He didnt just tell us what to do but stressed a council mentality and discussion. The 12th Article of Faith states, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." In honor of the Fourth of July we have compiled 10 patriotic quotes from various leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 1. Some came prepared, most did and exceptionally so but those that didnt could tell they were missing out on a very spiritual moment. Ive tried to practice some of the things listed, but lately Ive felt like my meetings havent been as productive. Prepared people held to 60min or less is highly productive and the spirit can communicate quickly what needs to be done. #7 Cancelling meetings If you find that not much is impacted by fewer meetings, then you should definitely be cancelling more meetings. Giving everyone a chance to state randomness unrelated to the agenda is a waste of time. When I'm in my car running errands, going on trips - I love to sing along to country music. Of all the councils and committees in the Church, I believe the ward council can have the greatest impact in helping our Fathers children.1. I have retired 15 years ago and we are on our second mission. I, for one, think this is an incredible useful post. Be creative and save people some time and money by using conferencing. (1) when an issue takes up time at a meeting that could easily (or even more effectively) be dealt with in an email; Another problem with ward council is that it tends to be a gossip session about So-and-So familys problems, etc. We also took a lot of notes, and updated agendas on the fly for our next meetings. As Melissa turned her attention back to the ward council meeting, she thought, If only everyone could be surrounded by such loving friends and leaders as they progress toward the temple., Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the Relief Society president comment on a sister in need: She wasnt at church last Sunday. Everyone will feel obligated to say something and that doesnt help to keep the meeting under 60 minutes. I once spent 2.5 hours in a Bishops Council where the majority of the time was spent reviewing the calendar. I can truly say that the impact to our family life by this calling has been minimal. Provide a musical event that celebrates Christ's birth, like a cantata. As they do, they will harness the extraordinary power of these councils to help the Lord bless His children and accomplish His work. Great points! This forces council members to communicate midweek as much as possible over email, text, etc. No disagreement about that ideally all would receive revelation in ward council and that a bishop should confirm revelation, but Im still unsettled. In the busy life of a church leader, that can be difficult. Some of the ideas are new to me and some I have been trying to bring into meetings for years without much success. Its funny, because there is just something inherently wrong with someone besides the prophet pronouncing unbreakable rules for the Church, so I would guess most of the heartache here is due to the wording, which perhaps you meant to invoke. Pretty much spot on. washington11thward. We can't wait to see you in the morning! He Fasted and Prayed I observed that my bishops ascent to the mountaintop started well below sea level, meaning he had a steep learning curve despite his years of experience as a bishops counselor. Keep pushing for shorter meetings. Here is a quick review of the book from the BYU Studies web site: If the HC needs to hear the missionary report, attend the sacrament meeting when he/she speaks. Handbook 2 (4.6.3) states, the ward council seeks inspiration in developing a course of action to bless the lives of members. I note several spelling errors Please forgive them. Awesome comment! We were removing a large oak tree from the roof of the Seminary Institute Director. Furthermore, improving ward council was a frequent topic in bishopric meeting. Thank you so much for this great post. Some may argue over the details of what an agenda is. That would work great for the stakes in Utah and Arizona where I used to live where the Stake Center is only a mile or two away. Preparation or the lack thereof can speak to the spiritual maturity of your councilors, or the circumstances they find themselves in. People need to have input to High Council meetings. Meetings are for reporting. Does anyone have a file of successful agendas you use in your ward? I will do what I can do, I will focus on whats important, and I will try my best. I emailed my counselors early in the week with business items that needed to be addressed and taken care of outside of our meeting (gathering HT reports, callings that had already been discussed but were to be extended, who was teaching when, other assignements etc), referenced Elder Bednar and revelatory experiences and asked them to prepare accordingly for the agenda items I included. Missionaries return reports? 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. This same idea could also be used in the various church organizations. I emailed my counselors this morning and among other things from this post, told them our EQ Pres meetings would not last any longer than 45 minutes from now on. 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. I like the 7 rules, though I may not share all of them. tentative speakers identified for the year, etc. Ive experienced powerful, spiritual meetings that lasted well beyond the 61 minute mark. As we discussed various topics, the Spirit would guide our conversation as to what we should do, why, and how we should proceed. I completely disagree with the opinion about tech. The tech I use helps me be a better leader, and not using it during meetings would make me much less efficient. And some of these items need to be addressed before Sunday, so when can we meet again before Sunday? However, the title of the article is How to Make a Ward Council a Revelatory Experience, and that requires more that what this article points out. Yes, we have been assigned callings, but ultimately, WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS. Then he presents the issues and debates begin. We prayed and listened for answers, and they camethey always came. Members of the Church (sometimes called "Mormons") sustain all 15 of these men as "prophets, seers, and revelators" and look to their teachings for guidance and support. IMPROPER CONTENTS. Over time, participation and behavior should gradually improve. We only did this for 12 or so months, but this was the year our ward saw 20 baptisms and was strengthened by a dozen returning members. But since we didnt get through everything on the agenda, were going to need to schedule another bishopric meeting. Two fathers have started coming so their kids can get baptized. 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. You can also subscribe without commenting. Besides, people are more apt to go to church at Christmas time. Without putting the lessons plans in this boxjust a couple of ideas. Don't subscribe The final item on the agenda was to be a discussion on dealing with individuals with mental illness (a topic that was very important to me). Id go to one of your meetings. Not every meeting can be like that, so by all means, feel free to wrap things up at the designated time if the Spirit does not compel you to continue. I wish you actually provided suggestions instead of full on criticisms. I have a problem with calling everything a meeting. In these latter days, given the forces of the adversary and the darkness, no one person in the family and no one person in a ward is going to be the conduit through which all of the answers come. So, assume the bishop is misguided until he confirms a final decision. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with most of the things you have said. Unless the organizations have their own presidency meetings, leaders will bring out to the ward council ANY problem they have related with their calling. 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. He would be very detailed in asking the ward Council to pray. If someone on the council has reason to not come to the meeting or, quite frankly, doesnt want to be in the meeting, then they should have the right to not be there. Thanks for writing this article. I detest meetings where there are no agendas. Other books, talks, articles, experiences, etc. I agree, but I challenge you to try it. Set it for 60 minutes and tell everyone in the room they are free to walk out once that timer sounds. I am not sure if I am reading your comment in the right tone but it sounds like my article offended you. 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. 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. The primary work of the ward council takes place in living rooms where tears are shared and dried, and testimony is borne. She is responsible to help each young woman be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.. Sometimes I think we forget that we are all Brothers and Sisters with lots of faults, warts, weaknesses, and imperfections! ), The ward clerk keeps a record of assignments and decisions made during ward council meetings. It all seems a tad presumptuous that you should be able to state unbreakable rules about church meetings. Do you disagree? So parents and leaders stood in a line and created a path to the temple. It comes when a youth leader has a candid conversation with a young man who trusts him. Hold a meeting to have a meeting. M.Russell Ballard, Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family (1997), 102. It is easy for the person in charge of the meeting to get derailed and go off on tangents. Handbook 2 (4.6) advisesward council should be 60-90 minutes in duration. . Efficient meetings still require that people prepare. Nope. Rarely do people enjoy attending meetings but we still discover ways to plan more meetings. ' [https://byustudies.byu.edu/showtitle.aspx?title=6997] If the church leaders would wake up and admit, IT IS I! The bishop should meet individually with those who need the most attention, helping them catch the vision and see how their behaviors and attitudes might be in conflict with the goals of the ward council meeting. Maybe we should write a church book on how to conduct effective and productive church meetings! So meetings are few, but precious. If not you will hear in the halls of the Church buildings. Usually the bishop takes a paper with some notes. 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. Our Ward Council meetings have historically lasted 90 minutes. I have sat in wonderment at some of the things said about people. Cheshire Cat: Then it doesnt matter which way you go. But never, and I mean NEVER, is a meeting worth 61 minutes. Wow! The ward council!. Ill make sure her visiting teachers let her know about the upcoming temple trip., Theyve got some hard things going on right now, added the elders quorum president. As bishop, he could cancel any meeting on a whim. Thus, once it is returned to the organization, efforts need to be made at the council level to keep the visits going. Eli H. Pierce. 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. My first counselor said to me, Bishop, THIS is where it is at.not sitting in those dumb ward and stake meetings!. GOSSIPING. The high priests group leader and the elders quorum president are responsible for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the men over whom they preside. They work together in love to serve and strengthen individuals and families in the ward or branch. I believe many church meetings are a total waste of time. If you havent read the guest post, You Are Not to Take Over, its worth a read. You will find that not much is impacted by fewermeetings. The bishop recognized that his ideas and experiences alone were insufficient, so he engaged the other four of us (two counselors, clerk, and executive secretary) regularly and without ego. But one of our jobs as Presidents is to train our counselors to become better leaders! Its not exactly their fault if they dont know how to conduct a meeting. And better listeners! Elder Oaks gave a definition back in April of 2014 when he said, Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood [holders] to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth. In a ward council meeting, for example, the bishop is the one directing the meeting according to the keys he holds. 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