Ward (Mormonism) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a ward is the larger of two types of local congregations (the smaller being a branch). A ward is presided over by a bishop, the equivalent of a pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

in other religions. As with all church leadership, the bishop is considered lay clergy and as such is not paid. Two counselors serve with the bishop to help with administrative duties of the ward and also preside in the absence of the bishop. A branch is presided over by a branch president who may or may not have one or two counselors, depending on the size of the branch.

Historical Origin

The term ward originally referred to the political subdivision of some of the municipalities in the Mid-western United States where members of the LDS Church resided, and in particular the political organization of Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...

in the 1840s. Bishops were assigned duties and responsibility over specific ward boundaries in these cities, and over time individual congregations were defined by these boundaries. After the Mormon Exodus to Utah, this same terminology was preserved in the establishment of communities throughout the western USA. Indeed, voting districts of several Utah communities still follow the historical boundaries of their original LDS congregations. Due to the religious connection of this term, traditional Mormon pioneer communities generally do not use the term ward to define voting districts for political purposes.

Wards

A ward typically consists of 200 to 500 active church members in an area with a reasonable travel time of the meetinghouse ("reasonable" will vary between countries and regions). A stake may be organized if there are at least three ward-sized branches in adjacent areas. Once the stake has been organized, the ward-sized branches are organized into wards. If there are not sufficient congregations in an area to form a stake, a district

District (LDS Church)

A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...

(analogous to but smaller than a stake) is formed to oversee local congregations. In areas where there are greater numbers of active church members (such as urban and suburban areas in Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

), the area of a ward can be as small as 0.25 square mile (0.6474970275 km²) or 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²).

When a ward grows to a certain size, the ward will be divided. Generally, if both geographic divisions are in a reasonable distance of the meetinghouse, then they will meet at the same building, but at different times. Most ward buildings are designed to house up to three or four wards.

Individuals can find out what ward they reside in by either talking to a local LDS leader or by using the meetinghouse locator tool on the church's webpage. This tool will also determine if there are any singles wards (see below) or special language wards that serve the area.

Unlike most religions, members are required to attend the specific ward they reside in and are not allowed to choose to attend a different congregation that meets in a different place or at a more convenient time. There are some exceptions to this rule (see below) but for the most part members are not allowed to shop for a different ward that is more convenient for them, or that has one where they might attend with friends or relatives, or that has a more likeable leader.

Singles wards

Singles wards are set up in areas with high populations of single adults. Young Single Adult (YSA) wards are intended for single members ages 18 through 30, and Single Adult (SA) wards are for single members over the age of 30. Despite Mormon teachings of getting married and multiplying and replenishing the earth (having children), non-custodial parents may also be members of these wards on a case-by-case basis. These wards provide young LDS singles the opportunity to serve in offices of the church. Members are taught the same principles of the gospel as that of a traditional ward, while receiving attention particular to their spiritual needs.

Singles wards are different in that they overlap several other regular wards geographically, even crossing stake

Stake (Mormonism)

A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...

boundaries. Single adult members may choose to attend the singles ward or their regular "home" ward; otherwise, the church strongly discourages the regular attendance of, and disallows the transfer of membership records to, regular wards other than the one to which the member's residence is assigned.

Since it is a doctrinal requirement that the bishop

Bishop (Mormonism)

Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. A bishop is usually the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations,...

of a ward must be married, this man will typically be called from another ward of the host stake of the singles ward. Men to fill the other positions in the bishopric (two counselors, an executive secretary and one or more ward clerks) may also be called from other wards in the stake or may be called from the members in the singles ward.

A primary goal of a singles ward is to provide its members the chance to meet other singles of the opposite sex and eventually to be married. Singles in a certain area can then more easily find other singles of similar interests and beliefs, and eventually find a spouse.

Home Evening groups are groups for young single adults and single adults in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that conduct activities similar to those practiced in Family Home Evening

Family Home Evening

Family Home Evening or Family Night, in the context of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, refers to one evening per week, usually Monday, that families are encouraged to spend together in study, prayer and other wholesome activities...

. Although there may be Home Evening groups wherever there are LDS wards, they are more prominent in LDS singles wards. The groups are sometimes led by a young man and a young woman, often jokingly referred to as the Home Evening group "mom" and "dad."

YSA ward culture was portrayed and parodied in the 2002 movie

LDS cinema

LDS or Mormon cinema typically refers to films with themes relevant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though the terminology has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers...

The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

.

YSA wards

In 2011, YSA ward and stakes were reorganized and realigned to remove the distinction of a "student" ward from a traditional YSA ward. Previously, YSA wards were organized as either college/university wards or traditional YSA wards. At colleges and universities with large LDS populations, student wards were organized to serve the needs of students in attending these schools. In 2011, these wards were realigned to become YSA wards, removing the distinction of "student vs. other" and allowing YSAs, regardless of student status, to belong to a YSA unit. In areas where there are large concentrations of YSA wards, YSA stakes are formed. Formerly, when one or more wards were formed for the students of a college or university, separate wards were usually formed for single and married students. In such university wards and stakes, the ward bishops and the members of the stake presidency are usually filled by men called from adjacent stakes. (Because of the 2011 realignment of these units, married student wards were disbanded and these members asked to join their local geographic ward or branch.)

Language wards

Much like singles wards, and also with administrative approval, wards may be established in geographic areas which contain a high population of Church members whose native language is different from the local language (such as adjacent to U.S. military bases or in metropolitan areas which have larger numbers of immigrant/second-language users). Additionally, there are also wards for Deaf members where American Sign Language

American Sign Language

American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

is the primary language used. Services in these wards are conducted entirely in the target language. Colloquialisms such as "a Spanish ward" or "a Chinese ward," for example, refer solely to the language spoken, and not the race or ethnicity of the members welcome (e.g., there are no "Mexican wards"). However, in practice, different wards are sometimes made for different ethnic backgrounds or national origins, even though there is no difference in the language used. There used to be wards or missions that were designated based on race, such as Indian wards or Indian missions for native Americans.

Branch

A congregation that is in a district or that is too small to be a ward may be organized as a Branch of the Church. Branches may be organized in stakes, but wards may not be organized in districts. Branches in a district fall under the jurisdiction of the mission president

Missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...

.

Branches may also be formed for single adults, young single adults (YSA), foreign-language or jail/prison

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

/half-way house

Halfway house

The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...

inmates where there is a need for such special interests but there are too few individuals to form a ward. As in the ward, the branch president in a single adult, YSA, or prison branch will be called from the stake or district in which the branch is organized. Because of the nature of prison branches, all positions of authority will be called from outside of the branch.

Some branches are set up in nursing homes with meetings held on-site for people who cannot travel to a meetinghouse. In these branches, leaders are also called from the local stake.

Organization

The main organizations (called auxiliaries

Auxiliary organization (LDS Church)

An auxiliary organization is a secondary body of church government within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is "established for moral, educational, and benevolent purposes." As their name suggests, LDS Church auxiliary organizations are ancillary to the governing power of the...

) of a ward that are overseen directly by the Bishop are the Relief Society

Relief Society

The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...

(the LDS Women's organization), the Young Men and Young Women organizations, the Primary (the children's organization) and the Sunday School. In branches, these organizations are filled as there are sufficient active members to fill these positions.

Those men ordained to the priesthood

Priesthood (Mormonism)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority of God, including the authority to act as a leader in the church and to perform ordinances, and the power to perform miracles. A body of priesthood holders is referred to as a quorum.Priesthood denotes elements...

are organized into quorums

Quorum (Mormonism)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, a quorum is a group of people ordained or endowed with priesthood authority, and organized to act together as a body. The idea of a quorum was established by Joseph Smith, Jr...

by priesthood office. The offices of the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood (typically males 12 to 18 years of age) are organized and overseen by the bishop of the ward (or branch president in a branch). Usually, there are separate quorums for deacons (12 and 13 year olds), teachers (14 and 15 year olds) and priests

Priest (Mormonism)

Priest is a priesthood office in the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Priests in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:...

(16 years old and older). Offices of the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood (Elders and High Priests

High priest (Mormonism)

In most denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, a high priest is a member of the priesthood within the Melchizedek priesthood order. High priests are typically older and more seasoned leaders within the priesthood. The term derives in part from the Epistle to the Hebrews which describes...

) within individual wards and branches are advised by the Bishop but overseen by the Stake President. Within districts

District (LDS Church)

, offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood within individual branches are advised by the Branch President but overseen by the District President under the direction of the Mission President

Mission president

Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...

. Within a branch, priesthood quorums may be formed or all priesthood holders may meet together, as numbers permit.

The priesthood is central to, and directs the church and its auxiliaries. All auxiliaries are considered appendages to the priesthood.

The bishopric, the elders quorum president, the high priest group leader, and the ward mission leader meet as the Priesthood Executive Committee

Priesthood Executive Committee

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Priesthood Executive Committee consists of the bishopric of a ward and the elders quorum president, the high priest group leader, the ward mission leader and the Young Men President...