In Mormonism, a general conference is a meeting open to all members of a particular Latter Day Saint denomination. General conferences have been a regular part of most churches within the Latter Day Saint movement, beginning on June 9, 1830, when Joseph Smith, Jr. organized the first general conference in Fayette, New York, which included a gathering of only 27 members of the two-month-old Church of Christ. Mormonism is a religion, movement, ideology and subculture that originated in the early 1800s as a product of the Latter Day Saint movement led principally by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a superset of Mormonism, the Mormonism movement or the Mormon movement) is a religious movement beginning in the early 19th century that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous churches, the majority of which call... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Fayette is a town located in Seneca County, New York. ... The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Originally, general conferences were held every three months, as provided by one of Smith's early revelations (LDS D&C 20:61). Beginning in 1832, the conferences were held less frequently, usually to conduct special church business or to respond to special church needs. The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes referred to as the D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of Mormonism, written by Joseph Smith, who reportedly had a severe alcohol problem and was an avowed homosexual, despite having several wives. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most important regular meeting of that religion. It is held twice annually, on the weekends containing the first Sundays in April and in October. The April meeting is known as the Annual General Conference, and includes annual statistical and financial reports not included in the October meeting, which is called the Semiannual General Conference. Both conferences in a given year are identified by the number of years since the Church was founded in 1830; thus the October 2005 meeting was the 175th Semiannual General Conference, and the April 2006 meeting will be the 176th Annual General Conference. The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Each conference consists of five two-hour sessions, convened in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1848, and in the LDS Conference Center of that city since its completion in 2000. General Sessions commence at 10 am and 2 pm (Mountain Time) on Saturday and on Sunday. At 6 pm on Saturday a Priesthood session is held for men holding the priesthood of the Church. General sessions are open to all Church members and guests holding tickets, usually for only one session. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... View of Conference Center spire taken from south of the Center on North Temple St. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Normally a member of the First Presidency conducts each session. He introduces the various speakers, which during the course of a Conference generally include all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a selection of others. Virtually every General Authority of the Church is present, though outside the First Presidency and Twelve (all of whom speak if able) only few speak. Non-General Authority speakers may include female officers of auxiliary organizations. In Mormonism, the First Presidency (or the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy of several Latter Day Saint denominations. ... In Mormonism, the First Presidency (or the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy of several Latter Day Saint denominations. ... In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations. ... A General Authority is a priesthood leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose responsibility is at a church-wide level, rather than localized to a particular area or unit of the Church. ...

If the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is present, he is said to "preside" at the Conference whether or not he personally conducts a session. If the President is absent (as in the case of illness) his First Counselor presides; if both are absent, the Second Counselor presides; and so forth. In the event of the complete absence of the First Presidency (for example, as during the period after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, when the First Presidency had not yet been reconstituted), the senior apostle presides at all conferences. In Mormonism, the President of the Church is the head of a Latter Day Saint denomination or church. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Daguerreotype which some experts believe to be an original 1843 photograph of Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

During one session of General Conference, usually the Saturday afternoon General Session, the conducting officer (normally a Counselor) presents all the General Authorities for the formal sustaining vote of the membership, and it is usually at this time that any changes among the General Authorities, officers, or auxiliaries are announced. Normally, except for members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, only the names of the General Authorities, Area Authorities, and auxiliaries presidencies who are being released or called to serve are announced. The person conducting then asks all of those who are in favor of sustaining the current leadership, or of the calling of a new leader, to raise their right hand in a "vote". The Counselor then asks that any who are opposed raise their right hands. 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, and the process of the sustaining vote is unusually detailed and prolonged. Instead of calling for the sustaining vote of all members together, at a Solemn Assembly each quorum of the Priesthood is asked individually to sustain the new Prophet and President of the church from the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, The Quorums of Seventy, Melchizedek Priesthood holders, Aaronic Priesthood holders, Relief Society members, all members of the Young Women organization, and then all Members (even if they had previously voted) [1]. Then the names of all the members of the Presidency of the Seventy, the First Quorum of Seventy, the Second Quorum of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric are read. A sustaining and opposing vote is called for them together.

The LDS General Conference usually airs on the local LDS-owned media outlets KSL channel 5 and KSL 1160 AM. The conference usually pre-empts regularly scheduled programming. Alternate outlets include internet webcast via lds.org, syndicated television, Dish Network, DirecTV, and C-band satellite broadcast, though generally these do not include the priesthood session. KSL-TV is a television station, broadcasting out of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, on channel 5. ... KSL is a radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... AM radio is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. ... Dish Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that broadcasts digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation NASDAQ: DISH. Dish Network was launched in March 1996, and, along with DirecTV, primarily competes with cable television providers the United... DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States and the rest of the Americas. ... C band (compromise band) is a portion of electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 4 to 6 GHz. ...

World Conference in the Community of Christ

World Conference is the name given to the bi-annual meeting of delegates of the Community of Christ. Originally called General Conferences and held semiannually, or as need arises, they have the same origin as the semi-annual General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994 Community of Christ, previously known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or RLDS church is a branch of Mormon Restorationism, and is the second largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...

Like the two denominations, the two conferences have evolved separately. Voting at General Conferences of the LDS church is purely symbolic and unanimous. The World Conference, by contrast, is the highest legislative body in the church and is empowered to act for the entire church. Delegates to the conference are elected by Mission Centre conferences. Motions are often debated vigorously and the results are sometimes controversial. World Conferences are traditionally held at Community of Christ World Headquarters, with the legislative and main worship services held in the Auditorium. The Auditorium is a house of worship and office building located on the greater Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri. ...

External link

• Official General Conference page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Deseret News General Conference page
• Is Mormonism Christian? A Comparison of Mormonism and Historic Christianity