Two dynamic returned missionaries have joined their musical talents to create what is become known as an “anthem for missionary work.” James Brandt Curran (James the Mormon) and David James Archuleta are two young men that are on fire to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. James served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Russia and Washington State and David served his mission in Chile. Since returning home from their perspective missions, both James and David have used their talents in different venues, in their own style, to share a powerful message that they believe everyone needs to hear.

James shares the message through the music videos that he produces, beginning with the video “Restoration” which he released on 19 August 2015. The video shares events starting with the teenage Joseph Smith praying to know which of all the churches he should join. He states that the video was something that people could relate to and became a more effective way of explaining the Restoration of the Gospel. He told Deseret News, “They didn’t understand, but they saw the video and listened to the song and could understand the meaning and the story of the Restoration.” The song has been used by missionaries to share the gospel and to “help people understand a pivotal event in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Since the successful release of “Restoration,” James has been busy producing more music including an EP titled “I’m Not a Rapper” that reached No. 1 for hip-hop on iTunes as well as on Billboard and No. 15 on Spotify. The Blaze reports, “James the Mormon specifically makes positive rap music as a vehicle to share his faith in a way that relates to the average person without wearing a white shirt and tie. In other words, the mission of his music is missionary work – but he does it all without mentioning God, Jesus Christ or religion.” James even donated half the proceeds of “I Am Not a Rapper” to the LDS Church’s missionary fund.

David Archuleta is no stranger to the music scene either. Millions of people worldwide have come to know and appreciate his music. Ever since he reached the season finale of American Idol Season 7 as runner-up, David has inspired millions with his calm demeanor, angelic voice, and genuine personality. His debut self-titled album, “David Archuleta,” went Gold only three months after he released his first single, “Crush.” After rising to global success from American Idol, David continued to release albums, including The Other Side of Down (2010), Begin (2012), and No Matter How Far (2013).  He has made several guest appearances, but relates that his favorite guest appearance was for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2010 for their annual Christmas concert. Since returning home from his mission, he has been busy sharing his faith in word and in song, in the country and abroad. He has shared his faith and testimony with various audiences including graduates at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, military troops in Afghanistan, missionaries in New Zealand, and a charity concert with the Adriatic North Mission in Slovenia. One might say that missionary work is his life.

James believes that the best way to be an effective missionary is by showing people that Mormons are ordinary individuals who work, play, go to school, worship, and live normal lives like anyone else. He uses his music to deliver a message to the people without coming across as preaching a sermon. He told Deseret News that he also wants to produce music that those who are serving missions could enjoy that is “completely in line with their calling.” In his music videos, he purposely avoids using any gospel terms. He commented, “I wanted to teach the gospel to nonmembers and less actives through music that is in line with the Spirit, that teaches by the Spirit, but does not have overt gospel terms in it.”

On Monday, 8 August 2016, he released a new music video featuring David Archuleta titled “Workin” which he refers to as an “anthem to missionary work.” He hopes fans will share the video through their social media channels, thus helping “Workin” reach the top 100 songs on Billboard.