19 And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church.
20 Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly;
21 Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma.
22 And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God.
Notwithstanding There Being Many Churches – Mosiah 25:19-22
There are practical constraints, and there are universal realities. In practical terms, once the church becomes too large for everyone to meet in one place, it is necessary to establish multiple congregations or, as Mormon calls them in this passage, “churches.” He is quick to explain, however, that even though there were many “churches,” and even though each church had its own priests and teachers, “they were all one church.” Why were they one? Because they all taught the same doctrine. As the leader over all of the churches, Alma provided training and guidance to the priests and teachers in order to ensure consistency and unity among the churches.
Today, I will be grateful that I belong to a congregation within a global church. I will be grateful for my local leaders who teach the doctrines and organize the efforts of church members in this region. I will also be grateful for general church leaders who ensure consistency of doctrine and organize global projects and programs on behalf of church members.
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