Why do Mormons hold ‘General Conference’?

About this time every year, something transformational happens in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake is a predominantly Anglo-American city, although it has a sizeable Hispanic population, so English and Spanish are the languages most often heard on the street.

But twice a year, in late September and again in March, an attentive ear begins to note the change across the 76 acres that encompass the remarkable downtown campus and international headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You notice it first when taking the crowded elevators. A little more Portuguese, Spanish or German than usual, perhaps. English with lots of different accents. A few more Asian and African faces.

Then, in the few days before the twice-yearly world conference of the Church, everything transforms. Temple Square becomes thronged with people of every nationality. Across the campus the flavor becomes decidedly cosmopolitan, from the cafeteria crowds to the tourists packing the Plaza, the nearby Family History Library or the adjacent Church Museum. In short, things get busy.

General Conference, as Mormons call it, has become a cultural icon for millions of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide. On the two days of conference itself, 100,000 people will pass through the doors of the vast facility known simply as the Conference Center. Many are local residents. Others have driven long distances or flown in. Inside, the center is a jaw-dropping auditorium where every one of the 20,000-plus seats has an uninterrupted view of the stage that will house the Tabernacle Choir and the leadership of the Church from around the world. To make ready for them, technicians busy themselves with a thousand details for simultaneous language translation, broadcast camera angles, music and floral arrangements.

Driving downtown at 8 a.m., two hours before the first conference session starts, you notice that the sidewalks on the north edge of the city center are already busy with foot traffic, and it is almost all one way - headed toward the Conference Center. Most of these people will have obtained the free tickets ahead of time, but some who have not will wait in line rather than opt for one of the many surrounding overflow facilities. If the weather is good - and it usually is in early October - some will bring blankets and spread out on lawns where the songs and spoken addresses will be broadcast live.

Wait in line? For Church?

The fact is, General Conference isn’t anything like church on any other weekend, when Latter-day Saint singles and families normally attend a chapel and worship service closer to home. General Conference is not really a conference at all, in the usual sense of the word. There will be no great debates, no huge policy changes to announce to the general membership. You can be certain that there will be no political addresses from the podium, and it’s highly unlikely anyone will mention even indirectly the two Latter-day Saints running for President of the United States.

What people come for is altogether different. General Conference - all five two-hour sessions of it - is a collection of sermons. But for people who have come to the Conference Center, or for people who watch it at home on TV or the Internet, or in a live or time-delayed broadcast in some far-flung part of the world, this is a time for listening and thinking.

Mormons regard their leaders -- members of the three-man First Presidency, the Twelve apostles or what is known as the Seventy (another New Testament parallel) -- in the same way that early Christians considered the apostles whom Jesus called to service. They are respected, even revered. They are not infallible and none would claim to be. But for several months each has been pondering and praying about what message he should deliver to the worldwide membership. Leaders do not necessarily confer with each other. There is no coordination of messages. Each speaker, whether man or woman, looks for inspiration in choosing his or her subject, drawing on personal prayers and life experience as well as their interactions with members as they travel the world.

On the receiving end, the listener also has work to do. Whether an American sitting in a comfortable seat in the Conference Center, or a Siberian widow listening to a Russian translation piped into her chapel in Novosibirsk, the intent is the same. Each listens for inspiration or encouragement. Many members carry personal and private burdens and need shoring up. Some face challenges in their own lives that demand insight beyond their own wisdom. It may be for a wayward child or a sick parent, or any of a host of other troubles. All will listen to the 20-plus addresses over the weekend for what seems most relevant to them. Many will ponder and pray and find ways to help them be better parents, better husbands and wives, better sons and daughters, better neighbors, better followers of Jesus Christ.

In this sense, General Conference has never been primarily about the logistics or the trappings of organization, enormously impressive and complex though they are. Like the scriptures, the true relevance of the revelatory sermons of General Conference is in the lives of the members they touch. The most important transformation is not in the city environs, but in the potential for change in the hearts of the listeners.

If you’re interested, you can watch the conference live, at this link. The first session starts at 10:00 a.m. MDT on Oct 1, 2011.

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Michael Otterson  | Sep 26, 2011 9:23 PM