Sacrament meeting

Last updated November 08, 2024

Sacrament meeting is the primary weekly Sunday worship service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).^[1]

Sacrament meetings are held in the chapel of a meetinghouse by each individual ward (or branch). The service is presided over by the congregation's bishop (or branch president), unless a higher authority is present, such as the stake president or a general authority. Anyone is invited to attend, whether they are a member of the church or not. Sacrament meeting does not occur on the weeks when stake or district conferences, or the church's general conference are held.^[2]

Those attending sacrament meeting generally wear "Sunday formal" dress. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear modest dresses or skirts. Children are also encouraged to attend.

History

The first occurrence of a similar gathering to the current sacrament meeting occurred on April 6, 1830. This coincided with the organization of the Church of Christ, the forerunner of the LDS Church. This meeting included the administration of the Lord's Supper and the ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as the "First Elder" and "Second Elder" of the church.^[3]

For much of the history of the church, sacrament meeting was held separately from other church meetings, often held on weekdays or on Sunday mornings. Sacrament meeting was the last meeting of the day on Sunday. In 1980, the church's First Presidency started the current "block" schedule, in which almost all church meetings were held in the space of three hours.^[4]

In October 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson announced plans to consolidate the Sunday meeting schedule. As a part of these plans, sacrament meeting was shortened from seventy to sixty minutes, and local church leaders were instructed to limit the announcements at the beginning of the meeting.^[5]

Sequence

Preparation

Shortly before the start of the meeting, the bread and water – which constitute the sacrament – are prepared by one or more young men, generally teachers in the church's Aaronic priesthood.
After the bread and water are readied, they are covered with a formal shroud, which resembles a tablecloth.
Invitations to give prayers are generally extended by members of the bishopric or branch presidency.

Meeting

Sacrament trays containing bread and water. The bread is broken and the trays are blessed and passed to the congregation.
First, the conducting officer (usually a member of the bishopric or branch presidency) welcomes those in attendance.
An opening hymn is sung by the congregation.
The invocation, or opening prayer, is given by a member of the congregation.
Church business is conducted. This includes the announcement of assignments and callings, the call for consent on various issues and assignments, and performance of ordinances, such as naming and blessing children and the confirmation of recently baptized converts. As with the announcements, this is optional and is only conducted when necessary.
A sacrament hymn is sung by the congregation. As the song is sung, the priests of the Aaronic priesthood prepare the bread by breaking it into small (one inch or so) pieces. After this, the priests bless the bread. It is distributed to the congregation by deacons. After this, the priests bless the water, which is distributed in like manner. The prayers used are exact (see Doctrine and Covenants, Section 20:75-79).^{[ failed verification ]} If a mistake is made in the prayer, it is repeated from the beginning.^{[ citation needed ]} Where sufficient number of Aaronic Priesthood holders are not available, Melchizedek priesthood holders prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament, as needed.
Various sermons, or speeches, also known as "talks", are delivered by previously assigned members of the congregation. Occasionally, visiting officials, such as members of the stake high council or stake presidency may speak. Often, congregational hymns or special musical numbers are included before or between talks. If it is Fast Sunday, (typically the first Sunday of every month), the congregation is invited to share their testimonies as they feel inclined, rather than hearing prepared talks. (See Fast and testimony meeting.)
The meeting closes with another congregational hymn and a benediction, or closing prayer.

Sacrament meetings usually last approximately 60 minutes. Other church meetings that follow, or precede, sacrament meeting include Sunday School and Relief Society or priesthood quorum meetings for adults; Sunday School classes, Young Women and Young Men classes for the youth; and Primary classes and a nursery for children. The sum of these meetings constitute Sunday services and typically lasts two hours.^[6]

Significance

Members of the LDS Church believe that the ordinance of the sacrament allows them to renew the covenants they made when they were baptized. It is meant as an opportunity to be forgiven for their shortcomings during the week and to begin anew with renewed conviction.

With the approval of the bishop, priesthood holders may administer the sacrament to those who are homebound or otherwise cannot attend sacrament meeting.

A collection plate is not passed as part of sacrament meeting, or any other church service. The church operates by lay ministry, and local leaders, teachers, and speakers are not compensated. Church members make private contributions to the church, including tithing.

Related Research Articles

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, most often simply referred to as the sacrament, is the ordinance in which participants eat bread and drink water in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Normally, the sacrament is provided every Sunday as part of the sacrament meeting, the primary weekly worship service, in each LDS Church congregation.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, an ordinance is a sacred rite or ceremony that has spiritual and symbolic meanings and act as a means of conveying divine grace. Ordinances are physical acts which signify or symbolize an underlying spiritual act; for some ordinances, the spiritual act is the finalization of a covenant between the ordinance recipient and God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaronic priesthood (Latter Day Saints)</span> Order of priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement

The Aaronic priesthood is the lesser of the two orders of priesthood recognized in the Latter Day Saint movement. The higher being the Melchizedek priesthood. Unlike the Melchizedek priesthood, which is modeled after the authority of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, the Aaronic priesthood is modeled after the priesthood of Aaron the Levite, the first high priest of the Hebrews, and his descendants. The Aaronic priesthood is thought to be a lesser or preparatory priesthood and an "appendage" of the more powerful Melchizedek priesthood.

A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes". A stake is sometimes referred to as a stake of Zion.

A ward is a local congregation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a smaller local congregation known as a branch.

Priest is a priesthood office in the Aaronic priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, a bishop is the highest office of the Aaronic priesthood. It is almost always held by one who holds the office of high priest in the Melchizedek priesthood. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations, being in some respects more analogous to a pastor or parish priest. Each bishop serves with two counselors, who together form a bishopric.

Elder is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, a quorum is a group of people ordained or endowed with priesthood authority, and organized to act together as a body. The idea of a quorum was established by Joseph Smith early in the history of the movement, and during his lifetime it has included several church-wide quorums, including the First Presidency, the Presiding High Council, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Anointed Quorum, and the Quorum of the Seventy, as well as numerous local quorums for each congregation. The Council of Fifty, or General Council, was not part of the church, but a quorum-like body designed as a forerunner to establishing a theocratic government.

The sacraments are viewed as vital ministries in Community of Christ for both individual and community spiritual development. They are viewed as essential to the mission, identity and message of the denomination, providing a common foundation for religious practice across the world. The sacraments practiced by Community of Christ are baptism, confirmation, the Lord's supper, marriage, administration to the sick, ordination, blessing of children, and evangelist's blessing. These latter two are not widely practiced as sacraments in other Christian denominations. Community of Christ does not observe confession as a sacrament.

Worship services of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints include weekly services held in meetinghouses on Sundays in geographically based religious units. Once per month, this weekly service is a fast and testimony meeting. Twice each year, the LDS Church holds a worldwide general conference. LDS Church adherents also worship in temples, which are open only to members in good standing.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind. Male members of the church who meet standards of worthy behavior and church participation are generally ordained to specific offices within the priesthood.

The Young Women is a youth organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman "be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple."

The Young Men is a youth organization and official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its purpose is to assist the church's Aaronic priesthood-aged young men in their growth and development. The organization serves young men from the year they turn 12 until they are 18.

Sunday School is an organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 11 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.

A district of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focuses its doctrine and teaching on Jesus Christ; that he was the Son of God, born of Mary, lived a perfect life, performed miracles, bled from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, died on the cross, rose on the third day, appeared again to his disciples, and now resides, authoritatively, on the right hand side of God. In brief, some beliefs are in common with Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. However, teachings of the LDS Church differ significantly in other ways and encompass a broad set of doctrines, so that the above-mentioned denominations usually place the LDS Church outside the bounds of orthodox Christian teaching as summarized in the Nicene Creed.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

General Conference is a gathering of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held biannually every April and October at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. During each conference, church members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to the faith's leaders.

A meetinghouse is a place of worship for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References

↑ "What to Expect at Church Services". Mormon Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
↑ "Sacrament Meeting". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
↑ Ludlow, Daniel (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1st ed.). Macmillan. pp. 661–662. ISBN 978-0-02-904040-9 . Retrieved 31 May 2019.
↑ Christensen, Tom. "History of the LDS three-hour Sunday block". standard.net. Standard-Examiner. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
↑ "How will Latter-day Saint meeting schedules change? Here's the church's list of frequently asked questions". Deseret News. Deseret News. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
↑ "Changes Help Balance Gospel Instruction at Home and at Church - Church News and Events".

External links

Description of Sunday services from Church's visitors site (ComeUntoChrist.org)

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[newsroom-1] "What to Expect at Church Services". Mormon Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 8 May 2019.

[2] "Sacrament Meeting". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2024-02-25.

[Encyclopedia-3] Ludlow, Daniel (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1st ed.). Macmillan. pp. 661–662. ISBN 978-0-02-904040-9 . Retrieved 31 May 2019.

[4] Christensen, Tom. "History of the LDS three-hour Sunday block". standard.net. Standard-Examiner. Retrieved 5 June 2019.

[5] "How will Latter-day Saint meeting schedules change? Here's the church's list of frequently asked questions". Deseret News. Deseret News. Retrieved 31 May 2019.

[6] "Changes Help Balance Gospel Instruction at Home and at Church - Church News and Events".

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