Mormons spend less time in church on Sunday, leaders say

Brady Mccombs, Associated Press

updated

13:07 PDT, Saturday, October 6, 2018

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Mormons will spend less time in church every Sunday after a change announced Saturday to make worship more manageable for members around the world.

Beginning in January, members will spend two hours in church each Sunday instead of three, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint leaders said at a conference .

This announcement marks a significant change for Mormons, who had to attend every three hours every Sunday to be considered active members of the religion – a guideline in place since 1980.

The news triggered a wave of reactions among Mormons on social media, with some posting meme memes.

"Church leaders have known for many years that for some of our valued members, a Sunday time of three hours in the church can be difficult," said Quentin L. Cook, a member of the church. leadership group the twelve apostles who helps to manage the faith. "This is especially true for parents of young children, primary school children, older members, new converts and others."

The president of the church, Russell M. Nelson, has described the adjustment of a new "church-centered church" strategy as faith grows in the world. More than half of its 16 million members live outside the United States and Canada.

"The long-standing goal of the church is to help all members increase their trust in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His atonement," Nelson said. "In this complex world, it is not easy today.The adversary is stepping up his attack on faith and against families at an exponential rate.To survive spiritually, we need counter-attacks. strategies and proactive plans. "

Paulina Porras, a mother of one year old twins, was thrilled with this news. His daughters are not old enough to participate in children's programs alone. She and her husband must take care of it throughout the day.

"It's impossible to stay three hours," said Porras, 29, of Logan, Utah. "We can do two hours."

Instead of attending two meetings each Sunday beyond one hour of worship (Sunday School, groups of men and women), members will attend a meeting every Sunday.

Sunday services vary in length according to religion. They often last between an hour and an hour and a half in many Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist churches in the United States, which also offer volunteer classes and other gatherings throughout the week.

Marc Fish, owner of an insurance company in Las Vegas, said he loved the change. Three hours each Sunday can be intimidating for potential converts and lost members, and the change gives families the flexibility to weave evangelical activities at home when it suits them. Fisher, 38, has seven children between the ages of 7 and 25 who are involved in piano, volleyball and homework, he said. He plans to have more face-to-face discussions with his children.

"The schedules are crazy for a lot of families," said Fisher. "Sometimes in the church we hear checklists, the pressure and the stress of meeting everything."

US members will likely rejoice in the adoption of more demanding religious practices than some other religions, said Mormon scholar Matthew Bowman, an associate professor of history at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. , in Arkansas. However, the new schedule seems to reflect primarily the fact that the church is focusing more and more on the American West, where most members live near chapels and can handle the three-hour engagement on Sunday, or block of worship, he said.

"The purpose of this change is to make church participation more flexible and to target smaller congregations more and more: a shorter worship block means fewer volunteer requests from the congregation." , fewer vacancies and generally easier administration, "Bowman said in a statement. E-mail.

Church membership growth has declined in recent years, with membership growth in 2017 being the slowest of the past 80 years, according to independent Mormon researcher Matt Martinich. The number of baptisms converted in 2017 has reached the lowest level in 30 years, he said.

This is mainly due to slower membership growth in the countries with the largest number of members: the United States, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Chile and Peru, said Martinich.

He does not think Sunday's change aims to increase retention, but rather to more effectively utilize church resources and member time. The switch could allow several congregations to use the same church building in places like Utah where the number of members is high. It will also allow members to do personal and family evangelical activities in a timely manner, he said.

The Mormon conference comes a day after Faith announced that it was renaming the famous Mormon tabernacle choir to drop the word "Mormon".

The decision to rename the Tabernacle Choir singing group to Temple Square was the first major change since President Nelson in August called for an end to the use of abbreviated names for religion used for generations by church members and the public.

The choir performs at the two-day conference as it always does.