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An Institute of Religion is a local organization that provides religious education for young adults (ages 18–30) who are members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). Local institutes may function in church meetinghouses, but may also have a stand-alone building situated adjacent to
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
s or
universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
(especially those found in the Mormon Corridor areas in the
Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
). The LDS Church describes the purpose of the Institute program as "weekday religious instruction for single and married postsecondary students." Institutes of Religion are professionally directed as part of the Church Educational System, with responsibility for the
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
program and the church's higher education institutions, including
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU). In addition to offering classes, Institutes often sponsor activities, such as dances, aimed at the needs of
postsecondary Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...
students between 18 and 30 years old. Young adult church members are encouraged, although not required, to be enrolled in an Institute class whenever possible. In areas with a large LDS population, there are often special-needs Institutes that serve adults who have mental or physical handicaps. These Institutes adapt their curricula to meet individual student needs. Among the standard Institute course offerings are classes on the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
,
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
,
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
, the
Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...
, and other modern revelation. Institute classes are offered on campus at LDS higher education institutions, such as BYU. However, BYU students are required to take religion classes offered by the university. Students can transfer Institute
course credit A credit is the recognition for having taken a course at school or university, used as measure if enough hours have been made for graduation. University credits United States Credit hours In a college or university in the United States, students ...
to BYU for a nominal charge and can graduate from the Institute program after completing 14 course
credit hours The Carnegie Unit and the Student Hour are strictly time-based references for measuring educational attainment used by American universities and colleges; the Carnegie Unit assesses secondary school attainment, and the Student Hour, derived from the ...
. The first Institute of Religion was established in 1926 in
Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...
, adjacent to the
University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...
. Its first director was J. Wyley Sessions. The
Logan Institute of Religion The Logan Institute of Religion is the largest institute of religion in the world, and the oldest in Utah. This facility is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Logan, Utah, adjacent to the c ...
was the first institute opened in Utah. There are currently 350,000 students in over 2,700 locations.


Administration

Each institute has an institute director who is hired by Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I). An Institute Council consists of
students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...
appointed by the local
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
or
branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...
. The Institute Council is a non-paid, voluntary position. Ultimate responsibility for the Institute program falls on the Church Board of Education, which is composed of the church's
First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
, three members of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
, and other leaders of the LDS Church. Institute directors often cover large areas. At times Institute directors may be based at a large university with many LDS students and multiple classes where other teachers assist them, but they may also teach an institute class once a week at one or more other universities in the same general area with fewer LDS students. For example, as of fall 2009, the director of the LDS Institute of Religion in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
, taught one class a week at
Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
and another weekly class at
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. These were each held on campus under the sponsorship of the
LDS Student Association LDS Student Association (also known as the Latter-day Saint Student Association or the LDSSA) is an organization established under the direction of the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS C ...
. The director also taught multiple classes at the institute building adjacent to the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, while other classes were taught by an S&I missionary couple and part-time, volunteer instructors.


Expanded Institute

By the early 1990s, it was realized that young adults, especially young single adults, who did not attend college or were not currently in college could benefit from Institute. This included the fact that many schools had few LDS students attending them, and the nature of
community colleges A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
meant that there was not an easy concentration of LDS Students. In 1992, the church launched the expanded institute program, with the goal of having virtually every stake offer at least one institute class. These new institute classes were generally taught by volunteer instructors under the same lines of supervision as seminary teachers. The rule for attending institute was either being a young single adult or being a student. All single members of the LDS Church under the age of 31 were encouraged to attend institute where possible.


Institute Outreach Center/Center for Young Adults

Starting in the first years of the 21st century, and accelerating under the leadership of
L. Tom Perry Lowell Tom Perry (August 5, 1922 – May 30, 2015) was an American businessman and religious leader who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1974 until his deat ...
while he served as president of the Europe Central
Area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...
, the church developed a program called the "Institute Outreach Center", later renamed the "Center for Young Adults". This center focused on four aspects, including institute courses. The others included an activity council that would plan activities geared towards outreach, full-time missionaries who focused on reaching out to men and women of their own age group, and a senior missionary couple that would provide practical and spiritual guidance for the endeavor.


See also

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LDS Student Association LDS Student Association (also known as the Latter-day Saint Student Association or the LDSSA) is an organization established under the direction of the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS C ...


Notes


Further reading

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External links


Official Institutes website
{{LDS Church Educational System Church Educational System Universities, LDS Institutes of Religion adjacent Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Young people and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christian organizations established in 1926 Latter Day Saint church buildings