Sunday, November 18, 2018

2 Hour Church = 1 Hour Primary

As a member of my ward's Primary presidency, I was eager to see how the new two-hour church schedule would affect Primary.
In a sense, there will be nothing new (during the Sunday block). There will actually be less (for example, no more Sharing Time).
The most dramatic thing I noticed about the new schedule is how it shifted the proportion of time spent in different areas.
To me, the new proportions emphasize three very important things:

  1. Taking the sacrament. Even young children who ignore the speakers take notice of the sacrament. The entire sacrament meeting will be half of a child (or adult's) church worship experience.
  2. Singing Time. As you can see in the circle chart I made, learning and singing gospel songs is nearly a quarter of a child's church experience each Sunday. (The chart I made includes the 5 minute opening with singing time, but there are several songs sung in sacrament meeting to balance that). For many children, the gospel is best learned through music. Music has a power to touch hearts in a way that lectures cannot. Gospel songs are also more likely to be hummed and remembered into the week. In fact, once a song is thoroughly learned, its power can unexpectedly reenter a person's life years in the future.
  3. Class time. A 20 minute class is superior to a 20 minute sharing time in many ways. By being in a small class setting, young children are more likely to feel the love of their teachers, have opportunities to participate, and therefore pay better attention.
What are your thoughts about these changes?

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