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District Presidencies and interviews


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In the area I live in the mission covers a district, which travel time to get to the branches from here can be 2-3 ish hours. The mission president and his councillor have to travel out there for branch conferences and they also give Temple recommend interview. I asked the Mission Pres. why can't the District Presidency, all of whom live out there, do it?. He said they don't have keys but like can't the Mission President give them authorization? it would save on time. Keys are given constantly, this seems like a black hole where they can't be given or something! Anyone know why District Presidencies can't interview for a recommend?

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19 minutes ago, Duncan said:

In the area I live in the mission covers a district, which travel time to get to the branches from here can be 2-3 ish hours. The mission president and his councillor have to travel out there for branch conferences and they also give Temple recommend interview. I asked the Mission Pres. why can't the District Presidency, all of whom live out there, do it?. He said they don't have keys but like can't the Mission President give them authorization? it would save on time. Keys are given constantly, this seems like a black hole where they can't be given or something! Anyone know why District Presidencies can't interview for a recommend?

I think the mission president answered your question.

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24 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

I think the mission president answered your question.

but the follow up is why can't he save on all that driving and give the District Pres. the permission to interview someone? keys can be given to others

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35 minutes ago, Duncan said:

but the follow up is why can't he save on all that driving and give the District Pres. the permission to interview someone? keys can be given to others

District presidencies do not hold keys.  There are only specific callings to whom priesthood keys are given.  In a stake that would be the stake president, and in each individual ward it would be the bishop, elders quorum president, teachers quorum president, and deacons quorum president.  I'm not famililiar with districts and branches.  

In any event, only these priesthood holders ofiices are given priesthood keys.  Others may be authorized to act in their behalf in certain circumstances, but keys are not given to anyone else.

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1 hour ago, ksfisher said:

District presidencies do not hold keys.  There are only specific callings to whom priesthood keys are given.  In a stake that would be the stake president, and in each individual ward it would be the bishop, elders quorum president, teachers quorum president, and deacons quorum president.  I'm not famililiar with districts and branches.  

In any event, only these priesthood holders ofiices are given priesthood keys.  Others may be authorized to act in their behalf in certain circumstances, but keys are not given to anyone else.

I know all that but key holders give permission to others to act and i'm asking why can't the Mission President Key holder authorize the District Presidency to act on his behalf and interview  people for a recommend, he already authorizes his non key holding councillor to do it and so why not the district presidency?

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2 hours ago, Duncan said:

In the area I live in the mission covers a district, which travel time to get to the branches from here can be 2-3 ish hours. The mission president and his councillor have to travel out there for branch conferences and they also give Temple recommend interview. I asked the Mission Pres. why can't the District Presidency, all of whom live out there, do it?. He said they don't have keys but like can't the Mission President give them authorization? it would save on time. Keys are given constantly, this seems like a black hole where they can't be given or something! Anyone know why District Presidencies can't interview for a recommend?

From the D&C, it seems that the highest spiritual blessings of the Church are organized along stake lines to gather the saints to a temple, where the bishop in the smallest unit (ward) is someone ordained to an actual priesthood office (office of bishop) supervised by the stake president under the keys of the high priesthood (high priest is another office), to connect the saints to the blessings to the temple. A mission is organized for a different purpose entirely, and the mission president hasn’t the keys of presidency over other high priests.

There are are no bishops or high priests where there are no wards or stakes respectively, and so the next level of presiding high priest must administer the keys of the spiritual blessing to hold a  temple recommend for those saints in a branch or district. A mission president only has authority to preside over the spiritual blessings of missionaries, and so may issue a recommend only to missionaries at the end of their missions, and which is valid for only 90 days upon their release. He also presides over districts and branches, but doesn’t need the keys to preside over the high priesthood, which is not organized at this level or within this jurisdiction, because it is not needed for branches and districts (there needs to be enough members and tithe-paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders to organize a stake, some of whom will become presiding high priests).

So while a district and branch are analogous to a stake and ward in geographic and administrative organization, they are not analogous in exercising all the keys of gathering the saints, 1) because the branch president is not a priesthood office (bishop) with this spiritual key, 2) the district president is not a priesthood office either (high priest); 3) the district is a subdivision of a mission, whose president only has keys for missionary work and not the other aspects of gathering (stake organization and temple ordinances).

The issuance of temple recommends is not an administrative function, but a spiritual blessing controlled by the keys of the office extending that blessing.

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:huh:I will never understand the "key" thing.  May I ask do you learn these things in your priesthood meetings and even in the Deacon quorum??  If one holds the same priesthood as Jesus and work in His stead, how does one have more authority than another?  Just curious and thank you for any reply or understanding.

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27 minutes ago, CV75 said:

From the D&C, it seems that the highest spiritual blessings of the Church are organized along stake lines to gather the saints to a temple, where the bishop in the smallest unit (ward) is someone ordained to an actual priesthood office (office of bishop) supervised by the stake president under the keys of the high priesthood (high priest is another office), to connect the saints to the blessings to the temple. A mission is organized for a different purpose entirely, and the mission president hasn’t the keys of presidency over other high priests.

 

There are are no bishops or high priests where there are no wards or stakes respectively, and so the next level of presiding high priest must administer the keys of the spiritual blessing to hold a  temple recommend for those saints in a branch or district. A mission president only has authority to preside over the spiritual blessings of missionaries, and so may issue a recommend only to missionaries at the end of their missions, and which is valid for only 90 days upon their release. He also presides over districts and branches, but doesn’t need the keys to preside over the high priesthood, which is not organized at this level or within this jurisdiction, because it is not needed for branches and districts (there needs to be enough members and tithe-paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders to organize a stake, some of whom will become presiding high priests).

 

So while a district and branch are analogous to a stake and ward in geographic and administrative organization, they are not analogous in exercising all the keys of gathering the saints, 1) because the branch president is not a priesthood office (bishop) with this spiritual key, 2) the district president is not a priesthood office either (high priest); 3) the district is a subdivision of a mission, whose president only has keys for missionary work and not the other aspects of gathering (stake organization and temple ordinances).

 

The issuance of temple recommends is not an administrative function, but a spiritual blessing controlled by the keys of the office extending that blessing.

This sounds intelligent and so I will get back to you when I digest it!

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30 minutes ago, Jeanne said:

:huh:I will never understand the "key" thing.  May I ask do you learn these things in your priesthood meetings and even in the Deacon quorum??  If one holds the same priesthood as Jesus and work in His stead, how does one have more authority than another?  Just curious and thank you for any reply or understanding.

Priesthood is the power of God, and a key is the authority to use that power for specific acts and ordinances in His kingdom as defined by God.

Anyone can draw upon the power of God by faith. But God also confers His power upon His children, first by ordination and ultimately by temple endowment and marriage. Thus He establishes His kingdom and Zion on earth. Once this power is so conferred, He uses keys by office to authorize specific spiritual blessings and other work in Zion.

Several sections of the D&C get into the details, and some have found this talk helpful in understanding the power and keys of the priesthood: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

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2 hours ago, Duncan said:

but the follow up is why can't he save on all that driving and give the District Pres. the permission to interview someone? keys can be given to others

Convert some folks and get a real stake. :)

 

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42 minutes ago, Jeanne said:

:huh:I will never understand the "key" thing.  May I ask do you learn these things in your priesthood meetings and even in the Deacon quorum??  If one holds the same priesthood as Jesus and work in His stead, how does one have more authority than another?  Just curious and thank you for any reply or understanding.

If you understand authority at all you should understand that authority can be limited or extended.

A policeman is not a judge but he could have that authority if it was rightly given to him.

I'm having trouble understanding why that's not clear. If someone is in the army they are a private or a sergeant or a colonel.

Privates don't tell colonels  what to do, but they could become a colonel someday.

State troopers in Georgia are not state troopers in Virginia. Their authority does not extend that far.

It's not that complicated.

 

Edited by mfbukowski
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2 minutes ago, mfbukowski said:

If you understand Authority at all you should understand that Authority can be limited or extended.

 

I get that keys and authorization but why can't in this instance it be extended to someone who already lives in the area, it's being done now from the key holder to a non key holder. if someone  asked me to drive 3 hours to interview someone for a recommend i'd tell them to do what with there you know what with

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Technically a bishop is not a bishop one block outside of his word boundary. A police officer is not a police officer outside of the city in which he is a police officer

This is one of the reasons it's so important that members go to the ward in which they live.

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14 minutes ago, mfbukowski said:

If you understand authority at all you should understand that authority can be limited or extended.

A policeman is not a judge but he could have that authority if it was rightly given to him.

I'm having trouble understanding why that's not clear. If someone is in the army they are a private or a sergeant or a colonel.

Privates don't tell colonels  what to do, but they could become a colonel someday.

State troopers in Georgia are not state troopers in Virginia. Their authority does not extend that far.

It's not that complicated.

 

I agree..to a certain extent I already understood some things.  It is just that faith per LDS faith..and yes, in my own personal faith should be able to move mountains.  I believe God said so..my thought is that so many people in our ward and LDS family said that my Teacher son was head of household when my husband died....so ...what keys would he have had that his mother would need to tap into...? 

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17 minutes ago, Duncan said:

I get that keys and authorization but why can't in this instance it be extended to someone who already lives in the area, it's being done now from the key holder to a non key holder. if someone  asked me to drive 3 hours to interview someone for a recommend i'd tell them to do what with there you know what with

I only know the rules fo Stakes.

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38 minutes ago, CV75 said:

Priesthood is the power of God, and a key is the authority to use that power for specific acts and ordinances in His kingdom as defined by God.

 

Anyone can draw upon the power of God by faith. But God also confers His power upon His children, first by ordination and ultimately by temple endowment and marriage. Thus He establishes His kingdom and Zion on earth. Once this power is so conferred, He uses keys by office to authorize specific spiritual blessings and other work in Zion.

 

Several sections of the D&C get into the details, and some have found this talk helpful in understanding the power and keys of the priesthood: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

 

Thank you.  This does answer some questions I had outside my own basic understanding.

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13 minutes ago, Jeanne said:

I agree..to a certain extent I already understood some things.  It is just that faith per LDS faith..and yes, in my own personal faith should be able to move mountains.  I believe God said so..my thought is that so many people in our ward and LDS family said that my Teacher son was head of household when my husband died....so ...what keys would he have had that his mother would need to tap into...? 

I would not make that statement except to make the child feel responsible.

I am sorry silly people confused you.

God gave you all the authority you need to raise your family when he gave it to you

Edited by mfbukowski
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Ok, let me make it simple.

While technically a temporary assignment may be possible, it is within his discretion whether he will exercise that option.  Please do not feel offended.

Edited by cdowis
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8 minutes ago, cdowis said:

Ok, let me make it simple.

While technically a temporary assignment may be possible, it is within his discretion whether he will exercise that option.  Please do not feel offended.

me? I am not offended! I am just asking the lived experience for the two Mission Presidency members are driving 2-3 hours to interview someone when to me, there is no good reason someone out there can't do it, it just seems like a waste of time and lack of trust in a District Presidency-it seems bizarre to me!

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1 hour ago, Jeanne said:

I agree..to a certain extent I already understood some things.  It is just that faith per LDS faith..and yes, in my own personal faith should be able to move mountains.  I believe God said so..my thought is that so many people in our ward and LDS family said that my Teacher son was head of household when my husband died....so ...what keys would he have had that his mother would need to tap into...? 

As mfbukowski said in a different way . . .

There is no way that a Teacher could be the head of a family/household, as he does not have the priesthood or keys for being the head of a family (Teacher is not it!! ha ha ha).  But as a mother, especially if you received it in the temple, but even if you did not--THAT is the priesthood and keys for leading a family.

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2 hours ago, Duncan said:

I get that keys and authorization but why can't in this instance it be extended to someone who already lives in the area, it's being done now from the key holder to a non key holder. if someone  asked me to drive 3 hours to interview someone for a recommend i'd tell them to do what with there you know what with

The mission president holds the keys of missionary work, which includes the keys of temple recommends for those living within his mission jurisdiction (districts). He cannot delegate this role to someone who is not a presiding high priest or bishop because a) these offices were established to do just that but there are none under his jurisdiction; b) a jurisdiction cannot have any unless there are at least 150 members and an additional 24 active, full-tithe-paying Melchizedek priesthood holders in the stake boundaries ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_(LDS_Church) ).

The Lord set up the stake priesthood organization as the sole means of organizing the highest spiritual blessings of the Church (the temple ordinances)  in the D&C.

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28 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

I suppose the stake pres. could call the district pres. as another councilor and then delegate the authority to do recommends. Special dispensations needed all around I imagine.

A stake and a district are mutually exclusive.  If you live in a stake you ar not part of a district.  If you live in a district you are not part of a stake.  A stake president could not call a district president to any calling as there are no district for anyone to be the president of within the bounderies of his stake.

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