Lexicon of oft-heard (and likely unfamiliar) Mormon Vocabulary
- Aaronic Priesthood
- The lower of the two priesthoods. Worthy boys receive this priesthood at the age of 12. Ranks/Offices in this priesthood include deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. See Priesthood, Melchizedek.
- Apostle
- A member of the "Quorum of the Twelve." An office in the Melchizedek priesthood. Peter, James and John were in the original Quorum of the Twelve in the New Testament. The LDS church has the same structure as that early church and therefore has a Quorum of the Twelve as well
- Benediction
- The closing prayer of a meeting. Latin for "blessing".
- Branch
- The smallest congregational unit of the Church, a branch is a pre-cursor for a ward. In order to qualify for a ward, certain criteria must be met, among which are a minimum number of worthy priesthood holders.
- Calling
- A responsibility assigned to a member. Examples include Sunday School teacher, choir director and Elder's Quorum president.
- CTR
- Choose the Right. An informal motto of the members of the LDS Church
- Deacon
- The first office in the Aaronic Priesthood
- Elders
- The first office in the Melchizedek Priesthood
- Enrichment
- An evening event held among Relief Society sisters with the goal of self-improvement.
- Family Home Evening (FHE)
- A family night (Monday nights), reserved for evenings home with the family.
- Fast Offerings
- Money given to the Church for the assistance of the less fortunate
- Fasting
- Going without food and water, usually for 24 hours. Money not spent on food is donated to the Church as Fast Offerings
- Fireside
- An evening with a speaker, a fireside can be on any number of topics.
- First Presidency
- The Prophet and his councilors
- General Authority
- Either a member of the Quorum of the Twelve or a member of the Seventy
- Heber J. Grant, John Taylor
- Early Prophets/Presidents of the Church
- High Priest
- An office in the Melchizedek Priesthood. You must be married to be a High Priest
- Home Teaching
- Monthly visits to each family's house by two men to check on the status of the family and to provide service where needed.
- Hymn
- A slow tempo religious song sung at meetings. These average three verses and span a page or two. Most people sing the melody, but the musically inclined can try out the other parts.
- Invocation
- The opening prayer.
- Joseph Smith, Brigham Young
- First two prophets of the Church
- Laying On Of Hands
- How an ordination is performed. One or more priesthood bearers lay their hands on the head of the man receiving the office and one, acting as the speaker, verbally proclaims that the office is being bestowed.
- Melchizedek Priesthood
- The higher of the two priesthoods. Offices include: Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle, and Prophet.
- Modern Day Revelation
- The concept that God continues to reveal His will to his children today, that revelation did not stop with the Bible. In particular, this means Mormons believe in modern books of scripture and that God directs His church through his modern day prophet.
- Ordination
- A term for the bestowal of a office of the priesthood through the laying on of hands
- Patriarchal Blessing
- A special blessing which names the lineage of the member. Any worthy member can ask a Patriarch for a Patriarchal blessing. Besides naming one's tribe of Israel, the blessing gives personal counsel to the member.
- Pearl Of Great Price
- A collection of ancient writings, the Pearl of Great Price is a part of the Standard Works.
- Pioneers
- The ancestors of many Utahans, the Pioneers fled to Utah to escape persecution. They were led by Brigham Young
- Plan Of Salvation
- Also called the Plan of Happiness, this plan describes where we were before birth, why we're here on earth, and what happens after this life. In a nutshell, we came to earth to obtain physical bodies and to be tested and to prove our obedience to our Heavenly Father.
- PPI
- A personal priesthood interview. These individual interviews, usually held annually, by a someone in the quorum presidency to check on the status of the members.
- President Gordon B. Hinckley
- Current Prophet/President of the Church
- Priest
- The third office in the Aaronic Priesthood.
- Prophet
- The President of the Church. Mormons believe the Prophet is the mouthpiece of God. If the prophet says something while acting in the capacity of the office of the prophet, it is the same as if God Himself said it.
- Quorum, Quorum Of The Twelve
- A Quorum is a group. The Quorum of the Twelve is the twelve Apostles.
- Relief Society
- Billed as the largest society of women in the world, the Relief Society, is the female counterpart of the Priesthood.
- Seventy
- A group of seventy presiding Elders which help in the administration and governance of the Church.
- Special Musical Number
- All musical performance at church get this title. Remember, no applause in the Chapel.
- Stake
- A collection of Wards
- Standard Works
- The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price
- Teachers
- The second office in the Aaronic Priesthood.
- Testify, Bear Testimony
- To declare a strong belief in a particular tenet of faith
- Thy, Thine
- Old school language used in prayers to show respect
- Tithing
- a tenth of one's earnings, tithing is given to the church by all faithful members in accordance with the directive given in the book of Malachi in the Old Testament
- Visiting Teaching
- The Relief Society analog of Home Teaching, Visiting Teaching is when two women members visit monthly with another female member for service and support.
- Ward
- A fundamental congregational unit of the Church. Once a branch grows large enough to staff the offices of the priesthood (like bishop), it can become a ward.
You can comment about this page on my blog entry, Lexicon of oft-heard (and likely unfamiliar) Mormon Vocabulary
See also:
http://lds.about.com/library/glossary/blglossary.htm
http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/vocabulary_eom.htm
http://www.coli.uni-saarland.de/~blaylock/ldsterm/church_basic.htm