The First Presidency announced the return of Saturday evening General conference sessions in a new format through a news release on Tuesday, July 27.
“We recognize the increasing challenges facing members of the Church worldwide in our day. An important way to fortify against these challenges comes through hearing the word of God. Therefore, after additional study and prayer, we have felt impressed to continue to hold the Saturday evening session of general conference, albeit in a different format than in the past,' the news release said.
The new Saturday evening session will be open to all members and will be intended for a general audience, not a particular demographic or leadership group within the Church. The new format will allow for more gospel topics to be shared and for more general authorities to speak.
The decision comes after the First Presidency announced the discontinuation of Saturday evening sessions on June 7. A factor in deciding to discontinue the Saturday evening sessions was the prevalence of technology making every session viewable to all members.
The Saturday evening general conference sessions will continue in October 2021.