Remember Satan and all of his followers and complainers were all kicked out of heaven! "Cultivate an attitude of happiness. You can run ANY meeting in the world in an hour, if you know what youre doing. Let them do so. minute meeting and accomplished all that was needed. Plus it gave me a break from having to attend so many meeting! The three things I cant stand most about meetings are: The bishop isnt there to receive revelation; he is there to confirm revelation. When that relationship is there and improved, the recommends, baptisms, etc., will come organically. I think your points can help us swing the pendulum back to more honest calling magnification. If they are in a meeting and playing on their phones, I will agree that can be disruptive. But since we didnt get through everything on the agenda, were going to need to schedule another bishopric meeting. The bishop can delegate to quorum and group leaders some of the work he does with families. Although each daily devotional can be customized to your family's needs or concerns, here are five such devotionals that you can use in your home this week: #1: Good Works Greek playwright Sophocles said, "To be doing good deeds is man's most glorious task." Jesus believed this, too, and taught that we should love one another. He and Elder Nielson, and I think Elder De Jager spoke, and then we had a prayer and took a break, which we thought was for lunch, until we realized it was dark and we had spent the whole day in that meeting non-stop and it was over. 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). Lets treat each other with love and kindness and understanding. I hope to use some of your suggestions to improve my meetings. And yet the church handbook used to say all quorum presidencies go visit your members at least annually. But never, and I mean NEVER, is a meeting worth 61 minutes. Good direction here, but I think it does need to be said. Many people read and apply and others dont for whatever reasons. Im open to better ideas, so write your own list and send it to me. This gives the rest of the group time to prepare so that the meeting and discussions are more to the point and effective. Preparation still requires time, focus and the spirit. ), The ward clerk keeps a record of assignments and decisions made during ward council meetings. Bishop, this will be our 3rd meeting this week; cant we just stay late tonight so that we can get through everything without losing another weeknight to meetings? So, assume the bishop is misguided until he confirms a final decision. The leader needs to instruct the secretary, several days in advance, as to what should should be on the agenda and then the secretary can send the agenda out by e-mail, mail or whatever. If you need ideas to a problem, an activity, or whom to call to a position, ask people to prepare this in advance and bring the ideas to the meeting. Meetings are for reporting. Some geographies require a different balance. I am a Laurel class president and chair 1-2 meetings a month. I have just received revelation to postpone our stake relief society evaluation meeting. You may be well organized and not tempted with your tech but that may not be the case for the entire room. is thinking.I could be out with my presidency visiting families. 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. And that is enough. Prepare all the information you need from your device prior to the meeting and then see how it goes. Spiritual Crocodiles; FAITH. Two fathers have started coming so their kids can get baptized. I agree. The councils focus is on helping people, not administering programs.. Im talking about council meetings (ward council, presidency meetings, stake high council, etc.). They lack people skills, leadership skills, and tend to turn others off. tentative speakers identified for the year, etc. We need to build up each other, encourage, uplift, motivate, set the example, and help out where ever we can. 22 reviews. Thats when spiritual synergy happens. The next day at sacrament meeting, the ward member said that he was glad the bishop had his watch as well so he knew he had ended his work on time to honor the Sabbath day. James, I agree. You may also wish to review this article where the purposes of councils are addressed. Why should I be inconvenienced so that I can conform to a luddite version of proper meeting etiquette? Looks like I need to write a part 2 focused on preparing for revelatory experiences. One last comment. ~ President Ezra Taft Benson. I believe my mothers advice: if your meeting is longer than it needs to be, you end up gossiping as a group. Easy-peazy. Hinckley starting on a Saturday morning and expected to last all day. This was patterned from bishopric training given by our stake presidency at the time. I have started a silent protest with my spouse. Missionaries return reports? I love to delegate also! There are still those that are hanging onto tradition, however, After this next generation, I think itll be gone. But to cast these as unbreakable rules makes no sense. A Vision of Heaven. 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. I note several spelling errors Please forgive them. He worked harder than any of us to purify himself and seek revelation. I have never considered the temptation of gossip in a longer meeting but it makes sense. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. By the way, I also generally play prelude music from my iPad. 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. I know that when he is gone, it is for something to truly necessary and not for a meeting that is just for the sake of having a meeting. Another problem with ward council is that it tends to be a gossip session about So-and-So familys problems, etc. I cant imagine having the spirit burning strongly while someone relates a spiritual experience only to have it interrupted by a timer. She did not remind me, and knowing her, she would have attended our meeting. Tech is not the most distracting thing ever. "We should bear in mind that the success of a given activity cannot always be judged by its size. Over time, participation and behavior should gradually improve. Im definitely still learning. I have been at Church all day. Others might view it as a distraction. I cant imagine sitting through a 3 hour branch coordination. I think one thing that I learned as an Elders Quorum President and a Sunday School President was to send my counselors to the Ward Council and PEC meetings! 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. Set it for 60 minutes and tell everyone in the room they are free to walk out once that timer sounds. Russia Yekaterinburg Mission So welcome to my ward council spiritual thought: I love to sing to country music! No Round-Robin: Just because you are sitting in a circle doesnt mean you need to talk in a circle. There is a concept calledParkinsons law, which states that a meeting (or any task) will expand to fill the time you allotted for it. 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. Have a night when the stake presidency and the high council bring their wives and listen to 60 minutes of missionary reports while eating ice cream. Yes! I have always believed that the only thing better than a short meeting is no meeting at all. management principles in the corp world for many years. Im not sure I agree 100% with the No Tech. I have been in 8 hour meetings in a business setting where every minute was used effectively and set expectations and approaches in a way that guided everything the team did. 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. No one is required to atteng a meeting. Some of the info you provided is excellent. Leaders need to give autonomy to those they lead. Articles and resources related to basic beliefs and the essentials of church doctrine in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #3 No administration allowed is a good thing to strive for, but it only works if the admin is actually accomplished outside of the meeting. The church does not operate on a volunteer basis. LOVE. by Leading Saints | Dec 5, 2018 | Articles, Bishops, Elders Quorum, Ministering, Primary Presidencies, Relief Society, Ward Council, Youth Leadership | 0 comments. 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.. All church leaders should go visit Toastmasters meetings! The bishops voice dominates the meeting because he is typically the only person who contributes to the agenda. Meetings should ALWAYS have a pupose other than to meet. He makes a very concerted effort to minimize meetings and make sure they are productive. 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. I realize that last minute changes occur but an annual meeting schedule could help solve so many problems up front. The few Ive had to attend were 2- to 3-hour nightmares, so I agree with you on the time aspect. It is easy for the person in charge of the meeting to get derailed and go off on tangents. The Joplin First Ward was hit hard by the twister, but right away Bishop Chris Hoffman and the ward council started accounting for ward members. Your rule would have made that impossible. Thanks for sharing. Now, if someone is playing a game on their device, thats a different story entirely. Dumb idea. I agree. The primary work of the ward council takes place in living rooms where tears are shared and dried, and testimony is borne. Especially if there isnt an agenda. 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. The EQ Pres. 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. If your tech distracts you, then get rid of it. I agree with a lot that you said but feel bad that you classify my opinion in a negative light. Look at their body language. Then he presents the issues and debates begin. MLS is terrible at this we put on one page what MLS put on 14. Because 60minutes of people being unprepared is still as ineffective as 90min or 2 hours of people being unprepared. 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. Thus, polling your council members can confirm and refine your efforts. Do whateverworks for you, as long as those attending the meeting know what will be discussed and have time prior to the meeting to process the information. I went to a town 5 hours including a boat ride away to my parents house so they could help with my other 2 small children. I really enjoyed reading this post. They dont communicate very well with their counselors. Lets close with prayer. If you go over, you will find the creativity in the room plummet and individuals will agree to anything just to get out of there. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. When a meeting is a revelatory experience it doesnt take long, no matter how many minutes pass. Our Stake President wisely counselled our presidency when we were set apart to not be bound by the traditions of how things have been done in the past. Below is an outline of how our council was inspired to restructure the agenda your council could use this as a template or a starting place. What would his attitude be? Don't subscribe Weve been talking about a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council. He established a clear, simple vision, from which all activities fed into and moved the ward closer to realizing that vision. Just as in Joplin, Puerto Francisco de Orellana, and Liverpool, Church leaders worldwide continue to discover the blessings of ward and branch councils. No Downloading Information: Dont inform for the sake of informing. And remind people before the meeting what their assignments were. They wondered where to look, how best to help, and which church members had the right interests, skills and resources to rescue. Anyone can choose to not attend a meeting with or without an excuse. Awesome points, everyone! AGENDA. I have also sat through high council meetings that were 1 1/2 hours long and wondered where the time went. This was done to help speed our process, help us remember who was in what position, what positions were open, etc. They dont have to be the guidelines listed here (they are simply my point of view) but guidelines are important. 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. And yet we are all Children of our Father in Heaven! The most common problems faced in creating a cohesive and inspired ward council may include: I was blessed to work with an extremely inspired bishop who, over the course of time, successfully transformed the ward council from one that looked like the problematic picture painted above into a highly-functioning, vision-driven, and unified ward council. Thanks for sharing. Judgement. Without putting the lessons plans in this boxjust a couple of ideas. We can offer positive suggestions and ideas. There are so many church members that feel left out in church and being part of an active committee could help make many of these people feel welcomed and needed. Maybe what I am pulling from this isnt that people need to worry about time limits (yes they still do) .but need to be prepared. If you prioritize properly, the excess beyond sixty minutes can be handled outside HC or left until next week. Councils are increasingly being emphasized by Church leaders in their teaching and training. Required fields are marked *. Sometimes the invitation can be decided by the ward council, but all should be encouraged to follow the Spirit with regard to what invitation or challenge to present. Yesterday, due to Ward Conference, it was made known beforehand that Ward Council would only be 45 minutes. 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. They work together in love to serve and strengthen individuals and families in the ward or branch. For example: Yearly planning meetings Plan for the entire year. This is not just participation in decision making. Handbook 2 (18.2) tells us that ward council should be held regularly (at least monthly). Ive heard about general authorities visiting local stakes and encouraging bishops to hold ward council more than just once a month. They almost cant function without being in a meeting. This should also be discussed in General Conference as a topic! On the other hand, the Spirit should be allowed to break that rule. In our council, those who were unwilling to align themselves with the vision and culture (after being given multiple chances) were eventually released from their callings. However you do need to keep certain items confidential. You are right on! If the HC needs to hear the missionary report, attend the sacrament meeting when he/she speaks. His passions include dating his wife, playing with those five aforementioned children, NBA basketball, and writing long emails to his bishop.
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