Elder Valeri V. Cordón, General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 general conference. He spoke about the crucial responsibilities parents have in raising their children. The following is a summary of what he said.

Elder Cordón’s talk summary

Parents have three crucial responsibilities of teaching freely, modeling discipleship and inviting their children to act. 

“Jesus Christ is the center of this gospel culture. Adopting the gospel culture in our families is critical to creating a fertile environment where the seed of faith may flourish.” 

Cultural, historical, geographic and familial traditions and culture are not as important to parenting success as is parenting through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

“As parents, we can teach the importance of putting God first when we discuss the first commandment, but we model it when we set aside worldly distractions and keep the Sabbath day holy every week,” he said. “We can teach the importance of temple covenants when we speak about the doctrine of celestial marriage, but we model it when we honor our covenants, treating our spouse with dignity.”

Part of correct modeling as parents also includes avoiding the inclusion of incorrect teachings — especially those promoted by people who don’t believe in God and His plan. 

“As parents, we are God’s agents in the care of our children. We must do everything we can to create an environment where our children can feel His divine influence.”

Notable quotes

See the full text of Elder Cordón’s talk: ‘Divine Parenting Lessons’

Who is Elder Cordón?

Elder Valeri V. Cordón, General Authority Seventy

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Elder Valeri V. Cordón was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 2, 2016.
• Born in Zacapa, Guatemala, he and his family were sealed in the Mesa Arizona Temple when he was 3 years old. 
• His wife, Sister Glenda Zelmira Zea Diaz, had cut out a photo from an issue of the Church’s Liahona magazine when she was 12 years old. He was a young man at the time and was in the photo she had kept years before.

What has Elder Cordón done recently?

• During the 2023 BYU–Hawaii commencement, Elder Cordón taught four ways individuals can build their lives “after the manner of God.”
• Elder Cordón serves as an adviser to the hymnbook revision efforts.
• Elder Cordón helped announce new music resources and revisions in the Sacred Music app.
• In April 2017 general conference, Elder Cordón spoke about “The Language of the Gospel.”