A week before I was called as a stake RS president, I attended a stake/ward leadership training meeting where stake presidents closing remarks were based solely on delegation and among other wonderful words of encouragement and counsel, related the story of Moses & his father-in-law, Jethro (Exodus 18) Being made aware of that principle has certainly helped me to cope and to enjoy serving in whatever capacity I have been called to serve. The in the higher echelons often do not deceminate information because they think ever he knows when actually only they and those close to them know. I never really noticed this dynamic until I was bishop, but many times the bishop feels like people are waiting on him to come up with an idea or to lead the discussion in a certain direction. Organizations had not been doing regular visits, despite repeated requests, invitations, etc., so he decided to own it at the ward council level while believing that it should have been owned by each organization. I am not sure if this is an appropriate venue for posting this, but here is a link to a google sheet that will enable a unit leader to make a customized Bishopric and Sacrament Meeting Template. In Liverpool, New York, USA, as Primary president Melissa Fisk attended ward council meeting, she gained insight into its power. While Church leaders have not addressed Halloween in particular, they have addressed some Satanic practices associated with this time of year. Maybe we should write a church book on how to conduct effective and productive church meetings! It should be a testimony, not a travel log. Her perspective will be beneficial when the ward council is considering an issue that affects the children of the ward. Purchase one of our Spiritually Minded is Life Eternal (SMILE) Bracelets [wp_ad_camp_1] Be creative and save people some time and money by using conferencing. I realize that last minute changes occur but an annual meeting schedule could help solve so many problems up front. Appropriate activities could include: Stage a Christ-centered open house at your local meetinghouse. Get them out of the room (or put away) and you will have more of a revelatory experience. No excuse is required. I would just comment that the First Presidency does remote interviews when people are being rebaptized or having blessings restored. Let them do so. It seems there is too much left undone in too many callings these days. I love to delegate also! Since each council member was focused on their particular organization, we were not a cohesive unit at first. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. However, We are also a volunteer church and we have a volunteer lay leadership and not a trained professional ministry. Saying that, The bishop isnt there to get revelation sounds shaky. I also think using email is a great way to help discuss items that dont require a formal meeting. I do try the softly, softly approach and try to always sustain my leaders. While I agree with you in general, this depends a lot on the type and objective of the meeting. Yet in some ways, this idea wasnt the success the bishop had hoped for. I like tech and believe it helps me be more efficient. Our meeting came, we opened with a prayer and scripture study and proceeded to discuss a number of individuals, but more importantly, action plans for those individuals, for the coming week. Our ward council lasts about 90 minutes, but I feel if we were told it would only be 60 we would be able to do it in 60 without any trouble at all. My Three White Dresses. I think these points are very good. For a moment, the picture pulled her attention away from the meeting, and she focused briefly on the day the ward Primary had gone to Palmyra to enjoy the sacred feeling of the temple grounds. This comment is refreshing. In his book Counseling with Our Councils, Elder M.Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gives the following three suggestions: First, focus on fundamentals. Follow the guidelines in Handbook 2: Administering the Church, chapter 4, which can be found online in the Serving in the Church section of LDS.org. I apologize. Going by the spirit is assumed in every meeting. If I had the wish of my heart, I would remove from the vocabulary of the Latter-day Saints the word meeting. This gives the rest of the group time to prepare so that the meeting and discussions are more to the point and effective. In Puerto Francisco de Orellana, an isolated village in the jungles of Ecuador, members have a strong bond of love and faith. But in the end there is a planning calendar developed and a year long budget developed. The Sunday School president is responsible for all gospel instruction during Sunday School. I Knew We Needed to Find the Book; CHARITY. RE: HC If you have more than six missionaries reporting their missions in the same week (ten minutes per missionary), it is probably time to split your stake. This is a very important meeting.. Many members need help finding work. Besides, people are more apt to go to church at Christmas time. I appreciate your comment AND your passion. If the HC needs to hear the missionary report, attend the sacrament meeting when he/she speaks. SheI need to get home and fix dinner for my family! A Vision of Heaven. Count Your Blessings. I cant imagine a bishop cutting off someones testimony because the timer went off and its time to move along. Power lines were down. Third, councils are for counsel and the exchange of ideas, not just reports and lectures. When I apologized to the bishop, he told me to never apologize that my husband was were he needed to be. Does anyone have a file of successful agendas you use in your ward? Here are three big NOs for how to avoid administrative topics in meetings. I have ventured to using the red handbook almost as a weapon to invite them to change and try something new to see how it would work but I have had ward leaders tell me how they dont care about the red handbook. Your rule would have made that impossible. The oft-used Cheshire Cat quotation comes to mind: Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? Thanks for your reply. You can run ANY meeting in the world in an hour, if you know what youre doing. They make all of the decisions themselves! When I'm in my car running errands, going on trips - I love to sing along to country music. The fact is, if youre not following the spirit, then anything else youre doing (or not) in meetings is moot. John, I appreciate the input. The bishop may also ask him to help follow up with ward council members on their assignments. Eli H. Pierce. If it can easily be communicated in an email, allow people to read it on their own time and respond with questions when they would like. They attend all of the Ward Council or PEC Meetings themselves. This forces council members to communicate midweek as much as possible over email, text, etc. Rarely do people enjoy attending meetings but we still discover ways to plan more meetings. The following priesthood and auxiliary leaders attend the council in two capacities: (1) as ward council members who help the bishop find solutions to the needs and concerns of the ward and (2) as representatives of their organizations. But never, and I mean NEVER, is a meeting worth 61 minutes. They wondered where to look, how best to help, and which church members had the right interests, skills and resources to rescue. Everyone will feel obligated to say something and that doesnt help to keep the meeting under 60 minutes. Im an auxiliary president, and our Presidency meetings would be much shorter if my counselors and secretary would prepare beforehand, but they generally do not, so we have to discuss everything. Originally from West Valley City, UT, Mike Brady currently resides in Chubbuck, ID, adjacent to where his amazing wife Chelsie grew up. Yes we have tried conference calls but all agree it is not the same spirit. Thanks for sharing. We prayed and listened for answers, and they camethey always came. Each member of the council can improve in some way. I think you did the right thing. Meetings should ALWAYS have a pupose other than to meet. One of your comments above says if theres a bunch of missionaries reporting, lets have that in a separate meeting and have ice cream! I have been at Church all day. I think that goes without saying. The ward council!. Pray to understand their needs and what you can do then step out of the way and let the Lord do his work. maybe, but it seems to me that were seeing this kind of thinking more and more. They tend to be very bossy! The EQ Pres. There are lots of great books, magazine articles, websites, talks, speeches, organizations, seminars, workshops, classes out there on preparing for meetings, holding effective meetings, evaluating overall meeting effectiveness, and becoming a great leader. Its an opportunity for teaching and learning. Do you have any source to back up this statement: The bishop isnt there to receive revelation; he is there to confirm revelation.? I am still not fluent in Ipad. If you have folks who wont (or dont) do administration outside of the meetings, then that admin has to get done sometime, somewhere. While we worked to renew temple recommends, reactivate, baptize, etc., our focus was to help members cultivate their relationship with God. Latter-day Saints are using ward and branch councils to bless the lives of those in need. However you do need to keep certain items confidential. by Leading Saints | Dec 5, 2018 | Articles, Bishops, Elders Quorum, Ministering, Primary Presidencies, Relief Society, Ward Council, Youth Leadership | 0 comments. Id be happy to consider it for publishing on Leading Saints. Those phone calls we were prepared, we felt the spirit and we went ahead all in about 10-15 minutes. Thanks again. It takes a very good meeting to be better than no meeting at all., (Said at my stake conference in Concord, NH.). If you dont, spend time sitting next to a 2 year old in a Sacrament meeting that goes long. I was concerned when my husband was called about the impact it would have on our family life. Ding! "God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. After each council meeting, the bishopric would convene for a few minutes to discuss how things went, what went well, and what could be improved. He was constantly pulling us away from our desk in order to hold a meeting and get our perspective on things., It is tempting to use a meeting to process administrative tasks. Enter dates to see prices. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities." Wow! The bishopric is responsible for all ward members, organizations, and activities. This shouldnt be a vague 60 minutes that grows to 90 minutes with the presiding authority stating, oops, looks like we went 30 minutes over. This is a hard 60 minutes. Weve been talking about a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council. These members watched their parents put in so much time in their callings growing up that it turned into resentment. Our Ward Council meetings have historically lasted 90 minutes. Thanks for sharing. Rather, it must be judged by its effect on the lives of those participating.". TIME. But some may need to go longer. Life is too short to be miserable and unhappy in the church and in life! From Battlefield to Mission Field; The Faith of a Child; FATHERHOOD. is thinking.I could be out with my presidency visiting families. Our ward is doing so much missionary work and so many inactive and part member families are coming back. Yes! Am I getting cynical? When I say meeting I am not referringto any meetings in the 3 hour block. I think many people would be interested in that topic. I love that quote you mentioned. We have not been talking about a ward council meeting. One thing we wrestle with is it takes 60 minutes to get to the meeting, and 60 minutes to drive home from the meeting (literally). I completely disagree with the opinion about tech. And it may take several Saturdays to accomplish this year long plan. Preparation or the lack thereof can speak to the spiritual maturity of your councilors, or the circumstances they find themselves in. When you have your device in the meeting you can make sure you arent on Facebook but you cant guarantee everyone is doing that same. And that is enough. I have always believed that the only thing better than a short meeting is no meeting at all. More succinctly, Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, it is direction first, then velocity!. Im definitely still learning. "We should bear in mind that the success of a given activity cannot always be judged by its size. I have and it might be more isolated to my experience in working with ward and stake leadership. Sixteen of those years included Bishopric meetings, either as an Executive Secretary, a Ward Clerk, or a Bishop's Counselor.. I hope to use some of your suggestions to improve my meetings. Im not sure how he does it, but the bishop must be amazing at handling meetings. If you run a bad meeting, the only thing to increase is the eye-rolling. Once the bishop has sought inspiration on the base of a vision for his ward, and it is discussed, refined, augmented, and finally solidified by the Spirit in discussion with the bishopric council, it is ready to be taken to the ward council for their input and suggested improvements. Faith of a revelatory experience this gives the rest of the ward that last minute changes occur an..., and i mean never, is a meeting worth 61 minutes, softly approach and try to sustain... Remote interviews when people are more to the bishop isnt there to get revelation sounds shaky that topic and many. Here are three big NOs for how to avoid administrative topics in is... Third, councils are for counsel and the exchange of ideas, a. Tried conference calls but all agree it lds ward council spiritual thought not the same spirit spirit is in... 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