The Little Things of General Conference

Amy Harris lives in the western US.  She enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with family. Some might classify her approach to gardening as “mildly unhinged.” Like nature, Amy abhors vacuums (and irons).

There has been a lot of talk about all the major changes and exciting announcements from General Conference. I just want to add a few of the “little things” I noticed that made this the most energizing/enjoyable/uplifting conference experience I’ve had in years.  

Family history/temple ordinances have power to heal relationships. I’m passionate about family history and have thought long and hard about why we do it and what its role is within the church and within the doctrine. And for years, I’ve longed for someone at conference to delve deeper – to think beyond the typical way we frame family history work, to say something new or insightful about why it matters. Elder Eyring’s talk from last April did some of that, but Elder Renlund’s account of the healing power of family history/temple work, specifically its power to heal relationships and suffering, was like a breath of fresh air and an acknowledgement that wanting more from conference about family history was a good thing to want. And it was remarkable that he used an example of a group of people not technically bound by sealing covenants (a woman, her deceased son’s heart recipient, the doctor) to illustrate the point that the temple is not meant to seal me to mine and forget everyone else; it is meant to bind together all of our Heavenly Parents’ children.

Young women are useful and needed. President/Sister Bonnie Oscarson’s release is sad, but she went out with a bang. Here was a woman advocating for young women to be needed, useful, and valued – with specific examples of what that can look like. Her words were echoed by Sister Bingham’s comments. Her talk was clearly meant to lay the groundwork for the Sunday announcements.

Modeling leadership for young women. The new YW general president, Bonnie Cordon, worked outside the home while raising children. In the software industry. In management. Probably in the 1980s and 1990s when that wasn’t exactly celebrated. And now she is a model to all the YW of the church. Not a model that every woman should have management jobs, or that SAHMs are somehow less serviceable to the kingdom, but as a model that everyone has to forge their own path and make decisions that are right for them and their family.  2/3 of the new YW presidency served fulltime missions as young women and the new Primary councilor also served.  Given the increase in young women serving full-time missions, having general leaders with that background is a benefit.

Women and men are counseling together. There seemed to be a lot of language about men and women working together – the changes in the quorums and VT/HT mean RS presidents and EQ presidents can work together more often and more easily. There was a lot of overt language about that, as well as discussion that the quorums and HT were going to borrow practices RS has been doing for years. And instead of just saying it, what counseling looks like was modeled. It was clear that Elder Holland, Sister Bingham, and Sister Oscarson had been counseling together about these changes and about the specific talks they would give.  Showing themselves as a unified group – just like Sister Aburto counseled us all to be.

The combining of EQs and HPGs.  This has a potential benefit for single adult men in the church. Until now moving from the elders quorum to the high priests’ group required calling to a leadership position, or age. For unmarried men, particularly the never-married, this meant they often remained in EQ long after men of their age were ordained high priests because most leadership callings for men go, by practice, tradition or policy, to married men only. Combining the quorum/group, as has been noted, hopefully reduces using priesthood offices as a marker of a particular kind of Mormon masculinity. The added benefit of obliterating that hierarchy, is that it can also help erode the hierarchy based on marital status for men.

The leadership style President Nelson modeled. The change in priesthood quorums was made in the men’s session. His talk about revelation told us what is was like for him to choose counselors – to show behind the curtain. The announcement affecting all the members, was made in a general session, but then he delegated the discussion of the details and the doctrinal foundation for the change (motivated only by love was said repeatedly by Sister Bingham and Elder Holland) to others – including a woman, the RS general president, the most logical person to have make such an announcement. The new apostles described their callings as being issued with their wives present, in personal meetings with President Nelson, where he held them by the hand, told them he loved them, and asked them to serve.

Enthusiasm.  People shouted out their enthusiasm for the new temples and instead of waiting with a straight face for such “irreverent” behavior to cease, President Nelson openly laughed and smiled with them. Mormons could stand with a little more enthusiastic behavior in church, in my opinion, so I like that spontaneous, genuine excitement wasn’t squelched in the name of “reverence.” I kind of think the same way about the woman who shouted out “stop protecting sexual predators.” More frequent spontaneous, honest responses (positive or negative) from members might do us all some good.  

Even watching on TV this conference felt energizing and full of possibilities. It felt like leaders were openly saying change is good – change is a sign of trying to gain more revelation and mature spiritually.  Even Elder Oaks seemed to be smiling a lot.