Concerns About Leadership Styles-What To Do?

[MormonMason]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

I'd say it is time to delegate further, if possible. People on the Ward Council also have counselors. Further callings can be extended. Perhaps that should be suggested. Do you have a small Branch or Ward? If it is a large one, there are plenty of people, probably without callings, who can be called to help spread the work around. Just be sure that the callings are extended by actual prayer and by the Spirit of the Lord in confirmation thereof. If done right, no one will be overworked and more people will be involved.

As to leadership styles, it is important for the whole Ward Council to read regularly and follow what is in the CHI, unless the Spirit actually directs otherwise. If every one did that there would be less disappointment when things they propose don't line up with the CHI. The books are there for a reason. Following them can actually prevent many problems from developing and also will result in things going more smoothly. Prayer and following the Spirit of the Lord is important above all.

For my part, I am so glad that I do not sit in leadership callings, anymore. I highly doubt that I will be called to any other anytime soon. I understand the work involved. Anyone who aspires to such callings deserves them.

[Duncan]

I'd say it is time to delegate further, if possible. People on the Ward Council also have counselors. Further callings can be extended. Perhaps that should be suggested. Do you have a small Branch or Ward? If it is a large one, there are plenty of people, probably without callings, who can be called to help spread the work around. Just be sure that the callings are extended by actual prayer and by the Spirit of the Lord in confirmation thereof. If done right, no one will be overworked and more people will be involved.

As to leadership styles, it is important for the whole Ward Council to read regularly and follow what is in the CHI, unless the Spirit actually directs otherwise. If every one did that there would be less disappointment when things they propose don't line up with the CHI. The books are there for a reason. Following them can actually prevent many problems from developing and also will result in things going more smoothly. Prayer and following the Spirit of the Lord is important above all.

For my part, I am so glad that I do not sit in leadership callings, anymore. I highly doubt that I will be called to any other anytime soon. I understand the work involved. Anyone who aspires to such callings deserves them.

our ward is HUGE geographically but we get maye 70-90 members weekly, but it's a STP principle. Everyone who exerts an ounce of willing ness to serve is picked up! haha! I have sat on the ward council continously in various callings since 2005. I want out and want to do something different! I told the Bishop all this but, I dunno. We call this micromanagement and doing all this useless stuff, "killing of the willing" at least for me it is!

[Calm]

Exactly.

You would be surprised at how much power there is in 4 or 5 people telling someone the same thing, privately.

If the person isn't in complete denial, there will likely be less defensiveness and more humility if done privately and separately. One should only do it in a group as a last resort...or second to last resort, last resort being appeal to higher authority.

[MormonMason]

our ward is HUGE geographically but we get maye 70-90 members weekly, but it's a STP principle. Everyone who exerts an ounce of willing ness to serve is picked up! haha! I have sat on the ward council continously in various callings since 2005. I want out and want to do something different! I told the Bishop all this but, I dunno. We call this micromanagement and doing all this useless stuff, "killing of the willing" at least for me it is!

If you have counselors, use them to help you make phone calls. How many inactive members do you have on your rolls? Sounds like you need both an influx of new blood and reactivation of inactive members within your geographical boundaries so they can help with the situation. How is missionary work going in your area? Get the missionaries involved as well, if you have them. And, remember, sacrifice brings blessings, and living the Gospel brings the Spirit to help you do the work. You cannot do it all on your own. If you don't have the Spirit to be with you in your endeavors it all ultimately will fail and bring burn-out more quickly.

[Duncan]

If you have counselors, use them to help you make phone calls. How many inactive members do you have on your rolls? Sounds like you need both an influx of new blood and reactivation of inactive members within your geographical boundaries so they can help with the situation. How is missionary work going in your area? Get the missionaries involved as well, if you have them. And, remember, sacrifice brings blessings, and living the Gospel brings the Spirit to help you do the work. You cannot do it all on your own. If you don't have the Spirit to be with you in your endeavors it all ultimately will fail and bring burn-out more quickly.

oh! I am the ward mission leader and I have a vice ward mission leader and two sets of elders and I suspect in 6 weeks we will get a set of sisters and we are burning through the list of actives and inactives and wittling it down and stuff. We have problems, let me tellya that lead to burn out. i.e. people not being taken off the lists even after we have visited etc. etc. etc.

[ERayR]

that sounds nice!!!!

We have the greatest Bishop in the Church.

[Duncan]

We have the greatest Bishop in the Church.

wanna switch?! we had the greatest until he skunked off to Oilberta...I mean Alberta.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Duncan

[ERayR]

wanna switch?! we had the greatest until he skunked off to Oilberta...I mean Alberta.

No trades but you can move in if you like. The bad thing is we are on the 4 year mark.

[Duncan]

No trades but you can move in if you like. The bad thing is we are on the 4 year mark.

what general area do you live in? We are just passed the 12 month mark...we are hoping he moves or goes inactive ( A Bishop in our stake about 13 yrs ago was virtually inactive! so there is a precedent) and our Patriarch went inactive about two years ago dot dot dot

[Hamba Tuhan]

We have the greatest Bishop in the Church.

Wanna wrestle over who gets to make that claim?

[Robert F. Smith]

Adjust the time that they serve accordingly, and communicate lovingly their discontent to the bishopric. Nothing gets changed without communication, but changes will definitely (chaotically) occur without communication. So if you want change, talk about it without fear, because you love each other....

By George, I think you've got it! I gave you a rep point, Beast.

[Hamba Tuhan]

our ward is HUGE geographically but we get maye 70-90 members weekly, but it's a STP principle.

I'll have been in my ward for ten years come the end of July. My first Sunday in sacrament meeting, I was stunned. I waited to count til the very end of the meeting, and then we still only had 37 in attendance. Things improved slowly for a while, but they really started to improve a few years back. Now we regularly have around 180 in attendance each Sunday, and we even had 160 this past Sunday despite so many having travelled away due to the long weekend. Yes, in the beginning, it was definitely the STP (or, in our case, it might have been the SFP -- the same five people), but it's been worth it because now we have so much more help. As an example, I personally helped to reactivate three members who now serve faithfully on our ward council.

But I agree that you should talk to someone. I'm grateful when ward members give me feedback.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Hamba Tuhan

[MormonMason]

Kind, gentle, loving feedback (with lots of prayer and actual revelation on how to say what needs to be said), particularly making mention of a lost opportunity to serve because a runaway child was not discussed when it was more important than how to use the calendar feature, and perhaps the potential loss of a whole family who might feel that the Ward leadership does not really care about members of the Ward, might help.

If he is not a faithless Bishop and does not do or purposefully allow iniquity so as not to displease his friends, but actually is trying as best he knows how (even with limited knowledge of how to lead a Ward) hoping for his removal is not a good thing. He needs your help and prayers. How often do members of your Ward actually pray, both in private and in front of him, to ask the Lord to help him lead his Ward?

Do you have prayers before and after (and sometimes during) your Ward Council meetings? If not, talk to him privately about it. Ask to go through the CHI with him on particular issues you believe you need help with or with any situation that might arise in the Ward relative to the CHI. In prayers during your meetings, pray for him in his presence and ask for the Spirit of the Lord to guide him and that he be inspired by the Lord to lead the Ward as the Lord desires. Do this in faith and things can change for the better.

I can tell you this, Bishops who don't think their Ward members care for them sometimes have a tendency to mark their calendars and count down the days rather than actively serve in the best interests of their Ward. If he is not doing or allowing iniquity in the Ward, then actively help him rather than castigate him for his failings.

[Duncan]

Kind, gentle, loving feedback (with lots of prayer and actual revelation on how to say what needs to be said), particularly making mention of a lost opportunity to serve because a runaway child was not discussed when it was more important than how to use the calendar feature, and perhaps the potential loss of a whole family who might feel that the Ward leadership does not really care about members of the Ward, might help.

If he is not a faithless Bishop and does not do or purposefully allow iniquity so as not to displease his friends, but actually is trying as best he knows how (even with limited knowledge of how to lead a Ward) hoping for his removal is not a good thing. He needs your help and prayers. How often do members of your Ward actually pray, both in private and in front of him, to ask the Lord to help him lead his Ward?

Do you have prayers before and after (and sometimes during) your Ward Council meetings? If not, talk to him privately about it. Ask to go through the CHI with him on particular issues you believe you need help with or with any situation that might arise in the Ward relative to the CHI. In prayers during your meetings, pray for him in his presence and ask for the Spirit of the Lord to guide him and that he be inspired by the Lord to lead the Ward as the Lord desires. Do this in faith and things can change for the better.

I can tell you this, Bishops who don't think their Ward members care for them sometimes have a tendency to mark their calendars and count down the days rather than actively serve in the best interests of their Ward. If he is not doing or allowing iniquity in the Ward, then actively help him rather than castigate him for his failings.

something that I hadn't thought of before is how to hold a meeting and he has been on the HC for like 20 years and so I wonder if he has had to take charge of a meeting and really get to work with people so that is why maybe talking to a stake pres. member in order to get training might be a help.

[MormonMason]

something that I hadn't thought of before is how to hold a meeting and he has been on the HC for like 20 years and so I wonder if he has had to take charge of a meeting and really get to work with people so that is why maybe talking to a stake pres. member in order to get training might be a help.

If you do, just don't do it over his head. It will hurt rather than help. There are ways to guide a bishop in his leadership, if truly does not know what he is doing. You just have to be creative and do your best to make it look like it is his idea and that he is leading you. Eventually, he will. Prayer and revelation on how to accomplish that, however, are of the utmost importance. Don't try to do that on your own without the guidance of the Lord. The Stake President already should be having training sessions with his Bishops. If he isn't, it's time to start.

[Alan]

to what end though? missing matters that are of importance (young man ran away from home in our ward but trivial matters the bishopric brought up) that don't get any airtime while they get a presentation of how to use the calendar feature on Lds.org? besides the time consuming, strength sapping phone calls and emails?

I guarrantee you do not know what issues the Bishopric are dealing with behind the scenes. I have members coming into my office complaining about silly trivial little things, while I am trying to deal with a kidnap (police involved), and also protect members kids from a convicted paedophile in the congregation (police also involved). The ward membership know nothing of these issues. You can murmur about the Bishopric all you like, but you do not know what is really going on my friend, I can absolutely guarrantee it.

Maybe one day you will be a Bishop and you will then know what I am talking about. Until then, I suggest you support and sustain the Bishopric. You could even ask them if there is anything you can do for them to help ease their burden.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Alan

[MormonMason]

I guarrantee you do not know what issues the Bishopric are dealing with behind the scenes. I have members coming into my office complaining about silly trivial little things, while I am trying to deal with a kidnap (police involved), and also protect members kids from a convicted paedophile in the congregation (police also involved). The ward membership know nothing of these issues. You can murmur about the Bishopric all you like, but you do not know what is really going on my friend, I can absolutely guarrantee it.

Maybe one day you will be a Bishop and you will then know what I am talking about. Until then, I suggest you support and sustain the Bishopric. You could even ask them if there is anything you can do for them to help ease their burden.

I absolutely agree with this sentiment--and the last sentence, in particular. As I have said before, anyone who aspires to this calling, or others like unto it, deserves it!

[Duncan]

I guarrantee you do not know what issues the Bishopric are dealing with behind the scenes. I have members coming into my office complaining about silly trivial little things, while I am trying to deal with a kidnap (police involved), and also protect members kids from a convicted paedophile in the congregation (police also involved). The ward membership know nothing of these issues. You can murmur about the Bishopric all you like, but you do not know what is really going on my friend, I can absolutely guarrantee it.

Maybe one day you will be a Bishop and you will then know what I am talking about. Until then, I suggest you support and sustain the Bishopric. You could even ask them if there is anything you can do for them to help ease their burden.

I fully agree-that is what we, I think, are trying to do though! we want to raise issues with him but we stuck doing all these pedantic things while bigger issues get ignored and so in those situations you just give up, you can't fight it so why bother

[bluebell]

I fully agree-that is what we, I think, are trying to do though! we want to raise issues with him but we stuck doing all these pedantic things while bigger issues get ignored and so in those situations you just give up, you can't fight it so why bother

You don't give up until you've done all you can appropriately do to make things better.

Just because bishops are stretched and must deal with difficult things, doesn't mean they don't need loving people to step up and share their honest feelings with them. No one, no matter how well meaning or sincere, is above strengthening their weaknesses.

[cinepro]

shucky darns, I personally don't but maybe others. Would a well worded email to a member of the Stake Pres. do? in a very nice but constructive way help?

I would only send the email with two conditions:

1. That's it. You send it, and then you never think of the matter again. By sending it, you accept whatever action (or inaction) results, and you find peace with the situation either way.

2. You don't do it anonymously. I just had an employee send me an anonymous email (they setup an account at "hushmail.com") to report a minor issue with another employee. For some reason it just really chapped my hide.

[Alan]

....... anyone who aspires to this calling, or others like unto it, deserves it!

Spot on.

I have often said that if you really want the office of Bishop, you'll probably get it and it'll jolly well serve you right!

[rpn]

What I would 1) First try. You can write a two sentence email description (Bishop, today you approved the following elements of the primary program_________________. If I have any of that wrong, let me know by return email). Or maybe start taking a digital recorder to council meetings and then send the bishop the clips that he requested in a email. 2) If he is over micro-managing, you can ask whether he would rather you do what he wants for the micro managing, or to actually do the activity because you don't have time for both 3) You could all pray and fast for him (though until you tell him there is a problem, it is hard to see how the prayer would help him get it by revelation). 4) Each person who feels strongly about the issue and is inspired to do so, should bring it up in a PPI where they can describe how this affects their ability to do their calling. (But since it would be improper for the ward council in his absence to discuss this among themselves, you can't very well encourage everyone to do this.)