The star attraction at the Cluny Museum in Paris is a series of six 500-year-old tapestries known as The Lady and the Unicorn. Each depicts a noble lady flanked by a lion and a white unicorn. The first five tapestries are generally interpreted as depicting the five human senses and the sixth as representing love or understanding.

Because of their vivid colors and intricate design, the set is often considered the Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages. A close examination reveals that it is made up of thousands of individual threads, each with a color, but conveying no meaningful image. Only when considered in the context of the entire tapestries do the threads reveal the beauty of the artwork. As J.R.R. Tolkien observed, “the picture is greater than, and not explained by, the sum of the component threads.”

The tapestries are an expression of synergy, which can be defined as an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. Common descriptions are that two heads are greater than one or, mathematically, that 2+2 can be more than 4. Examples are two horses that synchronize their efforts while pulling a heavy wagon, or two different drugs being used to fight cancer when neither is effective by itself.

My essay in the new Deseret Book publication, No Division Among You: Creating Unity in a Diverse Church, is “And Unity Begat Synergy” and focuses on the forces in the church that, historically, have created a powerful ‘synergy of the Saints.” There is, or can be, a powerful enabling among the members of the Church as they serve and fellowship together. Whatever its members are individually, a ward or branch working together becomes more than the sum of its constituent parts. Each person has individual needs to be met and unique talents to contribute. As members share one another’s burdens, they drink from a collective well of living water that can nourish and sustain everyone.

The impact of the synergy of the Saints is directly related to the unity of the congregation. The scriptures are replete with exhortations to unity.  Paul directs “that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement” (I Corinthians 1:10). The ultimate example of the synergistic power of unity is the City of Enoch which achieved heavenly perfection because its citizens “were of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18).

My No Division Among You essay concludes with some musings about why synergy in the Church may be waning. In this article, I use that idea as a springboard to candidly consider my perceptions as to how the recent switch to two-hour church, the Come Follow Me study program, and the 2023 temple changes have affected, positively or negatively, unity of church members and its synergistic enabling.

I’ve always been intrigued by the episode in Alma 31 about Rameumptom worship. Once a week each person climbs alone to the top of the tower. Once there, they give thanks to God that they are not sinners like others. “Worship” completed, they descend and give no thought of religion until the next week’s ascent. The main point of the story is probably the pride they display as they look down on others. But the aspect that has always been more interesting to me is their religious isolation.  It’s the essence of non-unity worship.

Rameumptom worship may seem like a caricature intended to teach and warn us. But I see signs tending in that direction in the world and in the church.  Are we experiencing the Return of the Rameumptom?

There are some negatives associated with the recent changes in worship.  Sunday church has changed. The two-hour block has diminished the time members spend interacting with each other.  Relief Societies and Elder’s Quorums gather less frequently and there is one fewer break time between meetings that allow members to socialize and become better acquainted. At my stage in life (retired), I crave more interactions, but find my Sunday experience to be less socially satisfying than it used to be. Although my primary reason for going to church is to worship, positive experiences with other good people during my meeting block have always been important to me. Now, it’s sometimes like ships passing in the night.

Sacrament Meetings are shorter now (60 minutes vs. 70 minutes) than they used to be. It seems to me that the reading of the Sacramental Prayers by the priests is slower and more heartfelt than it used to be. Sometimes the final speaker is left with just a few minutes and must truncate her message, but talks do seem to be more focused on core gospel ideas. That may reflect direction from the Bishopric or maybe a better collective understanding of the purpose of the meeting. The change in sermons by returning and (especially) outgoing missionaries has been dramatic. With total lack of bias, I site the recent talk by my grandson, returning from Spain. As I listened, the power of his address reminded me of Alma 4, where the prophet “bears down in pure testimony” to warn the people. A couple of weeks before, another returned missionary focused his talk candidly and insightfully on the covenants we make in the temple.

Sometimes my attention wanders in Sacrament Meeting and my iPad becomes a convenient temptation. President Eyring tells of his father who never attended a boring Sacrament Meeting and composed talks of his own to augment the message of the speaker. I’m just not there yet. But I do feel a strong sense of comradery with my fellow congregants. Recently, I watched the online worship service of another Christian church with a non-member friend. I was struck by the physical, emotional, and spiritual separation between the congregation and its leaders. When I am in Sacrament Meeting, my attention may wander, but I always feel a connection to my ward members.
I can’t speak for Relief Society, but I think the feeling of “quorumness” in Elder’s quorum has diminished. Meeting every other week has reduced the sense of continuity. Now, the focus seems more on having a lesson and less on unifying the quorum through service and personal interactions. I sometimes feel for teachers trying to prepare a 50-minute lesson based on a 15-minute Conference talk.  Another impact of change is the loss of connection between Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood members. In the “old days”, the two groups met together and the youth often reported on their activities. Now, interactions with the Aaronic Priesthood tend to be limited to Sacrament, youth speaker, and ministering activities.  I don’t know the quirks and qualities of the young men like I did in the past.

Recently I attended a priesthood meeting in another ward. The instructor started by asking, “What do you want to get out of this class?” Members responded that they wanted to feel the Spirit, gain a better understanding of gospel principles, and feel the strength of others. The lesson was well-prepared, but primarily a lecture. When the class did respond, it was primarily to give short, rote responses to information questions.  Too often, we continue to skim the surface of our personal experiences and of the richness of gospel principles. At a recent regional conference I attended, Elder Rasband expressed that he wished quorum meetings would provide more opportunities to discuss hard questions.  I was encouraged. I want to be intellectually and spiritually challenged. Maybe I’m like the pagans Paul observed gathering on Mars hill with the hope of learning “some new thing.”  That really is on me, but I need a nudge from my instructor.

The Come Follow Me home study program has had a unifying effect on many families. It has provided help and incentives for families to join in scripture study. Parents are placed in a gospel teaching role and have a better opportunity to share their testimony and experiences. On several occasions, our extended family has been together on Sundays. One of my daughters has consistently taken the initiative to prepare and teach a Come Follow Me lesson. She leads the discussion and there is active participation by all ages. The impact has been significant. Beyond the actual lesson content, there is an implicit message conveyed that this is who we are; a family united by its faith in Jesus Christ.

Sunday School changes are a clear plus. As with home study, Come Follow Me has had a noticeably positive impact. I have over 25 years in the saddle teaching the Gospel Doctrine class.   The evolution of involvement has been dramatic. Years ago, I used to bring in copies of scriptures from the library so the class could read along with me. There were times when I did a “cut and paste” of the scriptures and made one-page handouts. Now, it is common for everyone to have access to either hard-copy or electronic scriptures.

Before Come Follow Me, the teachers always knew what the lesson was going to be, but sometimes the class wasn’t sure until they got there. Now, everyone is on the same page. Even more important, a good share of the class has studied the lesson at home before coming to church. It’s made a huge difference that makes teaching more rewarding, but, at the same time, more challenging for the teacher to stimulate the class with new ideas. I’m not sure why, but there seem to be fewer “wanna-be” teachers now than in the old days. The group seems to be more motivated and united to promote learning.

Come Follow Me has spawned its own spin-off industry. Books flow from church writers and podcasts and blogs proliferate. Each has its own fans and there seems to be an element of competition in the market. Often, the information provided is excellent, but there is an element of passivity in the learning. Being fed by the experts may be replacing personal reading and pondering of the scriptures.

With a condensed Sunday schedule, there may be more need for “extra-curricular” learning opportunities. Many members live busy lives, but there is a large sub-set of the church population that is starved for interactions. Ward book clubs, study sessions, and activity gatherings can be important in meeting that need and fostering unity. I have a friend who was recently called to organize such activities and she is spending a significant amount of her time on the project. The need is there, but it takes leaders with real commitment and vision to make a difference.

Covid restrictions had an impact on unity. Some have found that worshipping from home seems to be an acceptable alternative. Many wards have discontinued Zoom broadcasts, but others continue to stream at least some of their meetings. This is convenient for those who can’t get out to church and also for members away from home on Sunday. But it can adversely affect unity by allowing members to disengage from traditional joint worship with its synergistic benefits. Multi-tasking allows listening to the meeting while making Sunday dinner or engaging in personal hygiene. Isolated Rameumptom worship has morphed from a tall tower to hand-held electronic devices.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, how will the changes in temple worship implemented in February, 2023 affect unity and synergy?  Attending my first “post change” endowment session, my reaction was a deep feeling of contentment and gratitude. Contentment in the sense that I probably felt more connected to the endowment than ever before. And gratitude for those who will be having their first temple experience or who are returning after a hiatus because the endowment covenants are now more closely identified as part of the great Plan of Salvation as enabled by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  My feelings were captured by Joseph Smith when he said, “This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 355).  Even more than before, the temple will be a unifying force.

I am always amazed at how differently people can perceive the same experience. Books and movies that I enthusiastically promote are sometimes viewed with indifference by friends. Meetings that don’t touch me are viewed as spiritual feasts by others.  As you read my observations, do they coincide with your experience?  I anticipate a wide range of responses from readers.  And that is as it should be in a diverse religious community. Unity doesn’t require uniformity.