Mormon Terminology, Pt. 1

Some commonly-used words relating to Mormon culture:

• bishop - n. The chief spiritual leader of a ward. "Our bishop challenged us to read our scriptures daily."
• bishopric - n. The bishop and his two counselors, the leaders of the ward. 
• calling - n. An assignment in the church. "She's the building scheduler. That's her calling."
• fireside - n. A meeting in the evening that sometimes features a satellite broadcast. "I really liked Neil L. Anderson's talk from the CES fireside last night."
• genealogy - n. The practice of discovering and keeping records of who your dead family members are by searching through records and interviewing older family members. "I've been working on doing my genealogy, and I found out that my great-great-great-grandfather's brother was convicted of murdering his wife!"
• home teaching - n, v. A program where two men are assigned to visit several families in their homes each month and see how they're doing. "Where's Dad? He left to go do his home teaching with Brother Jenkins."
• Priesthood - n. The authority to act in God's name. Also refers to the Sunday meeting for men. "What was the lesson in Priesthood today? It was about being diligent."
• Relief Society - n. The adult women's organization. Also refers to the Sunday meeting for the organization. "Sister Hansen gave a really insightful comment in Relief Society today."
• Sacrament - n. The ordinance in which Priesthood holders bless and distribute pieces of bread and cups of water to the congregation. It symbolizes how Christ died for each of us. "The bread and water of the Sacrament represent Christ's body and blood."
• Sacrament Meeting - n. The most important Sunday meeting, where the Sacrament is passed. The meeting also includes announcements and ward business, several talks and songs, and opening and closing prayers. "Sacrament Meeting in our ward starts at 9:00am this year."
• stake - n. A group of wards who are occasionally assigned to meet with each other for a conference on a Saturday and Sunday. They also participate in other activities with each other. "Is your sister coming to the stake dance this Thursday?"
• stake center - n. A church building that is often the location for stake meetings and activities and typically includes these extra features: offices for stake leaders, a cultural hall and stage, and a kitchen. "The ward Christmas party will be held at the stake center on December 8th."
• stake president - n. The spiritual leader of a stake. "I got permission from the stake president to have the event at the stake center."
• talk - n. A speech or sermon given during a meeting. "Brother Foster's talk on humility seemed well prepared and inspired."
• tithing - n. Ten percent of a member's income given to the Church. Considered the Lord's money. "We were having financial difficulty, but when we started paying our tithing our situation actually improved!"
• to go on a mission/serve a mission - v. To leave home and teach the Gospel to the people in the assigned area using the assigned language, unpaid. Typically lasts 2 years for males, 18 months for females. "I can't work for you this summer because I'm going on a mission. I'll be teaching the people of Santiago, Chile!"
• visiting teaching - n, v. A program where two women are assigned to visit two other women once a month in their homes and see how they're doing. "When we do our visiting teaching, we bless the lives of those we visit teach."
• ward - n. A group of church members living in the same geographic area assigned to meet together on Sundays at a designated time and place. The members also participate in other activities and meetings with each other. "My ward is having a barbecue this Saturday. Want to come?"

See also Mormon Terminology, Pt. 2 and Mormon Terminology, Pt. 3: Acronyms.