The General Conference is a biannual
gathering of members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church), held every April and October at the
Conference Center in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
. During each conference, church members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to the faith's leaders.
It typically consists of five general sessions. From April 2018 to April 2021, a session for holders of the
priesthood was held during the April conference, with a General Women's Session (for females 11 years and older) held during October's conference. The Saturday evening session was changed to a general session in October 2021. The conference also generally includes training sessions for general and
area
Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
leaders. Although each general conference originates from Salt Lake City, the conference is considered an international event for the church. The sessions are broadcast worldwide in over 90 languages, primarily through local and international media outlets, and over the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
.
History and structure
In the LDS Church, general conference is a series of semiannual meetings where
general authorities and other church leaders preach sermons and give guidance to church members. Changes to church leadership are also proposed and sustained through the principle of
common consent. General conferences are held on the weekends of the first Sundays in April and October. The April conference is known as the ''Annual General Conference'', with the October conference referred to as the ''Semiannual General Conference''. The April conference includes a financial audit report not included in the October meeting. Both conferences are identified by the number of years since the church was founded in April 1830; thus, the April 2020 sessions constituted the 190th Annual General Conference, and the October 2020 sessions constituted the 190th Semiannual General Conference.
Since October 1848, all of the conferences have been held in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
, with the exception of the April 1877 conference, which was held in
St. George, Utah. Conferences were held in a bowery in Salt Lake City from 1848 to 1852, in the
Old Salt Lake Tabernacle from 1852 to 1867, in the
Salt Lake Tabernacle from October 1867 to October 1999, and in the Conference Center since that time. Historically, sessions were held over three days, with the annual conference always including April 6, the anniversary of the church's organization. This made conference participation difficult for those with work and school commitments when April 6 fell on a weekday. In April 1977, changes were made to reduce the conference to the first Sunday of April and October and the preceding Saturday.
Historically, beginning in 1994, a
women's general meeting was held on Saturday a week prior to the general sessions of the October conference, with a general meeting for
young women held at a similar time before the April conference. In November 2013, church leadership announced that beginning in 2014 these meetings for women would be replaced by a semiannual General Women's Meeting for those eight years of age and older. In October 2014, the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
announced that it "has decided that the General Women's Meeting will be designated as the General Women's Session of general conference."
Since April 2018, the conference has consisted of four general sessions, held at 10:00a.m. and 2:00p.m.
MT on both Saturday and Sunday. Another general session targeted to specific groups is held on Saturday evening. In October 2017, the First Presidency had announced that, beginning in April 2018, the Priesthood Session for all holders of the
Aaronic or
Melchizedek
In the Hebrew Bible, Melchizedek was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as 'most high God'). He is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18–20, where he brings out bread and wine and then blesses Abraham, and El Elyon or "the Lord, Go ...
priesthoods would occur during the April conference, with a General Women's Session for all women and girls ages 11 or older held during October's conference. These sessions occur during the Saturday evening time previously used for the Priesthood Session.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the April 2020,
[Additional Adjustments to the April 2020 General Conference](_blank)
''Newsroom'', churchofjesuschrist.org, 19 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020. October 2020, and April 2021 general Conferences were held behind closed doors in a small auditorium on Temple Square, with only those speaking and members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve in attendance. Music was reused from previous performances of the Tabernacle Choir.
The October 2021 General Conference returned to the Conference Center, but at only five percent capacity. Seating for the 2022 conferences were limited, due to construction work around Temple Square.
The proceedings of a general conference are traditionally been conducted in English, although for a short time, beginning in October 2014, speakers delivering sermons had the option of speaking in their native language. The proceedings are translated and broadcast in over 90 different languages worldwide.
Organization

A member of the church's First Presidency normally conducts each conference session, with the church president presiding. On occasion, when part or all of the First Presidency have been absent, or impacted by age or illness, they designate someone to conduct the conference, although historically it was typically the most senior member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles not in the First Presidency, another apostle may also be assigned. The conducting official introduces the various speakers, which over the course of the sessions will generally include all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a selection of other church leaders. Almost every
general authority of the church is present, though outside the First Presidency and Twelve only a few speak. Non–general authority speakers may include male and female officers of
church organizations. Most
area seventies travel to Utah to attend at least one general conference per year.
During one general session (usually Saturday afternoon), all the general authorities and general officers of the church are presented for the formal
sustaining vote by the membership, and it is usually at this time that any changes among the general church leadership are announced. Normally, the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are mentioned by name; those in other positions are mentioned by name only if they are released from a previous position or called to a new one. The person conducting asks all of those who are in favor of sustaining the current leadership or the calling of a new leader to raise their hand in a "vote." He then asks that any who are opposed raise their hand. Dissenting votes are rare and the customary declaration at the end of the voting is that the voting has been unanimous.
At the first General Conference after the death of a church president and the calling of his successor, the session at which the sustaining vote takes place is called a
solemn assembly. At a solemn assembly, groups of Latter-day Saints are asked to stand in succession and sustain the new president of the church. Typically, the order is: First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Quorums of Seventy, Melchizedek priesthood holders, Aaronic priesthood holders,
Relief Society members, members of the
Young Women organization, and then all members together. Then the names of all other general authorities are read, and a sustaining and opposing vote is called for.
Frequently, significant announcements are made at a general conference, which may include the announcement of locations for new
temples, adjustments to organizations, or changes in practice or policy.
Music
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...
, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, accompanied by tabernacle organists, generally provides the majority of the music, with the exception of the Saturday afternoon, priesthood sessions, and general women's sessions. At the Saturday afternoon session and the priesthood session guest ensembles include regional choirs, institute choirs, an
MTC choir, and the
BYU Choirs. The hymns are usually selected from the normal repertoire of
Latter-day Saint hymns and their various arrangements, with an occasional piece from traditional sacred choral repertoire. Usually, the congregation is invited to stand and join in with one hymn halfway through each session.
Very rarely, soloist artists will perform for conferences. The last performer to do so,
Liriel Domiciano, did so alongside the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Sermons
Members of the church regard and sustain the president of the church, the counselors in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles as "
prophets, seers, and revelators", and are counseled to pay close attention to what they teach throughout the year. However, the sermons given at general conference are held in particularly high esteem and they are considered the will of God to the church members at the current time. The sermons (called "talks") are published in ''
Liahona'', an official church magazine, the month following a General Conference.
Broadcasting
The events of the conferences are televised both locally and internationally through various platforms to increase their exposure and availability. Sessions are broadcast on screens in various buildings on
Temple Square
Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediate ...
, including the Tabernacle,
Assembly Hall and the
Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The conference sessions are also broadcast via
satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
to church meetinghouses throughout the world, either simultaneously or time delayed to accommodate differing time zones and languages. The conferences have also aired through
webcasts, and since 2010, the complete sermons have been posted on the church's
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. The sessions are translated and broadcast in over 100 different languages worldwide.
A General Conference was first broadcast on television in October 1949. It was first interpreted in multiple languages in 1961 (Dutch, German, Samoan, and Spanish).
Live coverage of the conferences are also shown on local television and radio stations with ties to the Church. These include Utah's
NBC affiliate
KSL-TV and
ABC News Radio affiliate
KSL (AM)/FM (owned by
Bonneville International, a commercial broadcasting arm of the church),
KBYU-FM and
KBYU-TV (public broadcasters owned by
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
),
Latter-day Saints Channel (the church-owned radio network, which also has additional
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
coverage in Bonneville markets),
KIXR 1400 K-Star,
KUTN Star 96.7,
KMGR 99.1 Classy FM,
BYU Television
BYUtv is an American television channel and free family-friendly streaming service, founded in 2000, which is owned and operated as a part of Brigham Young University (BYU). The channel, available on most smart TVs or through cable and satellite ...
(national cable and satellite, and over KBYU-DT2), and
BYU Radio.
In the Philippines, rebroadcasts of the coverage of conference are shown on
GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
and its sister channel,
GTV, which succeeded
GMA News TV in February 2021.
See also
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General conference (Latter Day Saints)
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June Conference
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World Conference (Community of Christ)
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Official websiteOfficial listing of cable/radio accessibilityLDS Church Conference Reports(October 1897 – 2011)
{{Latter-day Saints, hide, hide, hide, show
1830 in Christianity
International conferences in the United States
Recurring events established in 1830
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
Worship services of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Semiannual events
1830 establishments in New York (state)
Latter Day Saint conferences
April observances
October observances