The Changing of the Guard; how did it go in your meeting?

[juliann]

Our bishop held a "5th Sunday" council with everybody. He had a projection screen with the relevant quotes from Pres. Nelson and then highlighted important points in the emails the church sent. Then we had a discussion with him and the RS Prez answering questions. It was very affirming and inspiring.

With the added bonus that I would have been teaching the council lesson today if he hadn't have called that meeting. 

[strappinglad]

We discussed the ministering implications and stressed the positive aspects. I have a worry that , human nature being what it is, some of us will take a more relaxed approach to contacting the families and serious problems will be missed. I guess it comes down to how consistent the interview process is.

[Avatar4321]

6 hours ago, Bill "Papa" Lee said:

So, today was the first meeting of the new, "Elder's Quorum". Our Stake President acted immediately, and called a new Elders Quorum President, in our Ward. He released everyone connected to the Leadership in both the High Priest Group, and the Elder's Quorum Presidency that was in place. The "roll out" was our Bishop reassuring the Elders that this was not going to be a takeover by the High Priests. The Relief Society and the Elders Quorum Presidents were told to put everyone in a large circle. We are a very large Ward, and their was no place for the size of the new Elder's Quorum to do so, and many Relief Society sisters just left the room because it was not doable. So we of the Priesthood were in the chapel, and it was just opened up for anyone to say how "they felt" things should be done. 

It turned into the High Priests giving their imput, only to have Elders trying to assert themselves, some were even saying how they knew this was going to happen, that the Lord revealed it to them months ago. Some want no more classes, they want to just openly talk about the families they feel need minstering. Oddly enough, we are having our Stake Conference next Sunday, which would have given time to explain, organize, and plan for changes that are to come. Instead, everyone was told to be sure to answer any phone calls from the Bishopric over the next two or three weeks to fill all of the new callings. Ther were people in the hallways who were angry, some near in tears, others who decided they would pick their plates up in a couple of weeks, as today was "linger longer", were we eat after Church once a month. 

I remained silent, and was silently praying for our new Elder's Quorum President, who looked like he wanted to make a run for it. For a very large Church, who handles change very well, be it new Presidents, new Apostles, new Bishops, new everything, this was the most awkward meeting, or Sunday in my 39 years as a member this very month. My wife was visibly upset all the way home from Church, and nothing really changed in Relief Society, except as she put it, a lot of upset sisters being told that they just need to take their husband visiting teaching now, just calling it by another name now. 

I just waited and quietly offered to help in any way I could, and got my wife home quickly. So, great day, how was yours everybody?   

Why is anyone angry about this? That doesn't make sense to me

[Rain]

1 hour ago, strappinglad said:

We discussed the ministering implications and stressed the positive aspects. I have a worry that , human nature being what it is, some of us will take a more relaxed approach to contacting the families and serious problems will be missed. I guess it comes down to how consistent the interview process is.

I know you are right as I feel that way about myself. It is one thing to minister when you know it is needed.  It is another thing to make sure you have enough contact to know when you are needed - that's something that monthly visits helped with.  So we will each of us need to figure out what works for us to make sure we know when we are needed. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Rain

[Rain]

1 minute ago, Avatar4321 said:

Why is anyone angry about this? That doesn't make sense to me

I wondered the same thing myself. 

[Avatar4321]

3 hours ago, Gray said:

One guy was obviously upset - he made it clear he thought the changes weren't in harmony with the D&C. Otherwise mostly non-eventful

As a High Priest can officiate in any office, how is having them join with the Elders out of harmony?

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Avatar4321 said:

Why is anyone angry about this? That doesn't make sense to me

I think that many younger Elders thought it would be a takeover by the High Priests. I think the Bishop's remark, that it was not so, backs up by the Stake HC comment set the stage. The first to speak were HP, and then a lot of back and forth about what this "new body" should be. Thing is the HP, were all fine with the changes. 

[blueglass]

18 hours ago, JulieM said:

Our Relief Society went smoothly.  However, my husband said priesthood meeting was kind of a disaster.  He’s an Elder and was honestly excited about the change.  But I guess some were quite negative and didn’t care for many of the “know it all” High Priests joining them now.  And some of the HPs had an attitude of feeling demoted and that they were there to school the younger elders now.  I’m thinking it will evolve and get better each week (hopefully) and my husband is trying to be positive too.  Some just plain old don’t like change, I guess?

It was a challenge in our quorum meeting today as well.  High priests sat on one side of the room, and elders on the other.   It's still not clear how older Elders become high priests?  By calling obviously, but isn't it wild that the word Elder literally means "seasoned, mature, old male of experience" Strongs 4245  presbýteros from James5:14, when the female comparative in the plural is presbyteras 1Tim5:2.  My concern is over the stratification of priesthood rank in the Celestial kingdom.  Proxy ordinations are only to the office of elder not high priest.  Also confusing is with the second anointing to receive the fulness of the priesthood, the person is ordained a king and a priest unto the Most High God, to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever.   In other words the high in high priest is gone, priest without the high is the highest ordination until receiving godhood?  The endowment reiterates these offices yet ignores ordination to explicit office of priestess for women when reading Exodus40 in the initiatory?  confusing.   Looks to me that the office of high priest is going to go the way of the old seventies.  I'm also asking how priesthood re-organization of this kind proceeds with no changes or additions to sections in the doctrine and covenants?  The old sections on organization of the priesthood 20, 84, 107 etc were received before the revelation concerning the endowment and organization of the quorum of the anointed.

Edited April 9, 2018 by blueglass

[Gray]

1 hour ago, Avatar4321 said:

As a High Priest can officiate in any office, how is having them join with the Elders out of harmony?

I don't know, he didn't explain further than that.

[Danzo]

Everything went as usual, only the class size was bigger, since the high priests attended. My only complaint is that we are too big to meet in a circle like we did before.

[Doctrine 612]

3 hours ago, Avatar4321 said:

As a High Priest can officiate in any office, how is having them join with the Elders out of harmony?

I was asked by some friends to help explain this change.

this is what I came up with.

D&C 107:11

11 An elder has a right to officiate in his stead when the high priest is not present.

Because of the change in the church structure this past conference I went back and looked at a few scripture verses that might have given this change a bit of a problem, for one this verse in section 107.  
I asked myself how could a Elder officiate over a high priest?
Then after much review of the information the church gave on the matter i found a little scripture nugget, the high priest in this verse refers to a presiding high priest.
I was super excited because this interpretation is a prophetic interpretation,  i mean how awesome to see prophets in our day still receive and reveal the word of the Lord.
One of my favorites was when Gordon B. Hinckley told us that the Joel 2:28–32 has been fulfilled in our day.
I look forward to more of these prophetic scriptural Insights.

Remember “revelation with information.”

good inspiration is based upon good information,

 

today we all sat in a circle and introduced ourselves to each other.

The meeting was great, there were a few funny jokes.

i told my friends that I really like the change and hope and pray we get a leader that is gun ho about it because I am tired of leaders that phone it in.

 

[osteotome]

As the now former HP group leader yes I did the happy dance when I heard of the new changes. 

I was planning on attending the new EQ meeting but our EQ President wanted one last meeting  his old quorum and we were told to continue in our calling until released and a new EQ presidency will be called next week. 

At the end of priesthood opening exercises I announced would the group formerly known as High Priests please follow me to the overflow. 

I told the HP that with us combining with the EQ with a unified Melchizedek Priesthood we’ve narrowed the gap with the RS but probably still not their equal 

I guess I will be teaching next week as EQ passed it on and new President won’t have teachers set up yet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rain]

Where is the sitting in a circle with the men coming from? My husband, nor I, have heard of this before with the men. Did we miss something? 

[bsjkki]

1 minute ago, Rain said:

Where is the sitting in a circle with the men coming from? My husband, nor I, have heard of this before with the men. Did we miss something? 

They are supposed to hold 1st Sunday councils just like relief society with the new curriculum guidelines.

[Rain]

22 minutes ago, bsjkki said:

They are supposed to hold 1st Sunday councils just like relief society with the new curriculum guidelines.

Is this the email that just came out or was it before then? Since my husband is in YM maybe that is why he didn't know and they naturally have always done a circle there, but he never planned it that way.

[Freedom]

8 hours ago, Gray said:

One guy was obviously upset - he made it clear he thought the changes weren't in harmony with the D&C. Otherwise mostly non-eventful

Perhaps, and letting women speak is not in harmony with the new testament and not having slaves is not in harmony with the old testament. Curse those modern prophets!

[bsjkki]

4 hours ago, Rain said:

Is this the email that just came out or was it before then? Since my husband is in YM maybe that is why he didn't know and they naturally have always done a circle there, but he never planned it that way.

This was before. https://www.lds.org/manual/come-follow-me-for-melchizedek-priesthood-and-relief-society-october-2017/first-sunday-council-meetings?lang=eng

Edited April 9, 2018 by bsjkki

[Stargazer]

Our stake president is on vacation in the US, but held an online meeting with other stake leaders.  He indicated that the EQ and HP should meet as usual until he gets back and has a chance to deal with necessary changes. As far as I can tell, neither the Elders nor the High Priests are having any problem with this change. My brother is in an Oregon stake, and reports to me that most brethren there seem to be happy with the changes.

I imagine people were really uptight about the 3 hour meeting block when it started, too.

[Amulek]

17 hours ago, Bill "Papa" Lee said:

So, great day, how was yours everybody?

Every day is a great day in primary. I've got no idea how things went in Elders Quorum. 

However, I do know we have a new President. He's one of our former Bishops and an imminently nice guy. I imagine everything went smoothly. 

 

[mnn727]

16 hours ago, strappinglad said:

Are the High Priests still allowed to sleep in church, 'cause that would be a deal breaker in my ward ?

You know, there is always that joke, but our HP Group always had very spirited discussions, including a few disagreements. Noone has slept in all the years I've been in it. Probably helps that we have a large group with many ex-Bishops, Stake Presidents and Mission Presidents in it.

[Gray]

8 hours ago, Freedom said:

Perhaps, and letting women speak is not in harmony with the new testament and not having slaves is not in harmony with the old testament. Curse those modern prophets!

Really depends on which scripture you're referring to, of course. Ancient scripture especially has all kinds of wildly contradicting doctrines because it was written by people with wildly contradicting views.

[JAHS]

As I stated in the other poll thread the new leadership hasn't changed yet but we did meet together and it was mostly high priests making comments during the lesson.
I hope the Elders will speak up and let their voices be heard also. 

[HappyJackWagon]

Our entire EQ Presidency are High Priests but the President is an exceedingly unmotivated one so this could be interesting.  

ETA- in the past couple of hours I've spoken to a couple of other friends in other wards. They too report that HP were called as EQP. In addition, like in my ward, they also reported that the EQP was a relatively young HP. They suggested that it was a bridge between the younger Elders and the HP to have a young HP. This makes a lot of sense to me so I can see why it would be quite common. I wonder if it is.

ETA2- Our stake sent out info about all of the new EQ Presidents sustained last week within our stake. 13/13 were all high priests.

Edited April 10, 2018 by HappyJackWagon

[chileanseabass]

Went as smooth as could be in our ward.  Stake Presidency wasted no time in getting the ball rolling across our large stake.  HPG and EQ leaders were released, and new EQ Presidency was sustained in all wards.  In ours, the presidency is composed of two Elders and a HP, all under the age of 40.  In our ward the EQ was usually a ghost town with the HP carrying the heavy lifting.  The older HPs were relieved to get a break and let some of the younger folks take over.  There was a level of excitement present I haven't seen before.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Amulek said:

Every day is a great day in primary. I've got no idea how things went in Elders Quorum. 

However, I do know we have a new President. He's one of our former Bishops and an imminently nice guy. I imagine everything went smoothly. 

 

Our Stake seems to have sort of set the whole thing up as a "not the High Priest's taking over", by not calling any High Priest who was currently serving, as even a counselor in any Elder's Quorum Presidency. Which as I said, going from being a High Priest Group Leader, with all the meeting, home teaching reports, etc, to being released, again having been there..."happy dance" . But it seemed more like a scorched earth policy, to eliminate the fears of the Elder's Quorum. An action that left many feeling like we are now outsiders. Some of our new converts who were attending High Priests group due to age, were confused and left. Each time a High Priest got up and talked about how great they thought it was, (for instance like me who will now be meeting with my sons and son-in-law), and Elder would get up and reassert how they thought it should be done. Again as a teacher in High Priests, and having taught many of these Elders for many years, of their lives, I just sat quietly and said nothing. It would seem it was caused from the top down, as in other units in our Stake, each Bishop, and Stake High Counsel made sure to tell the Elders this was not a "takeover", which seemed to have caused the same response in each quorum when High Priests made comments. It was such a missed opportunity, I hope no High Priest is called to teach, I would not want to be in their shoes. I just hope that this instruction, or the using of the term, "not a High Priest takeover" did not come from higher up than our Stake. 

Anyway, got two weeks for the mood to change, I just pray that out Stake Presidency does not continue with such comments at Stake Conference this Sunday. I will not be there to find out, I can't do two hours in metal chairs, as our Stake has rented a place, so no benches with full backs, for Papa's back. I wonder if I am just too old, and too injured to start a new chapter in Church life? It took years to get back up to 3 hours after my injury, but I did so because I had a calling, which would usually mean the rest of my Sunday in bed, propped up on pillows, away from family at the dinner table. Maybe Sacrament will have to do.