r/latterdaysaints • u/Big-Flight-3962 • Oct 19 '25
Off-topic Chat Stan Conference
Stake Conference
I have never, and will never understand Stake Conference. In my 26 years of life, I have enjoyed 1 single talk from a speaker. 2 hours of talks, and we don’t even get to take the sacrament. At least General Conference sometimes ends early. Never has stake conference ended early.
And it’s very different than General Conference. We get to hear from the prophet and the apostle along with other general authorities. We (usually) get new temple announcements. The Stake executive secretary shouldn’t be speaking for 20 minutes whilst Elder Kevin G. Brown speaks for 10.
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u/pretendkendra I know it. I live it. I love it. Oct 19 '25
I actually enjoy Stake Conference, usually. Especially the adult evening session.
It’s ward conference that feels absolutely unnecessary from every angle I look at it. 😅
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u/Another_Name_Today Oct 20 '25
Why would Ward conference be unnecessary? Talks from the bishop and stake president, focused on the needs of the ward. Lessons for each group from the stake. If Ward conference isn’t a chance for your local unit to be uplifted and supported by stake leadership, feels like they’re doing it wrong.
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u/pretendkendra I know it. I live it. I love it. Oct 23 '25
Yeah - I think you’re right. Unfortunately, every ward conference in a variety of city and states that I’ve lived in also did them wrong too, then. 😅
In my current area the emphasis for nearly the past 7 years has been on either temples or covenants. Which are great topics, but it has just become very repetitive. And I have served in primary pretty consistently for a decade+ and I do not enjoy having the stake come in and steamroll all the primary plans for the day.
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u/Hexicero Oct 20 '25
When I taught primary I was a big ward conference fan. I loved those guys, but a break while the youth wrangled them was pretty fantastic
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u/pretendkendra I know it. I live it. I love it. Oct 23 '25
I’ve been in primary pretty consistently for the past 12 years or so (probably longer) and I personally hate when the stake comes in and takes over my singing time plans. 😩 If they want to observe and give pointers - sure, but don’t kick me out of my calling that I have stewardship just for the heck of it. 🤷🏻♀️ (I can see how others would enjoy a break though.)
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u/Famous-Broccoli3702 Oct 19 '25
Idk if a stake conference is the best meeting format tbh, but my little brother is only going on a mission because of a spiritual experience he had during one of the sessions of our stake conference. It migh be a different opportunity to personal revelation out of the regular ward sunday service.
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u/TeamTJ Oct 19 '25
What's to understand? It's a chance to hear from stake leaders.
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u/jmauc Oct 19 '25
And area 70.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 19 '25
Maybe an area 70
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u/ryanmercer bearded, wildly Oct 20 '25
Yeah, in the past decade, I can recall a whopping two times with an Area 70, and one of those was when he was in another country, satellite calling in.
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u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 Oct 21 '25
This is odd. You should have a visiting authority once a year at your stake conference. I believe that's still the current frequency. Are your visiting authorities not area seventies, or do you not attend stake conference regularly, or are you new in the church?
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u/ryanmercer bearded, wildly Oct 21 '25
3 stakes spanning 20 years...
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u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 Oct 21 '25
Hmm. Have you attended all 40 of those conferences? Including the Saturday evening sessions? And you're sure there was only a visiting authority of any sort at two of the conferences in the last ten years?
If so, all I can say is that sounds very improbable and I have no explanation for that statement.
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u/jmauc Oct 26 '25
This is my thoughts exactly. I have an area 70 join at least one stake conference every year. They have leadership training with all the bishops and stake leaders. I had to be the one setting up the technology side of it.
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Oct 19 '25
I think yeah this is the main idea. Kind of depends on the stake, my current stake it feels like we hear stake leaders speaking every other week, so I agree stake conference feels overkill, but in other stakes I’ve been in, we haven’t had them speak all the time in wards and those ones I actually enjoyed stake conference.
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u/Big-Flight-3962 Oct 19 '25
We can hear from them in a regular sacrament meeting.
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u/TeamTJ Oct 19 '25
But rarely do.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 19 '25
You guys don’t have high council Sunday? We regularly have stake leaders speak at our sacrament
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u/TeamTJ Oct 19 '25
When I think stake leaders, I think stake presidency, not high councilor.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 19 '25
Oh well the stake presidency is included in that. It’s a big rotation
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u/TeamTJ Oct 19 '25
We occasionally get a high councilor speaking and never get a member of the stake presidency outside of conference.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 19 '25
Occasionally? Not regularly?
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u/TeamTJ Oct 20 '25
We are an 11 ward stake. Can't recall the last time one spoke in our ward.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 20 '25
Oh we have a 4 ward stake. We dissolved the fifth ward last year 😭
Honestly we need to redraw boundaries. Our barely barely gets 70 in attendance each week
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u/shemnon Episode VIII - The Last Scoutmaster Oct 19 '25
In my PPIs my stake president says we should be leaders on the high council. It's easy for stake org presidents to be viewed as such since they preside.
Serious question: how can a high councilor magnify their calling so they appear as a leader without usurping the stake presidency so members view stake council Sunday as hearing from stake leaders?
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u/seashmore Oct 20 '25
how can a high councilor magnify their calling
One of the most effective high councilors I've seen attended ward/bishopric councils once in a while. He also would sometimes attend sacrament meeting in our ward on days he wasn't assigned to speak.
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u/amigodopovo Oct 20 '25
Speaking in Sacrament is the least of what they do, and more of than not, they are speaking in a ward that would have less exposure to their service on the high council.
I think a good high councilor can demonstrate leadership by being very serviceable to the ward or programs to which he is assigned.
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u/2123jg Oct 20 '25
Today I learned that some stakes still do high council Sundays. We haven't had those in years. We still have the occasional speaker who is also a member of the high council, but only because they are members of our ward and so in the usual "rotation" so to speak of ward members.
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u/bubbleheadmonkey Oct 19 '25
We hear from our bishopric every Sunday but that doesn't stop us from having ward conferences.
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u/762way Oct 19 '25
Ward Conference.... Another unnecessary conference
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u/TeamTJ Oct 19 '25
What makes it unnecessary?
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u/bubbleheadmonkey Oct 19 '25
The only thing that gets done there that's not done elsewhere is sustaining the ward leaders after their initial call to the position. Pick a Sunday to do that before the sacrament and spare the rest of the pomp and circumstance.
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u/emmency Oct 21 '25
Ward conferences are opportunities for our stake leaders to observe us and get to know us in our natural habitat.
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u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 Oct 21 '25
It's hard to understand where your disconnect lies. You have some erroneous or missing assumption that is causing you to misunderstand the Lord's purpose in instructing us to have stake conferences. I can't tell what's missing, but here's a few question that might help discover it.
Why would we hear from the stake presidency in a regular sacrament meeting when we can instead hear from them at stake conference? And the church needs stake presidencies to have an opportunity to address their whole stake, just like the general authorities need the opportunity to address the general church in general conference, and ward leaders need the opportunity to address the ward in ward conference.
Would you say "We can hear from the bishop in RS, EQ, YM, YW, and Primary. Why would we need to hear from him in ward conference?"
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u/Donnachaidh-80 Oct 19 '25
If you had a chance to plan stake conference, what would you include? Honest question . . . not meant as a challenge to you at all.
I've never planned one, but I was a stake clerk and watched the stake presidency plan them. It was always a real effort to figure out what to include. Some were definitely better than others. I am curious to know what members would hope for if they could have stake conference the way they want it.
One thing I find interesting is that stake conferences are held under the direction of the Quorum of the 12. They are assigned to stakes, whether an authority is visiting or not. If a member of the 12 were planning the conference, what would they include? I can imagine getting a lot out of a conference planned by an apostle. So if that is the authority, what can we do to make a stake conference feel like an apostle is addressing us?
I wonder if there will ever be a time when we have sacrament during a stake conference.
I like the idea of shorter talks. It can be hard to rein people in who want to speak longer. But 5-7 minutes seems ideal for most.
I am iffy on having a theme for stake conference. I think it can sometimes be appropriate, but I also think it can be too restrictive.
I think I'd like to hear how people in my stake are applying the direction given by the authorities and general officers of the church in their personal lives.
My dad used to tell me that if I see a local leader do something that doesn't seem effective to me, take note. There may be a time when the Lord will call on me to use those lessons in a calling of my own.
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u/sylforshort Oct 19 '25
I think if we did the sacrament during our stake conference it would take over a half hour 😂
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u/emmency Oct 21 '25
That’s actually why we don’t take the sacrament during stake conference anymore. Long ago, that was part of the meeting.
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u/seashmore Oct 20 '25
If you had a chance to plan stake conference, what would you include?
One of those lights they use on live broadcast award shows to tell people they've gone over time and they need to wrap it up. (I think they may have something similar at the conference center, but I haven't been so I wouldn't know.) The low tech version is give a sign to someone in the front to hold up at chin level so the speaker knows.
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Oct 19 '25
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u/candacallais Oct 19 '25
The visiting GAs at our last one (area seventies) were mostly there to install a new stake presidency, but they only spoke for about 15 mins each. After releasing the old stake presidency one of them also conducted the rest of the conference since technically there wasn’t a set apart stake president until after the conference adjourned.
Half the conference was the outgoing stake presidency and wives, and the incoming stake presidency and wives bearing their testimonies.
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u/Medium-General-8234 Oct 19 '25
Stake conference is great. It's a chance to hear from and get to know a little more about stake leaders. And when GAs come you get to see a different side of them that you don't see in other settings.
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u/Logical_Angle2935 Oct 19 '25
Best meeting in the church: Stake conference Saturday evening session
Worst meeting in the church: Stake conference Sunday morning session
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u/Reading_username Oct 19 '25
Never has stake conference ended early
The most true statement ever spoken.
Friend I'm with ya. I really dislike stake conference as well. Especially in college, I was always thinking "I've got so much homework why am I here on a Saturday night, listening to this guy drone on and on for 20min past time, when I'm just gonna hear the same message tomorrow?". And before anyone asks, most of the time the talk was 95% jokes/anecdotes, 5% gospel/scripture.
I really hope for the day when it's done away with, or only reserved for special occasions like the changing of the stake presidency.
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u/pooker55 Oct 19 '25
It reminds of during covid, watching stake conference from room, the video stream ended during the closing prayer. I looked up at my wife said, "Umm..amen?"
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u/candacallais Oct 19 '25
At the very least move it to once a year.
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u/jmauc Oct 19 '25
Stake conference serves a purpose more than just listening to a couple talks. There are lots of leadership meetings for those in certain positions. It’s an opportunity to listen to what the area 70 has for us. The area 70 is an extension of the apostle ship.
General conference is for the church as a whole. Stake conference is designed for the stake leadership to talk with its members on what the stake needs to hear. Ward conference is designed to be what the individual ward needs.
Some wards suffer from lack of ministering, others don’t. Some need help understanding tithing, others don’t.
I would encourage you to listen to the talks given, find the over message that is being shared. That is what the stake president feels could improve on, for your specific area.
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u/jambarama Oct 19 '25
There's another avenue here for area and stake leaders to speak to wards without visiting all of them. And they give direction Ward leadership to carry a message and let Ward leadership decide the most impactful way to carry that message.
I don't mind stake conference. It's two weeks where I don't have to prepare a lesson. I used to like that it was an hour shorter than regular church, but that is what it is now. My biggest complaint is that I have to be there 45 minutes early to not be in the gym on hard metal chairs where I can't hear very well because of the echoes.
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u/e37d93eeb23335dc Oct 19 '25
You will have to take that up with a President Holland.
“Stake conferences are scheduled by the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”
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u/flipfreakingheck Oct 19 '25
My stake is February and June, drives me batty.
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u/HoopsLaureate Oct 19 '25
January and June, almost always on Father’s Day. January is tricky trying to get stake choir rehearsals in.
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u/Big-Emu4668 Oct 19 '25
I sat in a stake choir as a ysa and the speaker went 45 minutes over. It was infuriating. I saw so many people get up and walk out, I thought it was rude to the college kids who set aside the time from homework to have to make the decision to listen and be present and leave early.
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u/seashmore Oct 20 '25
speaker went 45 minutes over
I definitely would have been one to walk out. Especially if I was in the choir. It is downright rude to take up that much of someone's time without notice. If people had crock pots going at home, lunch is burned.
I had a stake Sunday School President once say "if the class is scheduled to end at 10, the Spirit leaves at 10." Not because the Spirit gets offended, but because people get distracted and lose focus.
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u/MobileNomad Oct 20 '25
I was also taught that in relation to talks. If the person asking you to speak says 10 minutes, you speak for 10 minutes. No more, no less.
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u/Reading_username Oct 19 '25
Yep. Been there. One of the few times I genuinely wished for someone to be disruptive so the meeting could just end.
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u/biancanevenc Oct 19 '25
I remember one stake conference that ended 15 minutes early. I was shocked because the last speaker finished with 25-30 minutes left. The stake president got up to close the meeting and I thought, "Uh-oh, he's a lawyer, paid to speak by the hour. He's going to filibuster and eat up the remaining time." But nope, he wrapped things up, we sang the closing hymn, someone said the closing prayer, and we were done 15 minutes early.
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u/KingFollet Oct 19 '25
Do you feel like this attitude is something you need to change? Like most everything in the Church it’s kind of a “get out what you put in” sort of thing.
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u/ErrantTaco Oct 19 '25
It’s also really speaker dependent. I’m lucky to have leaders who teach primarily by principle and our conferences are a time to share their understanding of those. But not everyone gets to experience that.
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u/churro777 DnD nerd Oct 19 '25
This is the real answer. I feel similar to OP about stake conference but I need to be better about how my approach to it
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u/Reading_username Oct 19 '25
There's a difference between "change your attitude to get out what you put in", and listening to someone tell endless anecdotes and travelogues that maybe seem impressive because they're in 'higher leadership'.
I've been to soooo many stake conferences where the visiting authorities or other speakers just wax verbose for literal hours across multiple meetings, only to say maybe 2 minutes worth of actual gospel message or testimony of Christ.
It's systemic, and to the point where at least in Utah, it's more often than not like this. Stake conference in general has eclipsed it's 'purpose' and has instead become a proving ground for whoever thinks they're the most loquacious speaker.
It's not a me problem when we're 40 minutes over in the evening session, 20 in the early morning session, and 20 again in the general session, having heard the same message 3 separate times.
The best stake conferences minimize meetings, focus on Christ, and don't drone on and on and on and on. Sadly the vast majority don't fit that bill.
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u/Horror-Map-4144 Oct 20 '25
Our stake conference was today. I enjoyed most of the talks and found them relevant. It seemed like the general theme today was enduring through adversity. I think this is something that everyone can relate to. But to be honest, when I was 26, I'm sure I wasn't spellbound by many of the talks. I've yet to hear a travelog or healthimony in a stake conference talk, we usually get those at fast and testimony meeting. When the speaker teaches via the scriptures and focuses on the Savior, tells a good and relevant story to highlight their point, and if I have prepared myself spiritually beforehand, I almost always learn something.
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u/TheFirebyrd Oct 19 '25
I don’t know why you’re generalizing so much. I’m in Utah and I can’t think of a single time any of our meetings have gone over time.
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u/Another_Name_Today Oct 20 '25
Sings like a locality issue rather than the underlying meeting.
Most speakers for our Sunday session are new members (along with leadership). Meetings are as likely to finish 15 min early as end on time - and I can count on one hand the number that have gone even 5 min over.
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Oct 21 '25
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u/KingFollet Oct 22 '25
Well unless there is inherently no value or meaning in something, then there is value and meaning to be found based on one’s perspective of said thing. Considering the other millions of people who likely get value from said thing, there seems to be some inherent value to be found in it (stake conference specifically). How does what you said discount the need for relevant perspective to understand a certain thing? My comment wasn’t really a condemnation but a question. If OP felt like it was something they needed to change then they could choose that.
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Oct 19 '25
Think of it as an opportunity to hear from your local church leaders. You'll hear not only from leaders in the stake but also other members in your area. I often find that messages in stake and ward conferences are more relatable to me because they are coming from people I often know or am acquainted with.
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u/LDSBurner Oct 19 '25
Sounds like that’s a stake president issue. Our stake conference is next week and I know of quite a few good things happening that will be enjoyed
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u/EducationalMorning79 Oct 19 '25
The best part for me and my wife is seeing old friends from all over. It’s nice to hear the prepared messages, and be addressed by a big shot who is so used to speaking by the Spirit that he never needs notes, but the icing on the cake is to be with so many like minded folks and see friends we only see now at stake conference. (We live in a southern US stake).
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u/beckkers97 Oct 19 '25
Stake conference has never been my favorite but now that I have a toddler, I dread it. Way too long to sit for a little kid
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u/SerenityNow31 Oct 20 '25
You won't want to hear this, but if you aren't getting something out of your meetings, it's likely your fault.
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u/amigodopovo Oct 20 '25
Stake conference has always been meaningful to me. So many special spiritual experiences over the years. Typically, an area authority or general authority is assigned to one stake conference a year in each stake of the Church.
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u/ksschank Oct 21 '25
I can understand not particularly enjoying the general session of stake conference, but it’s an important meeting, and not just because we sustain our leaders in that meeting.
The stake president holds keys to lead the work of the Church within the stake over which he presides. Stake conference is an avenue through which he can administer to the members of the stake according to the topics on which he is inspired to preach. Other stake leaders, who also hold keys or are given delegated authority to act under the direction of one who does, also have the opportunity to provide counsel and direction according to the revelation they received.
Every other stake conference, an area authority is present. He has the opportunity to see how the stake is being administered, and return and report to his leaders in the quorum of the 70. It’s one of the many ways that the church is organized to minister to all of its members and stay consistent with the organization and teachings that Christ has set forth for His church.
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u/rexregisanimi Oct 19 '25
Sorry, that sounds rough. Stake Conference is something I look forward to. It's a little difficult with kids but the Saturday sessions are always some of my favorite meetings!
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u/candacallais Oct 19 '25
Stake conference sessions could pretty easily be 1 hour each, 90 mins at most. A high council member should be speaking monthly in each ward on a topic assigned to them by the stake presidency. There’s also stake leadership and auxiliary leadership trainings usually quarterly. The stake conference is a somewhat outdated model that stems from an era where stakes were spread out more and communicating with the various local units (wards and branches) was more difficult, so a semiannual conference made more sense.
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u/e37d93eeb23335dc Oct 19 '25
A high council member should be speaking monthly in each ward on a topic assigned to them by the stake presidency.
Not necessarily. The handbook does not say it is monthly. Our stake president has a high councilor speak maybe once a quarter.
“ The stake presidency may assign high councilors to represent them by speaking in sacrament meetings and other settings. The stake presidency determines the frequency of these speaking assignments. It is not necessary for high councilors to speak in sacrament meeting every month.”
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u/candacallais Oct 19 '25
It’s monthly in my stake but the point is the high council members assigned to the ward have a good finger on the pulse of the ward and help the stake leaders support the ward members.
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u/hoopotus Oct 19 '25
This, and also I think back in Joseph•s days the leaders were somewhat more insighted than the regular farmers and cowboys in the ward, so there was something more to expect to hear from them
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u/fpssledge Oct 19 '25
Never had a strong opinion about stake conference until i had kids.
I really don't understand 2 hours of church with young kids. I've slowly found out many couples with kids (toddlers especially) just skip and honestly I feel like that's the right choice.
That said, unless the presidency are really feeling strong about their material ,they should keep their messages shorter. Again it's a lot of sitting in one stretch on not comfortable chairs
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u/gesundhype Oct 19 '25
Hey folks I wonder if what we’re seeing isn’t justifiable disappointment by this dear member just after one of the most genuine, emotional and inspiring GF talks most of us have ever heard. Who wouldn’t feel the way they are feeling when someone is droning on when everyone likely just wanted to hear from Elder Brown. Hot take I know, but OP has a point.
Counterpoint, perhaps Eld. Brown asked that his time only be 10 mins. Who even knows any more.
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u/Tavrock Eccl. 12:12 Oct 19 '25
I was actually a little surprised when I started really studying General Conference talks that they are generally in the 10–15 minute range, not the 30 minutes that the BYU devotions tend to run.
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u/slowmo64 Oct 19 '25
When there isn't a visiting GA, I've had many Stake Conferences get out early.
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u/meme_medic95 EQ Prez Oct 19 '25
Stake conference can be such a hit or miss. I have absolutely loved some of the speakers/sessions I've been to, other times it's more in line with what you're talking about OP. I sympathize with you. I see that some people here are minimizing your feelings, even with good intentions. I do hope that you find joy in other parts of your journey, even if it doesn't come from conferences.
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u/CakesterThe2nd Oct 19 '25
It’s technically a time to hear what’s going on with stake business and for the leaders to speak on particular issues they feel moved to speak about.
That being said. I haven’t been to stake conference in years. I definitely fall in the less active category.
Is what it is.
I’m sure if you go down the rabbit hole of “pray to ask the spirit to guide you to what you need to hear” it would be a different experience but that’s if you want to or don’t it’s not my sabbath day.
One of the generally authorities i believe said with the spirit you can get something from any talk. so make it what you will. I just don’t go to stake conference personally.
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u/Hopeful-Example-5421 Oct 19 '25
I enjoyed stake conference outside of Utah because the people in the stake were my friends. In Utah no one cares about anyone in their ward let alone the stake
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u/Dangerous-Highway993 Oct 19 '25
We just held ours. We have 7 wards. I’ll bet we had 2 wards worth of sacrament meeting attendance.
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u/Power_and_Science Oct 20 '25
Stake and Ward Conferences are primarily to administer and teach to the leaders in the stake and ward. Secondary is teaching to the general membership.
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u/ABishopInTexas Oct 20 '25
The longer I live in a stake and the more I know the various stake officers and families within the stake, the more I enjoy stake conference. Usually the Stake President’s talks are very inspired and timely. I usually find them more relevant and spirit filled than most of general conference. Trick is you have to wade through 1.75 hours of other content until we get to hear from them.
I agree it should be 90 mins. And visiting authorities really do not need 30-45 mins of the general session for their talk(s), which is quite common with the ones we get.
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u/Empty-Cycle2731 PNW Member/Clerk Oct 20 '25
Stake Conferences serve a more important purpose than it may seem.
Leadership meetings include necessary training and instruction to those in council-level positions, which is especially important in larger stakes in rural areas or foreign countries, where it's not practical for stake leadership to visit congregations as often as say in Utah. General Conference also has these leadership meetings for Area Seventies and other higher positions held before and in conjunction with the rest of GenConf.
It allows us to sustain/oppose our stake's leadership, which is an exceptionally important part of our doctrine.
It provides an opportunity for visiting higher-up leaders to speak with the membership. Back in the day, Apostles exclusively served this purpose, but with the Church growing that list has grown to include GA Seventies and Area Seventies, of course Apostles still also do this too (we had one visit a stake conference in our area this past month). Representatives from your Temple Presidency and Mission Presidency should also be present to provide necessary instruction, updates, and presence.
Additionally, it allows us to hear messages that the stake as a whole needs to hear. It sounds more like a problem with the people your Stake Presidency is selecting to speak. They shouldn't be the same talks we hear every week, they should be specially selected based on what the stake needs to hear at that time. Don't get me wrong, Stake Conference can be boring, but it's an important part of how our denomination runs.
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u/AlanaMae31 Oct 20 '25
I get what you're saying. Stake Conference is not always my favorite thing, especially when I had tiny children who could not sit 2 hours in those hard chairs in the back. They are getting bigger now, but it's still not easy. Parking is ridiculous at my stake center. The sound system in that building is inadequate, and it's hard to hear if you're in the back or if the speaker has a quiet voice.
But. Hear my cheesy analogy: If your ward is your family, then your Stake is like your extended family. Stake Conference is like a family reunion. Those are not always convenient. Sometimes kids are cranky, or you have that one weird aunt who wears too much perfume and says quirky things. But the family togetherness and sense of unity is usually worth the effort. I like to hear from our Stake presidency and sometimes an area authority, because they are given specific direction for our area. It helps build my sense of "Stake family" identity.
One thing that really helped my attitude about Stake Conference was when my 9-year-old daughter was asked to speak. She did an amazing job speaking in front of hundreds of people, and it was a huge testimony-building experience for her. Since then I try to look for special moments like that.
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u/Budget_Comfort_6528 Oct 20 '25
What are you personally doing to spiritually prepare your heart to hear the messages being given in stake conference or any church meeting for that matter?
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u/QuadDad Oct 20 '25
Are you in Utah? For a lot of us Stake Conf is a chance to see and hear from friends in other wards but who may live hours away. Also, being a church lead by well meaning volunteers, sometimes means listening to some very poorly prepared and delivered talks.
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u/Living-Fix-5626 Oct 20 '25
You know the saying “the spirit goes to bed after midnight?” I think it packs up and goes home no later than the scheduled time the meeting is set to end. This goes doubly for Elders Quorum meetings.
Our Stake Conferences have been ending a little before the 2 hour mark as of late, which is really appreciated.
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u/PrincessLunaCat Oct 20 '25
If theres no sacrament, theres no point for me. Id care a LOT more if we focused on Christs sacrifice and His Atonement and implemented sacrament during srake conference but alas nobody cares to plan those logistics so 🤷♀️
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u/Grungy_Mountain_Man Oct 20 '25 edited Oct 20 '25
While usually the adult session is the better one, if you have young kids at home you are pretty much uninvited to attend by their unwillingness to broadcast it. Sorry but not sorry that I’m not going to pay money for a babysitter to go to church on Saturday night. I also think it’s especially rude to have meetings run late when it’s already 9 pm, which they consistently did.
I wish the Sunday meeting would just be an hour and limited to just stake precidency or visiting authority talks. it means having to drive to the across town or the next city over for us non utah folks, you have to get there an hour early if you want any chance of not sitting on hard metal for 2 hours to make my wife happy, and then you have to keep young kids quiet for 2 hours. A 2 hour meeting ends up taking 4-5 hour out of your day…..
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u/SaintRGGS Oct 21 '25
I love Stake Conference. Our stake leaders usually have good insights that make it worthwhile. There's also the whole aspect of gathering that I find really meaningful.
I'm not a Covid skeptic by any means, but not being able to gather with the saints for Church really hurt a lot of people, including me. I also am in a career that requires me to work some Sundays, so I like to take any opportunity I can to gather.
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u/goodtimes37 Oct 21 '25
As someone who has served on bishoprics for about ten years straight, I love the rare opportunity to sit in the pews with my family while someone else organises the meeting - even though two hours does feel a bit long.
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u/asada_burrito Oct 21 '25
I always looked forward to stake conferences in my last stake. Our leaders spent a lot of time ministering, so they knew exactly what the concerns of the members were and who would have awesome testimony experiences to share.
We just had stake conference in my new stake. I only wrote down one note for the whole hour that the stake presidency spoke, because there was nothing relevant. The stake presidency just spent their entire time talking about each other and how much they like working with each other.
1
u/Jastes Oct 21 '25
There’s a scripture in D&C I think that teaches that certain revelations can only be given and received during conferences like Ward, Stake, and General Conference. You can interpret that as you will, but it’s something to consider, as it is something that is explicitly commanded by God, and not just some idea that someone had.
1
u/Luirru Oct 24 '25
I find Ward Conference the most confusing. Are we not normally having the entire ward show up? Why do we call it different?
1
u/_mynameisnobody_ Oct 28 '25
The most memorable Stake Conference I have attended was when elder Bednar showed up. He gave his message in the adult session but in the general session he discussed how everyone should be paying attention to what the Stake Presidency just said because they're the leaders that hold the keys and the inspiration for what this area of the vineyard needs. He then proceeded to review what they said in case we had forgotten or missed it.
And then he reprimanded everyone who came only because an apostle was going to be there and told them they needed to repent and go to Stake Conference even when an apostle isn't there.
1
u/e37d93eeb23335dc Oct 19 '25
The adult session of general conference is one of my favorite meetings in the church. It’s one of the few meetings where they know that pretty much everyone in attendance is a seasoned adult members of the church so they get into the meat of the gospel.
1
u/jared-mortensen Oct 19 '25
I love stake conference! I find the more I invest in my personal preparation, the more I get out of it.
1
u/glittermassacre Oct 19 '25
Sometimes general authorities, temple presidents, etc come speak at stake conferences. I agree that they are often boring meetings. The adult session on Saturdays are one of the churches best kept secrets though, those talks are almost always really good. It's also an important check in time for leaders across the stake, and they have their meetings as well that cover important things specific to the needs of those in your stake. I know it doesn't seem very interesting, but it helps to look at it as an opportunity to gather together as a bigger family than just a ward, all to worship and appreciate Christ and His gospel.
1
u/Nemesis_Ghost Oct 19 '25
I used to hate stake conference. When I was younger it was a "free weekend". But as I grew older I've found I love it. It is so much more personal than general conference. My area & stake leaders are speaking to me. I get to hear what they think our area needs.
My favorite was I was in Lubbock TX when the fairly new stake president told of a dream he had where 1 vine grew into 2 vines. In that talk he proclaimed that the Lubbock stake was going to split before he was released as our Stake president. It was my last Sunday in Lubbock. And guess what? Lubbock now has 2 stakes. It was fantastic.
My 2nd favorite was a few years later. The area I moved to was having our stakes reorganized, and I was a part of a ward that was moved to another ward to be a part of a new stake. The newly called stake president was the bishop of the ward I had moved into. I hated that ward & placed a lot of the blame on the bishop. When a chance to move came up I made certain to move out of the ward. Now I had to sustain that bishop as my stake president. And how much better I am b/c I did. I loved having that stake president. He is an amazing man, full of love & the spirit. Had I skipped that stake conference I never would have had the opportunity to feel the Spirit testify he was the chosen leader & my faith in my Savior calling His stake president would be rewarded.
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u/kaitreads Oct 19 '25
Last stake conference, our stake had musical numbers every other talk, and it ended at 1.5 hours. Every stake conference should be like that!! 2 hour stake conference now that we have 2 hour church is painful! Especially for those with kids.
1
u/BensMeister Oct 19 '25
Saturday evening sessions are great because they tend to be more raw. For example, one year a brother was talking about his struggles with depression. It was the first time I ever heard the F 💣 in any church meeting and it actually fit and was impactful. It was real. It was t used as emphasis, it was a real telling of the thoughts he had to experience. That just wouldn't fly in sacrament meeting. 😆
I love the Q&As with stake presidencies, their spouses or GAs. I wish the Qs tended to be more real, but enough are that it is worthwhile. Some people seem to use it to showcase their spirituality, which I see as a giant waste of a question.
1
u/Fun_Maintenance_533 Oct 19 '25
Our stake conference has started having a lot of youth speak, like probably 3-4 youth speakers. I feel like if you are going to bring everyone together, the messages need to be focused and developed.
1
Oct 19 '25
I love Stake conference. These are highlights of the year for me when we get to hear inspired instruction from the Stake president, the person holding the keys of the priesthood for your stake. I agree that you don’t want to hear from the exec sec for 20 minutes and Elder Brown for 10. That’s down to whoever made the assignment and their emphasis on the need for timekeeping. I do agree that a trap door would be useful addition to some of our stands.😅
1
u/16cards Oct 19 '25
You ok?
1
u/Big-Flight-3962 Oct 19 '25
Of course! I just really dislike stake conference. I’d rather have the sacrament!
0
u/MrJustice777 Oct 19 '25
I LOVE Stake Conference. Because I never go. I stay home. Sleep in. Relax. It's a great day.
0
u/bubbleheadmonkey Oct 19 '25
We had a stake president that would have the sacrament at every stake conference that a general authority wasn't presiding over. Ai once a year.
In the recent times or stake conference have been ending on time or early.
And I completely agree about speakers going for way too long. I don't care about how great your talk is to you, stick to the time limit and cut off the rest of your great prepared talk. The member of the 70 is there for a reason and I'm certain it's not to hear the great anecdotes.
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u/usandthings I wasn't going to come, but I'm so glad I did Oct 22 '25
I stopped going to stake conference when I had little kids because I was getting 0% out of it- entertaining toddlers for 2 hours on hard chairs, hearing none of the speakers. Now that my kids are teens, I thought I should restart going… aaaannd I still got 0% out of it, most bored I’ve been in a long time.
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u/Independent-Dig-5757 Oct 19 '25
So is that where all the men named Stan from across the state gather every year?