Covenant Christians: A Reflection on Denver Snuffer’s April 2025 Conference Address

I did not attend the Spring 2025 Conference held in Provo. Carol and I had Stake Conference that same weekend, and I felt impressed by the Lord that my work—my personal calling at this stage in life—is to do all in my power to be united with Carol. Though we do not see eye to eye on many aspects of LDS doctrine or history, I know that without her I cannot come before God and say that I have done all He has asked of me. Zion begins at home.

That said, I have now read and reread Denver Snuffer’s April 13th address, God’s Covenant People, and I believe it deserves to be recognized as a watershed moment in the history of the Remnant movement—now formally named “Covenant Christians.”

Below is a reflection, summary, and personal tribute drawn from that address. For those who wish to read or watch the full talk, it is available on Denver’s blog, on RestorationArchives.com, and on YouTube here.

A Sobering Tone, A Loving Warning

This was one of the most sobering and self-reflective addresses Denver has given in years. He opens with a confession: this talk was born out of discouragement—a despairing realization that the past decade of efforts to establish Zion has not produced the anticipated fruit. He addresses infighting, narcissism, interpersonal wounds, moral failings, and even grievous sins among the covenant body. Nothing is sugar-coated.

Yet Denver remains tender in tone. This is not a lashing rebuke, but the voice of a weary and faithful teacher who has turned again to the Lord for understanding. The talk becomes a confessional, a course correction, and a theological reset.

Three Key Impressions

1. Discouragement Over Our Failure to Build Zion

Denver does not mince words: we have failed to become a people of one heart and one mind. He cites dysfunction, public disputes, sexual sin, self-aggrandizing leaders, and the failure to follow the Lord’s instruction regarding fellowships, tithing, and community-building.

“We still have far too many shortcomings despite all the guidance the Lord has provided.”

The Guide and Standard process remains a source of division, and Denver is candid in stating his surprise and sorrow that women—given a recent opportunity to act—demonstrated no greater fairness or wisdom than men. This left him with little hope for gathering.

2. A New Identity: Covenant Christians

In what may be the most significant legacy of this talk, the Lord has given the group a new name: Covenant Christians. This is not just a semantic shift—it signals a theological reorientation toward the character of Christ and the reality of covenantal discipleship.

We are not merely a splinter group; we are invited into something ancient and deeply personal—following Christ as He has covenanted with us.

3. Stepping Back While Still Teaching

Denver does not explicitly resign or withdraw, but he admits that he misunderstood how the Lord would gather His people. He describes the Lord’s process as one that will involve pruning—even among those who have received the covenant.

“Based on the recent communication with the Lord, it appears we will need, and are going to learn, from sad experiences.”

He will continue to teach, but it is clear that any future progress must come not from centralized leadership but from individual spiritual transformation.

The Lord’s Pattern: Blessing and Chastening

The bulk of the address is filled with scriptural exposition showing the Lord’s consistent dealings with His people:

• He blesses when they are faithful.
• He chastens and scatters when they are not.

Denver draws parallels to Kirtland, Missouri, and Nauvoo—and then to us. He cites scriptures from Deuteronomy, Mosiah, Alma, Omni, and modern revelations (T&C 82, 156, 158) showing how divine warnings and covenantal expectations, if ignored, bring sorrow.

This is not abandonment. This is love.

“God’s care and concern for us are shown by His correcting and chastening of us as it is needed. This is how we experience God’s charity toward us.”

A Deep Theological Reframing

In the second half of the talk, Denver introduces a profound teaching:

Faith, Hope, and Charity Are Not Just Our Aspirations—They Are God’s Attributes

• God has faith in us—the noble and great ones—because they covenanted with Him before this world.
• God’s hope is grounded in His confidence that we will fulfill our part.
• God’s charity includes the chastening hand that shapes us into something higher.

Denver draws deeply from Lectures on Faith, Beloved Enos, and earlier teachings to show how creation itself is an act of divine faith and love—by both Father and Mother. He expands on our premortal agreements and how they undergird God’s dealings with us now.

This section is a return to core themes of the Restoration, but more refined, more relational, and more covenantal.

My Personal Response

I have read and followed Denver’s work since I first encountered Passing the Heavenly Gift in 2012. That book—along with the prior and subsequent talks, books, and papers—profoundly changed my life. They clarified so much that had been obscured by institutional narratives, especially concerning polygamy, sealing power, and the doctrines of the Restoration.

I believe Denver has done what God has asked him to do. I believe he has delivered the message. I honor him for it.

This talk feels like a marker stone in time—a declaration that we have been given enough. Now the burden shifts to us. The Lord will do His work, even if it is without us. That choice is ours.

I did not attend the conference, but I felt the weight of this message. I pray to be found faithful—not as one pointing fingers, but as one repenting, learning, and striving to become meek, peaceable, gentle, and full of love.

Denver, if you ever read this, thank you. You welcomed me and Carol with warmth and kindness years ago. Stephanie, I remember your hospitality and your joyful spirit. Your family has modeled the kind of love I aspire to emulate. Your writings and sacrifices have mattered. You have blessed my life.

A Final Word

I doubt many will read this post. That’s okay.

I have made dear friends in the Remnant—now Covenant Christian—movement, even though I’ve not been able to attend many conferences or fellowships. My path is different. My mission is to become one with Carol. If I cannot do that, I cannot claim I have done what God has asked.

But I believe Denver can make that claim. I believe he has done what God has asked of him. And I love and appreciate him for it.

May the Lord help us all as we pass through whatever is next.