General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference | |
---|---|
Conference Center | |
Location(s) | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 9 June 1830 |
Organized by | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Website | https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference?lang=eng |
General Conference is a
History and structure
In the LDS Church, general conference is a series of semiannual meetings where
Since October 1848,
Historically, beginning in 1994, a women's general meeting was held on Saturday a week prior to the general sessions of the October conference, with a general meeting for young women held at a similar time before the April conference. In November 2013, church leadership announced that beginning in 2014 these meetings for women would be replaced by a semiannual General Women's Meeting for those eight years of age and older.[6] In October 2014, the First Presidency announced that it "has decided that the General Women's Meeting will be designated as the General Women's Session of general conference."[7][8]
Since April 2018, the conference has consisted of four general sessions, held at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 2020,[11] October 2020,[12] and April 2021[13] General Conferences were held behind closed doors in a small auditorium on Temple Square, with only those speaking and members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve in attendance. Music was reused from previous performances of the Tabernacle Choir.[11] The October 2021 General Conference was returned to the Conference Center, but at only five percent capacity.[14] Seating for the 2022 conferences were limited, due to construction work around Temple Square.[15][16]
The proceedings of a general conference are traditionally been conducted in English, although for a short time,[17] beginning in October 2014, speakers delivering sermons had the option of speaking in their native language.[18] The proceedings are translated and broadcast in over 90 different languages worldwide.[19]
Organization
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
A member of the church's
During one general session (usually Saturday afternoon), all the general authorities and general officers of the church are presented for the formal
At the first General Conference after the death of a church president and the calling of his successor, the session at which the sustaining vote takes place is called a
Frequently, significant announcements are made at a General Conference, which may include the announcement of locations for new temples, adjustments to organizations, or changes in practice or policy.
Music
Music is an important part of the conference in setting the appropriate spiritual mood.
Very rarely, soloist artists will perform for Conferences, The last performer to do so, Liriel Domiciano, did so alongside the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.[23]
Sermons
Members of the church regard and sustain the president of the church, the counselors in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles as "
Broadcasting
The events of the conferences are televised both locally and internationally through various platforms to increase their exposure and availability. Sessions are broadcast on screens in various buildings on Temple Square, including the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The conference sessions are also broadcast via satellite to church meetinghouses throughout the world, either simultaneously or time delayed to accommodate differing time zones and languages. The conferences have also aired through webcasts, and since 2010, the complete sermons have been posted on the church's YouTube channel. The sessions are translated and broadcast in over 100 different languages worldwide.[19]
General Conference was first broadcast on television in October 1949.[25] General Conference was first interpreted in multiple languages in 1961 (Dutch, German, Samoan, and Spanish).[26]
Live coverage of the conferences are also shown on local television and radio stations with ties to the Church. These include Utah's
In the Philippines, rebroadcasts of the coverage of conference are shown on GMA Network and its sister channel, GTV, which succeeded GMA News TV in February 2021.[27]
See also
Notes
- ^ "April 2021 General Conference".
- ^ In consideration of restrictions related to COVID-19, the church originally indicated that the April 2020 leadership sessions would be postponed until October. The planned leadership sessions in October were also subsequently postponed.
- Kanesville, Iowa); and April 1848 (Kanesville). For the dates and locations of conferences prior to Smith's death, see General conference (Latter Day Saints).
- ^ "Report of the 147th Annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", Ensign: 1, May 1977
- ^ If the first day of April or October is a Sunday, the Saturday sessions have sometimes been held on March 31 and September 30.
- ^ "Church News: First Presidency Announces New General Women's Meeting", churchofjesuschrist.org, LDS Church, November 4, 2013
- ^ Stack (30 October 2014). "About-face: Mormon women's meeting now part of General Conference". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ Walch, Tad (30 October 2014). "LDS Church confirms women's meeting now part of general conference". Deseret News. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "April 2021 General Conference".
- ^ "General Conference Sessions Consolidated". www.mormonnewsroom.org. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ^ a b Additional Adjustments to the April 2020 General Conference, Newsroom, churchofjesuschrist.org, 19 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ October 2020 General Conference Will Be Virtual Only: Sessions will follow the same pattern as the conference held in April of this year, Newsroom, churchofjesuschrist.org, 4 June 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ See this announcement for details.
- ^ "Summary of the Saturday Morning Session of the October 2021 General Conference". Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ The parameters for General Conference were confirmed here.
- ^ First Presidency invites all to participate in October 2022 general conference, Church News, 2 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Woodruff, Daniel (2015-10-04). "LDS church: No conference talks in native languages this time". KUTV. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ Walch, Tad (September 8, 2014). "LDS conference talks may be given in native languages". Deseret News.
- ^ a b "General Conference Interpretation Fact Sheet". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 28 September 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ "When was the last time someone outside the first presidency conducted a session of general conference?". 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Monson, Thomas S. (May 1995), "The Solemn Assembly Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign, LDS Church
- LDS Church News, Deseret News, April 14, 2007
- LDS Church News, Deseret News, March 27, 2004
- ^ Benson, Ezra Taft (May 1988), "Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him", Ensign: 84
- ^ Olsen, Bruce L. (January 2000). "Out of Obscurity and Out of Darkness". Ensign.
- ^ "General Conference Interpretation Fact Sheet". Mormon Newsroom. 28 September 2010.
Approximately 800 people work together to interpret and translate general conference. About 600 work at the Conference Center, while another 200 work at locations around the world. Many of these individuals are volunteers.
- ^ "Latter-day Saints in PH to Watch General Conference Through Nationwide Rebroadcast". churchofjesuschrist.org. 2020-04-05.
References
- Armstrong, Richard N. (Fall 1997), "Researching Mormonism: General Conference as Artifactual Gold Mine", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 30 (3): 151–68, archived from the original on 2011-08-08, retrieved 2019-12-25.
- Burnett, M. Dallas (1992), "Conferences: General Conference", in OCLC 24502140.
- Elliott, Dorice Williams (Spring 1989), "The Mormon Conference Talk as Patriarchal Discourse", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 22 (1): 70–78, archived from the original on 2011-08-08, retrieved 2019-12-25.
- Godfrey, Kenneth W. (February 1981), "150 Years of General Conference", Ensign: 66–71.
- Godfrey, Kenneth W. (2000), "General Conference", in ISBN 1-57345-822-8.
- Jarvis, Joseph Boyer (1958), Preaching in the General Conference of the Mormon Church, 1870-1900, Ph.D. dissertation, OCLC 71796328.
- Lowe, Jay R. (1972), A Study of the General Conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1901, Ph.D. dissertation, Provo, Utah: OCLC 367545362.
- Peterson, Paul H. (2002), "Accommodating the Saints at General Conference", BYU Studies, 41 (2): 5–39.
- Rees, Bridget (September–October 2004), "Conference in General", LDS Living, 3 (5): 36–37, 39–43.
- Shepherd, Gordon; Shepherd, Gary (1984), A Kingdom Transformed: Themes in the Development of Mormonism, Salt Lake City: ISBN 0-87480-233-4.
- Shepherd, Gordon; Shepherd, Gary (June 1984), "Mormon Commitment Rhetoric", JSTOR 1386104.
- Shepherd, Gordon; Shepherd, Gary (September 1984), "Mormonism in Secular Society: Changing Patterns in Official Ecclesiastical Rhetoric", Review of Religious Research, 26 (1), Religious Research Association: 28–42, JSTOR 3511040.
- Shepherd, Gordon; Shepherd, Gary (Summer 1986), "Modes of Leader Rhetoric in the Institutional Development of Mormonism", Sociological Analysis, 47 (2), JSTOR 3711457.
- Warner, Cecelia (April 1984), "General Conference: Whence and Whither?", Sunstone Review, 4: 2–5.
- Zobell, Albert L. Jr. (April 1950), "The Call to Conference", Improvement Era, 53 (4): 326–29.
External links
- Official website
- Official listing of cable/radio accessibility
- LDS Church Conference Reports (October 1897 – 2011)