Doug Bentley was born and raised in St. George, Utah, the fourth of six children. He was an accomplished athlete during his formative years, and graduated from Dixie High School in 1975, having played on five different State Championship athletic teams. He was a three-sport letterman, earning letters in football, baseball, and basketball, and received All-State and All-America accolades in football, and All-State status in baseball.

He served two years as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spending time in Washington and Oregon, while being assigned to both the Seattle and Spokane, Washington Missions. It was during this service that he discovered his passion for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He found it to be so rewarding to see the joy that the gospel brought into peoples lives that he decided to devote the rest of his life to doing it. His first love had always been sports, but he gave up those pursuits to try and do something that would “Really make a difference in people’s lives”.

He attended Dixie Jr. College and graduated from there with an Associates Degree in 1979. He then attended Southern Utah State College, in Cedar City, Utah, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in psychology. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1986 with a Masters Degree in Athletic Administration, and received a Master of the Scriptures through CES after finishing a four-year course of study in the Standard Works.

Upon receiving his Bachelors Degree in 1981, he was hired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a religion teacher. He is currently in his third decade of teaching the gospel in the Church Educational System since that time. He is also a licensed financial services agent, and in his spare time he has recently begun writing country music. He enjoys hunting and fishing, and being in the outdoors, and has guided several groups on fishing trips to Alaska. Brother Bentley has long been a requested youth speaker. His sense of humor and down-to earth teaching style have made him a popular speaker at youth firesides as well as at Especially For Youth for many years.