Great sacrament meetings services start with great planning. The ward council (which includes the bishopric) suggests themes and speakers. The bishopric confirms the topics and invites the members to speak. How that invitation to speak is extended and how bishoprics follow up are critical. How we prepare someone to speak in sacrament meeting should be commensurate with the sacredness of the meeting.

May I share some practical tips I've learned about inviting sacrament speakers through my own good and bad experiences?

1. Make the initial invitation to speak in person

If you can’t make the invitation in person, at least, make it over the phone so they can hear your real voice. Texting and email are just too casual and do not convey the spirit of what we are trying to accomplish. Don’t hesitate to share your testimony of the speaker’s topic to help set the spiritual tone for their preparation. Express sincere confidence in the brother or sister and in their ability to prepare and deliver their message.

2. Send them written guidelines

Provide an email follow-up to the speaker very quickly after the invitation is accepted. This email reiterates the topic, links to suggested reference material, and provides an opportunity for a little training. Here are examples of written invitations that 3 different bishoprics have used (feel free to copy/paste and adjust for your own use):

Example 1:

Dear Brother/Sister ___________,

This email is just to follow-up on the sacrament meeting speaking assignment you so kindly accepted for [insert date].

Please plan for a _____ minute talk on the topic of _____________.

We suggest the following conference talk or scriptures as primary reference material:

[links here] Remember, your talk is not about the conference talk(s) referenced, but about the theme of the conference talk.

Given the sacred nature of our Sacrament Meeting worship, we suggest the following:

* Prepare spiritually. Prayerfully study the referenced talk(s) and scriptures. Seek inspiration to be guided in what you teach.

* Teach and testify of the truths you are sharing. Stick to the assigned topic as guided by the Spirit. Tie the topic back to Christ, his love and his atonement. Invite us to act!

* Please avoid using visual aides, sharing how or when the bishopric invited you to speak or how you prepared your talk. Don't apologize for any nervousness or inadequacies you feel. In a sacrament meeting setting, we do not invite the congregation to open their scriptures as we might in a classroom.

* Please respect the time for the other speakers and conclude on time. You may need to practice delivering your talk at home to get the timing right.

Thanks again for your willingness to speak in Sacrament Meeting. We know you will be blessed as you prepare and deliver your message.

With Love,

The Bishopric

Example 2:

(From Justin Sorensen)

Thank you for accepting the assignment to speak in the ________ Ward Sacrament meeting on [insert date]. The program will be as follows (assigned topics are included):

- Administration of the Sacrament

- (Youth Speaker Name) - Topic (____ minutes)

- (Speaker Name) - Topic (____ minutes)

- Intermediate Hymn

- (Speaker Name) - Topic (____ minutes)

- (Speaker Name) - Topic (balance of the meeting until ________)

As we discussed, with the number of speakers we have it will be important to pay attention to the amount of time you are allotted to speak. Please plan accordingly.

Just a few reminders from the Church Handbook about speaking in Sacrament meeting, please remember to:

1) Teach the doctrines of the gospel

2) Relate faith-promoting experiences

3) Bear witness of divinely revealed truths

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