It is interesting that Mosiah was a prophet as well as a king and he had the gift of translating foreign languages through the Urim and Thummim. Nevertheless, he did not have the keys for the organizing of the Church. He therefore decided to hold a great conference and read the records of both Zeniff and Alma before giving Alma the authority to organize the Church.
King Mosiah had exercised his political authority to call this great conference of all the people, and he now took the initiative to read all of the records of Zeniff concerning the Nephites at Lehi-Nephi and the marvelous manner in which they escaped from bondage under the leadership of king Limhi and Gideon.