Are ordinances still valid if performed by unworthy priesthood holders?

The following was my quick response to an email from the wife of a priesthood holder (formerly leader), who confessed to inappropriate activities that he has kept from his family for years. That, of course, raised questions about the validity of all ordinances and blessings he has performed for his family over the years.

Thank you for asking this question. I am leaving shortly for the temple and probably should take more time in responding this evening…and will be happy to so if you would like. However, because this pains me deeply that you have suffered over this question, I would like to try and eliminate or at least mitigate your pain as quickly as possible.

In short, when a priesthood holder is unworthy, the sanctity of an ordinance or blessing is violated, but not the validity.

The Lord, in His merciful understanding of how mortal and imperfect we all are, He stands behind His authority and validates every ordinance performed by his imperfect children…His sons, in this case.

So what is a man’s motivation to be worthy?

We commonly use a phrase in the Church that says, “power and authority of the priesthood.” We sometimes think those two descriptions of the priesthood are synonymous. They are not.

In one of the most important sections in the Doctrine and Covenants about priesthood (D&C 121), we read this one verse: “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen.” (v 34) It then goes on to explain what it means to be chosen and not chosen.

In brief, we learn that MANY men have hands laid on their head and receive authority. Only a FEW “choose” to have power through righteousness, as so well described in the rest of D&C 121. The Lord accepts the use of His authority, even when performed unworthily, but the priesthood holder forfeits his privilege of priesthood power through his unworthiness. 

Your husband’s desire to have power, not just authority, led him to the point so that when he was caught he was willing to face “the fire” and “walk the thorny path” to bring power into your home and the lives of his family. While his “official discipline” may only be for a short time (probably until this summer or possibly even sooner), the power of and in the priesthood will not return so quickly. It will depend on how deeply repentant he is and how faithful he will be over the coming months and maybe years.

I hope this can bring comfort and solace that all ordinances and blessings pronounced upon your children are still very valid and your sons now must decide…choose...if they will use their priesthood authority with power or not. So when the scripture says “chosen,” it doesn’t mean the Lord does the choosing, i.e. plays favorites, but that we (priesthood holders) must choose whether or not we will draw the powers of heaven into our use of His authority.

Helping youth learn to repent of serious sin

The following was sent to bishops on Feb 8, 2016 as part of training used in a Bishopric Training meeting:

CONFESSION
Isaiah 29:13-15 – Applies to both secret combinations and individuals - Youth are swayed mightily today by the precepts of men
- Hiding deep “works in the dark”
D&C 58:42-43 – Lord’s requirements for repentance (see also Bible Dictionary)
How do we help youth to be forthright and know what needs to be confessed?

THE LINES
VIDEO: “Crossing the Line”
The lines for missionary recommendation and sometimes temple worthiness
As “gatekeepers,” we are to use the following guidelines for youth to be recommended for missionary service and temple worthiness:

• Less-Serious Sin, 6 months from last incident: Habitual pornography and masturbation, light petting (above clothes, above waist)
  
• Serious Sin, 1 year from last incident: Fornication, including oral sex; simulated sex with clothes on; sexting (transmitting pornographic pictures of self); heavy petting (under clothes, below waist), any same-gender sexual relationship
  
• Mitigating factors: Time, number, frequency, aggressor, understanding FORGIVENESS: Responsibility and procedures (not the doctrine)
  As a Judge in Israel...
  1. We may forgive on behalf of the Church
  2. Rarely, if ever, do we forgive on behalf of the Lord
  3. We are to help youth learn to walk the path and know when they are forgiven
  Our goal is save this generation!
  

• See Handbook 1, Chapter 4, especially 4.5.2 and Chapter 7, especially 7.2.4
  
• D&C 64:10 – Who is to forgive whom?
  
• Mosiah 26:29 – Who does the forgiving?
  
• Moroni 6:7-8 – What is our responsibility as a Judge in Israel in a church where
  members make covenants?
  
• D&C 82:7-8 – What is the consequence when sin is repented and then repeated?
  
• D&C 58:17-20 – Why should members follow the counsel of their bishop?
  
• D&C 42:88 – 92 – Why are most sins addressed privately?
  
• Mosiah 4:30 – At what point did immorality begin? 
  

Addressing the high number of full-time missionaries returning home early

An email sent to bishops on February 8, 2016:

Bishops,

As part of the training in CCM yesterday (for stake presidents with Elder Stapleton), we spent an unusual amount of time discussing some of new challenges regarding full-time missionary recommendations.

The biggest concern:

An astounding 25% of full-time missionaries are coming home early for a variety of reasons: health, emotional and mental challenges, delayed confessions, more difficult than they expected, etc.

Equally disappointing, those who come home early only a small fraction make it back into the field.

As I review in my mind, I believe we’ve had 5 missionaries come home early in the last 4 years for delayed confessions, medical issues and, in one case, breaking a rule on the mission. Thankfully, at least two of the missionaries returned to the field and have served or are serving faithfully. We’ve had a couple of others where I’ve had to call the missionary and explain that he would be sent home if he didn’t change his conduct in the field. Thankfully again, both finished out their missions.

WE ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM

The Brethren have identified that you and I are part of the problem.

Here’s what bishops and stake presidents are doing:

1. We’re not explaining more emphatically the rigors of mission life. We’re so eager for them to serve (I’m as anyone), that we sometimes downplay what it’s like to (1) get rejected more than accepted, (2) get discouraged more often than feel joy, and (3) have to adapt to the many personalities of multiple companions.

2. In our eagerness that they serve in a foreign country, we’re not communicating explicitly (or downplaying) to the Brethren ALL the background and issues of the candidate. Sometimes a candidate on medication for depression or anxiety will go off the meds so as to not jeopardize getting called or called to a foreign country. The Brethren need to know everything we know.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

They are asking us to be more explicit and give more details on the missionaries…not just write a sentence or two about how good this young person is or what a great missionary he or she will be.

We are to be more forthcoming about past and current transgressions. The attached CONFIDENTIAL guidelines are those shared with all of you before in our training. I recently updated this document, so please discard the previous version received last year. 

They recommend when we need to delay submitting a call, due to a moral transgression (see the attached), that we also communicate with the youth and parents why there will need to be a waiting period. Of course, we are not to communicate to parents the transgression, but encourage youth to be forthright with their parents as part of their repentance process, especially if transgressions occurred while in their teenage years and living at home.

The information we write (not the confidential) is passed on to the assigned mission president and is extremely important to them to know more about the background and emotional-health concerns.

We are likely to see soon new questions in the online recommendation form asking us, as priesthood leaders, if we certify that we have given complete information, not just truthful.

YOUNG PEOPLE WHO GO OFF TO COLLEGE

You may find interesting that one concern raised by other stake presidents was that young people are going off to college, especially Church schools, where they know the mission and even temple interviews can be like “cattle calls,” with so many young people applying. So when they come home to actually leave, we get involved very late in the process and, because they’ve addressed past issues, feel they have nothing to confess or address with you. If you, too, have those concerns, please feel free to share with me so we can address it, if needed. 

As some of you will remember, our previous stake president would not allow young people to apply for a mission while at a church school, but required they do all processing with their home bishops and stake president. I have not felt that strongly about it, inasmuch as most of the issues (and they were minimal) were with young people not at church schools. But I’m open to changing that, if you feel it would help.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT

I will send you in a subsequent email a 4-page document in pdf format that we received yesterday from the Missionary Executive Council, which is chaired by Elder Oaks, on some of these issues and how they are to be addressed. I hope it is helpful.

Preparing young people is becoming more difficult today than ever before due to the pervasive availability and acceptance of immorality and pornography. Another very significant factor is the life of ease most young people experience. Parents have a difficult time finding work for their children or are too busy to expect it. So our youth have lives filled with fun (electronic devices and toys) and busy (school) activities, but they don’t know how to work or do hard things. So they think a mission is “EFY on steroids,” as Elder Stapleton said. When they discover that missionary work is hard, difficult, exhausting, discouraging, long-suffering work, they don’t know how to handle it and some have a melt down.

So the Brethren are turning to us to step up our preparation of youth and their parents…and our clearing procedures to make sure they leave worthy with both eyes open as to the joy and challenges ahead.

I hope this is helpful to all of us. Thank you for the MANY hours you put in to help these young people come to discover the blessing of serving a mission and living the gospel. You may want to consider also meeting with parents to help them understand their even more important role in preparing sons and daughters to serve.

Gratefully,

President Lewis

Report on creating Mid-Singles wards in the Portland area

The following is an email to Chris Bentley, formerly of the Mt Hood YSA Ward, who asked me to inquire about the possibility of creating a Mid-Singles Ward (for those 31-45 years of age) in the Portland area. I sent the following response on February 9, 2016:

Chris,

Sorry it’s taken so long to report back, but you’ll find interesting that your efforts have brought a renewed discussion at the general authority level. Apparently there were some Areas 70s who didn’t even know there were mid-singles units within their areas. The links you sent me listing all the units in the country was an eye-opener for many.

Bottom line: It appears the Church plans to update the handbook and authorize the creation of single adult wards, for singles without children at home 31 to 45 years of age. There must be 150 or more in a stake for a stake president to give consideration to applying to SLC for approval.

BTW…Singles with children at home are to remain in their traditional ward to make sure the children have access to the church’s full programs.

Also…the Brethren do not use the term “mid-singles.” And, since only single adult wards for those ages 31-45 are being authorized, they reference wards for those 31-45 as Single Adult wards.

Thanks to your inquiry, this additional guideline was given for our area:

A Single Adult Ward can be created overlaying multiple stakes, but not to exceed four stakes.

So…

If you still want to pursue this, I think it’s going to take a groundswell effort on your part to see if you can identify enough singles without children (31-45 years of age), who are interested in seeing such a unit created. Then all of you communicate with your stake president and let him know of your desires. You’ll want to keep it within mission boundaries, which complicates it a bit in Portland, as you know, and keep within four (or less) adjacent stakes.

I know you were hoping something could be done for the Portland metro area. Whether you can even arouse enough interest within a 4-stake group (of adjacent stakes) to have at least 150 prospective members wanting to see a Single Adult (31-45) ward created will be a challenge. But at least it’s a foot in the door.

I hope this helps. 

President Lewis

503-667-5843

P.S. By the way…"magnet wards" (a traditional ward designated as a “gathering place” for members across stake boundaries) are not allowed.