LDS Sermons
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there are no paid preachers, and unlike most churches, members of the congregation take turns teaching each other. Within the Church when a person speaks to a group of members, their speech is called a talk. Talks are given in Sacrament meetings, firesides and other special occasions like baptisms.
In Sacrament meeting talks take up the majority of the time. Three to four people are usually asked to speak, and the talk can range anywhere from two to thirty minutes. There is often a youth speaker (a member of the ward between the ages of 12 and 17) and many times a married couple will speak together although this is not always the case. A member of the Bishopric usually asks these people to give talks and provides them with a topic such as family, or the temple. Talks are not considered doctrine or official statements of the Church, because the individual is not authorized to speak for the Church. However talks can benefit others by teaching from the scriptures, relating teachings of the prophet and stories from Church history, or by relating personal experiences that will help others in the congregation.
Members of the Bishopric do not just go down their membership list and have each person speak, instead the choice of speakers is either inspired or based on tradition. Usually, within the Church, new members of the ward are asked to give talks shortly after they move in. It is usually requested that they tell a little bit about themselves before giving the talk. Members of the ward who have received callings in leadership positions are also often asked to speak before or just after beginning their new calling. For example, often when a new relief society presidency is called or when a new bishopric is announced the following week all three give a talk in Sacrament meeting. It is also kind of a tradition in the Church to have missionaries that have just been called to the mission field or who have just returned from the mission field give talks in Sacrament meeting.
Members are encouraged to ponder the message of their talks and pray to be guided to say the things the Lord wants the members of the ward to hear. There are numerous stories within the Church about how a person’s talk was the answer to someone’s prayer, or that a talk helped the speaker with a doctrine they were struggling with.
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