In response to concerns expressed by a stake member about the role of women in the Church

The following is an email response dated June 27, 2015 to Jennifer Miller, a member of our stake, who shared concerns about women in the Church that she felt were serious enough to become totally inactive.

Hello, Jennifer…

Thank you for your email and for your sincere quest to get answers. We would be happy to meet with you, if you choose. Your questions are never onerous or inappropriate. We love you, your family and want to be as forthcoming and helpful as possible (with what we know). Please know of our own personal disappointment that we have not been able to answer your questions to your satisfaction. 

I appreciated very much President Christiansen’s email and his attempt to get answers to your questions from Elder Holland (you would have been proud of him!). I don’t know that I can add much to what he has shared. It was very gratifying to hear Elder Holland, in the meeting referenced, be so candid and acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers. I got the sense the Brethren are very concerned about the questions you raise and are doing their very best to address them…to sort out the doctrine from the tradition. Because some of these policies (or “just the way we do things”) have been in place for so long, this will obviously take time.

After the meeting with Elder Holland, Vivienne and I had the unexpected privilege of sitting next to Elder Holland during dinner. He shared with me that the Church has created a new committee, called the Member Concerns Committee. I think he said he chairs that committee. I remember him saying this committee is mostly addressing some of the questions you raise…the women’s role in the Church, specifically leadership roles. He confirmed that it was this new committee that recommended the noticeable changes made recently: women offering prayers in General Conference; women auxiliary leaders sitting among the Brethren during conference and not with the wives off to the side; the Women’s Session becoming the official "first session" of General Conference (note it’s now the first talks published in the May/Nov Ensign). He said these changes were a kind of a “why didn’t we think of them before?” They were just oversights, so the speaking up by concerned women, like you, have not gone unrecognized or unappreciated.

I think your questions about auditors and Sunday School presidencies are valid. It was nice to hear Elder Holland suggest they’re still working on those issues. I’m sure they’re a bit more complicated simply because placing women in those positions, while not doctrinally prohibited, could create situations of a man and a woman working so closely side-by-side to lead to inappropriate relations. I think that’s why I suspect  you’ll never see a man called as a counselor in a Primary presidency. I suppose, for some, this is a stupid reason to keep women from serving as auditors or in a SS presidency. “Are we so hormone-driven that we can’t keep our thoughts and hands to ourselves when in a meeting between a man and a woman?” But from the Brethren’s point of view, I could see why they would go to great lengths to avoid being the cause of such a problem. “We have enough break-up of families without us helping to create them.”

As you know, this “problem” arises when a bishop, or other priesthood leader, conducts an interview alone with a woman. As indication of how concerned the Brethren are about this potential situation, bishops are cautioned regularly to make sure some one else is in the building during such an interview; have a table or desk between the two of you; do not ask questions about intimacy or intimate practices, etc.

I share this so you’ll know that I feel the Brethren really are trying to address these issues. Again, some of these matters have been tradition for so long that it takes time to unravel the traditions and make sure they don’t contradict doctrine or prophetic “policies” established years before. From our stand point, these matters may appear like no-brainers, but when making decisions at the general church level, you can imagine the number who have to sign off on such policy changes. In fact, no policies are changed until there is total unanimity among the First Presidency and the Twelve. If there is discord among them, they wait for the Spirit to soften hearts and everyone becomes “settled” before moving forward.

As for your question about the priesthood, I personally don’t feel it makes a man more inclined to receiving revelation than women. A priesthood holder is supposed to seek revelation for his circle or level of stewardship, but so is a woman. I believe it’s mostly to bring order into His church, to some extent what Herb suggested. I’m confident there is more to the “why” it rests solely with males that we will learn some day and I’m confident it will make sense when we do find out. (No, I don’t know when that will be, but maybe it’s a trial of our faith that will be addressed at the Judgment; probably at the same time we learn the real “why” behind plural marriage and other doctrines and practices that have proven to be troubling or even divisive.)

Jennifer, you know how much we love you and your family and it would break our hearts if you chose to go completely inactive. We plead with you to be patient. Maybe you feel your patience has been exhausted. But I see these recent “signs” as solid indicators that the Brethren are listening and trying to address them as best and as quickly as possible. 

Please consider reviewing again Elder Holland’s talk in the April 2013 Conference where he conceded there are things we don’t have answers for. But he gave this wonderful, relevant counsel: “…when those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes…Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not!…Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.”

I hope this is helpful. If you still want to meet, please let us know and we’ll be happy to schedule a time.

President Lewis

My personal missionary example

At the most recent Coordinating Council Meeting, our Area Seventy, Elder Stapleton, asked all stake presidents to send him an email about our personal missionary examples. Here is what I sent him on June 21, 2015:

Elder Stapleton,

First, a happy Father’s Day to you. Please know we love and sustain you in your calling and, though we are still getting acquainted, recognize you are a choice and chosen leader called of the Lord. We look forward to the blessing of having you visit our stake some day soon, we hope, and to be taught by you. 

My apologies for the delay in sending you this email, as requested, about my personal missionary example.

My wife Vivienne and I have been persistent in our prayers, setting dates to have someone taught in our home. We have gone through November 23, 2014, February 1, 2015, April 15, 2015, and June 1, 2015 without success; or at least having someone taught in our home.

The success, of course, has been the constancy in our prayers and keeping the joy of sharing the gospel in the forefront of our minds and hearts. We have had many wonderful experiences inviting friends, but so far no one has accepted our invitation. We have had friends, including pastors of other churches, in our home for dinner; on occasion with the missionaries present, but still no one taught in our home.

However, we are beginning to see a very encouraging sign that the Lord is working with a neighbor. 

At the end of our block lives a man and a woman, whom we’ve known for some time. Actually, we knew the man soon after moving to Oregon from Arizona in 1989. He was a member of the adjacent ward bishopric and some of his children were quite close friends with our children in school. Sadly, he and his wife got a divorce and he went inactive, eventually requesting his name be removed. We lost contact until about 10 years ago when he and his new wife, Lori, moved into our neighborhood.

Over the past 10 years we have tried to befriend them, even taking them to an Ensign Choir concert, but with little success in creating a deepening relationship. A turning point happened about six years ago when one of our sons, while in high school, one day saw Lori shoveling bark dust. On his own he went to help her. Needless to say, she was “won over” by the goodness of a teenager, who spontaneously jumped in to help.

Even with that, there was no significant progress until recently. A few months ago, my wife Vivienne invited Lori to attend her monthly book club meeting made up mostly of LDS women. That constant contact has deepened their friendship. Then the sister missionaries began to visit Lori (her husband Mike still keeps his distance). Just this past week, Lori happily responded to Vivienne’s invitation to attend Church (which she plans to do with us today) and suggested she would like to receive a Book of Mormon. A bit chagrined we hadn’t already given her one, we gladly presented her with her own copy two days ago.

It’s no coincidence, I’m sure, that our once-teenage son, who helped Lori years ago, is visiting us this week after he and his wife spent a year in Taiwan where he attended a language school before going on to his post-graduate studies. (He served a mission to Australia and came home speaking Mandarin, thanks to his many Chinese companions. He fell in love with the language and wants to teach Chinese at the college level.) 

We are very encouraged that Lori will accept our invitation soon to be taught the gospel in our home in answer to our prayers for just such a miracle.

We welcome your prayers that all of this will move forward favorably and the gift of the gospel will be introduced again to this wonderful couple.

Warmly,

Crismon Lewis

President, Mount Hood Stake

Follow-up to training on Sabbath Observance in the Church

The following two emails were sent to bishops several days after conducting a mandatory Bishopric Training on June 16, 2015 on Sabbath Observance in the Church:

Bishops,

As you’ll remember, we discussed at length how to enhance the sacrament experience for members. We would like to expound on this more.

We feel there was a greater desire that came out of our last meeting to give even more emphasis to treating the sacrament as the sacred ordinance that it is. 

Thank you for wanting to…

1. Give emphasis to training Aaronic Priesthood leaders so the sacrament is prepared in a more timely fashion;

2. Have deacons (and other holders of the AP) assigned in advance to pass the sacrament so it’s a “serious duty" and not just for "whoever shows up on time”;

3. Use more adult Aaronic Priesthood holders.

As to this last item, please consider these recommendations:

1. Do not use full-time missionaries. It’s easy to call on them, but they get ample opportunity in their day-to-day service to use their priesthood. Please give this opportunity to adult AP holders (especially prospective elders), who may not get the opportunity to use their priesthood often.

2. You may want to consider delegating to the EQ president or HP group leader the authority to assign one prospective elder maybe one Sunday per month, or more often, to participate in the administration of the sacrament. Candidates should be cleared by the bishop in advance.

While we feel strongly the above could be a wonderful blessing for prospective elders, this should be tempered by what the Handbook says on page 173 of book 2 (20.4.1):

“Generally, teachers and priests in the Aaronic Priesthood should be invited to pass the sacrament before Melchizedek Priesthood holders are invited to do so. Where there are enough Aaronic Priesthood holders, Melchizedek Priesthood holders should not be invited to bless and pass the sacrament on a regular schedule.”

So, bishops, use your discretion in how to use the sacrament administration to bless prospective elders, especially if you have a limited number of AP holders.

Thank you for giving this your consideration,

The Stake Presidency

Brethren,

The training you received last Tuesday, was the same training we received as stake presidents in our CCM (Coordinating Council Meeting) conducted by Elder Stapleton, our Area Seventy.

We thought you might like to see some of the ideas that came from other stakes for enhancing both sacrament meeting and the sacrament ordinance itself.

We hope this is helpful.

1. Plan the sacrament meeting speaker topics a full year in advance. One ward planned the entire year of talks around the Atonement, selecting the many dimensions to the Atonement as a theme for each meeting.

2. Another ward also assigned talks six months in advance, and brought the assigned speakers together on a regular basis and taught them the expectations for sacrament meeting talks with intent of helping members consistently have a spiritual experience. Giving members more time to prepare helps them receive inspiration far in advance as they ponder and mentally prepare.

3. Some wards do not try to give every member an opportunity to speak, but assign those who are more adept at teaching. (I don’t personally subscribe to this, but found it interesting. That’s why there are pastors in other churches…they’re professionals.)

4. Bishoprics were trained on proper testimony bearing, especially at the beginning of the monthly Testimony Meeting. Focus: brief, concise, pure testimony of the Savior.

5. Make sure those disabled AP holders have an opportunity to participate in the administration of the sacrament (it’s appropriate to have another quorum members “shadow” them as they go about their assigned part).

6. Bishopric members regularly teach the ward about the sacrament, how to prepare before coming to meeting, and why this ordinance is so important. This is an excellent time to teach “sacrament etiquette” i.e. teach children to be reverent at home, no technology, how to experience the sacrament as a partaker, etc.

7. Bishopric members teach ward members the appropriate way to bear testimony.

8. The Bishop teaches what it means to partake worthily and what to do when feeling unworthy.

9. Be careful not to over program sacrament meeting so that it runs over time. Keep the emphasis on the ordinance.

10. Find a way to teach parents on how to counsel together and teach their children about the sacrament and sacrament meeting.