Mormon Time Commitments
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Essay first posted on this site 1 June 2022
Prior to coming out as a former Mormon, I had posted a series of essays about Mormonism. What follows is for the most part what I posted back in 2009 or 2010 about Mormon time commitments. Comments in a light-blue shaded boxes like this one are new.
Isn’t It About Time?
Not too long ago, I started a few threads at MormonApologetics.org dealing with what I see as similarities between the LDS Church and destructive cults.
MormonApologetics.org no longer exists.
I did this based primarily on my reading of two books on destructive cults by Steven Hassan. Hassan is a cult counselor and mind control expert who has developed what he calls the BITE (Behavior, Information, Thoughts, and Emotions) model to describe how destructive cults use mind control to manipulate their members. (Read about Hassan’s BITE model here.) The second item listed under the “Behavior” category of his model is,
“Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals”
I recently thought about trying to quantify the time demands of the LDS Church on its members. Here’s my analysis:
| Weekly Hrs. |
Description |
| 3.00 |
Sunday church meetings all members are expected to attend In January, 2019, the Church began meeting only two hours on regular Sundays.
|
| 1.17 |
Daily scripture study - personal (assumes 10 min/day) |
| 1.17 |
Daily scripture study - with family (assumes 10 min/day) |
| 1.00 |
Family home evening once per week |
| 1.00 |
Callings (volunteer jobs for the Church; assumes one hour per week, but much more time can be spent on some callings) |
| 0.25 |
Home teaching or visiting teaching (members are expected to visit other members on a monthly basis) |
| 0.25 |
Service projects (this could be much higher depending on local leadership and the desires of the individual member) |
| 0.70 |
Personal prayer, family prayer, prayer for meals (assumes 6 minutes/day) |
| 0.75 |
Monthly temple attendance including travel (3-hrs. including travel divided by 4) |
| 9.28 |
Total minimal weekly hours an active member may expect to spend in church activity. |
Nine hours per week is pretty significant, but here are some more things to consider:
- Children: Mormons are taught to multiply and replenish the earth. Taking care of many kids takes a lot of time and money. I know; I have five kids. The idea that “after the third kid, it doesn’t require more work” is complete malarkey in my estimation.
- Tithing and offerings: Mormons are expected to tithe 10% of their increase (income or earnings) as well as to pay other offerings.
- Women and work: Mormon women are encouraged not to work outside the home. This may create financial burdens or more time required at work for husbands.
- Leadership time: Local leadership positions are not paid and may require many more additional church service hours per month. The first time I was a Ward Mission Leader, I was told by the Stake Mission President that they expected me to spend about 10 hours per week on the calling.
- Youth awards: Mormon youth are expected to work on awards such as “Duty to God,” Boy Scout merit badges, and “Personal Progress.” The kids receive the awards, but typically parents spend a lot of time helping their kids with these achievements.
- Youth programs: Mormon adolescents are expected to attend weekly youth program meetings that typically last one or two hours per week.
- High school classes: Mormons are expected to attend seminary classes during the week when in high school.
- College classes: Mormons are expected to take Mormon religion classes when in college (institute at regular colleges or actual college religion classes at Mormon schools).
- Magazines: Church magazines are published for youth, adolescents, and adults that Mormons are expected to purchase and read.
- Stake conference: Twice a year the Church expects members to attend Stake conference. Instead of the normal three-hour Sunday meeting schedule, Stake conference weekend is 4 hours of meetings for all adults. Local leaders are also expected to attend a Stake leadership meeting that Saturday which is usually about 1½ hours in my Stake.
- General Conference: Twice a year the Church expects members to attend General Conference. Instead of the normal three-hour Sunday meeting schedule, General Conference weekend is 10 hours of meetings.
In January, 2019, the Church began meeting only two hours on regular Sundays.
- Young missionaries: Every worthy and able young man is expected to serve a two-year, full-time mission for the Church. The missionary and his family usually pay for this, though other members may pay for these missions too.
- Missionary couples: Retired couples are encouraged to serve full-time missions of varying duration. They too pay for the expenses themselves.
- Every member a missionary: Mormons are taught that every member (of the Church) is a missionary. In other words, all Mormons should be doing things to bring other people into the Church.
- Active in communities: Mormons are taught to be active in their communities.
- Genealogy: Not only are Mormons expected to attend the temple regularly, they are expected to do genealogy research on their ancestors so that temple work may be done for the ancestors vicariously. This research includes not only the often time-consuming gathering of statistics such as birth dates and places, but also the collection of information about what these people were like and experiences they had.
- Catch-all: As part of the temple ordinances, Mormons covenant to sacrifice and consecrate all to the Church. This implies that there is always something more that can be done for the Church. If 10 minutes of scripture study per day is acceptable, then 15 minutes per day is better. Why stop at five children when you could have seven or eight? Wouldn’t it be better to attend the temple weekly instead of only monthly? Why retire from employment early when you could pay at least twice the demanded 10% tithing and work for many more years?
I’m saddened by the amount of guilt I hear members express regarding things they believe they should be doing or doing better. I hear this from wonderful, salt-of-the-earth types who are doing wonderful things. I think the pressure to perform for the LDS Church tends to lead to burnout, depression, drug abuse, and strained family relations. The time demands may not be as high as for Moonies or some other destructive cults, but that doesn’t mean that the LDS Church’s expectations are generally healthy. I think the time expectations of the LDS Church are one more thing that put it much too close to the “destructive cult” end of the religious spectrum.
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