The Pursuit of Meaningful Sacrament Meeting Talks
Talks in sacrament meeting are cemented into our culture, but that doesn't mean they're always winners.
How many sacrament meeting talks can you remember?
I mean, not just remember that they happened. But remember who gave them and what they were about. Remember specific things the person said. These would be talks that were so impactful that they stuck with you, and they still stick with you today—months or years or decades later.
I think my number is less than five. I remember one that was a really good talk about the atonement, given by someone who had a painful life-long disease. I remember another one because I found out afterward that the young person who gave it was actually a star in a kid’s TV show (we lived in southern California at the time). But beyond that, not a lot are coming to mind. Including the ones given this past week. I just can’t remember what they were about.
Someone who attends sacrament meeting every week will probably hear 100-150 talks over the course of one year. As a 40-year-old who has been in the Church my whole life, that means I’ve probably heard 4,000-6,000 sacrament meeting talks in total. I try to pay attention and listen to the talks each week, but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that not every talk is great. Some aren’t even good. The people giving them are trying their hardest, but we’re not all gifted speakers or gospel experts, and as a result we get a lot of talks that are hard to listen to.
The way our sacrament meetings are run is not doctrine. It’s a matter of Church policy and tradition, so I don’t mind speculating about how they could change for the better.
I asked a few questions on my Instagram along these lines, and got some great response. Thanks to everyone who voted1—I was fascinated to see how these turned out! I asked 1) if we should have professional preachers, as opposed to us untrained speakers; 2) if talks should be on a volunteer basis, or if they should be assigned like they are now, and 3) if talk topics should be assigned, or if they should be up to the speaker.
Let’s jump in.
Not every sacrament meeting talk is great. Many don’t even get listened to.
Would we be better off if we had professional preachers?
Results: 19% Yes, 81% No.
The case for having professional preachers is, I think, quite strong. We’d see these benefits:
Thematic consistency throughout a sacrament meeting. Right now, with 2-3 speakers in the meeting, they may be assigned the same topic but go in very different directions. So instead of having a single, memorable takeaway from the meeting, we end up with a jumble.
Week-to-week continuity. A single preacher can build on what they taught the prior week, and continue to build on larger topics. Instead, we always have weeks that stand alone.
Actual training and skill in preaching and public speaking. I think we overlook this point because we don’t recognize what it would look like to have a real pro behind the pulpit. My gut is that we would remember more individual talks if they were delivered by someone skilled in giving a memorable talk. In a related thread on Reddit, a Church member added this:
One of the eye openers of attending a guest church once a month for the last year or so has been the disparity between how well prepared the sermons are in our church vs others. As much as we like to scoff at professional clergy the difference in quality is night and day. Nearly all the sermons I listened to would be among the best talks ever given in our sacrament meeting.
An assurance that the meeting will be Christ-centered. I saved the best for last. When we roll the dice with speakers from the congregation, you get a number of talks that are about things other than the Gospel, such as Church programs or the Constitution. A trained, professional preacher would keep things on target in a way that we just can’t with our current setup. And that would be refreshing.
That’s a lot of benefits, but the drawbacks are clear, too. One behavior we don’t generally get in our Church is people shopping around to find a church/preacher/pastor they like; you go to your assigned ward, and it is what it is. But if my assigned ward had the same preacher week after week and I didn’t like what they had to say, I might want to shop around. I might even drive a long way to hear a preacher I particularly liked.
I also got this comment on this question from the comefollowme_women account, which feels worth sharing:
In a world where we are inundated with professional content, I appreciate the honesty within the oddity that is community speakers trying their best.
The results of this poll (above) look like a runaway, and the idea of having professional preachers was soundly defeated. But don’t forget that ~20% think it’s a good idea, and that means that 1 out of 5 people think so!
I didn’t ask the question because I necessarily think we should switch to having professional preachers. But I also don’t think it would hurt us to try to get the most we can out of our sacrament meeting time. That could include training, or other ways to put our best food forward.
Which leads into the next poll.
Not everyone is comfortable with public speaking. Some people dread getting asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting.
Should talks be on a volunteer basis, or assigned like they are now?
Results: 55% Assigned (like now), 45% volunteer
I asked this question because it connects so cleanly with the obligation culture we’ve built for ourselves in the Church. There’s an assumption that we have to accept any calling extended to us, for example. And there’s an assumption that you have to accept an invitation to give a talk, even if it gives you anxiety to do so.
But, ignore the results of the voting. The poll asked for one answer or the other—should talks be assigned, or volunteer—but the answer is probably somewhere in the middle. But this poll touched a nerve, and I got an overwhelming number of comments that the real answer is that it should be like it is now, with assigned talks, but that we should have a culturally acceptable way to decline. A few of the comments (emphasis added):
How about assigned with the very clear message you can say no. I don’t want to keep hearing from the same few people (and you know it’s going to be peppered with those you don’t want to hear from, ever). (Heather Martinez)
I think everyone has a right to say no, even if it’s difficult or uncomfortable to do so. What we risk by being only volunteer is losing a lot of great speakers who wouldn’t maybe volunteer! (Claire Pincock)
Not volunteer! People who love to hear themselves talk would be speaking all the time 🤣 but saying no should be normalized for sure! (Joanna Taggart)
I like the diversity of voices and volunteering wouldn’t allow for that, but the current way of doing things has some issues. Assigned would be ok if there was real consent involved in the process. I know a lot of people don’t feel like they can say no, they get assigned topics they’re not comfortable with, or some other factor. If it were more of a conversation than an assignment from someone with more authority than you, I would feel more comfortable with the process. (Catherine Flores)
Extreme social anxiety is real. We should get to decline without guilt! (James Helton)
I don't think it's as simple as one or the other. I'm not comfortable speaking in sacrament meeting, so I don't like being assigned. But volunteer you might not get enough people or the same people over and over again which could also Lead into other problems. I think it's more about getting away from the culture of pressure and "supposed to" say yes. I'd be a lot more open to an open conversation (including with callings). I could say "I'm not comfortable talking in sacrament meeting, but I'm very happy to serve in XYZ". If I knew I wouldnt be guilt tripped or pressured into something, being asked to serve in a calling or speak in sacrament meeting would be a lot less scary. Maybe a better way would be instead of saying "will you speak in sacrament meeting on (date)" how about "how do you feel about giving a talk in sacrament meeting?" and going from there. (Shelby Ane Hawkes)
I agree with the comments. Nobody should feel that pressure.
Last question:
Should speaking topics be assigned (so important topics get covered)?
Or should speakers get to choose, so they speak about what they’re passionate about?
Results: 38% Topics assigned, 62% Speakers choose
I have no problem with speakers being given a potential topic; that’s probably a great place to start for many people. But I suspect that plenty of people have something to say, as well, and I like the idea of hearing what someone’s passionate about, and has been learning and studying about. The votes seem to back this up; just over half the group agrees with letting the speaker select the topic.
But I’d like to share one comment that was given on this poll, which immediately brought things back to earth for me, and is a good reminder for all of us:
I could go either way on this one, but whether they get to choose the topic or are assigned, I think it’s important to have speakers tie anything they are talking about back to Jesus Christ. So they could talk about “the law of tithing and the atonement of Jesus Christ” or “sharing the gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ” but it should all be centered on Christ at its core 😊 (Naomi McAllister Noorda)
I couldn’t agree with this more—and the reminder is probably all the more needed when people choose their own topics. The reason for wanting good and memorable talks at all is to better learn the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to be inspired by the promptings of the Holy Ghost as we do. If there are changes we can make to our meetings that help us do those things better. Everything else is just window dressing.
Ultimately, we have so much inertia around cultural touchstones like sacrament meeting talks that I don’t expect much to change anytime soon. But the good thing about these tweaks is that they don’t require Church-wide change. An empathetic bishopric member can make it clear that saying “no” to giving a talk is okay. They can give the option of speaking on the topic of their choice. I guess the only thing they can’t do is hire a professional preacher.
I’m going to try to pay good attention in sacrament meeting this week. Hopefully the talks are good, and Christ-centered. And if they’re not, well… there are thousands more where that came from.
I make no claim to statistical significance or sound methodology. This is a convenience sample of people who follow my Instagram account.