General Conference (LDS Church)
Encyclopedia
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders. General church membership attends four sessions (Saturday morning and afternoon, Sunday morning and afternoon) and additional sessions are held for male Priesthood holders (Saturday evening) and women in the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...

 (in October, the preceding Saturday evening) and the Young Women
Young Women (organization)
The Young Women is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 (in April, the preceding Saturday evening). General Conference is broadcast from the LDS Conference Center
LDS Conference Center
The Conference Center, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the premier meeting hall for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Completed in spring 2000 in time for the church's April 2000 general conference, the 21,000-seat Conference Center replaced the traditional use of the nearby Salt...

 in Salt Lake City, Utah, via satellite, radio, television, and internet to increase conference participation.

History and structure

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), general conferences are a semiannual meeting where general authorities
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...

 and other church leaders preach sermons and give guidance to the members of the church. Changes to church leadership are also proposed and sustained through the principle of common consent
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...

. General conferences are held on the weekends containing the first Sunday in April and the first Sunday in October. The April conference is known as the Annual General Conference, and the October conference the Semiannual General Conference. The April conference includes annual statistical and financial reports not included in the October meeting. Both conferences are identified by the number of years since the church was founded in April 1830; thus, the April 2009 meeting was the 179th Annual General Conference, and the October 2009 meeting was the 179th Semiannual General Conference.

The conferences have been held in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

 since 1848 with the exception of the April 1877 conference which was held in St. George, Utah; in the Salt Lake Tabernacle
Salt Lake Tabernacle
The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah along with the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and Salt Lake Temple.-History:...

 on Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...

 before 2000 and in the LDS Conference Center
LDS Conference Center
The Conference Center, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the premier meeting hall for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Completed in spring 2000 in time for the church's April 2000 general conference, the 21,000-seat Conference Center replaced the traditional use of the nearby Salt...

 after that. Historically, general conference was over three days with the annual conference always including April 6. This proved awkward when April 6 fell midweek as this made conference difficult to attend for those with work and school commitments. In April 1977, during Spencer W. Kimball's
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...

 presidency, conference was reduced to two days, Saturday and Sunday.

Currently, each conference consists of six two-hour sessions: four general sessions, one Priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...

 session, and a session for either women or teenage girls (held the Saturday during the previous week). General sessions commence at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday and Sunday. General sessions are open to all church members and guests holding tickets, usually for only one session. The tickets are free of charge and members of the church can request them from either their local leaders or by writing to church headquarters. Standby tickets are also available, as frequently many ticket holders are not able to attend. On Saturday evening, the Priesthood session is held for men and boys (12 years and older) who hold the priesthood of the church. This meeting was held at 7 p.m. Mountain Time until 1984, when it was moved to 6 p.m. in order to better accommodate church members in the Eastern time zone, who in addition to the late hour often had a long drive to and from a venue where the session could be viewed. On the Saturday one week preceding the general sessions, a women's
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...

 general meeting is held for the October conference and a young women
Young Women (organization)
The Young Women is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 general meeting is held for the April conference. These meetings usually last around 90 to 120 minutes.

General Authority Meeting

After concluding the general sessions of conference, the members of the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...

 and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...

 meet in the Salt Lake Temple.

Organization

A member of the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...

 of the church normally conducts each conference session, with the President of the Church presiding. On occasions in the past, when part or all of the First Presidency have been absent, whoever the First Presidency requests to conduct the Conference may do so, usually the most senior apostle not in the First Presidency. On the occasions where the President of the Church is absent, the next most senior leader presides. The conducting official introduces the various speakers, which over the course of the sessions will generally include all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a selection of other leaders in the church. Almost every general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...

 of the church is present, though outside the First Presidency and Twelve only few speak. Non-general authority speakers may include male and female officers of auxiliary organization
Auxiliary organization (LDS Church)
An auxiliary organization is a secondary body of church government within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is "established for moral, educational, and benevolent purposes." As their name suggests, LDS Church auxiliary organizations are ancillary to the governing power of the...

s.

During one general session (usually Saturday afternoon) the conducting officer presents all the general authorities and general officers of the church for the formal sustaining vote
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...

 of the membership, and it is usually at this time that any changes among the general church leadership are announced. Normally, the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are mentioned by name; those in other positions are mentioned by name only if they are being called or released from a previous or to a new position. The person conducting asks all of those who are in favor of sustaining the current leadership or of the calling of a new leader to raise their hand in a "vote." The counselor then asks that any who are opposed raise their hand. Dissenting votes are rare and the customary declaration at the end of the voting is "the voting appears to be unanimous in the affirmative."

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 solemn assembly
Solemn assembly (Latter Day Saints)
A solemn assembly is a sacred gathering in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is held, most often, for the purpose of sustaining a new president and prophet of the church...

. At a solemn assembly, groups of Latter-day Saints are asked to stand in succession and sustain the new president of the church. Typically, the order is: First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Quorums of Seventy, Melchizedek priesthood holders, Aaronic priesthood holders, Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...

 members, members of the Young Women organization, and then all members together. Then the names of all other general authorities are read, and a sustaining and opposing vote is called for.

Frequently, special announcements are made at general conference, which may include building sites for new temples
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

 or the institution of new policies or programs.

Music

Music is also an important part of the conference in setting the appropriate spiritual mood. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...

, accompanied by tabernacle organists, generally provide the majority of the music, with the exception of the Saturday afternoon and priesthood sessions. At the Saturday afternoon session and the priesthood session guest ensembles include regional choirs, institute choirs, the MTC
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....

 choir, and the BYU Choirs
BYU Choirs
The choirs at Brigham Young University consist of four auditioned choirs: the Concert Choir, the Men's Chorus, the Women's Chorus, and the Brigham Young University Singers. Each choir is highly accomplished and performs from an extensive repertoire. Together, the choirs have recorded and released a...

. The hymns are usually selected from the normal repertoire of LDS hymns
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymns
This article is about LDS church hymns in general, for the book, see Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint hymns come from many sources, and there have been numerous hymn books printed by the Church since its organization in 1830...

 and their various arrangements, with an occasional piece from traditional sacred choral repertoire. Usually, the congregation is invited to stand and join in with one hymn halfway through each session.

Very rarely, soloist artists will perform for conferences. The last to do so, Liriel Domiciano
Liriel Domiciano
Liriel Domiciano is a Brazilian pop star and classical singer. She was born in São Paulo. Along with Rinaldo Viana, she won the Raul Gil Amateur Show, the equivalent of the United States' American Idol. Their first CD, Romance, became the second-highest classical bestseller in Brazilian history...

, performed in the 2004 Annual General Conference with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The last time before that there had been a soloist in general conference was in the 1930s.

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 "prophets, seers, and revelators," and are counseled to pay close attention to what they teach throughout the year. However, the sermons given at general conference are held in particularly high esteem and they are considered the will of God to the church members at the current time. The sermons (usually called talks) are published in the Ensign, an official church English language magazine, the month following a general conference. They are also translated and printed in the Liahona
Liahona
According to the Book of Mormon and other Latter Day Saint movement sources, the Liahona is a brass ball that operated as a type of compass with two spindles. One of the spindles was said to point the direction Lehi and his party should travel after their escape from Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon...

, the church's international version of the Ensign, which is published in multiple languages. Church members are encouraged to read and study the talks, discuss them at home and at church, and quote from them while giving lessons and sermons at church.

A sample of the topics of general conference discourses includes:
  • Unity (Eyring, October 2008)
  • Forgiveness (Faust, April 2007; Hinckley, October 2005)
  • Natural disasters and preparedness (Hinckley, October 2005)
  • Faith (Sorensen, April 2005)
  • The dangers of pornography (Oaks, April 2005; Hinckley, October 2004)
  • The first vision of Joseph Smith (Uchtdorf, April 2005)
  • Acquiring a testimony of Jesus (McMullin, April 2004)
  • Fatherhood (Perry, April 2004)
  • The Atonement of Jesus (Hafen, April 2004)
  • Fasting (Pratt, October 2004)
  • Repentance (Nelson, April 2007; Uchtdorf, April 2007; Oaks, October 2003)
  • Eternal life through Jesus (Madsen, April 2002)
  • Tithing (Tingey, April 2002)
  • Hope in the Atonement of Jesus (Faust, October 2001)
  • The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (Packer, October 2001)

Dissemination

Although the conference is actually held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the church makes it as widely available as possible. It is shown on screens in various buildings on Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...

, including the Tabernacle, Salt Lake Assembly Hall
Salt Lake Assembly Hall
thumb|200px|right|Front entrance to the Assembly Hall with the [[Seagull Monument]] in foregroundthumb|200px|right|Inside Assembly HallThe Salt Lake Assembly Hall is one of the buildings owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the southwest corner of Temple Square in Salt Lake...

 and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is named in honor of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. Previously the Hotel Utah, it is now an administrative building...

. The conference usually airs on the LDS-owned media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

 outlets KSL-TV
KSL-TV
KSL-TV, virtual channel 5, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. KSL-TV is owned by Bonneville International Corporation, which is in turn owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

, KSL (radio), The Mormon Channel at http://radio.lds.org, KBYU (FM)
KBYU (FM)
KBYU-FM is a classical music radio station run by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Operating at 89.1 MHz, it is known on-air as Classical 89. It transmits at an effective radiated power of 30 kW...

, KBYU-FM HD2 (BYU Radio), and KBYU-TV
KBYU-TV
KBYU-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member public television station serving the U.S. state of Utah. The station broadcasts locally in digital-only on UHF channel 44, which redirects to its former analog channel 11 via PSIP. It is rebroadcast statewide through a network of translators...

. The conference usually preempts regularly scheduled programming. Conferences are also broadcast by some pay television networks such as Dish
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...

, DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

, and C-band in some markets on the BYU TV station. These more public methods usually do not carry the priesthood session. In recent years, audio and video webcasts of conference can also be accessed via the church's website. The conference is broadcast by satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...

 to church meetinghouses throughout the world, either simultaneously or time delayed to accommodate for differing time zones.

Using all these methods, the church delivers the broadcast to 83 countries transmitting to over 5700 church facilities and airing over 18 television and 1700 cable stations. Volunteer language professionals translate the sermons into over 80 languages live during the simulcast, meaning that ninety-eight percent of church members can listen to general conference in their native language. The church intends to provide general conference language translation for 100% of its members by 2010.

In April 2010, video of the sermons in their entirety was distributed for the first time via Youtube officially by the Church. They are found with the Church's popular 'Mormon Messages'. The direct URL for 'Mormon Messages' is http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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