A Small Church in a Big World: global peacemaking among Latter-day Saints
This weekend, Latter-day Saints around the world gather for General Conference. As ties between nations across the world grow strained, our global community reminds us of our unity.
Latter-day Saint community life is usually lived out at the hyper-local level. The majority of our worship experiences are based around our home locations. Yet many of us can identify touchstones with the global church that have been faith-promoting and transformative, whether it’s the familiarity we find when attending wards far from home, the bonds we develop through missionary service, or the examples of courageous people who live their faith in countries where religious practice is rare.
This weekend, Latter-day Saints around the world will gather for General Conference. As ties between nations and international communities grow strained, this gathering as a global Church offers a momentous claim that we can be unified across nations, cultures, races, and linguistic divides.
Today, we’ll share some other stories to deepen appreciation for our global ties.
A Small Church in a Big World
Next Monday, the LDS International Society will host their 34th Annual Conference entitled: Becoming One: Addressing Global Disparity at BYU. There are options to attend in-person or virtually. We talked with the organizers about what they are doing.
What is the International Society? What do you hope to achieve with this year’s conference on Becoming One?
The International Society is a global network of professionals with ties to Latter-day Saint institutions and interests. It really is an umbrella organization—creating new connections across countries, professions, and other categories. This conference focuses on the Savior’s mandate for unity, which as Elder Quentin L. Cook suggests, means that we “should strive to include others in our circle of oneness” as we follow President Nelson’s “admonition to gather Israel.” What can we do as disciples to make a positive difference amidst different national responses to widening disparities? We are looking for answers amidst complex worldwide conditions.
What unique beliefs, practices, or resources do Latter-day Saints bring to this work?
We are a small church in a big world. Even so, a wide range of Latter-day Saint professionals have much to offer, from spiritual leadership to healthcare ministry, elected politics to humanitarian efforts, as well as education, NGOs, and trust-building—we find a lot to discuss. Our global experiences as missionaries offer one foundational piece to get started. Examples found in institutional humanitarian outreach and support reveal constant engagement. Also, our beliefs that we are all children of God shows that we’re all brothers and sisters—and we treat those with whom we disagree not as enemies but as brothers and sisters.
Could you share any stories globally showing how other countries need peacemaking work in ways that Americans wouldn’t expect?
An early example of that peacemaking happened in the 1970s when members from the UK and France were experiencing cultural misunderstandings and conflict when attending regional conferences together. V Lynn Tyler, a professor of religion helped craft short, simple information resources that helped diffuse some of these differences. These “CultureGrams” increased cultural understanding and helped improve interactions—and later became widely used by schools, businesses, and governments—identifying a gap that apparently existed in other areas, as well.
Elder Dale Renland has delivered several remarkable talks, including one about black and white members meeting in South Africa during Apartheid; another explores Russian/Finnish relations and during construction and completion of the Finnish temple. Both illustrate real tensions as well as ways forward through a gospel lens.
What peace might be needed between the global and American church?
We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ can change our hearts and bring peace and understanding that we’re all children of God. We should treat others with more love and respect—including through our professional interactions. One giant opportunity for church members is to change how we see global divisions and various disparities—and then to respond, through our own initiatives or through service in the Church.
Other Global Peacemaking Highlights
Sister Tamara W. Runia, 1st counselor in the Young Women’s General Presidency, visited Argentina in March to participate in the 6th World Congress on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, with the theme “A Path Towards Peace.” She spoke on a panel for young leaders, and shared that “Religious freedom is not just about securing rights for ourselves, but also about protecting the rights of others — even when we disagree with their beliefs.”
The David M Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU is hosting a lecture series this semester entitled Building and Brokering Peace. You can watch powerful addresses online on topics ranging from polarization to immigration to the shifting professional landscape of peacemaking work from Patrick Mason, Roger Mac Ginty, Stacia George, Becca Kearl, Chad Ford, and Josh Gubler.
Last week, Global Mormon Studies hosted their annual online conference with the theme “The Place of Alienation: Mormonism on the Margins.” You can read through the exciting topics they covered here.