Church Organizations Articles
Primary in the Mormon Church
The Primary program of the Mormon Church is the Church’s program for children from ages 4 through 11. For children over 18 months and under 4 years old, the Church provides nurseries for members during Sunday School and Relief Society meetings so that members can focus on the gospel. The Primary program has Sunday School classes and activities for children geared toward their level and toward helping them learn the basics about God and Jesus Christ.
The Primary is divided into pre-baptism and post-baptism groups. In the Mormon Church, children are not baptized until they reach at least the age of eight. A couple times a month, the Primary hosts activity days during the week to give the children a chance to befriend one another outside of Church. Also, once a year the Primary presents the entire sacrament meeting and presents music and short talks by the Primary children.
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Mormon Temples and Temple Work
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Mormon Church is its temples. Mormon Temples are sacred buildings, set apart from the world. They are not ordinary church buildings like chapels. Mormons have both churches and temples. In temples, Mormons perform sacred ordinances that strengthen us in this life and prepare us for the life to come. Also in temples, families can be sealed together for all eternity and faithful Mormons can perform ordinances like baptism for those who died without the opportunity. The Holy Endowment One of the most sacred and defining moments in the life of a member of the Mormon Church comes when he or she receives his or her endowment. An endowment is a gift; in this case it is a gift of knowledge and spiritual power from God. Jesus referred to an endowment of power when he commanded his disciples to “tarry [...] in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power... Read the rest of this article »
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is officially called, represents the Kingdom of God on earth with a “foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20). In the Mormon Church there is no professional clergy. All work together to do the work of the Kingdom, and every position in the Church is filled by members of the congregation who receive no salary.
In Ephesians Paul says, “And he [Jesus Christ] gave some apostles; some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). This means that the true Church of God has all these various positions to help perfect the saints, which means members of Christ’s church, and spread the Gospel. The Mormon Church... Read the rest of this article »
Learn more about your Mormon Ward
Your Ward
Families and individuals make up the membership of each ward. Most wards average around 200 to 300 members. If you live in an area where there are few Mormons, you will have a branch, which is similar to a ward, but usually has from 50 to 150 members. Branches have Branch Presidents instead of Bishops who perform very similar functions to that of a Bishop. For both wards and branches the following represents the basic leaders of the congregation and the various programs available.
Find your local Mormon Chapel.
Bishop (or Branch President):
Your Bishop is one of the busiest and most important men in the ward. He oversees the whole ward with the help of his two counselors and the presidents of the various other organizations like the Sunday School, the Relief Society, the Primary, and the Young Men/Young Women programs. His calling is to be a “common judge in Israel” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:72,... Read the rest of this article »
Sunday School in the Mormon Church
Mormon congregations hold Sunday School classes every Sunday. Depending on the size of the congregation there can be one or several classes. Children and teenagers have their own Sunday School classes run through the Young Men’s and Young Women’s and the Primary programs.
Sunday School is held for one hour each Sunday. Lessons follow the scriptures and the teachings of the modern prophets like Joseph Smith. The two most common classes taught are Gospel Essentials and Gospel Doctrine. Gospel Essentials is a class geared toward new members or others who want to learn more about the basic doctrines of the Church. This will probably be the class you attend when you first go to Church with the missionaries, since that is the class they attend. Each week, the teacher focuses on a different gospel principle like tithing, prayer, or the mission of Jesus Christ. This class is also popular with long time members.
Gospel... Read the rest of this article »
Seminary and Institute in the Mormon Church
Seminary and Institute:
The Mormon Church believes that education is very important. That is why it runs schools like Brigham Young University. However, not everyone can go to a Church-owned school, and so the Church has established the Seminary and Institute programs.
Seminary
Seminary for Mormons is not a school where people go to become ministers; it is instead a program to provide weekday religious education for high school students. In places where there are lots of Mormons, the Church is able to sponsor release-time seminary during school hours, though students do not receive school credit for their religious study. In these places Mormon youth meet at special seminary buildings or local chapels to study the Gospel together and to learn how it can be used in their everyday lives.
Most Mormons, however, don’t live in places where this can happen. Instead, they have early-morning seminary. ... Read the rest of this article »
Relief Society in the Mormon church
Relief Society:
The Relief Society is one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the world and is the Mormon Church’s main organization for women. The Prophet Joseph Smith founded it in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, with the motto “Charity Never Faileth.” Today the Relief Society has over 5 million members in over 170 different countries. All Mormon women age 18 and older are members of the Relief Society.
The Relief Society Declaration states:
We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:
Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study.
Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families,... Read the rest of this article »
