Difference between revisions of "Wards"

Revision as of 13:56, 24 March 2006

The term "ward" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is used to describe a congregation. Wards are usually made up of between 300-350 members that live within a specific area. Wards are based on where you live, and unlike many other religions, members are discouraged from choosing the ward they like best and are encouraged to attend the ward whose boundaries they live within.

Each ward is set up to work in pretty much the same way. There is a bishop and his two counselors that preside over the ward. The bishopric is then responsible for organizing and asking people to fill the roles (known as callings) of the organizations within the ward, such as Relief Society, Young Men, Primary, and Sunday School. The entire ward meets together on Sundays for a three hour block. In most cases the block starts with Sacrament meeting followed by Sunday School, then the various groups divided by age and gender have classes. This schedule is not always followed, especially in areas where there is a large population of members such as on Church university campuses (see BYU or CES. Here time and a lack of building space may make it necessary to switch the order so that the largest number of wards have access to the building.

When a ward becomes too large, it is usually divided. Leaders of the Church try to keep wards within the 300-350 member range because it allows most of the members of the ward to have a calling. This system helps make every member feel needed within the ward and increases participation in the various activities. The limited number also allows the bishop and other leaders to get to know members individually.

Wards are encouraged to create an atmosphere where its members can get to know each other and learn to serve and love one another. Many people refer to wards as a ward family and this is the ideal. The ward is there to help build each person up within the Church. The members are to care for each other’s spiritual, emotional, and temporal needs. Virginia H. Pearce, who served in the Young Women’s General Presidency, stated in a conference talk,

Learning in groups is so important that Heavenly Father planned for us to be born into a group—the most basic, most hallowed, and most powerful group on earth: the family. We have heard good counsel about the family in these past two days. I would like to build on that by talking about the ward or branch family—the basic ecclesiastical unit to which we all belong as members of the Church of Jesus Christ. For simplicity this afternoon, I will use the word ward to include both wards and branches, since they both serve the same purposes. Wards are not designed to replace the family unit, but to support the family and its righteous teachings. A ward is another place where there is enough commitment and energy to form a sort of “safety net” family for each of us when our families cannot or do not provide all of the teaching and growing experiences we need to return to Heavenly Father (“Ward and Branch Families: Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan for Us,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 79).

For More Information visit Lightplanet.com's article about LDS Wards

To find an LDS ward near you visit the LDS Church's Meetinghouse Locator