I completely disagree with the opinion about tech. Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. So all of that speaks to the spiritual nature of this work and seeking for the inspiration to do what the Lord wants us to do. #livingproof, if you think the lord has turned his back on you - turn around, Didi @ Relief Society: Your Wonderful Journey Home - 2013 General Young Women Meeting - Card, Everyone has a story| You can't have one with out the other and there has to be an inbetween to get you from point A to point B. I would love for better instruction to be given in the church handbook about HOW to conduct effective meetings because people called to leadership positions dont necessarily have any experience in that area at all. Many people read and apply and others dont for whatever reasons. Ive seen that in ward council where we discuss needs of ward members for too long and inevitably someone says something a little unkind about someone elses choices. You can also subscribe without commenting. I think you did the right thing. This is not just participation in decision making. It was a very good meeting. Spiritual Thoughts Spiritual Thoughts Thoughts during the work week to keep our minds on a positive train of thought, spiritually speaking, and thinking of God more than of ourselves. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. While I agree with you in general, this depends a lot on the type and objective of the meeting. A Psalm of Thanksgiving. This is a last-case action but provides for the key holder to train new council member in the rules of engagement, helping them learn to participate and operate in the desired ward council paradigm. It is part of holding folks accountable. This is easier said than done because creating an agenda takes planning and preparation. The monthly branch council reflects their caring. I really do not like church meetings especially high council meetings because they are so poorly run. Honey.I have the Ward Council to go to. So true. I think many people would be interested in that topic. Councils are led by the voice of the Spirit through each member of the body not by the bishop exerting his will. OR you get TMI info from members at the meeting of things that you wish you didnt know and were not pertinent of the goal of the meeting. These members watched their parents put in so much time in their callings growing up that it turned into resentment. Can you imagine going in to interview with your bishop and watching him set an egg timer? ~ President Ezra Taft Benson. LDS Church Materials Can Be Purchased and Accessed . Ive served in the RS and primary presidencies for the last four years. And yet the church handbook used to say all quorum presidencies go visit your members at least annually. All I think meetings in the church are always a big challenge and a big issue. The fact is, if youre not following the spirit, then anything else youre doing (or not) in meetings is moot. People need to have input to High Council meetings. The Sunday School president is responsible for all gospel instruction during Sunday School. I wish you actually provided suggestions instead of full on criticisms. To say a meeting is never worth 61 minutes is putting artificial constraints on the spirit and leaders that are not appropriate. Two fathers have started coming so their kids can get baptized. Again go visit a Toastmasters Meeting! 11.4 miles from Blasturm. Exactly, including the Bishop, RS President, EQ President, YW President, etc. Weekly Announcements {Aug 1-7} Ward - August 1st - Fast Sunday 12:00PM Sacrament Meeting {Program Here} 1:00PM Sunday School August 2th-8th - Come Follow Me for. Thus, polling your council members can confirm and refine your efforts. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.". #6 the Misguided Presiding Authority Im not sure what you mean, here, but I think I agree with you. And also include the taskers and asignments from the meeting as well. If they are in a meeting and playing on their phones, I will agree that can be disruptive. See more ideas about spiritual thoughts, lds quotes, church quotes. Calendaring items are mentioned, but otherwise hardly discussed. Nobody has time to pre-brainstorm because (1) nobody plans that far in advance, (2) they actually believe that the Ward Council is the meeting where this takes place. Heavenly father doent stop in the middle of our life cause the timer went off or say sorry cant help i already spent my 60 minites. I agree. The stake president moved things around so people werent out so late. What are the most important things we can discuss? However, We also have strengths, abilities, and talents! Our best presidency meetings happened while I was away. They were painful. Offer a Handel's Messiah event to the public. He Counseled with His Bishopric Council If he wanted an amazing and engaged ward council, hed learn how to do it first at the bishopric council level. All church leaders should go visit Toastmasters meetings! Ding! Why Work Doesnt Happen at Workby Jason Fried, A Look At MeetingsProductivityist Podcast. Joseph F. Smith's Gratitude for Blessings. Thanks for writing this article. Giving everyone a chance to state randomness unrelated to the agenda is a waste of time. This meeting can last a couple of hours. They make me so frustrated when theyre run poorly! See Elder M.Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Counseling with Our Councils (1997), 106, 109, 112. Who Is Involved in the Ward or Branch Council? If things were crazy at home and his family needed more attention, one quick text message would free up his evening; as a counselor, he didnt have that luxury. And better listeners! Just be sure that if you cancel, you are not making more work for yourself (or someone else) down the road. His motto was Dont keep the faith Spread it!. I know how that feels, because we had 6 missionaries in one branch and branch coordination would last for almost 3 hours just because the way we (the missionaries) were reporting was really inefficient and it would go from there to the brainstorming no-no that dragged it out even longer while people tried to come up with solutions. This is nice encouragement for those holding 3 hour meetings (you should be ashamed), but in reality there is no meeting that needs to go longer than 60 minutes. I agree. See more ideas about spiritual thoughts, lds quotes, church quotes. The presiding authority or the conductor should cut it off politely and reconduct the meeting. Over time, participation and behavior should gradually improve. For an interesting different take on things, I would suggest checking this book out (its out of print, so go to your local library or AMAZON for a used copy its cheap) and relate to Elder Bednars teachings about seeking inspiration to do what the Lord wants us to do. Having a bishop like this makes it a joy to support my husband. The EQ Pres. Im definitely still learning. And if you cant or dont understand when there is a need to be flexible, then return to the step one, of seeking the spirit. The bishop presides over the ward council, but he can make better decisions after discussions with his counselors and with the ward council, when appropriate. LOVE. Thanks for sharing! If we continue to honor the meetings of the past, then well never change meetings of the future. Writing from his experiences as a husband, father, bishop, high councilor, general Sunday School board member, and stake president, the author adds his expertise as a professional sociologist to this serious look at what it would take to prepare the Saints, their families, and their wards for millennial living. Instead people are asked to participate and then given the right to exersize their Agency to agree or decline. Unfortunately, when the children spread out their blankets, they had accidentally upset a wasps nest. Having an agenda makes a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of a presidency meeting. I think Leading Saints & my stake president attended the same leadership school. I had a good friend that was released as a bishop because he was called to his stake presidency. Split the meeting up. is thinking.I could be out with my presidency visiting families. Plus the presidency can delegate and that is one less burden on their shoulders. The primary work of the ward council takes place in living rooms where tears are shared and dried, and testimony is borne. Together they have five children and have heard every Brady Bunch joke in the book. Thanks for your comment. To help stress the principle taught in 2:4.6.11 (see quoted paragraph above), the agenda structure removed all references to separate organizations and instead listed the missions of the Church: Beginning each meeting with a spiritual thought typically out of the scriptures or a general conference talk followed by a very brief discussion (2-3 comments tops) invites the Spirit, sets the tone, and starts the council thinking with a spiritual mindset. Or week by week. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. If we truly believe in revelation, there is no need for a time limit. Show prices. 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. When I apologized to the bishop, he told me to never apologize that my husband was were he needed to be. Plus it gave me a break from having to attend so many meeting! So the next time you run into a less than perfect church leader, attend a less than perfect church meeting, dont get home taught on time, or members let you down on a ward service project think about What Would Jesus do in this situation and how would he react? All of my bishopric meeting was run through Google Docs. We expect perfect home and visiting teachers! The branch council also draws on Church resources, such as the LDS Employment Services career workshop materials.2 They established a class taught by a branch member, which helped another branch member find a better job. If the missionaries come with very prepared progress records and report the most important things and needs, then the other, less-important things can just be written on the progress record to keep the leadership informed. Lyn Olsen taught our Relief Society lesson and she was awesome. They love to micro-manage everything! Council members are siloed, i.e., concerned only about their own organization, and not the ward as a whole. Priesthood and auxiliary leaders attend ward council meetings in two capacities: (1) as ward council members who help the bishop address needs and concerns in the ward and find solutions, and (2) as representatives of their organizations. We have over half of our ward that is less active! Yes! In other situations, Ive been the one slow to receive confirmation while others receive confirmation quickly. Im a firm believer in keeping meetings under an hour. This is a sample of what it looks like with fake names. If you are suggesting that anyone who shows up at a meeting looking for marching orders from the presiding authority is doing it wrong, then I agree. So, to go back to the earlier comment about too few meetings, I think that while we become more effective in any given time frame, a lot of us need to spend more time coaching and training and leading just maybe not with everyone in the room. This gave the children courage to move forward. Thanks again. You may be right, but I challenge you to find a way. Executive secretaries should prepare agendas in advance. 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. While Church leaders have not addressed Halloween in particular, they have addressed some Satanic practices associated with this time of year. Love. We had a response plan in place because we had talked about these preparations in ward council before they happened, he said. A smile spread across her face. Unfortunately, the training that many people acquire in the business world or other settings threatens to turn councils into merely a target for delegating tasks as directed by the lone leader in charge. (because people are just rambling) I found myself becoming more and more irritated the longer that I stayed in the meeting. The bishopric is responsible for all ward members, organizations, and activities. I believe my mothers advice: if your meeting is longer than it needs to be, you end up gossiping as a group. (please comment below) Meetings longer than 60 minutes damage your effectiveness as a leader. It comes via one-by-one ministry. If there is someone in the room whoeveryone thinks is the smartest, it hurts the quality of discussion and decreases revelation. Eli H. Pierce. This discussion reminds me of a quote I heard which sums up the whole concept: It takes a mighty fine meeting to beat no meeting at all.. Delegate or die I love it! I appreciate your comment AND your passion. Or they are afraid to step outside the BOX! No Round-Robin: Just because you are sitting in a circle doesnt mean you need to talk in a circle. (See Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 4.1; 4.2. I love to delegate also! It discusses the different types of meetings organizations should/could have. Ive tried to practice some of the things listed, but lately Ive felt like my meetings havent been as productive. 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." Look at their body language. I think it was this thread that put me into the zone seriously. In our case, too many items were being discussed that did not apply to the entire council or were seeking input where an email or text would have done the trick. And while we do accomplish much and generally remain focused on the task at hand, input and involvment drastically drops after an hour. At times, moving mountains is easier than moving mindsets. Required fields are marked *. 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. Use a timer! 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. I have sat through high council meetings that were 2 1/2 hours long. The effect was that we learned that while the bishop has the final say in decisions, we stopped looking for him to do all of the talking and thinking for us. You can run ANY meeting in the world in an hour, if you know what youre doing. Soon after his call, he shared with me one day how different the feeling is to be a counselor to a presiding authority as opposed to being the presiding authority. The bishop can delegate to quorum and group leaders some of the work he does with families. To prepare to do that, challenge them to read all of the essays to be ready to answer questions when they come up. This comment is refreshing. They have different levels of education, knowledge, backgrounds, training, experence, culture, expectations, gospel maturity, etc. We were in the know. IF everyone is prepared it works very very well and everyone is happy! If you run a bad meeting, the only thing to increase is the eye-rolling. They attend all of the Ward Council or PEC Meetings themselves. Our Ward Council meetings have historically lasted 90 minutes. Pray to understand their needs and what you can do then step out of the way and let the Lord do his work. Unfortunately the next Bishops Council was the same. 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. The training, discussions, visits, and experiences with the Spirit led each council member to individually conclude that our most important work is helping ward members our brothers and sisters achieve a more satisfying relationship with their Savior and their Father. No disagreement about that ideally all would receive revelation in ward council and that a bishop should confirm revelation, but Im still unsettled. If your tech distracts you, then get rid of it. Why should I be inconvenienced so that I can conform to a luddite version of proper meeting etiquette? And on the bright side I do believe there will be better members, better leaders, and better meetings in the next life! Fighting against tradition and helping members open their minds may have been the most difficult step. Just as in Joplin, Puerto Francisco de Orellana, and Liverpool, Church leaders worldwide continue to discover the blessings of ward and branch councils. I highly recommend the book Death by Meeting. The Career Workshop Participants Workbook (item no.35163) is available through store.lds.org, Distribution Services, or Church employment resource centers. And I have been in nice, succinct meetings that were a total waste of time. Handbook 2 ( 4.6) advises ward council should be 60-90 minutes in duration. Judgement. Im not crazy about that approach if you did. (3) when people in the meeting start contributing comments that arent really relevant or are just FYI-type items rather than what were in the meeting for. The short story for me is to ignore the hyperbole of the article, and embrace the tips that make me a better meeting leader. But many organizations outside of our church use committees very successfully! 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. Your time is up! 4 min. They areasked to. We had a hurricane come through our city. I have never had the Bishopric, Elders Quorum Presidency, Relief Society Presidency, Primary Presidency, or High Priest Group Leader come to our home just to visit and say hi! If there is something they want to address as a group, they should have cleared it for the agenda. 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. 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