In response to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ recent announcement regarding a new Sunday meeting schedule, thousands of members have turned to social media to share their excitement — and mild trepidation.
Latter-day Saints are no strangers to change. The church has made a number of adjustments in recent years, including restructuring youth programs and shortening Sunday services from three to two hours.
Since the two-hour schedule began in 2019, Latter-day Saints and visitors have alternated second-hour classes each week. On the first and third Sundays of the month, members attend combined Sunday School classes. On second and fourth Sundays, men and young men meet in priesthood quorums; young women meet in classes; and women over 18 meet in Relief Society, the church’s organization for women. When a fifth Sunday occurs, members meet as directed by their bishop.
The new Sunday meeting schedule, which was announced on Monday, will begin starting Sept. 6. Rather than alternating weekly between class schedules, attendees will now attend two 25-minute blocks of classes after sacrament meeting, allowing Sunday School classes, priesthood quorums, Young Women and the Relief Society to meet each week. Two five-minute transition periods are built in between the classes to allow time to move from one meeting to the next.
The Primary schedule for children will not change.
“There is additive strength that comes when we meet each week to counsel, learn, and support one another,” President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President, said in the church’s announcement. “When we gather in His name, the Spirit is there to teach us, testimonies are strengthened, and we lift each other in discipleship. This weekly time for connection will help us draw closer to the Savior and each other. We find joy in walking the covenant path together.”
Members say new schedule will help youth, support home gospel learning
Sarah Nelson serves as a Young Women’s advisor in her ward, which participated in a pilot program for the new schedule earlier this year. In their program, only the youth in the ward tried the new schedule; adult classes continued as usual.
Nelson told the Deseret News that under the new schedule, the youth in her ward became more responsive, engaged and willing to open up.
“It was just great to see the kids every week and have that connection and camaraderie,” she said. “I feel like they really liked it — they were more excited to come, they just seemed happier to be there."
Nelson noted that the new change seemed to encourage higher attendance for youth Sunday School classes. She said many youth appreciated the shorter lessons — knowing they wouldn’t be sitting in a classroom for an hour helped their attention spans.
Originally, Nelson and other members of her ward had some concerns about the shortened class time. How would they get youth to class quickly, since people tend to linger after sacrament meeting? Would they have enough time to teach? How could they have a meaningful discussion and engage the youth in a 25-minute class?
The youth in her ward stepped up to the challenge.
“They were great,” she said. “Knowing that that’s what we were doing, getting into class, they were definitely quicker than they’ve been in the past.”
The new schedule’s monthly study plan also helped the youth to lead deeper discussions, Nelson said. Youth classes will now be structured around an updated “For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices,” which has 12 chapters that will align with monthly study. Nelson said that this monthly structure allows the youth to continue their class discussions week to week.
“The discussions that we were able to have, in terms of what the lesson material was, (the youth) were more responsive and more engaged,” Nelson said. “We really focused on some doctrine that we don’t always have the opportunity to focus on, like the Atonement and repentance, and it was really meaningful.”
The new curriculum also includes a weekly invitation for the youth, which encourages them to study at home. Nelson said the leaders in her ward would text the youth later in the week to follow up on those invitations and study goals.
“I think it helped (the youth) be more conscientious of what the focus should be for the week and how they could apply that in their life,” she said.
Another benefit to the new schedule, Nelson said, is that it allows those who can’t make it to church every week to develop connections with those in their classes and groups. For instance, kids with divorced parents who alternate weeks between households may go a long time without being able to meet with the Young Men or Young Women. Under the new schedule, missing one week of church doesn’t mean they will have to wait two weeks before they see their quorum or Young Women group again.
The same principle applies to adult classes. “I don’t want to say it’s just for the youth, but our youth do need something like this,” Nelson said. “And hopefully the adults can see the benefit for themselves.”
Adjusting to the change may be challenging at first, Nelson said, but it will also be rewarding.
“I feel like the reasons we go to church are to worship God and to fellowship and to have discipleship,” she said. “If we’re really wanting to fellowship, then seeing everyone each week, even if it’s for a shorter period of time, will be beneficial to everyone ... If you go in with faith and a good attitude, I think you can see the benefit of why it’s happening.”
Social media reactions to new Latter-day Saint meeting schedule
Carlie High Barrus, who also participated in a pilot program, shared her experience with the schedule in one Facebook post. She wrote that although members originally expressed some concerns, by the end of the six weeks “the youth were all begging for it to never end! ... We saw the youth coming to each class excited to learn in the short time they had and teachers preparing the meat of the lessons instead of extra fluff.”
Barrus said she’s happy the change will be implemented throughout the worldwide church. “Leaders get to see youth weekly, (Relief Society) and (Elders Quorum) get to check in with their groups, it’s going to be so good!”
Other members have been quick to respond to the news on social media. Some have shared the same concerns Nelson mentioned, especially the challenge of starting class on time and fitting quality gospel discussions into shorter periods. Many have shared their excitement to be able to meet in each class weekly and work to have more focused classes.
“Great change, especially if we can keep it tight. Teachers can come prepared, and we transition well, but as with most things, it’s up to us to make the most of it,” Ryan Seamons commented on one post.
Many commenters have shared Nelson and Barrus’ excitement about how the move will support youth and adolescent attention spans.
“Having worked in public education for over 25 years, I see this is a positive and amazing change to embrace,” Amy Baker commented. “Shorter and more targeted classes with an increased focus, will be much more impactful. We will cut out all the fluff and get to the core of what we are learning. Can’t wait!”
Other members have suggested that the new schedule will encourage preparation before church, reflecting the church’s emphasis in recent years on home-centered, church-supported gospel learning. Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson stressed this in the church’s announcement.
“Gathering weekly in every class helps deepen gospel learning by connecting it more closely to personal and family study,” he said. “It also enhances the spiritual support that members get. Though the schedule looks different, the amount of time spent learning together remains the same.”