The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is making a greater effort to make things more simple. Make things less of a burden and to carry out the work of the Lord with less of a check mark approach and more of taking action.
1. Less meetings: The old joke is that the 14th article of faith states:
"We believe in meetings, all that have been scheduled, all that are now scheduled, and we believe that there will be yet scheduled many great and important meetings. We have endured many meetings and hope to be able to endure all meetings. Indeed we may say that if there is a meeting, or anything that resembles a meeting, or anything that we might possibly turn into a meeting, we seek after these things."
Not really that true anymore! There are significantly less meetings than there have ever been in the church.
2. The name of the church: The church's official name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The old terms Mormon, Mormon Church or LDS church are no longer going to be used. This was a welcome changed.
3. Church Schedule: The church no longer will have 3 hours of Sunday worship service. There will be 2 hours of dedicated church service only. This is a very welcome change, especially to those with lots of children.
4. Missionary Restrictions Lightened: Missionary service is very different from 20 years ago.
1. Use the internet beyond just email
2. Set their own schedules with guidance from the mission president
3. They can leave at age 18 if graduated from high school and sisters can leave at age 19
4. Missionaries can use cellular phones to contact and work with investigators
5. Missionaries serving in certain areas are no longer required to purchase suits
6. Sister missionary dress is a lot less restrictive and clarified better
7. Missionaries are given great ability to teach in their own words
There are many more changes for missionaries.
5. BYUTV: 15 years ago if it was not general conference it was not on BYUTV. BYUTV is slowly becoming what Nickelodeon used to be. They have games showed, variety shows, popular movies, TV shows like Tricked, Studio C and others.
BYUTV would never have even been considered by the church years ago. It would have been looked at as evil and going against the grain. In 2002 the only thing on BYUTV was general conference and Simply Living---which should have been called Simply Guilting, as it just had some perfectly dressed mega mom telling everyone how we are doing everything wrong---This is also a welcome change, people need to have good media to watch in today's world or they will go find something to watch that is of the world.
6. Combined Priesthood: Having the Elders Quorum being one Quorum was an amazing change that will allow for much good to be done in the world.
7. Women's Meeting and Priesthood Rotate: This is a great change because it allows the Men and the Women to take turns baby sitting the children as they go out for the night.
More Changes to Come!
There are probably hundreds of small changes that will even go unnoticed like sustaining Elder's Quorum presidents in Sacrament meeting instead of in the Quorum, this just shows that the work of the Lord is progressing and there are actually good times ahead.
Keep a look at for amazing changes to come and you will see that the Lord really is guiding His church.