Allyson Weipert is a Brigham Young University graduate who enjoys serving in the Church, especially through opportunities to teach and learn alongside fellow Saints. She currently serves as a Relief Society teacher and a girls Valiant activity leader. She contributes to the Teaching Restored podcast team as a community moderator. She and her husband, David, enjoy life in Indiana with their four children.
Enter Allyson…
Twenty-five minutes.
Whether you feel excited or skeptical about the shift to weekly 25-minute Relief Society and elders quorum meetings, it raises a question: How do we do more with less time?
We don’t. We learn to do better with the time we have.
More Connection
One benefit of these adjustments is weekly connection. In a world increasingly marked by loneliness and disconnection, that opportunity matters more than ever. It invites us to rethink what fills our meetings, focusing less on content and more on connection— with the Spirit and with each other. These shifts are about structuring our meetings to help us love God and our neighbor more intentionally and we can begin now.
“To survive spiritually in the latter days, the people you teach will need a spiritual witness of the truth. You can’t give it to them, but… you can provide opportunities for them to feel the Spirit testify of Jesus Christ and His gospel.” —Teaching in the Savior’s Way
What if, in our effort to stay on time and be engaging, we sometimes talk over these opportunities? This is a habit that can limit the impact of our Sunday meetings. What a teacher chooses not to say can be just as important as what they do say. As our meeting time shortens, it becomes even more important that we are intentional about creating space for the Spirit to teach, rather than filling every moment ourselves.
Spaces for the Spirit to Communicate
Let’s not rush past silence. A question needs space to breathe before it can bear fruit. Allowing a pause is where class members listen, process, and feel the Spirit.
This does not mean silent lessons or constant pauses. As teachers, it means thoughtful planning of spaces for the Spirit to communicate with class members. Refining what we teach matters as much as how we pace it. A quiet pause after a scripture. Time to reflect or write. Thoughtful use of music or art. Even 20 or 30 seconds of silence. After a powerful comment, a teacher might say, “Let’s sit with that for a moment.” When we allow a scripture or question to breathe, we create room for the Spirit to do the true teaching.
As 2 Nephi 33:1 reminds us, the Spirit carries the message “unto the hearts” of those we teach. By intentionally slowing down the pace, we make room for the Spirit to communicate—and for that witness to be recognized and received. As they receive that witness, we trust it will begin shaping their hearts and desires.
Connecting to Each Other
Revelation in our meetings is not only personal—it is shared. Our Sunday meetings are not intended to be lessons with a counseling question. They are meant to be councils. In the Lord’s pattern, counseling together means seeking revelation as a group and acting on it in unity.
“An elders quorum or a Relief Society is not a class or a lesson. We have a work to do, and we do more than just talk about that work. Rather, we sit in council and promote righteous action.”
This reframes our purpose. The goal is not just covering material, but to connect with one another and work in unity. Counseling together is more than sharing ideas or teaching a topic. Unity is where spiritual power enters the process. As unity grows, that power increases, and solutions begin to emerge—solutions that lead to action. That unity grows when people feel they belong, and belonging grows as people are heard. This kind of belonging makes true counseling possible.
“Let one speak at a time and let all listen unto their sayings… that every man may have an equal privilege.” Doctrine and Covenants 88:122
Nurturing Mindful Participation
Some may wonder, “How can this happen in twenty-five minutes? That won’t work in my ward.”
That is a fair concern. It requires commitment to connecting with people over delivering a lesson. Larger groups, limited time, off-topic comments, or unsolicited contributions are real constraints. These challenges don’t change the purpose. They clarify the need for intentional guidance from teachers and leaders.
In a large ward, twenty-five minutes may not allow for every voice in a single setting. Smaller discussion groups can help, but even then, time can slip away if participation isn’t nurtured mindfully. Teachers need to guide the discussion thoughtfully. What they emphasize and how they respond to each person shape whether connection grows.
This part of counseling is tempting to overlook, especially when time feels tight. However, I have seen this principle bear fruit in a woman’s service across many settings, including Primary, Gospel Doctrine, and Relief Society.
Everyone if Known
When my daughter was new and shy in the ward, she was in this woman’s Primary class for a short time. After she was released, my daughter still sought out “her teacher” for a hug each Sunday for more than a year. Feeling valued went beyond that one classroom.
This woman begins with a simple question of the day and invites each person to share their name as they respond. Sometimes the question is light—“what did you have for breakfast today?” Other times it invites reflection on a gospel principle—“how has being a disciple of Christ changed you?” But the pattern is consistent: everyone is invited to speak, and everyone is known.
She listens attentively and does not rush responses. The hesitant are invested in, not pressured. Over time, people participate more freely, not because they are required to speak, but because they feel safe enough to try. Even visitors and newcomers feel that they belong in the conversation.
Shared Participation
Here, a meaningful shift occurs. People speak more honestly, and the room becomes receptive to both the Spirit and one another. Class members build on one another’s answers. We often hear “Sister, I feel the same way” or “I struggle with that too. We can struggle together.” Another common one is “We’re all a little weird and that’s okay.”
Her teaching is centered on Christ and unfolds through shared participation rather than constant explanation. It shows that teaching is shaped not just by content, but by how a teacher honors and responds to each voice. Elder Oaks has said,
“Examples improve society more than sermons.”
Christ’s character feels tangible through her interactions with them. Doctrine isn’t absent— it’s being lived.
Feeling Known and Valued
Some may wonder whether this specific approach would work in every setting, including elders quorum, or for every teacher. Not every class or personality will lend itself to the same method. However, the underlying principle remains: people are more likely to receive revelation together when they feel known and valued.
Creating that class culture requires intentional preparation. It can influence simple choices, like how the room is arranged. Seating can allow people to see and respond to one another, rather than directing all attention forward. It changes the kinds of questions a teacher prioritizes, favoring those that invite experience, reflection, and honest response over quick or purely doctrinal answers. Planning shifts from material to people: considering individuals, their needs, and how they might be drawn into the discussion in ways that feel natural.
Counseling within our lessons shapes how we receive revelation together in a single meeting. Can we encourage it to take root week after week?
Building Depth
One way is to plan our meetings with a longer view. Each week’s lesson topic doesn’t have to stand alone. That allows for a breadth of topics, but it can also make spiritual growth feel more individual than communal.
If you want to add depth, build it in.
Focus on fewer topics over several weeks. The handbook is clear that presidencies determine which topics from general conference best meet the needs of their members. Topics don’t have to change every week. The new For Strength of Youth program offers a helpful pattern of monthly focus. A quorum or Relief Society could return to the same theme and allow it to deepen over time.
This creates space for reflection between meetings. Members go home to ponder and live what the group has wrestled with together. When they return, they bring real experiences, questions, and insights.
Shared Growth
Imagine spending a month exploring general conference teachings on how to follow Christ in navigating mixed faith relationships. Each week could examine a different talk or question, while returning to the same theme: being disciples of Christ in mixed faith interactions. Discussions become more meaningful as members counsel together about real mixed faith situations in their families and other relationships.
Growth becomes less isolated and more shared, as members learn from each other’s lived discipleship. Teachers feel less pressure to “get through” a lesson. Instead, they revisit and build over time. Class members move beyond the moment and participate in an ongoing process of discipleship.
Protecting the Space
To create space for the Spirit, connection, and for long-term discipleship, we need to be intentional about what fills these meetings.
One common challenge is time spent on opening exercises, especially announcements. Communication matters, but many items can move outside Sunday meeting time. Often we spend 10-15 minutes on feeding the missionaries, storehouse needs, or upcoming activities. All needful. But is it the best use of our sacred time? What we prioritize in our meetings shapes what people experience there. Opening exercises should focus on what connects people—welcoming visitors, members rejoining the class from service in an auxiliary, or discussions that actually need group input. If something can be stated without interaction, that’s an email or flyer. Deliver it that way.
Here are simple alternatives:
- Display announcements on a screen before or during class.
- Provide printed copies in class or at a central location.
- Use QR codes to link to a weekly email or calendar. Digital sign ups may help those who miss the clipboard sign ups in auxiliaries.
- Share through ministering assignments. Encourage more personal ministering by using personal invites and reminders, especially for sisters reluctant to adopt digital communication.
The specific method matters less than the principle. Protect the time meant for connection with the Savior and with each other. When that time is protected, something better grows in its place.
Presidencies and Teacher Counsel
These changes also require coordination. Teachers largely shape the meeting experience, and they will be more effective when aligned and supported by the presidency’s direction. We find unity and clarity through ongoing feedback.
Planning and reflection go hand in hand.
Presidencies and teachers can counsel together at regular intervals to consider both what is needed and what is happening in Sunday meetings. This doesn’t have to be formal, or extensive. The timing and format will vary by ward, but consistency matters most. As a suggestion, presidencies might regularly ask:
- What is the purpose of the next meeting?
- What do we do to invite the Spirit into the meeting?
- How do we try to include everyone?
- What is working and what can we adjust?
These questions can guide both preparation and reflection. Simple, regular, and thoughtful feedback nurtures growth. Genuine appreciation and a strengths-forward approach build trust and encourage improvement. With humility—valuing others’ perspectives and priorities—people feel heard and appreciated, and a stronger culture grows.
What Grows in the Space
These changes are not about doing less for the sake of efficiency. They are about making room for what matters most. We create space for the Holy Ghost to teach, for councils that build unity, and for discipleship that continues beyond a classroom. As we do, love and connection grow. When we refine what fills our meetings, we increase what can be felt within them. In that space, the Savior’s mark becomes evident in how we love Him and each other:
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35
