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Jeffrey R. Holland: “Stay in the Boat”

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By Mason

 Jeffrey R. Holland, who died in December 2025 at age 85, was one of the most prominent and polarizing leaders in modern Latter-day Saint history. Known for his emotional delivery and uncompromising rhetoric, Holland helped shape the public tone of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a time of growing internal strain. His sermons consistently framed belief as a matter of loyalty and resolve rather than inquiry. Doubt was often described as weakness or spiritual failure, a posture that resonated with committed believers but alienated members grappling with historical, doctrinal, or personal concerns.

One of the most vivid examples of that tone came from an April 2016 devotional address in Tempe, Arizona, often referred to in online communities as the “Stay in the Boat” or “Tempe Rescue” talk. It became infamous for the way Holland framed belief as a test of loyalty and resolve and cast doubt and departure as signs of weakness or betrayal. 

The full talk can be listened too on SoundCloud, or you can read the full transcript as provided on wasmormon.org 

In that talk Holland spoke in intense, plainspoken terms about members who were considering leaving the church. He told his audience, “Don’t you dare bail. I am so furious with people who leave this church,” using the phrase to signal both emotional investment and a demand for steadfastness.  He used metaphors that struck some listeners as unusual... asking, “What kind of patty-cake, taffy-pulled experience is that?" and urging members to endure hardship rather than reexamine their commitments. 

Holland’s core message was that faith is not something to be abandoned when the journey gets rough, but something to cling to when life feels broken or confusing. He described the church as a boat in a storm: when the world feels chaotic, he said, bailing out is the worst choice anyone can make. “STAY IN THE BOAT!” became the refrain around which the talk was structured, with the implication that leaving equated to self-sabotage and a failure of conviction.

See also "Is Mormonism a Cult?"


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