Relief Society and Elders Quorum
Learning from General Conference

Come, Follow Me

Learning from General Conference Messages (story)

The teachings of living prophets and other general Church leaders provide inspired guidance as we seek to participate in the Lord’s work ^His. Each month, on the second and fourth Sundays (CL), quorum and Relief Society presidencies select a conference message to discuss, based on the members, their needs of and guidance from the Spirit. On occasion, the bishop or stake president may also suggest a message share. Typically, leaders should emphasize messages from members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. However, any message from the most recent conference may be discussed, can go-ahead.

Leaders and teachers should find ways to encourage members to read the selected message before the meeting, week before, reading, studying.

For more information about elders quorum and Relief Society meetings, see General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 8.2.1.2, 9.2.1.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Planning to Teach

The following questions can help teachers as they plan to use a general conference message to teach, questions(2h).

  1. What does the speaker want us to understand? What gospel principles is he or she teaching? How does it apply to our quorum or Relief Society?

  2. What scriptures did the speaker use to support his or her message? Are there other scriptures we could read that would deepen our understanding? (You might find some in the endnotes of the message or in the Topical Guide.)

  3. What questions could I ask that would help members ponder the message? What questions will help them see OIC of the message, the relevance in their lives, in their families, and in the Lord’s work, what?

  4. What else can I do, the Spirit into our meeting, discuss, to invite, how? What could I use to enhance the discussion, including stories, analogies, music, and artwork? The speaker use, what?

  5. Did the speaker extend (involve) any invitations? How might I help members feel the desire, invitations involve, motivate to act, how?

Activity Ideas

There are many ways, these members can help learn from general conference messages. Here are a few examples - list+expands; give-you ideas, help-you improve maybe work better in your quorum or Relief Society.

  • First idea, discuss in groups. Do-do? Go-ahead divide members into small groups, and assign each group a different section of the conference message to read and discuss. Next ask each group they read, study a truth, learned, share, take-a-turn+++ Or could form groups, mix-around, groups again with different people involved, each person in group can discuss what they just discuss in previous groups. Share-around.

  • (Next-down) Answer questions the members, invite to answer questions like example: the following about the conference message list-question: Gospel truths do we find in this message, what? these truths-list, we involve-me, how? Invitations, promised blessings were given, what? What does this message teach us about the work God wants us to do, what message?

  • (next-down) Share quotations. Invite members go ahead, pull-out quotations, from the conference message that inspire them to fulfill-perform their responsibilities in the work of salvation. Encourage them to consider how they could, these quotations, share to bless someone, including loved ones and people they minister to.

  • (next-down) Share an object lesson. In advance, invite a few members, their home, their objects, bring, can use to teach about the conference message. During the meeting, ask the members to explain how those objects relate to the message (point-point).

  • (next-down) Home, prepare a lesson to teach there. Ask members, in pairs, they plan a home evening lesson based on the conference message. How could we make the message relevant(involve-me) to our families, how? This message we share with people we minister to, How we share?

  • Share experiences. Read together several statements from the conference message. Ask members to share examples from the scriptures and from their lives that illustrate or reinforce the doctrine taught in these statements.

  • Learn about a scripture. Invite members to read a scripture referenced in the conference message. Ask them to discuss how the teachings in the message help them better understand the scripture.

  • (next-down)Find an answer. Ahead of time, create a few questions-list that, //conference message\\, have answers, can be find(alt). Focus on questions that prompt deep thinking or application of gospel principles Then allow members to select a question-list (CL), look in the message, look, find answers. Small groups, Invite them to start discuss their answers in-group

  • (next-down) Find a phrase. Invite members, the conference message, to search, looking for phrases that are meaningful to them. Ask them to share the phrases, (point)that they learn what? How do these teachings help us accomplish the Lord’s work?

  • (next-down) create something. Invite members to make a poster or bookmark that includes a short inspirational statement from the conference message. Give them an opportunity to share-show what they made.

For more ideas to study and teach from general conference messages, see “Ideas for Learning and Teaching from General Conference” found under General Conference in the Gospel Library.