Are Sunday worship services working?
That is the question I’d like to explore over a series of newsletter messages.
Yeah, I get it: the ordinance of the sacrament is paramount during worship services, but that is only 10-15 minutes of the meeting schedule.
What about the rest of the schedule?
To set context, let’s take a look at the purposes found in the handbook of each meeting we experience at church on Sunday.
I’ll paraphrase for simplicity, and you can read the full purposes at the provided links.
Sacrament Meeting: Take the sacrament, worship, build faith and testimony, conduct ward business. (29.2.1)
Sunday School: Teach doctrine of the kingdom, support all learning and teaching. (13.1)
Relief Society: Save souls, relieve suffering, accomplish the work of salvation and exaltation, serve others, build unity, and learn and live doctrine. (9.1.1)
Elders Quorum: Accomplish the work of salvation, serve others, learn and live doctrine. (8.1.1)
Observations from my own experience and what I have heard from others lead me to believe the drumbeat keeping the pace of our Sunday experience is governed by two things:
Doctrine and programs.
In this newsletter message, I’d like to focus on the concept of doctrine and the role it plays during our Sunday meetings.
I’m afraid few really understand (and I’m still learning myself) what it means to teach and learn doctrine.
You’ve maybe noticed that I have asked about the meaning of teaching doctrine in a few recent podcast episodes, especially those with former General Sunday School presidents.
In general, most assume teaching doctrine means articulating doctrinal truths.
One of my favorite Leading Saints interviews with Professor Anthony Sweat discussed the concept that all doctrine is not the same.
There are core doctrines, supportive doctrines, policy doctrines, and esoteric doctrines.
(See this Anthony Sweat interview for a deeper discussion about these terms.)
It gets messy and unproductive when teachers or individuals start ranking policy doctrines at the same level as core doctrines or when esoteric doctrines dominate the discussion much more than core doctrines.
It feels like we are teaching doctrines, but we are actually causing confusion or highlighting concepts that actually do nothing to propel us into redemption through Christ.
Instead of creating the perception that we are teaching doctrine in our Sunday meetings simply by reciting doctrinal truths, we would be better served by framing the teaching of doctrine much like Doctrine & Covenants 10:67 frames doctrine:
Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
Our point isn’t to teach doctrinal truths as much as it is to teach things that influence individuals to repent and come unto Jesus Christ for healing.
That would truly be His church.
So, yes, we can talk a lot about the meaning of ordinances, the fast offering effort, the dynamic of heavenly parents, or specific paragraphs of the Family Proclamation.
However, if it isn’t causing people to repent and come unto Christ for healing…
It.
Ain’t.
Doctrine.
And it has no power to redeem.
More to come.
Sincerely,
Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints
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