The LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City

In Mormonism, a general conference is a meeting meant for instruction of all members of the Latter Day Saint faith. General conferences have been a regular part of the Latter Day Saint movement since June 9, 1830, when Joseph Smith, Jr. organized the first general conference in Fayette, New York. It included a gathering of only 27 members of the two-month-old Church of Christ. Image File history File links Acap. ... View looking up at the LDS Conference Center from North Temple St. ... View looking up at the LDS Conference Center from North Temple St. ... View of Conference Center spire taken from south of the Center on North Temple St. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1065x800, 99 KB) Summary Christus statue on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah Taken by Ricardo630 in August 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms... For more general information about religious denominations that follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... A Latter Day Saint is an adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement, a group of denominations tracing their heritage to the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... 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 (MDCCCXXX) 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 Joseph 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. Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

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

Annual and semiannual conferences

The general conference is a biannual meeting where general authorities and other church leaders preach sermons and give guidance to the members of the church. It is held on the weekends containing the first Sunday in April and the first Sunday in October. So, if this Sunday falls on the first day of April or October, the Saturday will be the last day of the preceding month. The April conference is known as the Annual General Conference, and includes annual statistical and financial reports not included in the October meeting. The October conference is called the Semiannual General Conference. Both conferences are identified by the number of years since the church was founded in April 1830; thus, the March/April 2007 meeting was the 177th Annual General Conference, and the October 2007 meeting will be the 177th Semiannual General Conference. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a general authority is a member of a select body of approximately 100 men with administrative and ecclesiastical authority in the church. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...

Although the schedule varied in the past, currently, each conference consists of two-hour sessions, four general sessions and two other sessions. The conferences have been held in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1848; in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square before 2000 and in the LDS Conference Center after then. General sessions commence at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday and on Sunday. General sessions are open to all church members and guests holding tickets, usually for only one session. The tickets are free of charge (they are used for capacity and order) 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. At 6 p.m. on Saturday a priesthood session is held for men and boys holding the priesthood of the church. The women's session is held on the Saturday preceding the Saturday general sessions. Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. ... Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah along with the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and Salt Lake Temple. ... This photo of Temple Square, circa 1897, shows that the plot housed the tallest buildings in Salt Lake City at the time, namely the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle and Assembly Hall. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... A convention center is a large, cavernous public building with enough open space to host public and private business and social events for the surrounding municipal and metropolitan areas. ... It has been suggested that Unrighteous dominion be merged into this article or section. ...

The general sessions are broadcast on KSL television and radio when they occur, KBYU television two hours afterward, and are offered for other non-local stations to broadcast, which many do.

However, there have been exceptions to the current conference schedules. In October of 2000, KSL, the local NBC affiliate, had rights to broadcast the Olympics. The Olympics were later that year because they were being held in the southern hemisphere. Conference was pushed back a week then to first Saturday in October and second Sunday of that month.^{[citation needed]} Also when it included April 6th would be pushed back to that week as well.^{[citation needed]}

Conference used to be three days and always included April 6th. However that made an awkward schedule when April 6th fell midweek. Weekday conferences made it difficult for those with work and school commitments. During President Kimball's administration Conference was reduced to two days, Saturday and Sunday.^{[citation needed]}

Organization

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 only few speak. Non-general authority speakers may include male and female officers of auxiliary organizations. Thomas S. Monson, Gordon B. Hinckley, and James E. Faust, the recent members of the First Presidency of the LDS Church. ... The current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the LDS Church. ... In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a general authority is a member of a select body of approximately 100 men with administrative and ecclesiastical authority in the 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. ...

If the President of the Church 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. In the event of the complete absence of the First Presidency, the senior apostle presides. In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... President Thomas S. Monson Acting President Boyd K. Packer President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

During one session of conference—usually the Saturday afternoon general session—the conducting officer presents all the general authorities and general officers of the church for the formal sustaining vote 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 that 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." In the Latter Day Saint movement, common consent is a principle established by the movements founder Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

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. 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 members, members of the Young Women Organization, and then all members together.^[1] Then the names of all other general authorities are read, and a sustaining and opposing vote is called for. The Melchizedek Priesthood, to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the authority and power to act in the name of God including the authority to perform ordinances and to preside over and direct the affairs of his Church and Kingdom. ... The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. ... The Relief Society is the womens organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ... The Young Women Organization (often referred to incorrectly as Young Womens or Young Womans) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

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.^{[citation needed]} The sermons (usually called "talks") are published in the Ensign, the official church English language magazine, the following month (May and November respectively). They are also translated and printed in the Liahona, 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. Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is applied to the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. ... Ensign is an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... Liahona has two different meanings in the Latter Day Saint movement. ...

A sample of the topics of general conference discourses includes:

• 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 (Hafe, 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)

Frequently, special announcements are made at general conference, which may include building sites for new temples or the institution of new policies or programs. The Salt Lake Temple, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the best-known Mormon temple. ...

Music is also an important part of the conference in praising and also setting the appropriate spiritual mood. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir along with the organist at the Conference Center generally provide the bulk of the music, with some sort of men's choir at the priesthood session. The hymns are usually selected from the normal repertoire of LDS hymns with occasional arrangements. About half-way through each session the congregation is invited to stand and join in the singing. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a large choir sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). ... This article is about church hymns in general, for the book, see Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book) Singing hymns are an important part of worship in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Very rarely, soloist artists will perform for conferences. The last to do so, Liriel Domiciano, performed in the 2004 Annual General Conference with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She was the first to sing in a solo in general conference since the 1930s.^{[citation needed]} Liriel Domiciano (1981-) is a Brazilian pop star and classical singer. ...

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, including the Tabernacle and the Salt Lake Assembly Hall. The conference usually airs on the LDS-owned media outlets KSL-TV, KSL (AM, KBYU (FM), and KBYU-TV. The conference usually preempts regularly scheduled programming. The conference is broadcast by satellite to churches throughout the world, either simultaneously or time delayed (to accommodate for differing time zones). This photo of Temple Square, circa 1897, shows that the plot housed the tallest buildings in Salt Lake City at the time, namely the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle and Assembly Hall. ... The Assembly Hall in 2002 Detail showing Star of David Temple Square in 1897; Assembly Hall to the far left Inside Assembly Hall The 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... KSL-TV (Channel 5) is an NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah that broadcasts locally in analog on VHF channel 5 and in digital on UHF channel 38. ... KBYU (FM) is a classical music radio station run by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. ... KBYU is one of two PBS member stations serving the Salt Lake City, Utah television market. ... For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ...

Some pay television (cable and satellite) systems such as Dish Network, DirecTV, and C-band carry it in some markets on the BYU TV station, and it can be heard via the church's website, www.lds.org; these latter, more public methods usually do not carry the priesthood session. Overall, 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 are on hand at the conference to translate the sermons into over 86 languages live during the simulcast. 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.^{[citation needed]} DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television and audio programming to households and businesses in the United States, owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation. ... A standard DirecTV satellite dish with 1 LNB on a roof DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service based in El Segundo, California, USA, that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America except for Mexico. ... C band (compromise band) is a portion of electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 4 to 6 GHz. ... BYU TV (also known as BYU Television) is a sister cable/satelite station for Provo, Utahs KBYU-TV station. ...

World Conference in the Community of Christ

World Conference is the name given to the tri-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). In Mormonism, General Conferences are church-wide meetings of individual Latter Day Saint denominations. ... “RLDS” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (disambiguation). ...

Like the two denominations, the two conferences have evolved separately. Sustaining of General Authorities and officers of the church at General Conferences of the LDS church is generally unanimous, but is not a vote. The World Conference, by contrast, is the highest legislative body in the Community of Christ 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. ...

See also

• We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet

We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet is a popular hymn of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Notes

External links

• LDS Church Conference Reports (October 1897–present)
• Official General Conference page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Deseret News General Conference page
• Tad Walch, "An LDS Conference Outside the U.S.?", Deseret Morning News, 2007-04-03