Signature Mormon conference held online
SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat 6 feet apart inside an empty room as the faith carried out its signature conference Saturday by adhering to social distancing guidelines that offered a stark reminder of how the global coronavirus pandemic is affecting religious practices.
Their livestreamed speeches didn’t dwell heavily on the pandemic as they instead stuck to plans made last year to make the conference a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of events that led to the creation of the church by founder Joseph Smith. Speakers discussed at length the tenets he established, including why men have priesthood powers but not women.
Church President Russell M. Nelson also unveiled a new church logo that continued his push to rebrand how the faith is known and recognized around the world. The new symbol features a drawing of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s marble Christus statue under an arch and on top of the church name with the words “Jesus Christ” larger than the rest.
Nelson, who took the helm in 2018, has made a concerted effort to get the world to use the full church name rather than shorthand monikers such as “Mormon church” and “LDS church” that previous presidents embraced and promoted. He has renamed the choir and changed names of websites and social media accounts to show he’s serious.
“When we remove the Lord’s name from the name of his church, we inadvertently remove him as the central focus of our worship and our lives,” said Nelson, explaining the logo.
The conference, which will continue Sunday, is the faith’s first without a crowd in attendance since World War II, when wartime travel restrictions were in place.
Church leaders gave their speeches from inside a small auditorium in Salt Lake City with fewer than 10 people in the room. Normally, top leaders sit side by side on stage with the religion’s well-known choir behind them and about 20,000 people attending each of the five sessions over two days in a cavernous conference center. There is no choir this weekend.
Nelson acknowledged the unusual circumstances and the impact COVID-19 is having on the world during his opening speech. In his second speech that capped off the night session, he called for church members to fast and pray April 10, or Good Friday, so the pandemic can be controlled and the economy strengthened.
Like other religions, the pandemic has brought regular worship practices to a halt. The faith has closed its temples and churches and brought home thousands of missionaries.
Nelson said the pandemic is one of life’s trials along with accidents, natural disasters and unexpected personal heartaches.
“How can we endure such trials? The Lord has told us that ‘if ye are prepared ye shall not fear,’ ” Nelson said. “Of course, we can store our own reserves of food, water, and savings. But equally crucial is our need to fill our personal spiritual storehouses with faith, truth and testimony.”
Nelson is 95 years old, his first counselor Dallin H. Oaks is 87 and his second counselor Henry B. Eyring is 86.
New church figures unveiled Saturday show membership grew to nearly 16.6 million worldwide in 2019, a 1.5 percent increase from 2018 and the first time membership had increased since 2012.
The number of new births among church families continued to decline, however. For the fifth consecutive year, Latter-day Saint parents have smaller families like others in society.
Touching on the conference theme, church leader M. Russell Ballard spoke about why Smith went to the woods of upstate New York in 1820 as a teenager where Smith says he had a vision of God and Jesus Christ.
“Joseph came to realize that the Bible did not contain all the answers to life’s questions; rather, it taught men and women how they could find answers to their questions by communicating directly with God through prayer,” said Ballard, a member of a top governing panel called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.