Masonic Grand Lodge Communications Vs The Church's General Conferences

For those of you who have never heard of grand lodge communications, here is a brief summary of what they are and what they entail.

A grand lodge communication is a meeting for all Freemasons within a grand lodge's jurisdiction. Depending on the jurisdiction, it can be divided into multiple consecutive days; in Utah, for example, it typically is held over the course of a Friday and Saturday towards the beginning of the year. During this meeting, the following can be expected:
  • Introductions of grand lodge officers from other jurisdictions.
  • New or modified legislation to be voted upon.
    • Examples include:
      • Changes in ritual.
      • Recognition or suspension of recognition of another grand lodge.
      • Changes in grand lodge by-laws, rules, and regulations.
      • Changes in the by-laws, rules, and regulations for local lodges as required by the grand lodge.
  • Educational lectures and presentations.
  • Elections of grand lodge officers for the ensuing year.
    • Grand Master
    • Deputy Grand Master
    • Grand Senior Warden
    • Grand Junior Warden
    • Grand Secretary
    • Grand Treasurer
    • (all other grand lodge officers are appointed by the newly elected grand master)
While any recognized Mason in good standing may attend, voting is limited to such who are within its jurisdiction:
  • Grand lodge officers
    • Past or present
  • Worshipful masters
    • Past or present
  • Wardens
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, elements of what an annual communication entails will seem similar to the Church's semi-annual General Conference, including:
  • Sustaining of Church officers.
  • Announcements concerning:
    • Policy.
    • Revelation.
    • Callings of new General Authorities.
    • New temples.
    • New missions.
    • Etc.
  • Talks/sermons given.
The principal differences are:
  • The subject matter, context, and purposes.
    • A Masonic communication will focus on matters related specifically to its corresponding grand lodge jurisdiction.
    • The Church's General Conference will focus solely on matters related specifically to the spiritual edification of its members worldwide.
  • Frequency.
    • The Church's General Conference is semi-annual, taking place for the first Saturday and Sunday of every April and October.
    • Masonic Communications are annual; dates vary depending on grand lodge jurisdiction.
  • Voting
    • Members of the Church do not vote on new policies (although we do vote on doctrine when it is presented).
    • Some Masons do vote on new policies, legislation, etc.
  • Requirements for admission differ:
    • For Masonic Communications, one must:
      • Be a Mason in good standing from:
        • The jurisdiction of the grand lodge to which the Communication pertains, or
        • A regularly recognized jurisdiction.
      • Register prior to the published deadline.
        • There may be registration fees.
      • Extreme circumstances (i.e. a global pandemic) may result in participation being strictly virtual.
    • For the Church's Semi-Annual General Conference:
      • Non-members may attend.
      • Tickets must be obtained ahead-of-time
        • Tickets are free.
        • Tickets may be obtained from a local bishop or stake president.
      • Members and non-members may also watch online, on BYUtv's channel, or at one of the Church's designated meetinghouses.
Various of the groups appendant/concordant to Freemasonry also have meetings similar to grand lodge communications. One example is the York Rite Grand Sessions, wherein the three bodies (or groups) that compose the York Rite go over possible changes for legislation, by-laws, etc. and elect new officers for the ensuing year.

It would be incorrect, however, to assume that the Church copied the idea of General Conference from Freemasonry given that the very first General Conference was held on June 9, 1830 (History of the Church), over a decade before Freemasonry had any influence on the Church.

On August 1, 2020, we actually had Utah Grand York Rite Sessions over Zoom, where we elected new officers for the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Utah, Grand Council Cryptic Masons of Utah, and Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the State of Utah. It ran about 7 hours in total; honestly, it didn't feel that long. I was tired afterward, sure, but I very much enjoyed it. It makes me look forward to attending the Grand York Rite Sessions in-person one day, which I have not yet had the pleasure of doing as of the date that this blog post was published.

Works Cited
History of the Church, Vol. 1, Chapter 9, p. 84-86

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