ChurchBeat
October 4, 2026
Latter-day Saint general conference sets new speaker records
Last April was the first time a Latter-day Saint general conference was held with just four sessions.
When it ended, ChurchBeat noted a remarkable feat:
April’s four-session general conference had 34 talks, the exact same number as October 2025’s five-session conference.
Shorter talks had allowed for the same impact.
Well, how about this?
This weekend’s 196th Semiannual General Conference ended today with even more talks — 37 by 36 different speakers. Note: President Dallin H. Oaks spoke twice.
Yep, that makes it a record for the most talks at a four-session general conference. And a record for the most different speakers.
How’d they manage that? Well, there were two sessions with 10 speakers each. How many times had that happened in the past century? If you guessed zero times, you guessed right.
So that’s another record.
Those who watched the entire conference probably also noticed the remarkable international diversity of the 36 different speakers.
They came from 16 countries and one U.S. territory, which also appears to be a general conference record.
Here is a breakdown based on birthplace:
Locations | # of speakers |
|---|---|
8 U.S. states | 20 |
Other countries | 15 |
U.S. Territories | 1 |
Here’s a breakdown of the countries of origin:
Country | # of speakers |
|---|---|
United States | 20 |
Brazil | 2 |
Zimbabwe | 2 |
Argentina | 1 |
Chile | 1 |
Czech Republic | 1 |
Dem. Rep. of the Congo | 1 |
France | 1 |
Mexico | 1 |
Nigeria | 1 |
Philippines | 1 |
South Africa | 1 |
Tonga | 1 |
United Kingdom (England) | 1 |
American Samoa (U.S.) | 1 |
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Behind the Scenes
Attendees wait in line to enter the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Hannah Barton, 7, of Boise, looks at the portraits of the First Presidency prior to the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Crowds listen to President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as he speaks during the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Members of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square are led by Associate Music Director Ryan Murphy as they perform at the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
President Dallin H. Oaks waves to the audience members as he enters the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Reflected in the pool on Temple Square, crowds of attendees walk toward the Conference Center for the afternoon session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
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