“Come, Follow Me—For Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings,” Liahona, October 2017

Come, Follow Me—For Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings

Starting January 2018

Introducing a new Sunday experience for adults

First Presidency — For years, we have studied the *Teachings of Presidents of the Church* series. In 2018, we will begin using general conference messages to focus our study on the teachings of living prophets, apostles, and other Church leaders.

identify needs — Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers

A New Sunday Experience

In January 2018, Sunday meetings for Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Societies will change. These changes involve the materials we use—the Teachings of Presidents of the Church series will be replaced with a greater emphasis on learning from general conference messages, counseling together, and studying special topics selected by our general leaders.

But the most meaningful change has to do with how we use these materials to accomplish the true purposes of our Sunday meetings.

The Purposes of Our Meetings

God has organized His covenant sons and daughters into priesthood quorums and Relief Societies to help accomplish His work. Something powerful happens when we gather under the direction of those holding priesthood keys. So while gospel instruction is important, Sunday priesthood and Relief Society meetings are more than classes. They are also working meetings where we learn together from general conference messages, counsel about the work of salvation, and organize to accomplish the work. The changes coming in 2018 will help us fulfill these purposes.

Questions and Answers

Is this change a new curriculum—or something more? The new materials may look like a curriculum, but they are also a catalyst for Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Societies to increase their participation in God’s work and in meeting local needs. This change provides a forum for identifying, counseling about, and meeting those needs.

What will we focus on during Sunday meetings? Starting in November 2017, general conference issues of the Liahona and Ensign will include materials to be used in Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Sunday meetings. Two monthly meetings will focus on conference messages, and leaders and teachers will be given ideas for helping members discuss and apply those messages. First Sundays will be spent in counseling together to meet local needs and fourth Sundays in studying a topic selected by our general leaders. See the monthly meeting schedule on the other side of this page.

What does it mean to counsel together about local needs? Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Societies “sit in council” (D&C 107:89) on the first Sunday of each month. Under the direction of priesthood or Relief Society leaders, first-Sunday meetings are used to identify local needs and counsel together about how to meet those needs. Possible topics for first-Sunday councils include how to improve communication with family members, serve in the community, and mentor youth in the ward or branch. In subsequent meetings, the quorum, group, or Relief Society follows up on impressions and actions.

Is this curriculum the same as Come, Follow Me for youth? Although the topics and materials of Come, Follow Me—For Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings are different from those of Come, Follow Me for youth, the teaching and learning approach is the same. For more information about gospel learning and teaching, see Teaching in the Savior’s Way at teaching.lds.org.

I’m not a teacher. Do I need to subscribe to the Liahona or Ensign? Your experience will be richer if you read the general conference messages and bring them to your Sunday meetings. You can access the messages digitally at conference.lds.org and on the Gospel Library app or by subscribing to the Liahona or Ensign (see store.lds.org).

What if a general conference magazine isn’t available in my language? General conference messages are available in many languages at conference.lds.org and on the Gospel Library app, and curriculum materials will be available at ComeFollowMe.lds.org. If your language doesn’t receive the new curriculum materials either online or in a magazine, see Instructions for Curriculum, 2018 for additional information.

When do we begin to study new general conference messages? You will begin to study the October 2017 conference messages in January 2018. After that, your local leaders will decide when to begin using messages from the next conference—likely in May and November of each year.

Who chooses which general conference messages we study? Your local leaders counsel together about which conference messages will best meet the needs of your quorum, group, or Relief Society. A high priests group, elders quorum, and Relief Society in the same ward or branch might study different messages in order to meet different needs.

Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Sunday Schedule

Beginning in January 2018

	Topic	Led by
First Sunday	Counseling together about local needs	Presidency or group leadership
Second and Third Sundays	Recent general conference message	Presidency or group leadership or a called teacher
Fourth Sunday	Specific topic chosen by general Church leaders	Presidency or group leadership or a called teacher
Fifth Sunday	Topic chosen by the bishopric	Bishopric or someone they assign

Instructions for these meetings will be found in the November issue of the Liahona and Ensign, in the Gospel Library app, and at ComeFollowMe.lds.org.