Others in our Meetings (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About Yesterday), 9/13

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September 14, 2026

Regardless of what we think the ideal Church meeting is like, others are there. While our purpose in going to Church is to worship, we seem to believe that others need to be there. I am not aware of anything that says that we can’t worship by ourselves (and many of our worship practices—prayer, scripture study, meditation, etc. are often done alone), we still gather to worship together. There is something important that happens when we worship together.

So, how much do we think about others when we think about what should happen in Church? Are we focused on what would be best for us? Or on what would be best for others as well? And if the latter, how do we know what would be better for others? Have we asked? Or just assumed that what we think would be better for everyone?

Should we expand how we think about Church to make sure that everyone has an uplifting experience? If so, how do we do that?

In this and in many previous posts in this series, I am trying to suggest that each of us can have better experiences at Church if we change our perspective, seeing not only our own interests, but those of others as well. When we do so, we will find that our own experience is better—simply because we have a broader view of what is going on, and the details behind what others are doing at Church. For some people it might seem that looking at what others are doing at Church might make our experience less, since adding the needs of others might “dumb-down” Church to the “lowest common denominator,” I think its actually the opposite, we gain from the differences in opinion, and even from less sophisticated ways of seeing—such approaches often inspire new thoughts about our worship, not unlike when the actions or statements made by children or those unfamiliar with a topic open up new ways of thinking about a topic.

So, if you aren’t thinking this way, maybe try it next Sunday, or the next time you are in a class or meeting. If you have already thoughts inspired by what happened at church, what are they? How did you react to what happened in Church yesterday? What did you notice? What did others do that you found interesting or different? Did you end up thinking differently? Do you think your reactions were what they should be? Were they looking for what God had to tell you? Did your reactions make things better?

This is the latest invitation for reactions to local meetings, continuing a series of weekly posts that started with my post on September 25th, 2025 about how we receive what happens in Church meetings—sermons, lessons and anything else—and enter a conversation with them, magnifying what was said or adding what we think. In these posts I’m asking us all to think about how we listen and receive what happens at Church. If we only listen for mistakes, or things that bother us, what does that say about us? Is it most important to criticize others? Or to try to change ourselves?

So please, write down reactions and thoughts to what happened in Church. You might keep your own ‘spiritual journal’, or, if you like, you can post your reactions below. I’m adding my own reactions and thoughts as a comment to this post — instead of as a part of this post, because my reactions aren’t any better than anyone else’s.

Let me emphasize that this is NOT a place to criticize what is wrong with church or your fellow congregants. The point is to post what you learned because of what happened at Church or how that led you to think. It’s about the good things we can get out of Church, not the negative things that disturbed or upset us. It doesn’t have to be orthodox, traditional or even on topic.

If you like, make your response in the format, “They said or did this, and I said or thought that.” Even the things you dislike the most can be turned into lessons for what the gospel teaches we should do.

My hope is that these reactions serve as an example of a better way to treat what happens at Church instead of the perennial complaints about speaker or teacher preparation or ability, or complaints that the Church should do things differently.

Comments

One response to “Others in our Meetings (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About Yesterday), 9/13”

Kent Larsen

September 13, 2026
Here’s a few of my thoughts in reaction to what I experienced in Church yesterday (9/13):
- My wife and I were watching a couple of little kids during sacrament meeting so that their parent could give a talk. Kids under 5 have a completely different agenda and understanding of the purpose of Church—a different perspective. So a lot of the meeting was shifting back and forth between my usual perspective, and that of a 2-year-old who wanted me to color for her. It was wonderful. The shifting back and forth stretched me a little, and made me realize how varied different perspectives can be.
- In Sunday School the lesson on Ecclesiastes led to a discussion on ‘busywork’—really administrative work, i.e., those things that have to be done to keep things running, but that often seem not directly necessary for the purpose of the activity or organization. Human beings tend to create this kind of work, structures around our main activities, because they make things easier or keep the activity headed where we want it to go. I’ve noticed that such tasks seem less when you are a student, than when you are a teacher or leader, so I wonder if there’s something about humility, about being willing to learn, that reduces the need for administration? Is it just the hierarchy in society that says who does it? Or does humility lead to less administration?
- As we’ve started having both Sunday School and gender specific meetings in the second hour, I noticed that in our ward its the women who move from the SS room to go to Relief Society, and not the men switching rooms. Is it that way everywhere? Is it a function of the building? Or our hidden assumptions? Should we worry about it?
- In priesthood we discussed Elder Kearon’s talk, “About His Business”, with his thoughts on his first calling as a member of the Church. Some of our discussion seemed to imply a hierarchy of callings—something that General Authorities often try to discourage, but I think persists regardless. Someone talked about being released from the High Council to serve as the Young Men’s President. And I thought, would that happen if he had been called to work in the Primary? Why not? There’s a perception that you can easily find people to work in the primary, but not so for the Young Men’s President. I’m now wondering what is the extent of the mental changes that would have to happen to remove the perceived hierarchy!

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