Institute of Religion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Institutes of Religion are the official young single adult and university student ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Local institutes may be run out of ordinary church meetinghouses, but often have their own buildings situated adjacent to colleges or universities (especially in the Western United States and Canada). The Church describes the purpose of the Institute program as "weekday religious instruction for singled and married postsecondary students." Institutes of Religion are professionally directed by the Church Educational System, the same department responsible for the seminary program and Brigham Young University.

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 the students' needs.

Although Brigham Young University (BYU) is an LDS university, it has no Institute program; BYU students are required to take religion classes which are more advanced than the standard Institute curriculum.

The first Institute of Religion was established in Moscow, Idaho adjacent to the University of Idaho. Currently the largest Institute of Religion enrollment is found at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The largest Institute enrollment outside of the State of Utah is found at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.

1 Administration
2 See also
3 Sources
4 External links

[edit] Administration

Each institute has an Institute Director who is hired by the Church Educational System. An Institute Council consists of students who are appointed by the bishop (the equivalent of a pastor) of the local congregation, called a ward, in which the Institute is situated. An Institute Councilship is a non-paid, voluntary position.

[edit] See also

LDS Student Association

[edit] Sources

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.