My Bishop Changed One Tiny Thing And It Totally Changed Sacrament Meeting.

My Bishop Changed One Tiny Thing And It Totally Changed Sacrament Meeting.

Sacrament meeting should be a place people receive revelation in the Church. But, often our Sacrament meetings are lackluster and people are leaving without revelation. One of the main reasons for this, I believe, is how we approach talks in church. See, we have amazing role models in the conference talks by general authorities. But rather than following the model set by their talks, we actually assignment people to talk based off the text of the conference talk.

The problem is that conference talks are best reviewed in lesson format that enables discussion, not in talk format that causes it to be rote. One of the most frustrating things is when you are assigned to talk on a talk. The last time that happened I was asked to review Elder Holland’s most recent conference address. I felt woefully inadequate to expound upon his sermon. What could I add to his words? I am sure that I am not the only one to feel this way.

Personal Conversion Stories.

When my homeward got a new Bishop he decided to do things differently. He understood that conference talks are like the Lord’s Prayer, they lay out a pattern; but they are not to be rotely repeated. So he made one tiny little change and decided to ask members of the ward to give talks, not talks based on talks, but real talks. He would ask them to share their conversion stories to the gospel principles, or their conversion story in general. (This is how the Apostles and Prophets deliver talks; they teach true doctrines through personal stories, expounding scriptures, and mixing in quotes from church leaders.) He saved reviewing conference talks for the classroom.

Suddenly Sacrament meeting was revived. Members were more willing to give talks. In one case, the Bishop asked a less active sister who had not come to church in over a decade to come to church, but not just come, but to give a talk (share her conversion story). And she agreed! She shared the story about the missionaries tracting into her family in the Navajo Nation. She talked about how they taught her the gospel and how she shared it with her sisters, and how they all got baptized. My dad said it was one of the most powerful talks he had ever heard. See, my Bishop stumbled upon a truth. Many members are not experts in conference talks. And they don’t need to be. What they are experts in is their conversion story. And many members are willing to share their own conversion stories.

This does not mean you can only have talks about joining the church. Everyone must be converted to each of the gospel doctrines. Imagine a sacrament meeting where the Bishop asks the members, “can you share your conversion to the principle of Tithing? Share the quotes, scriptures, and stories that led you to a testimony of tithing.” Do you think that would be more powerful and effective than if the Bishop asked them to give a talk based on someone else’s conversion and testimony? aka the talks of the Apostles and Prophet.

Testimonies vs Talks vs Lessons.

Because we are robbing them of the ability to actually give a real talk and share their conversion story during a normal sacrament meeting, on fast Sunday members stand up and give talks and stories rather than testimonies of Christ. This past fast Sunday I heard many amazing talks, but only a few testimonies. Here is a simple example of the difference.

Testimony: A personal witness of Jesus Christ and any other gospel principles.

Testimonies should be short, sweet, and to the point. (1-5 minutes). You are not called to give a sermon or a travel-log, but to testify of Christ. The Prophets have given guidance on what types of testimonies are appropriate to share in church, here is some more info on that: Three types of testimonies we have been told to avoid.

“You are there to bear your own witness. It is amazing what you can say in 60 seconds by way of testimony. . . Just tell how you feel inside. That is the testimony.”
Spencer W. Kimball (Teachings of the Prophets Spencer W. Kimball Chapter 7)

Talk: A short sermon on an assigned gospel principle.

A talk is a short (5-20 minute) sermon. It should come from the heart, it should contain personal stories and experiences. It can and should also contain quotes of either church leaders or the scriptures. A talk should always end with a testimony of Christ and the principle.

“One reason why personal experiences are so effective is that they have touched our hearts—and when we speak of things that we feel deeply, it is more likely that we’ll be able to touch the hearts of others. If you read a lesson and tell a story in someone else’s words, it won’t have the same impact. … It is easier for us to apply a truth if we can see it in action in someone else’s life. And it is easier to commit to live a truth if we can feel the Spirit through those experiences of other people.”
Elder Gene R. Cook

For tips for giving talks in church. https://www.lds.org/study/new-era/2018/07/7-tips-for-giving-a-talk-in-sacrament-meeting.html?lang=eng
For tips for sharing personal stories powerfully https://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/09/telling-personal-stories?lang=eng

Lesson: An interactive discussion about conference talks, or lessons from manual.

Lessons are the prime location to review conference talks. And to learn the gospel. Whereas a lesson can be as short as 10-15 minutes they can also be as long as an hour. A lesson without participation is a lecture. But when there is a  group discussion, then we can all share our personal insights on what we learned, and no one will need to talk the whole time and lecture. Ask questions, give assignments, and ask others to share their personal stories and testimonies on topics.

“Involve as many people as possible during the instruction period by inviting them to read aloud, answer questions, or share experiences”
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], vi).

A Time And Place For All Things.

Once you learn there is a time and place for all things, then we can focus on making sure we share the gospel appropriately. Testimony meeting will be full of testimonies, in sacrament meeting people will be given the chance to give real talks, and in our classes, and at home, we are using the proper format of lessons. When we do this we will realize there is power in teaching and learning the gospel in a variety of ways.