If a meeting lacked the Spirit, we all knew it, and it helped the one conducting learn where he could improve where applicable. Do you want to become like Satan or like Christ? March 26, 2015 Because 60minutes of people being unprepared is still as ineffective as 90min or 2 hours of people being unprepared. The reality is, many leaders are addicted to the concept of meetings. Spiritual Crocodiles; FAITH. I have seen both sides of the fence and it is joy when people are prepared to have as Elder Bednar taught a revelatory experience . Here are three big NOs for how to avoid administrative topics in meetings. Daniel 10:12,19 Exactly, including the Bishop, RS President, EQ President, YW President, etc. We learn in the temple that the Spirit can be restrained in its effectiveness if the unified body isnt truly unified. Plus the presidency can delegate and that is one less burden on their shoulders. The children refused because they were afraid that there might be more wasps. Thanks for your reply. They make me so frustrated when theyre run poorly! The same goes with any point made in the article. 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. #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. His BA in International Studies doesnt do much in the IT industry where he works as a software product manager for Salt Lake City-based Samaritan Technologies. 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. (References to wards and bishoprics also apply to branches and branch presidencies.). And while we do accomplish much and generally remain focused on the task at hand, input and involvment drastically drops after an hour. Easy-peazy. Pam, I agree that ward council often descends into gossip. 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. is thinking.I could be out with my presidency visiting families. 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. We have over half of our ward that is less active! It seems this post has hit a nerve with a lot of people. #tofwkansascity - what did you love about your event tonight? Each companionship was asked to extend an invitation or challenge to those visited and be prepared to report at the next ward council. Except for a year off for good behavior to teach Primary, I have been participating in ward leadership meetings every Sunday morning for the past twenty-five years. And then when things, meetings, members,and leaders fail to meet our expectations then we tend to grip, get disenchanted, gossip, and complain. 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. They can also learn how to become better speakers, better leaders, and better people persons! 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. I have served in many capacities on the Ward Council and currently serve as Exec Sec but I dont seem to be able to sway any of our leaders to this way of thinking. I have been in several church positions where the leader doesnt see a need to hold any church meetings. She does all she can to help the women increase their faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and help those in need. 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. (2010 World Wide Leadership Training). We choose and we decide what our attitudes will be! Im a firm believer in keeping meetings under an hour. My Three White Dresses. Training is best found in the following resources: Training sessions were not lectures, but discussions conducted by the counselors. I also strongly object to the language you use in point #6. Thanks for these great ideas. How would he treat the situation? I believe in the adage that Failure to plan is planning to fail! However, We are also a volunteer church and we have a volunteer lay leadership and not a trained professional ministry. However, they are adults and responsible for their own actions. The primary work of the ward council takes place in living rooms where tears are shared and dried, and testimony is borne. For the sake of brevity and politeness I wont go into detail. Looks like I need to write a part 2 focused on preparing for revelatory experiences. He Is Risen: A Prophets Testimony, Receiving Personal Guidance at Stake Conference, The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, Celebrating Each Others Accomplishments, Church Releases New Products for Youth, Children, Heather Whittle Wrigley and Philip M. Volmar, Added Focus on Ministering Strengthens Visiting Teaching, Prophets.LDS.org Features New Biographies of Living Apostles, President Packer Teaches at Seminary Centennial, Ward Councils at Work, Ensign, Apr. Ward Activities. Seems like gossip takes up most of the meeting. Spiritual Thoughts A Collection of Spiritual Thoughts Hopefully Some That You've Never Seen Before You know the drill. He is thinkingman, we just keep going around in circles on this topic EVERY week! One statement that was never uttered in the School of the Prophets, Oh, sorry, I thought I put this on silent.. All church leaders should go visit Toastmasters meetings! be part of the solution and not part of the problem! Plus it gave me a break from having to attend so many meeting! I get it. He makes a very concerted effort to minimize meetings and make sure they are productive. 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. The up-front cost in time and effort is outweighed by the long-term benefit of well-trained leaders who are on board and all-in. 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. Yet in some ways, this idea wasnt the success the bishop had hoped for. No Brainstorming: Brainstorming can be powerful, but it doesnt need to happen within a meeting. #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 councils focus is on helping people, not administering programs.. 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. Show prices. That said, there are thousands of AMAZING people doing amazing amounts of service and providing tremendous leadership all across the world just now. Handbook 2 (4.6.3) states, the ward council seeks inspiration in developing a course of action to bless the lives of members. I have never considered the temptation of gossip in a longer meeting but it makes sense. Good direction here, but I think it does need to be said. One of my personal rules is to have meetings regularly recurring and on the calendar. In a Stake we would do some alternating. Instead people are asked to participate and then given the right to exersize their Agency to agree or decline. Calling peoples ideas dumb isnt the best way to have an effective dialogue that results in better ideas. Time becomes largely irrelevant when you are about the work of the Lord. I cant imagine a bishop cutting off someones testimony because the timer went off and its time to move along. A smile spread across her face. He created an environment where council members felt like peers and that their voices were not only important, but imperative to the revelatory process. Can you imagine going in to interview with your bishop and watching him set an egg timer? Ill add another thing. The Young Men president seeks to strengthen the wards young men ages 12 through 18. Third, councils are for counsel and the exchange of ideas, not just reports and lectures. Sometimes I feel like we expect perfection out of our church leaders, teachers, and members. Another great resource on this concept is Elder Ballards book Counseling with our Councils.. Sixteen of those years included Bishopric meetings, either as an Executive Secretary, a Ward Clerk, or a Bishop's Counselor.. No one is required to atteng a meeting. Assuming every participant is prepared (which is rare), assuming every participant is on time (which is rarer), assuming every participant is fully trained and well-experienced in his or her calling (which is even rarer and certainly wont last more than a week or two), yes, meetings can be efficient. Provide a musical event that celebrates Christ's birth, like a cantata. There is no other option of where to start than there. A ward disciplinary council consists of four people: the ward's bishop and his two counselors and the ward clerk. When we got there the meeting was closed as we had gone over (over what I dont know). Purchase one of our Spiritually Minded is Life Eternal (SMILE) Bracelets [wp_ad_camp_1] Some may argue over the details of what an agenda is. Have you ever noticed that people almost never complain when a meeting goes a few minutes long, but when it ends short, they lose their minds? Other books, talks, articles, experiences, etc. Dont preach your personal preference as an absolute that others should follow. If there is something they want to address as a group, they should have cleared it for the agenda. Planning takes place outside of the meeting. In Liverpool, New York, USA, as Primary president Melissa Fisk attended ward council meeting, she gained insight into its power. No Round-Robin: Just because you are sitting in a circle doesnt mean you need to talk in a circle. The last comment on rule 8I have sat through some meetings that droned on and onI have led meetings that I thought were droning on and onwishing that we could just finish. I am excited to hear of your success with your approach. If you prioritize properly, the excess beyond sixty minutes can be handled outside HC or left until next week. The Relief Society president represents the women in the ward over the age of 18. #5 No tech is a mixed bag. It all seems a tad presumptuous that you should be able to state unbreakable rules about church meetings. If few want to show up, it isnt a problem with those absent,its a problem with your leadership. If you run a bad meeting, the only thing to increase is the eye-rolling. Russia Yekaterinburg Mission #11 Best Value of 2,333 places to stay in Gunzenhausen. Your email address will not be published. As an example of having seen that years ago our bishop asked each auxiliary presidency to fast, attend the temple and pray about a specific scripture and consider its application to their stewardship and how they could ultimately help their members grow closer to the Lord. They attend all of the Ward Council or PEC Meetings themselves. The bishop may also ask him to help follow up with ward council members on their assignments. A stake council includes the three members of the stake presidency, 12 high councilors and the stake clerk. I promise it will keep the whole group more focused. M.Russell Ballard, Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family (1997), 102. He didnt just tell us what to do but stressed a council mentality and discussion. We didnt have the luxury of sitting together so we had to prepare, prepare, prepare and my counselors had to take up much of the work. A lot of time is spent oversharing information, relaying things that can be a quick text, and chatting. Others might view it as a distraction. As Melissa looked at the faces of the members of the ward council, she saw genuine affection and concern. If we truly believe in revelation, there is no need for a time limit. 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. All were covered with wasp stings. Two fathers have started coming so their kids can get baptized. Leader. Prepared people held to 60min or less is highly productive and the spirit can communicate quickly what needs to be done. Councils are led by the voice of the Spirit through each member of the body not by the bishop exerting his will. Spending too much time in meetings not only keep you away from your most important duty, your family, but it also wears on the people serving to the point they hope they are not in presidencies anymore. Scripture We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good. Most of my experience is that the President/leader of the group doesnt truly utilize the Secretary/clerk. And if members of councils, if members of families, as they come together, would think in terms of Im preparing to participate in a revelatory experience with my family instead of going to a meetinga revelatory experience with the members of the ward councilI think we would prepare and act much differently. Look at their body language. It discusses the different types of meetings organizations should/could have. Hold a meeting to have a meeting. Not all wards need to do this, but if a ward needs to do blitzes, it should do blitzes. I once spent 2.5 hours in a Bishops Council where the majority of the time was spent reviewing the calendar. LOVE. I do agree the vast majority of our meetings can be done in less than an hour. He helped council members shift their focus to the general ward welfare, rather than tuning out when another council member addressed organization-specific items. I have retired 15 years ago and we are on our second mission. If you have folks who wont (or dont) do administration outside of the meetings, then that admin has to get done sometime, somewhere. If you run a good meeting, those whofollow you will be more willing to serve you. Over time, participation and behavior should gradually improve. Council members are siloed, i.e., concerned only about their own organization, and not the ward as a whole. When I say meeting I am not referringto any meetings in the 3 hour block. That agenda should be shared with attendants beforehand. I had forgotten that my counselors son was arriving back from his mission a few hours prior to our scheduled meeting. The bishops voice dominates the meeting because he is typically the only person who contributes to the agenda. This is not a step to take if a member simply expresses a dissenting idea! President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, "Strengthening the Inner Self," Ensign, Feb. 2003, 4. Originally from West Valley City, UT, Mike Brady currently resides in Chubbuck, ID, adjacent to where his amazing wife Chelsie grew up. But then, I read Unbreakable Rules as hey, here are some things you might consider to make your meetings more effective revelatory experiences.. The author doesnt mean to impose them, but it is a good exercise reading them and getting what benefits you. I dont mind the mindset of people questioning and actively participating, but starting from the premise that the leader is mis-guided is wrong. Droundy, I think is foolish to think that you can limit every meeting to sixty minites for instance high council meeting where missionaries report thier mission ,with the increased number of missionary there just isnt enough time in sixty minite meeting due to the number of missionarys .Remember Its the Lords work and as long as your making progress then a few more minites of our time wont hurt. Tell them you want to talk and get feedback on how your meetings are going. Many people read and apply and others dont for whatever reasons. Youve never been a Church Leader before have you? I have served in just about every calling.Temple leadershipMission Presidency, Stake Presidency, Bishop, HPGL, all of that. 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. Be creative and save people some time and money by using conferencing. 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. Aug 29, 2021 - Explore Melinda Manley's board "Ward Council Spiritual Thought", followed by 331 people on Pinterest. At times, moving mountains is easier than moving mindsets. 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. Those phone calls we were prepared, we felt the spirit and we went ahead all in about 10-15 minutes. Why Work Doesnt Happen at Workby Jason Fried, A Look At MeetingsProductivityist Podcast. 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. Seems to me the article reflects the authers personal standards and that they want them to be church standards. Do you have any source to back up this statement: The bishop isnt there to receive revelation; he is there to confirm revelation.? Cheshire Cat: Then it doesnt matter which way you go. Our ward is doing so much missionary work and so many inactive and part member families are coming back. It seems there is too much left undone in too many callings these days. However, even though Ive read Ballards book and the handbk of instructions maybe Ive missed something that youre hitting onWhile serving as a bishop I felt like it was my role to lead, out in suggestingnot demanding, not commanding, and not insisting (Elder Jay E. Jensen, BYU Speeches, Aug 16, 2011). 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). 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 understand their concerns about rigidness and lack of adaptation and time limits supposedly ushering the spirit out the door and all sorts of other things. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with most of the things you have said. When a meeting is a revelatory experience it doesnt take long, no matter how many minutes pass. Weve been talking about a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council. 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. 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. One of your comments above says if theres a bunch of missionaries reporting, lets have that in a separate meeting and have ice cream! The rank and file workers are often clueless, and quietly steaming. The bishopric is responsible for all ward members, organizations, and activities. Usually the bishop takes a paper with some notes. But one of our jobs as Presidents is to train our counselors to become better leaders! Efficient meetings still require that people prepare. Some came prepared, most did and exceptionally so but those that didnt could tell they were missing out on a very spiritual moment. Joseph F. Smith's Gratitude for Blessings. Then implement their feedback. 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. I think we need to do the best we can with what we have. Yes, we have been assigned callings, but ultimately, WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS. Dumb idea. At the hour mark, I politely excuse myself from the meeting. I think that goes without saying. Our PEC, welfare, and ward council meetings tend to run exactly the same, essentially a round robin of auxiliary reports. It comes via one-by-one ministry. The bishop can delegate to quorum and group leaders some of the work he does with families. 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. No excuse is required. I wish you actually provided suggestions instead of full on criticisms. After everyone had been cared for, the leaders invited the children to touch the temple. They wondered where to look, how best to help, and which church members had the right interests, skills and resources to rescue. Pretty much spot on. 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. Id love to hear any further thoughts you have. Set it for 60 minutes and tell everyone in the room they are free to walk out once that timer sounds. But wait!!! Both the article and the numerous comments have been enlightening and informative. We would practice the art of running councils first in bishopric meeting. I am not sure if I am reading your comment in the right tone but it sounds like my article offended you. I agree. I love that quote you mentioned. by Leading Saints | Mar 8, 2015 | Bishops, Elders Quorum, Podcast Episodes, Primary Presidencies, Ward Council, Ward Mission Leader | 95 comments, Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed. Cell phones didnt work. I think you did the right thing. 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. If not you will hear in the halls of the Church buildings. Sixty minutes is too much if anything. A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 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. And remind people before the meeting what their assignments were. Thought Id follow up on my previous comment. 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. Removing the Poison of an Unforgiving Spirit . Once a month, all ward council members and their counselors and secretaries gathered at the church. All Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. 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. I agree whole heartedly with what you state here: The mind can only take in what the seat can endure. I believe it 100%. And time limits for each one! I like the 7 rules, though I may not share all of them. And it may take several Saturdays to accomplish this year long plan. Im not sure I agree 100% with the No Tech. While I agree with you in general, this depends a lot on the type and objective of the meeting. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. As we would test and determine which practices had a positive effect on our bishopric meetings, wed introduce them to the ward council. Just be sure that if you cancel, you are not making more work for yourself (or someone else) down the road. And that is enough. We need to build up each other, encourage, uplift, motivate, set the example, and help out where ever we can. Im not trying to push my ideas on anyone, Im just sharing them. I had to bring out a 1993 book written by William G. Dyer (past BYU professor of organizational development) entitled Catching the Vision: Working Together to Create a Millennial Ward and compare his writings to this topic. 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. If you cant see how the meeting can stay under an hour, just cancel it because you arent ready to hold a meeting. I strongly recommend studying the revised edition of President M. Russell Ballards excellent book Counseling With Our Councils.Deseret Book or Amazon. Thank you for sharing. Great points!
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