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. There is a concept calledParkinsons law, which states that a meeting (or any task) will expand to fill the time you allotted for it. 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. They got over it. the ones that drone, on the other hand. That is definitely a meeting that takes more than 60 minutes and you cant just stop in the middle when the timer rings. Im a firm believer in keeping meetings under an hour. They were happy to have music . But wait!!! Unfortunately, I cannot agree with most of the things you have said. Leader. [He] can also provide continuity between the ward council and the priesthood executive committee.. AGENDA. We also created a Google Sheet version of the. The bottom line leaders needs to be sensitive to the time demands on members, have an agenda and run meetings as efficiently as possible, and follow the Spirit. We still see many meetings not being ran the right way throughout our units. Id encourage you to try it for a few meetings (or ask the presiding officer to try it). The Sunday School president is responsible for all gospel instruction during Sunday School. 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.". I have been in Presidencies and the secretary. 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! Many leaders are uneducated in these new ways and new technology. Daniel 10:12,19 The branch council finds that the members challenges can often be solved at the local level. 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. Councils are led by the voice of the Spirit through each member of the body not by the bishop exerting his will. Among other callings, Mike served as a full-time missionary (Japan Tokyo South), early morning seminary teacher, elders quorum president, ward mission leader, and in multiple bishoprics despite his large, young family. The stake president moved things around so people werent out so late. Church controls her membership, but Utah writer still sees herself as Mormon. I realize that last minute changes occur but an annual meeting schedule could help solve so many problems up front. 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. Count Your Blessings. We had a response plan in place because we had talked about these preparations in ward council before they happened, he said. 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. It was a very good meeting. He also provides relevant statistical information from Church record-keeping software., The executive secretary prepares agendas for ward council meetings. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Wikipedia Note, I did not say playing on their phones. They dont communicate very well with their counselors. As bishop, he could cancel any meeting on a whim. Tech is not the most distracting thing ever. 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. Within the Clasp of Your Arms; FAST OFFERINGS. I get it. Yeah, I think we agree more than we disagree. But once a person is teachable, a Spirit-inspired teacher can do wonders in the mind and in the heart. Unfortunately the next Bishops Council was the same. Usually the bishop takes a paper with some notes. Id love to hear any further thoughts you have. Because 60minutes of people being unprepared is still as ineffective as 90min or 2 hours of people being unprepared. When I'm in my car running errands, going on trips - I love to sing along to country music. Another problem with ward council is that it tends to be a gossip session about So-and-So familys problems, etc. After reading the following scriptures, please share your thoughts on the discussion board regarding the questions below. This comment is refreshing. Id even go so far as to say that any meeting can be done in 30 minutes and Ill encourage you to try, but you can be comfortable with 60. He worked harder than any of us to purify himself and seek revelation. "I imagine that if we could see the heavenly barometer that reads and records the secret thoughts of each person during the sacrament, we would have a pretty good measure of the spirituality of that person.". Have you seen anything work that has helped people more effectively plan for a meeting? And time limits for each one! 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? Three principles for more meaningful prayer. I am excited to hear of your success with your approach. Ive served in the RS and primary presidencies for the last four years. The one meeting that sticks out in my mind was a regional priesthood leadership meeting led by Pres. 10 minutes max. Hinckley starting on a Saturday morning and expected to last all day. The bishop always presided but shifted conducting duties to his counselors, who led all discussion and training. Or they are afraid to step outside the BOX! We were in the know. So parents and leaders stood in a line and created a path to the temple. Jacob learned that if he kept the covenant, God would be with him everywhere he went, that God would fulfill everything he promised to do for him, and that God would bring him back to the land of. Ive participated in meetings where, at the conclusion, participants couldnt believe how much time had passed because it felt like no time at all. I completely disagree with the opinion about tech. We expect and sometimes we even demand! 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. She did not remind me, and knowing her, she would have attended our meeting. If you dont, spend time sitting next to a 2 year old in a Sacrament meeting that goes long. Yes! 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. I note several spelling errors Please forgive them. 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. Having these as goals is important, but if Bishop just isnt a good meeting leader, Ill cut him some slack, maybe try to help him out, and focus on what he does bring to the table. #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 wish you actually provided suggestions instead of full on criticisms. MLS is terrible at this we put on one page what MLS put on 14. Thanks again for sharing this topic with us. They will connect with someone, somehow, that I cant. Having an agenda makes a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of a presidency meeting. In a Stake we would do some alternating. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. On the other hand, the Spirit should be allowed to break that rule. Thanks again for sharing and please share any future successes. All Set it for 60 minutes and tell everyone in the room they are free to walk out once that timer sounds. Do you disagree? Ive experienced powerful, spiritual meetings that lasted well beyond the 61 minute mark. He helped council members shift their focus to the general ward welfare, rather than tuning out when another council member addressed organization-specific items. by Leading Saints | Dec 5, 2018 | Articles, Bishops, Elders Quorum, Ministering, Primary Presidencies, Relief Society, Ward Council, Youth Leadership | 0 comments. 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. The length of a meeting should be kept to the minimum amout of time need to fulfill the goal of the meeting. Ding! They can call or email participants and ask for businesses to be included. No Round-Robin: Just because you are sitting in a circle doesnt mean you need to talk in a circle. If one thinks it long enough he is likely to do it.". 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 exception would be for ward activity planning: we need to know whom to invite and what activities, games, meals, etc., would appeal to a broad or target audience. They make me so frustrated when theyre run poorly! I also believe in Agendas having been a member of Toastmasters for over 30 years! Honesty is the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sixty minutes is too much if anything. For the sake of brevity, and manners, I wont go into detail. One time when we had some serious family issues going on, my husband had to miss the morning meetings on Sunday. LOVE. Please respect my extremely limited time as a working parent. Im keeping mine. Even with an invitation to the spirit there should still be guidelines that a leader follows to manage the meetings effectiveness. It seems there is too much left undone in too many callings these days. I also think using email is a great way to help discuss items that dont require a formal meeting. As each man stood, I thought of the miracle that had taken place in his life and in the lives of the women and children around him. 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. 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. After that, we can talk about 45-minute meetings, etc. Cell phones didnt work. Ill add another thing. Now having said that, there are things we can do that can make our meetings more effective and efficient, some of which were mentioned, but they are hardly unbreakable. I couldnt agree more! So the next item is understanding that we have to work with what we are givenwhich means whether youre a bishop or relief society president or EQ president or any other leader short comings abound but even the the greenest leader who does all they can to prepare spiritually will be able to give Council. He makes a very concerted effort to minimize meetings and make sure they are productive. Delegate and Follow Up! I am not claiming to have it all figured out. The bishops voice dominates the meeting because he is typically the only person who contributes to the agenda. If you need more time, go talk to the Executive Secretary and schedule another interview. Delegate or die I love it! We would practice the art of running councils first in bishopric meeting. My first counselor said to me, Bishop, THIS is where it is at.not sitting in those dumb ward and stake meetings!. We were removing a large oak tree from the roof of the Seminary Institute Director. 4 min. And then when things, meetings, members,and leaders fail to meet our expectations then we tend to grip, get disenchanted, gossip, and complain. Eliminating gossip would streamline the meetings. Nope. And Toastmasters set a time limit for each agenda item! . We need to build up each other, encourage, uplift, motivate, set the example, and help out where ever we can. I love to delegate also! Would he complain and be miserable or make the best out of the situation. We valued both diversity and unity, but releasing a member should never be done in a spirit of spite or punishment. True leaders will continue to work with that member, but when it is clear that unity cannot be achieved so that the council might act as a single revelatory body, the bishop would be wise to weigh the needs of the ward and consider replacing that individual. Im confident that If the First Presidency can decide whether someone excommunicated for polygamy can be rebaptized over a video conference that Ward Councils can figure it out as well. I think if we treat the adults like adults, instead of children, you would be surprised how much can actually be accomplished in a meeting even with people using their phones. Thanks for sharing. A simple place to start is searching for the definition of priesthood keys on lds.org. . Spiritual Thoughts A Collection of Spiritual Thoughts Hopefully Some That You've Never Seen Before You know the drill. And also to seek the Spirit for love, understanding, guidance, patience, and direction! #7 Cancelling meetings If you find that not much is impacted by fewer meetings, then you should definitely be cancelling more meetings. They areasked to. If few want to show up, it isnt a problem with those absent,its a problem with your leadership. Apparently, he had. If you need help with not getting carried away in a meeting, your next meeting should have a kitchen timer present. They attend all of the Ward Council or PEC Meetings themselves. People need to have input to High Council meetings. 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.. Joseph Smith I also think that it is critical to look at the eternal perspective of things. There are still those that are hanging onto tradition, however, After this next generation, I think itll be gone. And remind people before the meeting what their assignments were. I love that quote you mentioned. Don't subscribe I cant imagine having the spirit burning strongly while someone relates a spiritual experience only to have it interrupted by a timer. Russia Yekaterinburg Mission In time, the Bishop asked his counselors to have one-on-one discussions with ward council members to receive their candid feedback on the ward council meeting, specifically: One hundred percent of the responses were right in line with what he had hoped for: by this time, council members really wanted to spend meeting time discussing the progress of individuals and families. Many members need help finding work. 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. Keep pushing for shorter meetings. 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. A True Champion; Ronny's Buddy; CHASTITY. He didnt just tell us what to do but stressed a council mentality and discussion. Jessica, agreed. However, they are adults and responsible for their own actions. 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. I agree, people cant be getting calls or texting others in a meeting, but without my team utilizing tech, we would have been seriously hampered. 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. If you cant see how the meeting can stay under an hour, just cancel it because you arent ready to hold a meeting. Our church Members and Leaders come from all different walks of life and life experiences. We expect perfect home and visiting teachers! Preparation still requires time, focus and the spirit. John, I appreciate the input. Points well made. 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. The reality is, many leaders are addicted to the concept of meetings. 2012, 3033. On Sunday last I was in a ward council during which a Bishop made the following statement: "As I counseled with a sister this week, I felt impressed to tell her that the reason she was required to go through what she was facing was because she needed that . We have lots of technology that never seems to get used in the church. Some geographies require a different balance. Don't subscribe I guess the only upside is that you wasted less time away from home. every other meeting would be done over a conference call we found ways to make it effective by doing certain types of discussions over the phone/video while others might be saved for face-to-face. 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