3 Hour Block, what's the point?

[_Drifting]

Some people need more church than others do. Some don’t need any at all. I’m OK with that. I’m not OK with the idea that everyone needs the same amount. On average, I need 74 minutes.

There’s no organization, including church, where everyone’s precise needs are met. If you don’t think so, next Sunday count how many people are actually paying attention.

Kirby - Salt Lake Tribune

Estimates for the length of human attention span are highly variable and depend on the precise definition of attention being used.
Focused attention is a short-term response to a stimulus that attracts attention. The attention span for this level is very brief, with a maximum span, without any lapse at all, that may be as short as 8 seconds.[2] This level of attention is attracted by a ringing telephone, or other unexpected occurrence. After a few seconds, it is likely that the person will look away, return to a previous task, or think about something else.
Sustained attention is the level of attention that produces the consistent results on a task over time. If the task is handling fragile objects, such as hand-washing delicate crystal glasses, then a person showing sustained attention will stay on task and will not break any dishes. A person who loses focus may break a glass or may stop washing the dishes to do something else. Most healthy teenagers and adults are unable to sustain attention on one thing for more than about 40 minutes at a time, although they can choose repeatedly to re-focus on the same thing.[2] This ability to renew attention permits people to "pay attention" to things that last for more than a few minutes, such as long movies.

Wiki - "Attention Span"

Elder Poelman in 1984 (coincidence?) clearly agreed with Kirby, that differing people need differing amounts of 'Church'.

So, three hours at Church is clearly unproductive as a method of indoctrinating the members...ehm...perfecting the saints. In fact, you could argue the three hour block has the opposite effect. I did as Kirby suggested and observed how many people were paying attention during Sacrament, Sunday School and Priesthood. It was less than fifty percent at any given time and for significant periods less than thirty percent.

There has to be a better way if the Church wishes to recruit and retain members...right?

[_Yoda]

I completely agree with this.

I think that we should go to an hour and a half. 45 minutes for Sacrament meeting and 45 minutes for Sunday School/Primary. Priesthood Meeting could still meet before Sacrament. Relief Society and YM/YW still meet during the week.

[_Fence Sitter]

While I agree with the unnecessary length and amounts of meetings, the problem for the Church would be less assignments/responsibilities for people. A primary reason people are given work to do in the Church is to keep them active.

[_subgenius]

So, three hours at Church is clearly unproductive as a method of indoctrinating the members...ehm...perfecting the saints. In fact, you could argue the three hour block has the opposite effect. I did as Kirby suggested and observed how many people were paying attention during Sacrament, Sunday School and Priesthood. It was less than fifty percent at any given time and for significant periods less than thirty percent.

There has to be a better way if the Church wishes to recruit and retain members...right?

you might could make the "attention span" argument with regards to GC, but not for a typical Sunday.
The 3 hour block is actually composed of much smaller time periods.
The first hour is composed of a variety of hymns, Invocation, Business, announcements, 3 separate talks, and a benediction.
The second hour is composed of the transition from the 1st hour (shuffling about), opening and closing prayers, lesson with various discussion points and sometimes various administrative actions occur.
The third hour, for priesthood, sees the transition, opening exercises, announcements, and then another transition to quorums.
Quorums have yet another brief administrative opening, lesson, discussion points, and then closing.
all being subject to various diaper changes and restroom breaks.
The activity level is rather high at any given moment...napping is quite impossible.

I would estimate that the time spent "perfecting" is drastically less than 3 hours...but the edification is throughout.

[_Fence Sitter]

They would double the number of people who actually heard the lessons and talks if they had video feeds into the hallways and foyers.

Or if they removed the couches and comfortable chairs from the foyers they would substantially increase the number of people inside the chapel and classrooms.

If they figured out a way to block internet access at the ward houses most of the youth and a large percentage of the adults would actually listen to what was going on in meetings.

OTOH if they just cut Sunday meetings down to half the time maybe so many people would not be looking to relieve their boredom through hallway escapes or internet browsing.

[_moksha]

Too bad time spent could not be individually apportioned, perhaps in relation to baggies of Cheerios packaged.

[_Drifting]

Too bad time spent could not be individually apportioned, perhaps in relation to baggies of Cheerios packaged.

I was thought the hymn "The Time Is Far Spent" a little ironic....

(your post reminded of that hymn)

[_son of Ishmael]

"...A primary reason people are given work to do in the Church is to keep them active.

I agree. I Think one of the things that kept me in the church for a long as I did was that I was so busy doing church callings and assignments that I never really had the time to stop and re-evaluate what the church taught. It wasn't until I stopped to help sombody else understand the church's priesthood ban that I started to come to my senses.

[_ludwigm]

As a life-timer teacher (I've found during the King's pleasure as best fit expression...) I'd set the attention span to 15 minute, the exact 1/3 of the class time in the army.
So, I managed the 45' classes to be three-parted.

Twas seemed to work. Anyway, I was a succesful teacher... I was liked by my pupils (they were galvanized by my jokes and projected pictures at the break - there was no Shades in our department) and by my leaders (they were less and less as I emerged).

SUMMARY
3 times 15 minute would be enough.
As of today.

For the next time, please see exponential decay
"Decay by two or more processes" at that site describes exactly thechurch. (often called "decay modes", "decay channels", "decay routes" etc.)


[#img] http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ay.svg.png[/img]

[_Koda Crest]

Preferably, I believe that it was decided on after some deliberation. It seems like, at least in relief society, the teacher of the lesson we are learning ends up wrapping up the last half of the lesson in five minutes. Now, I'm not saying I, or most people for that matter, pay attention constantly during the last two hours of church, but I would think the purpose of church being so long is the fact everyone sort of rants. Even in sacrament, sometimes it just seems like the speakers are going off on the side road of their talk and take a leisurely detour to the point. Maybe if most church members were more short winded the time would be wound down, but all around it is probably just to accommodate the preachers, not the congregation.