JOEL - The "official" doctrine of the church is anything found within the pages of the four standard works of the church (viz. Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price). Any concepts or ideas that we may hear or read about must not contradict anything that is found in the scriptures. It doesn't matter who says it or who wrote it down in a book, if it is not supported by the teachings and tenents found in the scriptures, it is not official doctrine but is only the opinion of the author. We must also use the influence of the Holy Ghost to help us determine what we hear is in harmony with the scriptures.(Moroni 10:4-5)
Any new doctrine that is brought forth will come through the prophet of God and he, along with the First Presidency and quorum of twelve Apostles, will declare that it was received by revelation; after which it must be sustained by the body of the church. Any new scripture that is added to the official cannon must be presented by the prophet and accepted by common consent from the church members(D&C 26:2). It is that sustaining vote, by the individual members or by their representatives, that makes the added scripture officially binding upon the membership as the doctrine of the Church. If significant points of doctrine or proposed scripture have not followed this established procedure, it can not be considered official church doctrine.
This does not mean that every single administrative decision or interpretation of scripture needs the sustaining vote of the church. The fact that in General Conference the membership of the church sustains the leadership as prophets, seers, and revelators is sufficient enough for them to interpret, define, and apply the doctrines of the Church, or to administer the affairs of the Church and dictate its policies and procedures, without needing a sustaining vote on every individual thing they do or say.
It is important that both church members and church critics understand the deffinition of "official" church doctrine, so that when they try to prove some point of doctrine during debate, they do not refer to some publication, like the Journal of Discources for example, and claim that it represents the official opinion of the church. It does not.
Those things that we hear in General Conference are not necessarily considered the official opinion or doctrine of the church either, although it would be a rare occasion for it not to be. Ideas and opinions presented in such forums or written down in books by general authorities, may be completely true, but would only be so when they are "moved upon by the Holy Ghost" as they speak(D&C 68:4). Otherwise, it is just their own opinion.
As Presedent Harold B. Lee said, “It is not to be thought that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they write.”
(Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company., 1974), 162.)
In such circumstances we must use the influence of the Holy Ghost to help us discern the truthfulness of what is said and make the proper application of the information in our lives.
In the past there have been ideas expressed from various General Authorities, which they believe to be true but have not been identified as official church doctrine.
Take the example of the couplet coined by President Lorenzo Snow and supported by Joseph Smith:
“As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be”.
There has been no “official” pronouncement by the First Presidency declaring that President Snow’s couplet is to be accepted as doctrine, nor has it been sustained and accepted by the common consent of the church. Therefore it is not "official" church doctrine, even though it may be a true statement. In fact President Hinckley expressed his uncertainty of this concept when he said, "That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about."
(Interview by Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer The San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday April 13, 1997)
Besides the scriptures, there is a secondary class of publications that contains what could be called official church teachings and policy. These fall into four general categories: (1) materials related to the curriculum, such as lesson manuals, teachers’ supplements, and student materials; (2) magazines; (3) administrative documents, such as handbooks, leadership training materials, organizational guidelines and bulletins, etc.; and (4) missionary discussions, tracts, and support materials. All official Church publications that have received the clearance from General Authorities and Correlation Review committees will carry the designation “Copyright © Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
However, these publications are considered secondary to the scriptures and are constantly being reviewed, upgraded, and corrected as needed.