Mormon Church

General Conference is a meeting held twice a year for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often called Mormons. The meeting is held in Salt Lake City, Utah and the speakers include the president of the Church and other church leaders. It is broadcast over television, radio, and the Internet and is watched world-wide by both Mormons and interested non-Mormons. It is broadcast by satellite into church buildings for those who want to watch the conference at church. Following is a primer for curious people who might decide to watch the broadcast in order to see what the Mormons are all about.

This meeting is primarily aimed at the members themselves, although there are sometimes a few talks designed for those who are not Mormon. In general however, viewers are learning the most important information the leadership of the church wants its members to receive as guidance for the next six months. This gives non-LDS viewers an inside look at the teachings Mormons are receiving.

The speakers are always high-ranking leaders. They are not assigned topics, but are instructed to pray to find out what would like them to discuss. Often certain topics are addressed by multiple speakers, emphasizing their importance at this time. Mormons consider the topics addressed to be their assigned priorities for the coming months, and the lessons taught are studied in addition to the scriptures in the coming year.

The conference is held in April and October on the first weekend of the month. Sessions are held both Saturday and Sunday, two each day with an additional meeting for men Saturday night. A special meeting for the women is held on an evening prior to conference.

The 180^th conference will be held April 3-4 in 2010. You can find the broadcast schedule for this conference (and future conferences) on LDS.org and also find links to watch both the live conference and past sessions on the Internet. You don’t have to register to watch.

The president of the Church, who is also the current prophet, always speaks several times during conference. The current president is Thomas S. Monson. He became the prophet on February 3, 2008, having first served as an Apostle since 1963 at age 36. He is best known for his compassion for widows and for those who are coping with poverty. Service to others has been a focus on many of his sermons over the years.

Other speakers include members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. There are actually fifteen Apostles. The senior member (by length of service, not age) is the president of the Church. He selects two other men to serve as his counselors and these three are known as the First Presidency. The remaining twelve make up the Quorum of the Twelve and are the second highest ranking body in the church.

The current First Presidency consists of President Monson and his counselors. Henry B. Eyring is the first counselor. Because no one chooses a career as a spiritual leader in the Church, President Eyring comes from the educational and scientific world. He served as president of Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), a church college, and previously taught at Stanford University. He has a degree in Physics from the University of Utah and Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration degrees from Harvard University.

The second counselor is Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who was born in Czechoslovakia. His family became Mormons when he was a child. When he received his call to serve as a General Authority (a high ranking church official) in 1994, he was working as senior vice president of flight operations and chief pilot of Lufthansa German Airlines.

All three members of the First Presidency normally speak during General Conference.

In addition to speakers chosen from the Quorum of the Twelve, other high ranking church leaders are asked to speak. Women who lead the Relief Society (the women’s auxiliary), the Young Women’s organization (for teenage girls) or the Primary (for children) are often invited to give a sermon, usually referred to as a talk or an address.

Each conference session includes a choir. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the official LDS choir, sings at several of the sessions. Other choirs are made up of ordinary church members chosen from a church school or a geographical location. They provide the music for the session. Prayers are given by members of the church chosen by the leadership.

The Saturday afternoon session includes a sustaining of church officers. The names and positions of important church leaders are read by a member of the first presidency. The membership of the church, whether watching in person or at home, are invited to raise their right hands to sustain the people whose names are read. This is not a vote. Members are agreeing to support the person in his or her church position. Members are also asked if anyone is opposed. Opposing someone chosen by inspiration is a serious matter, and anyone choosing to do so will be questioned as to their reasons. It is not enough to simply dislike a person or to disagree with things they’ve said or done. To refuse to sustain would suggest sure knowledge of a serious transgression in that person’s life.

Some church statistics are also given during the conference, including number of full-time missionaries serving at that time, temples built or announced that year, and the number of stakes (similar to dioceses) formed. If prominent church members have died, this is announced. A report from the auditors also assures members that independent audits have approved church financial records.

General Conference is a spiritual meeting. Members use it to be reminded of important church teachings and to understand how they are applied to modern circumstances. Talks are frequently on the most common gospel topics, such as prayer, faith, the Savior’s ministry, the importance of family, and patriotism.

The formal version of the talks given are available on the Internet in audio and visual. They are provided in a wide variety of languages, including American Sign Language. In addition, they are presented in text version for people to read online. They are then published in the church’s adult magazines so members have copies of them to keep on hand and to study. Magazines for children and teenagers include excerpts that will be meaningful to those audiences.

Conference weekend is a highlight of the year for Mormons, who look forward to receiving the teachings of their leaders.

Tags: General Conference, Mormon conference, Mormons, Thomas Monson

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