What is it like to go to a Mormon church on Sunday?

I think it would be a good idea to decode some of our churchspeak first:

Ward or branch: a congregation. A branch is a smaller congregation.

Bishop: The leader of the congregation. He is not paid by the church and is not professionally trained (no one is). He is specifically called from the Stake Presidency under the direction and guidance of God. Every member of the ward has the right and privilege to ask God for a confirmation of the divinity of his calling. He usually serves for a few years (not forever).

Counselors: We call them 1st Counselor and 2nd Counselor. They are the "helpers" of the Bishop. The "Bishopric" is the Bishop and his counselors together.

Stake: A group of wards (congregations) in a geographical area. All the congregations are led by a Stake President.

There are 3 hours to church: Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, and Relief Society/Priesthood/ Primary/Young Men's/Young Women's.

There are some variations in the order of the classes due to how many wards use a particular meetinghouse and how many members are in a ward. So let me give you a peek into what my Sunday schedule looks like:

First Hour: Sacrament Meeting
Sacrament meeting is the most important meeting of church. It's where we have the Sacrament (bread and water). You would notice that it's quiet during this part of the meeting. That's because it's supposed to be a time of reflection and thoughts turned toward Jesus Christ's Atonement and renewing the covenants members of the church have made at baptism. Then after the Sacrament is over, the Bishop or one of his counselors will get up and say how the rest of the meeting will proceed. We typically have members of the congregation or leaders in the stake give talks about various topics such as repentance, prayer, the Holy Ghost, eternal families, etc. Sometimes there will be teenagers giving a talk. And sometimes you'll see someone play the piano or some other instrument, or the ward choir sing too. Some holidays (especially Christmas) there is often a special Christmas program for Sacrament meeting with many musical numbers and maybe some scripture readings about Christ's birth.

Fast Sunday: 1 Sunday each month (usually the 1st Sunday) members of the church fast (go without food/drink) for 2 meals for a spiritual purpose (maybe for guidance in a major decision, for a struggling or ailing loved one, for better understanding of a gospel teaching, etc). The money that would have been spent for the cost of those 2 meals is donated to the poor and needy of the church. We call that money a "fast offering." It is not required. There is no collection plate passed around; we offer fast offerings in private (an envelope given to a member of the bishopric). There is no expected or recommended amount of money. Some people have special circumstances that don't allow them to fast, but they can find other ways to participate/adapt to the spirit of the fast. And all can donate a fast offering. On fast Sunday, we reserve the time after Sacrament for the bearing of testimonies. People from the congregation are invited to come up to the stand and share their testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel. You may see little children come up and share their beliefs. Always very sweet to see and hear.

Second Hour: Sunday School
After Sacrament meeting, everyone disperses to go to their respective Sunday school classes. The small children (18 months-2 years) go to nursery for the last 2 hours where they play with toys, have a snack, and have a brief lesson about Jesus. The children ages 3-11 go to "Primary" for the last 2 hours. They have class time with a lesson and they also meet together in a larger room to have "singing time" and "sharing time." Sharing time is like a short lesson usually with lots of pictures, maybe a game focused on the lesson, coloring something, etc. The youth go to their own Sunday school classes and have a lesson from the scriptures. The adults also go to Sunday school and have a lesson from the scriptures. This year we happen to be studying the New Testament.

Third (last) Hour: Young Men's/Young Women's/Relief Society/Priesthood
The teenage boys aged 12-18 go to meet with the rest of the men for a few minutes then they go to "Young Men's." The boys meet together and split up into classes and have a lesson. The classes are called "quorums" Deacons (ages 12-13), Teachers (ages 14-15), and Priests (ages 16-18). The Young Men have weekly activities that might include Scouts (particularly in the United States) and sometimes it's a service activity and sometimes it's just having fun.

Young Women's is similar to Young Men's. Girls ages 12-18 go to their own classes and have a lesson and are usually split up according to age like Young Men's: Beehives (ages 12-13), Mia Maids (14-15), and Laurels (16-18). They also have weekly activities where they might go do some service or learn something or just have fun. Young Women's has a program like Scouts called Personal Progress that gives them goals to achieve and work on kinda like "merit badges" Scouts earn.


Relief Society is where women ages 18 and up go to meet together and have a lesson on a teaching of the gospel taught by one of the women. We have activities once a quarter usually focused on something that will strengthen women in some way (in their knowledge, relationships, in the home, physically, etc).

Priesthood is where the adult men go (ages 18 and up) and meet together and have a lesson. One of the main purposes of Priesthood "quorums" (groups) is to serve others. It's called the "Priesthood" because the Priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. Every worthy male can hold the Priesthood. So the men that go to Priesthood usually also hold the Priesthood (been ordained to the authority to act in the name of God). Every Priesthood holder than trace their line of authority all the way back to Jesus Christ himself. So for example, my father was ordained to the priesthood by his father and his father ordained him and a leader in the church ordained him and Joseph Smith ordained him and Peter, James, and John ordained Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ ordained Peter, James, and John. I just think that tidbit is kinda cool.


After the 3rd hour, we are dismissed to gather our families and go home to enjoy the rest of the Sabbath. Three hours at church probably seems like a super long time to many people out there and maybe even a little dry. But I think once a person has sought out and obtained an understanding and testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, it's the best dang 3 hours of the week. Truly!


Any questions about what it's like to go to an LDS church on Sunday? Comment away...  :)

This is one woman's brief take on what to expect at a Mormon church: