In response to my counselors' concerns of inviting ward auxiliary leaders to an upcoming Stake Missionary Training meetings

Steven,

I'm sorry this continues to be painful for you.

I'll try to answer your questions. But it begs another question: Why do we have this wonderful Priests-Laurels High Adventure? It's not in the Handbook. It's because you have felt impressed there's a need to bless and bond these older youth so they'll "hang together" in their commitment to live the gospel going forward and become the examples for the upcoming youth. 

Not everything is going to be "by the book." In fact, none of the announcements in April Conference were "by the book." 

I hope we don't get ahead of the Brethren or "take unto ourselves" how to implement the vision the Brethren are giving us. But I also don't think they expect us to wait for them to dictate and direct precisely how to implement their ministering and missionary vision. They give us as a stake presidency a lot of latitude, in my opinion, and expect us to seek revelation and guidance on how to implement their vision in our stake.

What this is about is how do we lighten the load on bishops, as encouraged by Elder Holland (and apparently the Brethren because I don't think they would have posted that video on the ministering website without a consensus)? 

Can we do something now or do we wait until the new Handbook comes out? I feel they've given us enough direction to move forward. But only if we're unified. And obviously I have failed in developing a consensus in our presidency.

So let's keep discussing. I have not invited any of the auxiliary leaders to the trainings in August and September. So we have some time.

1) You're right, as far as I know there's no SPC (Stake President's Coordinating) meeting in the Handbook. Frankly, I "inherited" it from the previous stake presidency. I believe all stakes have this meeting. I'm confident it's an extension of Handbook 2: 5.1.9 directing stake presidents to meet and coordinate regularly with the mission president. Where a stake is also a zone (as we are), it was a natural outgrowth that the stake president would meet monthly (they generate a monthly report) with the zone leaders (an extension of the MP) and district leaders. 

The monthly Stake Missionary Training is the monthly training of WML, which also is NOT in the Handbook, but welcomed by the bishops (as long as they don't have to attend :) as it continues to give ongoing training to their WML (a role of the stake to inspire and train, not dictate on how it's to be done). So, as you suggested, we blended the two meetings and tried to give it higher priority (because of our dismal missionary performance) by having the stake presidency direct the training along with the assigned HC--maybe not unlike your P-L High Adventure; a way to give added focus to an area of need.

The SPC that used to be part of the presidency meeting still happens. James and I meet immediately following the Missionary Training meeting with the ZL's and DL's to review the Zone Leader's monthly report, which I send to bishops with comments trying to find those positives to congratulate and thank the bishops.

Because you have expressed a distaste for the Saturday morning meetings, I have not invited you two to attend that 45-min SPC meeting so as not to rub salt into the wound. You are certainly welcome to attend anytime.

2) There are occasions, as you know, where we train the stake auxiliaries. As you pointed out, our annual Stake Auxiliary Training meeting. Also in 5.1.9 (Handbook 2) it says "With the stake president's approval, he (the assigned HC) may train ward leaders and ward missionaries." 

Where we are dealing with a paradigm shift of this magnitude--of reducing the age-old burden on bishops--I felt strongly that the stake presidency needs to give focused attention to this. We can train bishops, but some will be reluctant to hand over those "burdens" they've come to love and "own" (making them feel indispensible; a feeling we all enjoy). I have felt we need to give some initial direction to this so (1) we're all on the same page, (2) so everyone (including any reluctant bishops) understand what is expected, and (3) to help ward councils understand their role in making this happen.

As we ask ward councils to take on more of the "Melchizedek Priesthood" responsibilities (as Elder Holland described it), then the presidency of the MP (us) should give the direction, in my opinion, as to the expectations of those ward councils. That is why I'm recommending we use the Stake Missionary Training as one more forum to help ward council members understand their heightened role and our expectations.

3) The intent is not to have any of the auxiliaries be invited to this meeting again...UNLESS, as we get down the road, we observe  that a ward council is not engaged in assuming oversight to missionary work in the ward (removing that from the bishop's shoulders). Then we'll need to decide if we give individual training to that ward or bring them all back again. 

But for now it's a one-time thing as a follow-up to our June 14 training with ward councils.

4) Of course, leaders' attitude and morale is huge. I assume there was some pushback from EQ and RS presidents when they were initially invited to our meeting. Did you get that same pushback after the meeting? If not, then I trust they felt it was worth their time. If you did, please share it with me as that should be considered a factor in inviting auxiliaries to the Aug 11 and Sept 8 training meetings.

5) For sure we can use those meetings held in the fall for this...and will. As you've shared, the stake role is to train. And as you know better than all of us, with your educational background, training is ongoing and must be continued and repeated often. We will use those meetings to review again...and again...how the ward council can lift the load from the bishops so he and his counselors can (and will) focus on the weighty matter of families and youth.

6) I don't know if we've given them enough time to make the changes. I doubt it. But this is an evolution. It may take years to see the changes to fully happen. It's up to us if it's going to take months, years or decades in our stake. Let's not wait for it to happen "organically" when we're directed by a new handbook. 

I feel our role as a stake presidency is to give leadership as to how these changes will be made and how quickly.

If I'm moving too fast and too dictatorial, then I apologize. I really do want you both on board with what I feel we are to do. Being unified is paramount and I'll back down if you and Paul feel strongly that I'm taking our stake in the wrong direction.

Crismon

In response to concerns about my inviting ward council members to attend the monthly Stake Missionary Training meeting

Paul and Steven,

Thank you for expressing your feelings and offering your counsel. I want you to know I've listened and have given it serious consideration (conducted a debate in my own mind).

Steven, I realize the Saturday meeting is a sticking point for you. And I'm sorry. I wish there was a better alternative. I remind us that this meeting is replacing a meeting that took an hour out of presidency meetings once a month and, in my opinion, wasn't very productive. It was an OK reporting meeting, but nothing we said or directed went anywhere.

I realize there's a possibility that maybe the training we're giving now isn't going anywhere either, but at least more people involved in missionary work are hearing us and maybe causing them to consider a better way. Hopefully something is sticking, though the attached document shows, as a stake, we are really faltering again (along with 2016) in the number of baptisms (we're headed for another under-20 performance for the year). I fully understand that the number of baptisms is not an indication as to whether we are or are not a good stake, but we at least need to try and keep a focus on missionary work in some way if we want things to change.

As for the Saturday meeting, I'm not sure what else to do. We've learned in the past that WML just won't come on a Sunday morning and we constantly run the risk of competing with an early ward council meeting. I believe one of the great values of this one-hour-a-month meeting is it puts WML and full-time missionaries in the same room where they are directed by the stake presidency. Hopefully everyone comes out of the room inspired to be a little more diligent in their calling just because they see the stake presidency concerned enough to meet with them and train them every month.

Steven, if you feel there's a better alternative to the when and where of this meeting, I welcome your suggestions.

As for the question of whether or not to invite ward leaders to this meeting...

I feel so strongly about it mostly because I feel the Lord blessed us with a productive meeting on June 14. Ward leaders in great numbers heard the message that, as part of the new ministering initiative, the ward council is to reduce the load of the bishop by taking on more responsibility. Knowing that (1) missionary work, (2) temple and FH and (3) teaching the gospel are three of the five elements of the Work of Salvation, they're not just going to go away. In short, someone has to increase their load in order to reduce the load on bishops.

In other words, we need ward councils to know that the reduce and simplify right now applies to helping bishops reduce and simplify so they can focus on the very matter that must weigh on prophets tremendously today--families and youth. The rest of us may not get the same "luxury" right now. It may mean more discussions outside of meetings, more training and, at times, more meetings for the ward council to learn their new duties. As ward councils begin to feel and respond to the increase in responsibility, hopefully they, too, will find ways to reduce and simplify their load. I believe most wards have already reduced their frequency of ward council meetings from three or four a month to two.

It breaks my heart to hear an EQ president is "buried" on a Saturday with so many demands from his calling. It should raise a flag to us, as the stake presidency, that we need to improve our training on delegation.

In the meantime, as you can see, despite your wonderful and appreciated counsel, I feel we need to bring all ward council members into our Stake Missionary Training meeting at least once to help them better understand how they—arm-in-arm with these outstanding FT missionaries, WML and ward missionaries—can move forward this vital aspect of the Work of Salvation in their callings and organizations.

I wish we could feel confident the High Councilors will train and teach this adequately. But where we consistently have a 2-5 HC missing in every meeting, the water just doesn't get to the end of the row. I feel the Brethren have given us a sense of urgency in changing the multi-generational traditions of home teaching, the role of ward councils, the bishop-directs-all, etc. That's why I am asking that we temporarily expand the missionary training.

Paul, I felt your concern about the ward YMYW leaders coming out of (or maybe still into) youth activities that makes an August training not the best timing. As a consequence, I plan to invite the ward SS and Primary presidents (or a counselor) to attend the Aug. 11 training. We will invite the ward YMYW presidents (or a counselor) to attend the Sept. 8 training.

Paul, will you please plan to set the tone for the training with a message at the beginning of the meeting on Aug 11 on the why and how SS and Primary presidencies can utilize the ward missionary force, including FT missionaries, to further the Work of Salvation in their callings and organizations.

Steven, will you please plan to do the same for the training on Sept 8 with the ward YMYW leaders.

My apologies for unloading so much. Hopefully it's an indication that I took your counsel seriously and weighed it heavily to make sure that I wasn't just doing "my thing" and that I felt a true confidence the Lord is behind our efforts.

Thanks for your patience and your support,

Crismon

Parents to prepare children for the temple

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

This is the "season" when we typically have a few more young people submitting recommendations to serve missions.

Once they receive a mission call, as you know, they are eligible--even encouraged--to go to the temple and receive their endowments...and, if there's time before reporting, to serve in the temple.

Will you please remember the message taught at our last Stake Priesthood meeting: we look to the parents to bring their children to the door of the bishop and to declare their son or daughter is prepared to make sacred covenants in the temple (in the spirit of Exodus 40:12).

In short, it's the parents' responsibility to prepare their "new adult" children to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood (sons), be endowed in the temple and serve a full-time mission--not the ward or branch responsibility. Of course, for new adult members of the church (or youth without gospel support from parents), ward leaders are to step in and prepare them for the temple. 

But where parents are endowed and hold a current temple, please hold them responsible for conducting the Temple Preparation course with their son or daughter. This is simply one more way to help parents appreciate anew their responsibility in teaching their children (from their earliest years) the gospel and preparing each to make and keep sacred covenants with God.

Thank you,

President Lewis