COLUMN: What two-hour church for Latter-day Saints really means

Living in Utah, there’s a good chance you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have friends that are, or know someone that is. As you likely know then, this weekend was the much anticipated general conference, which brought with it a rather large announcement: Sunday meetings will be shortened from three hours to two hours. Personally I think that is a really good thing for the organization and for the community in general.

The president of the Church, Russell M. Nelson, introduced the changes by saying, “It is time for a home-centered church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward and stake buildings.” He then proceeded to announce that church meetings on Sundays would no longer be three hours like they have been for years, but now shortened to two hours.

The change also includes an at home study initiative, encouraging members to use their time at home to learn and teach others.

When this change was first announced, social media initially lit up with memes, tweets, and posts by the members applauding the change. Then, once the dust settled, people were left to think about what this actually means for members and non members, and why should we all care?

Like I said, as a member of the Church I am truly welcoming this change. It will be a good adjustment to the old routine we knew, allowing the Church and its members to use time and resources more efficiently. The Church has been building meetinghouses like it was going out of style — it doesn’t take much time driving around Utah to notice a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse is never too far away.

One benefit of shortening Sunday meeting hours is that there will be less need for new meeting houses because more congregations will fit in each building. The Church then will be able to use its funds in other ways, such as building more temples around the world. And hey, temples are a nice addition to most cities, with their well-kept grounds and beautiful facades serving as a landmark in many areas.

Additionally, while growing up in a church-centered home, I remember many times when both of my parents would be gone on Sunday afternoons because they would be in leadership meetings or planning meetings. Now, with a shortened schedule, there will be less demand for meetings and time commitments for ward leadership.

Church positions are all voluntary and no local leaders get paid, so getting parents home and spending time with their families, friends and neighbors will be welcomed by many people.

The change to Sunday meetings is also giving Latter-day Saints a much more flexible form of worship. The Church is providing members with a study curriculum to follow along with at home, which I feel gives us the opportunity to learn how we want to learn, not how Sunday school teachers learns. Some people like hands on or visual, or various different learning styles. By leaving this up to individual members, personal spiritual study will be more enjoyable.

The change also brings an encouraged push toward study time with friends and family, both inside and outside of the Church, which I think this is an awesome idea. I always learn so much more from others than I do just myself. And Latter-day Saint meeting times will now more closely align with the worship schedules of other faiths, so this could build a bigger sense of community with members of other faiths.

With a more flexible schedule and the encouragement to study scriptures with friends and family, Latter-day Saints will be able to spend more time building and growing relationships within the home and the community.

Overall according to the leadership of the Church, the main purpose of this change is to allow more time at home. Regardless of what religion you are — or not religious at all! —, spending time with family and friends is a positive thing.

The connections that we build with others in this experience we call “life” are the ones that are truly meaningful. Faith, family and friends is a huge part of many peoples’ lives. So for those of us living around Latter-day Saints, the possibility of seeing an increase in quality time spent with family and friends is likely and will be a positive outcome of this change for the entire community.

— shelby.black@aggiemail.usu.edu

@shelbsterblack

Shelby Black is a Journalism major and Spanish minor. Shelby enjoys writing for the Utah Statesman newspaper, traveling, and being outdoors.