BYU Professor · Church Historian · Author

Mary Jane Searle, Ed.D., Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University
Professor Church History & Doctrine
Brigham Young University

Mary Jane Searle

Ed.D.  |  Department of Church History & Doctrine

Scholar, teacher, and storyteller — illuminating the lives of Latter-day Saints through history, doctrine, and the voices of women often overlooked by the record.
20+
Books Published
30+
Years at BYU
Ed.D.
Brigham Young Univ.
Explore the Books About Mary Jane
BYU Teaching Excellence Award
BYU Religious Studies Center Author
Deseret Book Featured Author
BYU Church History Symposium Presenter
20+ Published Works
Scholarship

Featured Books

From revelatory dreams to Restoration artifacts — Mary Jane's scholarship spans the full breadth of Latter-day Saint history and experience.

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About the Scholar

A Lifetime of Scholarship in Latter-day Saint History

Mary Jane Searle (formerly Mary Jane Woodger), Ed.D., is a professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University.

Born and raised in American Fork and Salt Lake City, Utah, she holds a bachelor's degree from BYU, a master's degree in education from Utah State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from BYU with a minor in Church history and doctrine.

She has written or coauthored more than twenty books and numerous articles on Latter-day Saint history, doctrine, and women's religious experience — work that has shaped how the Church understands its own past.

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What Readers Say

Voices from the Field

"Mary Jane's scholarship strikes the rare balance between rigorous academic inquiry and genuine accessibility — her books belong in every serious student's library."

A BYU Colleague Department of Religious Education

"Few scholars have done more to bring the stories of Latter-day Saint women to light. Her work is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the full history of the Church."

A Reader Institute Instructor

"Dreams as Revelation changed how I approach personal revelation. Deeply researched and beautifully written — a model of what faith-based scholarship can be."

A Reader Sunday School Teacher
Speaking & Events

Invite Mary Jane to Your Event

Available for firesides, symposia, Education Week sessions, ward and stake events, and academic conferences on Latter-day Saint history, women of the Church, and personal revelation.

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