Sacrament meeting
Encyclopedia
Sacrament meeting is the weekly worship service
held on Sunday in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Sacrament meetings are held in individual wards or branches in the chapel of the meetinghouse. The bishop or branch president
of the ward or branch presides, unless a higher authority is present. Anyone is invited to attend, whether they are a member of the church or not. Sacrament meetings are not held during stake or district
conferences, or during the annual and semiannual General Conference
of the LDS Church.
Attendees of sacrament meetings generally wear "Sunday formal" dress. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear modest dresses or skirts. Children are encouraged to attend, but when they become unruly, the parents generally escort them into the lobby.
Sacrament meetings usually proceed in this manner:
A collection plate is not passed as part of sacrament meeting, or any other church service. The Church operates by lay ministry, and local leaders, teachers, and speakers are not compensated. Church members make private contributions to the Church, including tithing
, usually using small envelopes.
Sacrament meetings usually last approximately 70 minutes. Other church meetings that can follow or precede sacrament meeting include, for adults, Sunday School
and Relief Society
or priesthood quorum meetings; and for youth, Sunday School classes, Young Women
and Young Men
classes; and Primary classes and a nursery for children. The sum of these meetings constitute Sunday services and typically lasts three hours.
. They generally attend seeking to be forgiven for their shortcomings during the week and to begin anew with renewed conviction.
If they have the approval of the bishop, priesthood holders may administer the sacrament to those who are homebound or otherwise cannot attend sacrament meeting.
Worship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In Mormonism, worship services include weekly services, held on Sundays , in neighborhood based religious units...
held on Sunday in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
of the ward or branch presides, unless a higher authority is present. Anyone is invited to attend, whether they are a member of the church or not. Sacrament meetings are not held during stake or district
District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
conferences, or during the annual and semiannual General Conference
General Conference (LDS Church)
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...
of the LDS Church.
Attendees of sacrament meetings generally wear "Sunday formal" dress. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear modest dresses or skirts. Children are encouraged to attend, but when they become unruly, the parents generally escort them into the lobby.
Sacrament meetings usually proceed in this manner:
- First, the conducting officer (usually a member of the bishopric or Branch PresidencyBranch PresidentA branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
) welcomes the members to the meeting and presents announcements or other informational items of general interest. - An opening hymn is usually sung by the congregation. Following this is the invocationInvocationAn invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, or opening prayerPrayerPrayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
. - Following this, church business is conducted. This includes the announcement of assignments and callings, the call for consent on various issues and assignments, and performance of ordinances, such as naming and blessing children and the confirmation of recently baptizedBaptism (Mormonism)In Mormonism, baptism is recognized as the first of several ordinances of the gospel.-Overview:Much of the theology of Mormon baptism was established during the early Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr...
converts. - Next, a sacrament hymn is sung by the congregation. After this, the priestsPriest (Mormonism)Priest is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Priests in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:...
of the Aaronic priesthood bless the bread. The bread is distributed to the congregation by deacons. After this, the priests bless the water, which is distributed in like manner. The prayers used in the blessings are exact (see The Doctrine and Covenants). The bread and water constitute the sacrament and are prepared before the meeting by one or more teachers. If sufficient number of Aaronic Priesthood holders are not available, Melchizedek priesthood holders may prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament, as required. - Following the administration of the sacrament, various sermons, or speeches also known as talks, are delivered by assigned members of the congregation, visiting officials such as stake high council members or a member of the stake presidency. Often, congregational hymns or special musical numbers are included before or between talks. If it is Fast SundayFast SundayIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fast Sunday is a Sunday set aside for fasting.- Overview :...
, instead of prepared talks, the congregation is asked to bear their testimoniesTestimonyIn law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
as they feel inspired. (See Fast and testimony meeting.)
- The meeting closes with another congregational hymn and a benedictionBenedictionA benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.-Judaism:...
, or closing prayer.
A collection plate is not passed as part of sacrament meeting, or any other church service. The Church operates by lay ministry, and local leaders, teachers, and speakers are not compensated. Church members make private contributions to the Church, including tithing
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
, usually using small envelopes.
Sacrament meetings usually last approximately 70 minutes. Other church meetings that can follow or precede sacrament meeting include, for adults, Sunday School
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
and 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...
or priesthood quorum meetings; and for youth, Sunday School classes, 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...
and Young Men
Young Men (organization)
The Young Men is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
classes; and Primary classes and a nursery for children. The sum of these meetings constitute Sunday services and typically lasts three hours.
Significance of sacrament meeting
Members of the LDS Church believe that the ordinance of the sacrament allows them to renew all of their covenants, such as the covenants they have made in baptism or the priesthood or in the templeTemple (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...
. They generally attend seeking to be forgiven for their shortcomings during the week and to begin anew with renewed conviction.
If they have the approval of the bishop, priesthood holders may administer the sacrament to those who are homebound or otherwise cannot attend sacrament meeting.