New Era Magazine

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on August 14, 2020, that effective January 2021 the Church would replace its four current magazines with three global magazines: the Friend (for children 3–11), For the Strength of Youth (for youth 12–18), and the Liahona (for adults).

The four magazines being replaced include three magazines in English—the Friend (for children), New Era (for youth) andEnsign (for adults)—as well as a magazine translated into many languages called the Liahona (with material for children, youth and adults). After January 2021, the content for children and youth previously found in the Liahona will instead be found in For the Strength of Youth Magazine, which will replace the current New Era, and content for children will be found in the Friend.

These three magazines will serve members worldwide across multiple languages. The length and format of the printed magazines will undergo changes. Readers can expect improved digital magazines available online and in mobile apps. Digital magazine content will continue to be available free of charge.

These global magazines will help share more unified messages across a wider group of readers. This simplification will also allow the Church to send content to different areas of the world more frequently than ever before. For example, some languages that currently receive only one magazine per year will now receive magazines every other month. Several factors—such as the number of subscribers, availability of translators, and distribution capability—affect the frequency of publication in different languages.[1]

Beginning in January 2021, print and digital magazines will be available each month in the following languages: Cebuano, Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, and Ukrainian.

In 26 languages, print and digital magazines will be available bimonthly (six times a year). Additionally, selected magazine content will be available digitally in the months a print magazine is not available.

In 40 other languages, selected magazine content will be available only digitally each month.

History of the New Era Magazine

The New Era was a magazine printed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for youth ages 12–18 and their parents and leaders. The New Era began in 1971 when the Church consolidated its numerous magazines into just four different magazines (see Church Magazines). The New Era was published on a monthly basis and included messages from the First Presidency and other General Authorities, fiction stories, stories from members such as their conversion or missionary experiences, a question and answer section, Church history, poetry from readers, music, photos, and mini posters known as Mormonads.

The mission of the New Era magazine was:

As an official line of communication to the youth of the Church, the New Era is to provide a positive, uplifting voice for young people to hear. Therefore, each issue must be an example of editorial, photographic, and artistic excellence. The New Era shows every twelve- through eighteen-year-old Latter-day Saint what blessings can come from living the restored gospel. Readers learn from the examples and testimonies of others that being spiritually committed, wholesome, and LDS is the most desirable way to be, that righteous living is the only source of peace and happiness in life.https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/New_Era]

The editors of the magazine encouraged creativity and held an annual contest with different areas to enter such as music, poetry, fiction pieces, photography, and so on. Winning entries were published in the magazine. The magazine also provided scholarships for college students who showed promise in writing and editing.

Church leaders encouraged parents of teenagers to read the New Era with their kids and to use it for Family Home Evening or as a way to start discussions. They reminded families with children in this age group that the New Era could be an important resource. One Latter-day Saint youth said this about his experience reading the New Era:

I’m so grateful for this magazine because it seems like everything contained in it is meant for me. Every time I read it I feel the Spirit of the Lord (from "We've Got Mail," New Era, April 2006, p. 48).

Full length PDF versions were available online at churchofjesuschrist.org. Subscriptions were also available through store.churchofjesuschrist.org.