Changes announced at LDS General Conference

[Ddawg]

That is very interesting, and makes total sense. Every organization is controlled by trying to be cost effective. If they are not, they end up saddled with umnameagable debt, and eventually financial ruin. It makes sense the Lords church is concerned about economic efficiency.

[Mars]

From what I had heard, "2 hour Church" is still 3 blocks, with each block lasting 10 minutes less than they had before.

[Gunk]

While I would gladly take 2 hour church or every other week, I'd prefer every other week. Less time I have to spend in church (it's so repetitive), less time I have to spend on a calling, and it would make going to church more meaningful.

[Cougarfan87]

I am all for two hour church. Do away with Sunday school, and instead, provide a guide to studying the scriptures for families to use with their children. It could have suggestions for youth, and small children as you study the four standard works. We could do a 60 minute sacrament meeting, 10 minute break, then Priesthood, RS, YW, and primary. Primary is the only sticking point, but I think you get rid of sharing time and just do music teaching and talks for 20 minutes, 10 minute break to switch junior and senior primary, and then your 20 minute lesson and vice versa. Kids that age really don't need a 40 minute lesson, as a well-prepared 20 minute lesson can be far more effective and appropriate for their attention spans. They would have to rework the primary manuals for more bite sized lessons, but I think it would be good to go from 20 minute lessons through age 11 to 50 minute lessons after that. I'm a dreamer though.

[jvquarterback]

They could always go back to having primary during the week on the same night as YM/YW.

I've definitely been a better home teacher when I've had regular interviews with my companion and a member of the group leadership or presidency. It gives another chance to receive revelation for the families I minister to. If that alone gets implemented I can see great things happening.

[Ddawg]

I submit 1 hour every other Sunday, and we promise to watch "Man's Search for Happiness" (the original) at home every Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH11umBJXk0

[BroncoBot]

I submit 1 hour every other Sunday, and we promise to watch "Man's Search for Happiness" (the original) at home every Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH11umBJXk0

I'm all for a 1/2 hour sacrament meeting, and 1/2 hour priesthood meeting (one hour total). Every other week.

I'll also endorse what Sno has said re. Elder Perry. Had similar meetings and conversations come up in Albuquerque a few years back. The emphasis is certainly on the individual as it should be. I welcome these recent changes. Look forward to what the church will do moving forward.

[vancouvercougar]

Guys, this will be huge.

Five and a half years ago, I was able to attend a regional training in Colorado with Elder L. Tom Perry for bishops, EQ presidents, and HP group leaders only. Every change made this weekend was something Elder Perry was training us to do even back then.

Per Elder Perry, the way the Melchizedek Priesthood was functioning was broken. Some of the items he trained us on:

1) An Elder should only be ordained a High Priest when he receives a calling in church administration that requires him to hold that office. There is no difference in the priesthood of an Elder or a High Priest. The only difference is in responsibilities in certain callings -- if you don't hold those callings, there is no spiritual reason to be a High Priest.

2) As an off-shoot of that, the practice of "advancing" men to the office of High Priest as they age so that they can attend Group meetings with the older cohort is detrimental. It fosters a mis-understanding of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and it creates issues in activating older less-active brethren who are not High Priests and in bringing in new converts. Let's say you have a new convert or less-active brother who is 60 years old and comes to church---where does he attend? An Elders quorum where you have "advanced" out everyone over 50 years old and he may find no peers? Or a High Priest group where they are arguing about the orbital dynamics of Kolob where he will equally feel out of place?

3) The Elders Quorum President holds the keys to the spiritual well-being of the ward, the High Priest Group Leader holds no keys. Yet many view the HPQL as superior in rank and responsibility and Bishops and Ward Councils look to the HPGL before they look to the actual keyholder. Elders quorum presidents should be just as busy, if not more than the Bishop. Melchizedek priesthood leaders should be bearing the brunt of the welfare needs of the church, both spiritually and temporally under the guidance of the bishop (as he needs to approve Fast Offering expenditures and food orders), but the Melchizedek priesthood leaders should be the ones meeting with those in needs and determining those needs and going the the bishop with a comprehensive plan (made in tandem with the relief society), and the bishop then approves the plan or suggests revisions. Bishops should be focused on the youth and matters of repentance where a judge in Israel is required, and the Melchizedek priesthood should be striving to take burdens from the bishop to allow them to keep that focus.

4) If you truly want to build meaningful quorums, your Elders Quorum President should serve at least as long as your Bishop.

5) Hometeaching is broken, and it is largely because the EQP and HPGL (i) do not take the time to make meaningful assignments, instead handing out slips or assignments in hallways at church (or now, via text or email) with little discussion of the needs of the families and individuals, and (ii) only ask "how are your families doing?" and "did you hometeach last month." Assignments should be made in personal meetings explaining who the families are and their needs. Frequent PPI interviews must be held to better understand the families and to help the brothers understand that you care about the families, not about the numbers. A brother who hometeaches irregularly but has the love and trust of his families magnifies his assignment more than the brother who makes a brief formal visit the last week of every month and does not know his families.

6) **(later addition)** Elder Perry also talked about how "advancing" men to the office of High Priest was robbing Elders Quorums of potential leadership and assets in doing their work, which only aggravated the perception of the Elders Quorum as a lesser body than the High Priest group.

So for at least 5 and a half years the Brethren have identified the issues that are at the root of this weekend's changes. We wholly embraced the instruction we received back then at our own wards, and it was a phenomenal change for the entire ward, and more specially for the men. Our biggest issue was push back from men reaching the age of ~45 and asking how they start the process of being ordained a high priest and we had to tell them, "Well, get called to a Bishopric, High Council, or Stake Presidency, but outside of that, it probably will not happen in this Stake based on the instruction we received." This change in eliminating the High Priest Group goes a long way to removing that hurdle to acceptance. It should be about like when they "restructured" the office of Seventy in 1986 and discontinued Stake Seventies quorums.

This weekend was a great day--it may have seemed like two separate announcements, but in reality the two were part and parcel of one larger change in refocusing the efforts of the members to truly focus on individual needs rather than "numbers" or "office".

29 yers ago, I was a newly called counselor to a bishop. We were in a training meeting, and the General Authority spoke about what a great experince it is to serve in an Elders quorum presidency. I leaned over to the bishop and said "thanks to you, I will never have that opportunity". So 29 years later I am called as an Elders quorum president. In our stake a High Councilor was released and a bishipric member was released o be Elders quorum presidents.

I love the idea of ministering--you could get your home teaching done for a month, but you never stop ministering until you die--maybe not even then.

[ABYUFAN]

Guys, this will be huge.

Five and a half years ago, I was able to attend a regional training in Colorado with Elder L. Tom Perry for bishops, EQ presidents, and HP group leaders only. Every change made this weekend was something Elder Perry was training us to do even back then.

Per Elder Perry, the way the Melchizedek Priesthood was functioning was broken. Some of the items he trained us on:

1) An Elder should only be ordained a High Priest when he receives a calling in church administration that requires him to hold that office. There is no difference in the priesthood of an Elder or a High Priest. The only difference is in responsibilities in certain callings -- if you don't hold those callings, there is no spiritual reason to be a High Priest.

2) As an off-shoot of that, the practice of "advancing" men to the office of High Priest as they age so that they can attend Group meetings with the older cohort is detrimental. It fosters a mis-understanding of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and it creates issues in activating older less-active brethren who are not High Priests and in bringing in new converts. Let's say you have a new convert or less-active brother who is 60 years old and comes to church---where does he attend? An Elders quorum where you have "advanced" out everyone over 50 years old and he may find no peers? Or a High Priest group where they are arguing about the orbital dynamics of Kolob where he will equally feel out of place?

3) The Elders Quorum President holds the keys to the spiritual well-being of the ward, the High Priest Group Leader holds no keys. Yet many view the HPQL as superior in rank and responsibility and Bishops and Ward Councils look to the HPGL before they look to the actual keyholder. Elders quorum presidents should be just as busy, if not more than the Bishop. Melchizedek priesthood leaders should be bearing the brunt of the welfare needs of the church, both spiritually and temporally under the guidance of the bishop (as he needs to approve Fast Offering expenditures and food orders), but the Melchizedek priesthood leaders should be the ones meeting with those in needs and determining those needs and going the the bishop with a comprehensive plan (made in tandem with the relief society), and the bishop then approves the plan or suggests revisions. Bishops should be focused on the youth and matters of repentance where a judge in Israel is required, and the Melchizedek priesthood should be striving to take burdens from the bishop to allow them to keep that focus.

4) If you truly want to build meaningful quorums, your Elders Quorum President should serve at least as long as your Bishop.

5) Hometeaching is broken, and it is largely because the EQP and HPGL (i) do not take the time to make meaningful assignments, instead handing out slips or assignments in hallways at church (or now, via text or email) with little discussion of the needs of the families and individuals, and (ii) only ask "how are your families doing?" and "did you hometeach last month." Assignments should be made in personal meetings explaining who the families are and their needs. Frequent PPI interviews must be held to better understand the families and to help the brothers understand that you care about the families, not about the numbers. A brother who hometeaches irregularly but has the love and trust of his families magnifies his assignment more than the brother who makes a brief formal visit the last week of every month and does not know his families.

6) **(later addition)** Elder Perry also talked about how "advancing" men to the office of High Priest was robbing Elders Quorums of potential leadership and assets in doing their work, which only aggravated the perception of the Elders Quorum as a lesser body than the High Priest group.

So for at least 5 and a half years the Brethren have identified the issues that are at the root of this weekend's changes. We wholly embraced the instruction we received back then at our own wards, and it was a phenomenal change for the entire ward, and more specially for the men. Our biggest issue was push back from men reaching the age of ~45 and asking how they start the process of being ordained a high priest and we had to tell them, "Well, get called to a Bishopric, High Council, or Stake Presidency, but outside of that, it probably will not happen in this Stake based on the instruction we received." This change in eliminating the High Priest Group goes a long way to removing that hurdle to acceptance. It should be about like when they "restructured" the office of Seventy in 1986 and discontinued Stake Seventies quorums.

This weekend was a great day--it may have seemed like two separate announcements, but in reality the two were part and parcel of one larger change in refocusing the efforts of the members to truly focus on individual needs rather than "numbers" or "office".

29 yers ago, I was a newly called counselor to a bishop. We were in a training meeting, and the General Authority spoke about what a great experince it is to serve in an Elders quorum presidency. I leaned over to the bishop and said "thanks to you, I will never have that opportunity". So 29 years later I am called as an Elders quorum president. In our stake a High Councilor was released and a bishipric member was released o be Elders quorum presidents.

I love the idea of ministering--you could get your home teaching done for a month, but you never stop ministering until you die--maybe not even then.

Funny - My stake had 8 openings for Elders' Quorum Presidents and four of them were filled by members of the High Council and the Stake Y.M. President. I know that one of the new presidencies had a member of the Bishopric called as a counselor in the EQ presidency. It is good to see this change being taken seriously.