What Is LDS General Conference?

LDS General Conference is a twice-yearly gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—held in April and October—during which the prophet, apostles, and other general church leaders address members from around the world. For Latter-day Saints, General Conference ranks among the most significant spiritual events of the year, second only to personal scripture study and temple work.

The main conference is held in Salt Lake City at the Conference Center, a massive auditorium with 21,000 seats, but the broadcast reaches over 100 million people worldwide in more than 100 languages. Participants include presidents of stakes and missions, general authorities from dozens of countries, and members gathering in chapels, homes, and streaming online.

What Is General Conference?

General Conference is the church's official gathering for spiritual instruction and direction from its leadership. The prophet speaks, setting the tone and direction for the entire church. The apostles and other general leaders address specific topics—family, youth, priesthood responsibilities, temple work, missionary service, personal revelation, repentance, and more. Sessions are interspersed with music from the Tabernacle Choir and smaller musical groups. Members listen, take notes, and often refer back to the talks throughout the year.

Talks become part of the church's official record, published in the Ensign magazine (English) and Liahona (other languages), and studied in sacrament meeting lessons, Relief Society, elders quorum, and Sunday school classes the following 6 months.

When and Where Is It Held?

General Conference happens the first full weekend of April and the first full weekend of October each year, centered in Salt Lake City. Each conference spans Friday evening through Sunday afternoon (though the Saturday evening priesthood session is traditionally for men only, and the structure has evolved over time). The Conference Center, built in 1999, can hold 21,000 people in the main auditorium, with overflow areas and thousands of satellite centers worldwide.

Who Speaks at General Conference?

The prophet always speaks, opening and closing the conference. The apostles—currently 12 of them—each typically speak once or twice. General presidents of the Relief Society, Young Men, Young Women, Primary, and Sunday School speak to their respective organizations. Regional leaders, missionaries, and occasionally converts or members with unique testimonies may also address the conference. The mix of voices—some speaking on doctrine, others on personal experience—creates a rich tapestry of spiritual instruction.

Speakers are assigned topics by the First Presidency, and the talks reflect the church's current emphasis. In recent conferences, topics have included mental health, the importance of marriage and family, church correlation and unity, missionary work, and Christ-centered devotion.

How to Watch General Conference

General Conference is free and accessible in multiple formats: - **ChurchofJesusChrist.org** (official church website): Stream live or on-demand, read transcripts - **BYUtv** (Brigham Young University television): Broadcast the sessions live - **YouTube**: Official Church of Jesus Christ channel streams all sessions - **Radio** (for some regions): Traditional radio broadcast for members without internet - **Mobile app**: The official LDS Tools app includes live-streaming and recordings - **Social media**: Short clips and highlights on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok

Members in many wards also gather at the chapel to watch together, creating a communal experience. General Conference also spawned a cultural tradition: "General Conference Bingo," where members mark off common phrases or themes from the talks (tongue-in-cheek fun, not irreverent).

Why Conference Talks Matter

Because talks are canonized—adopted as official church teaching—they carry weight beyond the moment. A single sentence from a General Conference talk can shape doctrine for decades. For example, Jeffrey R. Holland's 2013 talk "Like a Broken Vessel" on mental health and depression became one of the most shared talks in church history, validating the struggles of millions of members and signaling that the church understood their pain.

Talks become the basis of Sunday lessons. Teachers study the talks and extract principles to teach. Members are encouraged to listen with pencil in hand, marking phrases and writing personal insights. The result is that a General Conference talk can shape what is taught, discussed, and remembered in 30,000+ church buildings for months.

D&C 1:38 states: "Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." This scripture underpins the belief that the prophet's words—and by extension, the words of the apostles in General Conference—are received as revelation.

Amos 3:7 affirms: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."