Church’s general conference will feature women’s session, some in-person attendance

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be able to gather at the Conference Center again in April to attend general conference in-person, after four consecutive conferences were held almost completely remotely.

The announcement was made Friday in a letter from the church’s First Presidency, which also noted that a session for Latter-day Saint women will return during April’s conference.

“In-person attendance at the general conference sessions will be limited due to the extensive construction taking place on and around Temple Square,” the letter states. The church did not specify how many people will be allowed to attend.

A limited number of tickets for the conference will be distributed through stakes and districts in the United States and Canada. The letter also noted that local gatherings to watch general conference at meetinghouses can be held at the discretion of local church leaders.

The five sessions of general conference will be held on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3.

Women’s conference

In addition to allowing some in-person attendance, the First Presidency announced that there will be a women’s session of general conference on Saturday evening, April 2.

All women and young women are invited to participate in that session, including those who turn 12 during this year.

Saturday evening sessions of general conference were previously alternated between a session for women as part of the conference in October and a session for priesthood holders as part of the conference in April. The church announced in July that the Saturday evening sessions would become general sessions of conference open to all.

Conference during COVID-19

The church announced on March 11, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to shut down large events, that general conference would be distributed digitally and there would not be any option to attend the conference in-person.

The first general conference sessions during the pandemic were broadcast from the Conference Center Theater and videos of choir performances from previous conference sessions were played as musical numbers. The 191st Semiannual General Conference in October 2021 returned to the Conference Center’s main auditorium, with limited attendance including speaker’s families and choirs provided live music, including the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

The vast majority of church members have long participated in general conference digitally through internet, television and satellite broadcasts, even before the pandemic. The conference messages are made available to Latter-day Saints throughout the world.

“General conference provides an opportunity to receive personal revelation as living prophets and other general church leaders give counsel and direction. We encourage members to listen to, study, and apply the counsel given,” the First Presidency’s letter says.

The 192nd Annual General Conference will also be available remotely through the church’s website, the General Conference YouTube channel, the Gospel Library App or at KSL.com, KSL-TV Ch. 5 and KSL NewsRadio.