Mormon Leadership Archives

Latter-day Saints – A “Peculiar” and Sacrificial People

by Keith L. Brown | May 1, 2014 | About Mormons

Some people may consider members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be a rather “peculiar” or strange people, not only because of some of their beliefs and practices, but because of their devotion to their faith. Devout Mormons, as they are often called, believe that their religion is more than just a Sunday religion. It is something that they uphold and practice every day of their life – at home, at school, in the market place, in the work place, or even in the public square. Wherever they may be, the doctrines and principles that they are taught are a guiding force in their personal life, as well as in their dealings with others.

Living the Life of a Latter-day Saint

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ live normal, busy lives like most other people. They go to work each day, go to school, attend college classes, do grocery shopping, and take care of their homes and families, as well as any other tasks that may be required. As such, each member of the Church gives of their time differently. Depending on life situations, some may be able to sacrifice more time than others. Nevertheless, by comparison there are few Christians who give of their time like Latter-day Saints.

Joseph Smith, the first Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) in Lectures on Faith taught that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” Although members of the Church do not sacrifice everything that they have, most willingly give of their time each week to attend Church meetings, perform their Church callings, and participate in activities and service projects.

An Approximate Breakdown of Time Sacrificed

Exactly how much time an average Latter-day Saint sacrifices in performing church, family, and community service can only be approximated.

On a daily basis, the average Mormon may spend only a few minutes reading and studying the scriptures. A full-time missionary, however, spends up to 2 hours per day studying the scriptures.

During the week, some LDS youth attend early morning Seminary classes for one hour prior to the start of the regular school day. Other LDS youth, depending on their location, may have Seminary included as part of their school curriculum.

Sundays are divided into three one hour blocks of instruction to include Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, Relief Society for women, Priesthood for men, and Primary for the younger children. There are also other church meetings to attend depending on a person’s calling. It is not uncommon for Stake Presidents, Bishops, and auxiliary presidents to spend up to 20 hours or more in their church callings, whereas someone else in a different calling may spend less than an hour. The time that is spent in a particular calling includes, but is not limited to: leadership meetings and training, presidency meetings, interviews, lesson preparations, planning and attending activities.

A breakdown of time during the week may look something similar to the following:

• Young Women/Young Men activities: 1-2 hours at activities; more spent individually on Personal Progress and Duty to God requirements.

• Scouts: 1 hour per week at activities; more spent individually fulfilling requirements.

• Primary Activity Days: 1 hour

• Family Home Evening: 1-2 hours

• Date Night: 1-4 hours; many local church leaders have encouraged a weekly date night for married couples.

A report by Utah Valley 360 also outlines how Latter-day Saints may spend their time on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis:

Monthly/Quarterly

• Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching: 1-2 hours (depending on the number of families a person has been assigned)

• Weekday Relief Society Meetings: 1 hour

• Child of Record Baptisms: 2 hours

• Scout camp outs: 2 days

• Parent/Children interviews: 5 minutes to 2 hours

Twice Yearly/Yearly

• General Conference: 10 hours (four 2-hour General Sessions, one 2-hour Priesthood Session and one 2-hour Women’s Session) held in April and October of each year.

• Youth Conference: 1-2 days

• Girls Camp: 3-5 days

• Scout Camp: 3-6 days

• Pioneer Trek: 3-5 days

• Stake Conference: 2-6 hours (2-hour general session, 1-2 hour adult session, and other leadership training sessions.

Latter-day Saints also give of their time to attend the temple which could constitute two to three hours per endowment session. The amount of time spent in the temple during each subsequent visit will depend on such factors as travel times, wait times, and what ordinances a person is planning to perform during their visit. Temple ordinance workers serve approximately 6 hours per week for several months or maybe even years.

Latter-day Saints are also service minded people, and could spend anywhere from an hour to 20 hours or more in providing meals for those in need, helping families to move, cleaning church buildings, and assisting in humanitarian efforts.

They also spend a considerable amount of time doing genealogy work. Some may spend only a few minutes each week doing family history research, and others may spend several hours per week depending on their schedules.

As there are no paid ministers in the Church, members are called on from time to time to give a talk/message to the congregation during Sacrament meeting, or other church meetings such as ward and stake conferences. Some members are also called upon to teach various classes. And so, preparation time must also be calculated into the equation.

Missionary service is another major part of the Church with males starting at the age of 18 serving full-time for two years, and females starting at age 19 serving for 18 months. A retired couple may serve a mission for a period as short as 6 months or as long as 2 years. Missionary Presidents and their wives serve for 3 years, and Church-service missionaries usually serve approximately 8 hours per week for 6 months to 2 years.

Latter-day Saints are Willing Servants

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ sacrifice their time in many ways, not out of obligation, but because they believe that when they are in the service of their fellowman, they are in the service of God. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, “Our lives of service and sacrifice are the most appropriate expressions of our commitment to serve the Master and our fellowmen.”

Mormon Leadership Extends Sympathies on Passing of Nelson Mandela

by Charlotte Wilson | Dec 9, 2013 | About Mormons

When Nelson Mandela, prominent and visionary South African president, passed away in December 2013, the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) expressed their condolences at his passing. As part of the published statement, The Church of Jesus Christ expressed that “[Mandela’s] courage, kindness and extraordinary moral leadership have been an example to all people.” [1]

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5 Things Mormons Are Most Thankful For

by Charlotte Wilson | Nov 21, 2013 | Do Mormons Celebrate Holidays?

Mormons in America love Thanksgiving. (And Mormons in other parts of the world also celebrate any national holidays centered on gratitude.) Thanksgiving is a time where Mormons gather with friends and family to make pies and roast turkey and drink Martinellis. It’s a time where they unite with their country in giving thanks for all they have. Mormons are thankful for the usual good fortunes, and they also give thanks for some unique blessings that come only through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church).

1. Eternal Families

One of the most central doctrines to The Church of Jesus Christ is that families can be together forever. This possibility for families demonstrates much about Mormons and what they do and teach. Families can become eternal families through special ordinances performed in temples. Temples are houses of special worship open only to worthy members. This discretion is not because temple ceremonies are secret, but because they are sacred. In temples Mormon couples can be sealed for eternity, meaning that their marriage and family will be bound together even after physical death. This is such a great blessing to God’s children. (more…)

Why Does Mormonism Produce So Many Leaders?

by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Oct 18, 2013 | About Mormons

Why Are So Many Mormons Good Leaders?

Mormonism—an informal term some people use to describe the beliefs of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—is garnering some attention for its members who exhibit leadership skills in politics, business, and other aspects of everyday life. Many have speculated, often incorrectly, as to why that might be.

Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) have extensive training in leadership, which gives many of them skills which they may choose to also help them in the business world. Some Mormons become very comfortable speaking in front of groups, an essential skill for leaders of all kinds. For many, this skill begins in childhood, as they have the opportunity to give brief “sermons,” which they call “talks,” in their Sunday school classes. They also have the opportunity, from a young age, to offer public prayers or to recite scripture verses in a yearly children’s program. Their talks last about two and a half minutes and, at the younger ages, usually involve a parent or leader helping them.

Leadership Skills at a Young Age

From the age of twelve, Mormons may be asked to give brief sermons in the regular Sunday worship service. Mormons have a lay church, which means everyone pitches in to do what needs to be done. The bishop, who is a lay pastor who serves an average of 5 years and who is not paid, does not give the weekly sermon. Instead, two to four members of the congregation are asked to speak each week. Teenagers speak for about five minutes and adults for ten to twenty minutes, depending on the number of speakers. Even the children speak once a year when they do their special program, although for many, it is only a sentence or two. (more…)

LDS Views: Eight Favorite Places I Love to Visit as a Mormon Woman

by paulah | Aug 31, 2013 | About Mormons

Like many people, I have a bucket list of places I’d like to visit before I die. I also have a list of places I like to visit now. Some places on my list are unique to me and my personality. I can connect at least eight of them to my heritage or my life as a Mormon woman. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church). These eight places are loved at least in part because the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me learn to love them. Jesus often used the everyday, common objects and occurrences of life to teach his parables. My favorite eight places are listed (but not ranked) below.

Fabric Stores. Sewing is in my blood. My maternal great-grandmother, Karen, learned the dressmaking and men’s tailoring trades from her father when she was raised in Denmark. She taught her daughter Elsie (my grandmother) to sew. My grandmother, who was mother to nine daughters and four sons, made clothes for each of her children. My mother also learned to sew and taught me basic skills as I grew up. She required me to take a sewing class in high school. I loved to explore the stacks of fabric that she stored in one of her bedroom closets. She regularly let me pick fabric from her stash to make clothes for my dolls or myself. I also loved sifting through her large tin of buttons. (more…)

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