraldom of sin, ignorance, and degradation! In order to do this, Zion will have to take the lead in everything and consequently also in education. . . .
A glance over the conditions of mankind in this our day with its misery, discontent, and corruption, and disintegration of the social, religious, and philosophic fabrics, shows that this generation has been put into the balance and has been found wanting. A following, therefore, in the old grooves, would simply lead to the same results, and that is what the Lord has designed shall be avoided in Zion. President Brigham Young felt it in his heart that an educational system ought to be inaugurated in Zion in which, as he put it in his terse way of saying things, neither the alphabet nor the multiplication table should be taught without the Spirit of God.
Thus was started this nucleus of a new system. [Karl G. Maeser, “History of the Academy,” in Educating Zion, eds. John W. Welch and Don E. Norton [Provo: BYU Studies, 1996], p. 2]
President Spencer W. Kimball offered a more contemporary articulation of BYU’s distinctiveness, famously stating:
The uniqueness of Brigham Young University lies in its special role—education for eternity—which it must carry in addition to the usual tasks of a university. This means concern—curricular and behavioral—not only for the “whole man,” but also for the “eternal man.” Where all universities seek to preserve the heritage of knowledge that history has washed to their feet, this faculty has a double heritage—the preserving of knowledge of men and the revealed truths sent from heaven.
While all universities seek to push back the frontiers of knowledge further and further, this faculty must do that and also keep new knowledge in perspective, so that the avalanche of facts does not carry away saving, exalting truths from the value systems of our youth. [Spencer W. Kimball, “Education for Eternity,” reprinted in “Climbing the Hills Just Ahead: Three Addresses,” Educating Zion, pp. 43–44]
Paul’s plea, which serves as your conference theme, to “neglect not the gift that is in [us]” (1 Timothy 4:14) is profoundly relevant. Equally pertinent are Paul’s words to Timothy just prior to this exhortation:
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
These things command and teach. [1 Timothy 4:10–11]
As President Kimball emphasized, BYU’s commitment to education for eternity necessitates a curricular and behavioral focus on eternal principles alongside temporal matters. This dual focus, encompassing both revealed truth and secular knowledge, demands a concern for our students’ personal values and conduct, not just their academic achievements. While other universities have diminished or abandoned their emphasis on behavioral standards, Church Educational System institutions stand almost alone in upholding these values. In Paul’s words, because “we trust in the living God” as we pursue our dual teaching mission, “we both labour and suffer reproach,” yet we are bound by covenant to “command and teach” these principles.
BYU’s unique dual teaching responsibility necessitates a concern for the personal conduct of its employees, particularly its educators. In the contractual framework, this concern is reflected in the requirement of temple recommend worthiness as a condition of employment. However, it is even more significantly embodied in the covenant relationship that member-employees have with the Church sponsoring BYU. Church members are covenanted to serve one another. For every BYU employee, the primary avenue for covenant service is through their BYU employment, and their covenant responsibilities for service surpass their contractual obligations.
President Kimball further illuminated our covenant obligations, stating:
It would be my hope that twenty thousand students might feel the normalcy and beauty of your lives. I hope you will each qualify for the students’ admiration and affection. It is my hope that these youth will have abundant lives, beautiful family patterns, after the ideal of an eternal family, with you for their example. . . .
I would like these youth to see their instructors in community life as dignified, happy cooperators; in Church life as devout, dependable, efficient leaders; and in personal life honorable, full of integrity; and as President John Taylor said, “Let us live so . . . that angels can minister to us and the Holy Ghost dwell with us.” [“Education for Eternity,” in “Climbing the Hills,” Educating Zion, pp. 50–51]
University employees who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not share a covenant relationship with the Church. Nevertheless, they are contractual employees of a university with a specific mission. Their employment contract commits them to support and not undermine that mission. For these employees, the contract itself is sufficient, and their collective dedication to their responsibilities has been remarkable.
II. Principles Guiding How We Serve at BYU
Having outlined the foundational principles of your dual relationship with BYU and its sponsoring Church, I now wish to explore how these principles shape your service responsibilities at BYU and deeply influence how we serve here.
Following my call to the Quorum of the Twelve, my inaugural general conference address in October 1984 reflected on the significance of my calling and the callings of others, addressing the fundamental question of why we serve. This evening, I feel compelled to revisit some of the insights I shared then, expanding upon them to incorporate the dimensions of both contract and covenant service and applying them specifically to the context of how we serve at BYU.
Service is not merely an option but an imperative for those who worship Jesus Christ and a covenant obligation for members of His Church. To followers vying for prominence in His kingdom, the Savior taught, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:27). Latter-day revelation commands us to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5). Alma’s profound teachings on baptismal qualifications and the baptismal covenant underscore the willingness to “bear one another’s burdens” (Mosiah 18:8) and enter into “a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments” (Mosiah 18:10). Melchizedek Priesthood holders receive this sacred authority through a covenant to employ its powers in the service of others. Indeed, all members of the Church of Jesus Christ are bound by a covenant obligation to serve.
Whether we serve our fellow beings or God, it is ultimately the same (see Mosiah 2:17). If we love Him, we will keep His commandments and feed His sheep (see John 21:16–17).
While service often brings to mind physical actions, scripture teaches that the Lord examines our thoughts as well as our deeds. One of God’s earliest commandments to Israel was to love Him and “serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 11:13). Latter-day revelation declares that the Lord requires not only outward actions but “the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34). Similarly, the prophet Alma taught that hardening our hearts against God’s word will lead to condemnation at the final judgment, where “all our works will condemn us . . . ; and our thoughts will also condemn us” (Alma 12:14).
In these latter days, we are charged to “seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion” (D&C 6:6). Regrettably, not everyone engaged in activities under this banner truly intends to build Zion or strengthen faith. Other motivations can, and often do, come into play.
These scriptures clarify that to purify our service, we must examine not only how we serve but also why we serve. For BYU employees, this introspection is complicated by the dual relationship I have described. Therefore, it is beneficial to consider both why we serve under contract and why we serve under covenant.
People serve for diverse reasons, and some reasons are more noble than others. None of us serves solely for a single reason in every instance. As imperfect beings, we likely serve for a combination of motives that may evolve as we grow spiritually. However, we should consistently strive to serve for the highest and best reasons.
Why do we serve? To illustrate, and without claiming exhaustiveness, I will propose six distinct motivations for service, progressing from lesser to greater in their spiritual value.
1. Service for Riches or Honor
Some serve with the expectation of earthly reward. These individuals may serve others to increase their income, accumulate wealth, gain prominence, or achieve worldly recognition. Considering your contractual relationship with BYU, one might ask, “What is inherently wrong with serving for income or personal gain?” From a purely contractual standpoint, there is nothing inherently wrong. However, covenant service operates on a different plane. It is ironic that the most basic motivation for contract service is the least worthy motivation for Church or covenant service. Scripture affirms this truth.
Service that appears selfless but is driven by the pursuit of riches or honor aligns with the Book of Mormon definition of priestcraft, which is to “preach” or serve “that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Nephi 26:29). Such service falls under the Savior’s condemnation of those who “outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within . . . are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28). This type of service yields no gospel reward.
So, how should a BYU employee approach gospel service? Undoubtedly, we accept and diligently fulfill our Church callings. But what about the majority of our time spent in employment-related activities?
I propose that beyond fulfilling contractual obligations, BYU employees are bound by gospel covenants to actively engage in personal endeavors and leverage their influence to uphold the spirit of gospel service within the university community. In 1975, then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley stated:
Service to mankind must ever be the ideal of this great university. It was established in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave his life that all men might live. It was founded and built and helped through its early years of struggle by men whose faith was more precious than life and whose concern for others was above concern for self. If we ever lose that spirit, we have lost everything. [Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Second Hundred Years: A New Level of Achievement,” inAnnual University Conference 1975, Brigham Young University, p. 56]
What does this mean practically for how we serve? It certainly does not preclude fair compensation within our contractual relationship. However, it does mean that we should not operate solely for compensation or seek remuneration for every action within our employment. If we fail to extend ourselves beyond contractual duties and magnify our efforts as acts of gospel service, we neglect the unique gift—our distinctive position—that is within us. We must never lose the “concern for others . . . above concern for self” that President Hinckley identified as the “spirit” essential to BYU’s identity as “the university of the Church of Jesus Christ” (Annual University Conference 1975, p. 52). Those who succeed in covenant service may experience the paradoxical blessing of eternal reward far outweighing any perceived inadequacy of earthly compensation for their efforts.
Allow me to add a footnote. After drafting these words, I recalled addressing this topic previously. I discovered that eighteen years prior, in August 1980, as I concluded my service at BYU, I delivered a commencement address entitled “Challenges to BYU in the Eighties.” One of these challenges was the issue of BYU compensation. While I did not use the terms “contract service” and “covenant service” at that time, I did touch upon the contrast:
I have also been very uneasy about trying to match other universities on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the salaries paid at BYU. We have a unique sponsorship and a sacred mission. Each of us should feel a special relationship with our sponsoring Church, our Board of Trustees, and the sacred mission we have to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as our professional subjects. Generations have taught at BYU for less than they could have been paid in other employment, and we stand on the foundations laid through their sacrifices. Those foundations of Church sponsorship, spiritual mission, and personal sacrifice are essential to what sets us apart and makes us worthy to survive. As we strive for excellence in terms recognizable in the world of scholarship, we must not lose touch with the spiritual endowment that qualifies us for leadership.
I wish I had a formula for balancing the countervailing pressures of market and sacrifice. We must not lose the spirit of sacrifice in employment at Brigham Young University, but neither must that sacrifice be exploited or become an excuse for unrealistic compensation policies in the university. After nine years of worrying over this problem, I have now left it behind for President Holland as one of the problems I have been unable to solve or ameliorate. I suspect that the only feasible solution is to be explicit about the issue, but to leave it to be balanced and resolved in the hearts and minds of individual faculty members and administrators. [Dallin H. Oaks, “Challenges to BYU in the Eighties,” BYU commencement address, 18 August 1980, in The Bond of Charity: BYU August 1980 Addresses, p. 35]
2. Service to Obtain Good Companionship
Another motivation for service, perhaps more commendable in gospel terms but still categorized as service seeking earthly reward, is the desire for positive social interaction. While Church service undoubtedly provides opportunities for wholesome association, is this the primary reason we serve?
Individuals who serve solely to cultivate friendships may be more selective in their associations than the Master was in choosing His servants. Jesus called many of His servants from humble backgrounds and associated with those considered sinners. He responded to critics of such association by stating, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32).
In the context of gospel service, these initial two motivations are self-centered and fall short of the ideals for Saints. As the Apostle Paul stated, those strong enough to bear the infirmities of the weak should not do so “to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). Motivations centered on earthly rewards for gospel service are undeniably less noble and less rewarding than the motivations I will now discuss.
3. Service out of Fear of Punishment
Some may serve due to a fear of eternal consequences. Scriptures frequently depict the dire state of those who disregard God’s commandments. King Benjamin taught that the unrepentant transgressor would experience:
a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. [Mosiah 2:38]
Such descriptions certainly provide ample motivation to heed the commandment to serve. However, service driven by fear of eternal punishment is, at best, a lower motive.
4. Service out of Duty or Loyalty
Others may serve from a sense of duty or loyalty to friends, family, or tradition. These are the dependable individuals who readily fulfill requests for gospel service without hesitation, sometimes without deeply considering the underlying reasons. Such individuals form the backbone of voluntary organizations everywhere and accomplish immense good. They are undoubtedly blessed and loved by God. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). We all benefit from the good deeds of those who serve out of a sense of duty or commitment to worthy causes. These are the honorable men and women of the earth.
5. Service with Hope of an Eternal Reward
While those who serve out of fear or duty undoubtedly qualify for heavenly blessings, there are even loftier motivations for service.
One such elevated reason for covenant service is the anticipation of an eternal reward. By “covenant service,” I mean service that goes beyond contractual requirements, and by “eternal reward,” I mean rewards that transcend compensation for contract service. The hope of eternal reward is a powerful impetus for gospel service. For example, I believe it significantly motivates the unending service we provide within our families. This motivation inherently involves faith in God and the fulfillment of His promises. Scriptures abound with assurances of eternal rewards. In a revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1829, the Lord declared, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).
6. Service Driven by Charity: The Pure Love of Christ – The Highest Motive
The final motivation I will discuss is, in my view, the most sublime. In relation to covenant service, it embodies what scripture refers to as “a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31).
“Charity is the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). Scripture proclaims this virtue as “the greatest of all” (Moroni 7:46). The Apostle Paul wrote:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. . . .
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor . . . , and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. [1 Corinthians 13:1–3]
These inspired words reveal that even the most significant acts of service are futile without the pure love of Christ as the underlying motivation. For our gospel service to be truly impactful, it must stem from love for God and love for His children. The Savior illustrated this principle in the Sermon on the Mount, commanding us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute us (see Matthew 5:44).
Service motivated by love for God and fellow beings is fundamentally different from contractually obligated service, where value is exchanged for equivalent value. The Savior highlighted this distinction in the Sermon on the Mount: “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?” (Matthew 5:46). He further declared:
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [Matthew 6:1–2]
This principle—that our gospel service should be driven by love for God and humanity, rather than personal gain or lesser motives—sets a high standard. The Savior Himself emphasized its importance by linking the commandment for selfless and complete love directly to the ideal of perfection. Immediately after commanding us to love our enemies as part of our covenant service, He gave the profound command: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
This principle of service is reiterated in section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. [D&C 4:2]
Serving with all our heart and mind, exceeding service with mere might and strength, is a profound challenge for each of us. It transcends the quid pro quo of contractual service. It is unique to our service by covenant. It is devoid of selfish ambition, motivated solely by the pure love of God and our fellow beings. This is the essence of how we serve at BYU.
If we find the command to serve with love challenging, a Book of Mormon teaching offers guidance. After describing the paramount importance of charity, the prophet Moroni counseled:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ. [Moroni 7:48]
I bear testimony that God expects us to strive to purify our hearts and thoughts, so that we serve one another with the highest and most noble motivation: the pure love of Christ. This is the defining characteristic of service at BYU, and it is the gift we must never neglect.
© Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin H. Oaks served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he delivered this Sunday evening fireside address at the BYU Annual University Conference on August 23, 1998. His insights on service at BYU remain profoundly relevant today.
See Also
BYU
Service
Speeches from 1998
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“Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch” by John W. Welch, May 17, 2011
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