John Welch
Founders | Founder
Board of Directors | Board of Directors
Executive Team | Research Fellow
Content Creators | Come Follow Me Presenter
John W. (Jack) Welch is one of the founding directors of Scripture Central. He was the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at Brigham Young University. He was educated in the Honors Program at BYU; studied Greek Philosophy at Oxford University; and received his J.D. from Duke University. He is well known for his discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon in 1967, and for his 25 years of service as editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. His extensive publications cover legal cases in the Book of Mormon, the Sermon on the Mount, Christ’s Parables, and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In the Church, he has served as a missionary in Germany, Bishop (twice), in a BYU Stake Presidency, two senior missions, and as a patriarch and sealer. Born in Massachusetts and raised in California, he has lived in Provo, Utah, since 1980. He and his wife Jeannie have four children and 17 grandchildren. Jack sees Scripture Central as the public’s grand central station for faithful scripture scholarship.
Publications
Recent Articles & Chapters
- “Approaching Eternal Life: Temple Elements by the Numbers in Facsimile 2,” Interpreter (2025)
- “The Preamble,” in Heritage Guide to the [United States] Constitution (2025)
- “‘Words Never to Be Forgotten’: The Thoughtful Legacy of Neal A. Maxwell,” BYU Studies (2025)
- “The Goodness of the Cross and Good Friday: Lessons from Bavaria,” Interpreter (2023)
- “Structural Comparisons of Hittite Laws 187-200, Leviticus 18:6-23 and 20:1-21,” Zeitschrift für Altorientalische und Biblische Rechtsgeschichte (2022)
Books & Major Topics
- The Parables of Jesus: Revealing the Plan of Salvation (2019, with Jeannie S. Welch)
- The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple
- King Benjamin’s Speech
- Books on the legal cases in the Book of Mormon
- Studies on the Prophet Joseph Smith
John Welch
Founders | Founder
Board of Directors | Board of Directors
Executive Team | Research Fellow
Content Creators | Come Follow Me Presenter
John W. (Jack) Welch is one of the founding directors of Scripture Central. He was the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at Brigham Young University. He was educated in the Honors Program at BYU; studied Greek Philosophy at Oxford University; and received his J.D. from Duke University. He is well known for his discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon in 1967, and for his 25 years of service as editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. His extensive publications cover legal cases in the Book of Mormon, the Sermon on the Mount, Christ’s Parables, and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In the Church, he has served as a missionary in Germany, Bishop (twice), in a BYU Stake Presidency, two senior missions, and as a patriarch and sealer. Born in Massachusetts and raised in California, he has lived in Provo, Utah, since 1980. He and his wife Jeannie have four children and 17 grandchildren. Jack sees Scripture Central as the public’s grand central station for faithful scripture scholarship.
Publications
Recent Articles & Chapters
- “Approaching Eternal Life: Temple Elements by the Numbers in Facsimile 2,” Interpreter (2025)
- “The Preamble,” in Heritage Guide to the [United States] Constitution (2025)
- “‘Words Never to Be Forgotten’: The Thoughtful Legacy of Neal A. Maxwell,” BYU Studies (2025)
- “The Goodness of the Cross and Good Friday: Lessons from Bavaria,” Interpreter (2023)
- “Structural Comparisons of Hittite Laws 187-200, Leviticus 18:6-23 and 20:1-21,” Zeitschrift für Altorientalische und Biblische Rechtsgeschichte (2022)
Books & Major Topics
- The Parables of Jesus: Revealing the Plan of Salvation (2019, with Jeannie S. Welch)
- The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple
- King Benjamin’s Speech
- Books on the legal cases in the Book of Mormon
- Studies on the Prophet Joseph Smith