George Donald Durrant (born October 20, 1931) is a prominent member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). He has written or co-authored more than 50 books, been a university professor, worked in several positions in the LDS
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...
, a motivational speaker, and an LDS Church employee (he served as Director of Priesthood Genealogy, and worked on the
Family Home Evening
Family Home Evening (FHE) or Family Night, in the context of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), refers to one evening per week, usually Monday, that families are encouraged to spend together in religious instruction, pra ...
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
American Fork, Utah
American Fork is a city in north-central Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north from Utah Lake. This city is thirty-two miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Provo–Ore ...
. He served a
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
for the LDS Church in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He received a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from BYU in 1956, and later also received
master's
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
and
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
degrees from BYU.
Durrant married Marilyn Burnham (1931-2011) in 1956 and they had eight children, including
Susan Easton Black
Susan Easton Black (born Susan Lindsay Ward in 1944) is a retired professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. She is also an author of several books related to Joseph Smith and the early history of t ...
in 2013.
Durrant was named Professor of the Year while teaching Religion at BYU, and in a student poll was voted as one of the 15 most influential people at the university. He also taught at the church's
Institute of Religion
An Institute of Religion is a local organization that provides religious education for young adults (ages 18–30) who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Local institutes may function in church meetinghous ...
in
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City.
Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...
.
Durrant has been a senior consultant at the Covey Leadership Center.
In the LDS Church, Durrant served as
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the Kentucky Tennessee
Mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
Provo, Utah
Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU).
Provo lies between the ...
. He also served a
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...
mission to
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. Durrant and his wife, Susan, have served a mission at the
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is the 113th dedicated temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is the third such temple that has been built in Illinois (the original Nauvoo Temple and Chicago Illinois Temple bein ...
(2013). As of January 2016, they had served several church service historical missions in St. George, Utah.
Works
;Books
*Someone Special: Starring YouTH (1976) ()
*Love at Home, Starring Father (1976) ()
*The Art of Raising Parents: A Young Person's Guide (1977) ()
*Get Ready! Get Called! Go! (1979) ()
*Love at Home Starring Father (1980) (ASIN B003HEXXX2)
*Illustrated Stories from the Bible (1981) ()
*Fun & Names: Or, How to Dig Your Family History without Really Prying (1980) ()
*There's an Enemy Sub in Potter's Pond (1981) ()
*This Christmas I Hope You Don't Forget the Star (1982) ()
*Mother: Our Heavenly Connection (1984) ()
*The Art of Raising Parents (1985) (ASIN B003HF61JM)
*That Thine Alms May Be in Secret (1989) ()
*My Best Day So Far (1990) ()
*Never Alone (1991) ()
*Upset at Rooster Creek (1991) ()
*The Case of the Missing Ancestors (1991) ()
*You and Your Spouse in Your Happy House (1992) ()
*And the Winner Is ... Father! (1993) ()
*Look at the Sky (1994) ()
*Finding Your Mission in Life (1994) ()
*Love at Home, Starring Grandpa (1995) ()
*The Home Court Advantage (1995) ()
*True to the Faith (1998) ()
*FUNctional Families - Homemade Solutions for Happy Families (1999) ()
*Family History for the Clueless (2000) ()
*Illustrated Stories from The Book of Mormon (2000) (ASIN B003CET81Q)
*Scones for the Heart (2001) ()
*Don't Forget the Star (2001) ()
*Scones for the Heart: 184 inspiring morsels of wit and wisdom to warm the soul (2001) ()
*Becoming the Bold Missionary (2002) (ASIN B0013KL0D2)
*Shakespeare's Best Work (2003) ()
*The Lasting Convert (2003) (ASIN B0017ZNEZU)
*Becoming the Lasting Convert (2003) ()
*A Touch of Christmas (2006) ()
*100 Character Traits of the Whole Hearted Missionary (2006) ()
*Seven Years Old and Preparing for Baptism (2007)
*Great Dads and Grandfathers (2007) ()
*A Glorious Future (2008) ()
*Becoming a Priesthood Man (2009) ()
*The Most Valuable Man: A Priesthood Leader in the Home (2010) ()
*Becoming the Bold Missionary (2013) ()
;As co-author
*Turning Points (1981) (with Vaughn J Featherstone, Elaine A. Cannon, and
Jack Weyland
Jack Arnold Weyland (born 1940) is a retired professor of physics at Brigham Young University–Idaho (BYU–Idaho) and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a prolific and well-known author of fiction for LDS audie ...
) ()
*Keeping Score: A Novel (1983) (with Matthew B. Durrant) ()
*Illustrated Stories from the Bible - Volumes 2- 10 (with Marilyn Durrant and Vernon Murdock)
*Bible Study Guide for Illustrated Stories from the Bible in Ten Volumes (with Millie Foster and
Paul R. Cheesman
Paul Robert Cheesman (May 31, 1921 – November 13, 1991) was an American archeologist and a professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU).
Biography
Cheesman was born in Brigham City, Utah and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ ...
) (ASIN B007FCUHZY)
*Tom Trails: A New Beginning (1986) (with Wayne B. Lynn) ()
*The Christmas Marble (2004) (with Adam Ford) ()
*I Will Make of Thee A Great Nation (2010) (with Val D. Greenwood and Owen Richardson) ()
*Rich on any Income: The Easy Budgeting System that Fits in Your Checkbook (2013) (with James P. Christensen and Clint Combs) (ISBN U-87579-009-7)
;Audio book only (not in print)
*Someone Special Starring Everyone (1980)
*Pull With The Lord (1982)
*Be Thou A Masterful Teacher (1982)
*A Story That Must Be Told
*Best Meeting of All
*A Dad, a Boy, and a Ball (1988)
*A Letter to Lexie about Missionaries (1990)
*Families - A Long Line of Love (1996)
*Finding Direction In Your Life
*Helping
*I Am Special
*Have A Righteous Cause
*Number One Christian
*Seek Correct Answers
*Self Respect
*The Interview
*With the Tongues of Angels
;Other
*Traveling the Backroad with George Durrant (''Latter Day Digest'', June 1994, Volume 3 No. 6) (1994)
*Sunshine for the Latter-Dayi Saint Woman's Soul (contributor) (1999) ()
*Another Ray of Sunshine for the Latter-Day Saint Woman's Soul (contributor) (1999)
*Sharing Christmas: Stories for the Season (contributor)