Good Bishops

[InCognitus]

The discussion of "Bad Bishops" in the other thread got me to thinking about the bishops I've had over the years.  Only one bishop I know of comes to mind as a "bad" bishop, and the information (or misinformation) about that individual came through rumors about him from years ago, and he was a bishop from a different ward that was in my stake at the time, so I don't really count it as my experience.  It is a sad thing when some bishops go astray.  But I do know of many good bishops.  So I wanted to start a new thread about the good bishops so they won't be left out.  

I remember one bishop when he was first called, I knew very little about him at the time.  He had served in a stake calling prior to being called as our bishop so I didn't see him around the ward that much, and my only impression of him was that he had a very gruff and blunt personality, and I perceived him to be stubborn because of his demeanor.  So I wondered how he could be a good bishop.  I was serving in the young men's organization at the time of his calling, and on the first week of him being the bishop we had a young men/young women activity where we had to drive a long way across town to serve at a community food bank.  The assignment started at 6:00 PM, so we gathered at the church at around 4:45 PM to arrange for rides for everyone involved.  There were two possible freeway routes we could take to the food bank. The most obvious and direct route took us on a freeway through the down town area, but I proposed to the new bishop that we should take a different freeway route because I knew the traffic on the other route was highly congested at that time of day (rush hour) because I often travelled home from a client's office through that part of the city in the opposite direction and had observed the traffic jams. But the new bishop didn't take my advice.  He said we should all go on the more direct route, and we ended up sitting in near stand still traffic for at least 35 minutes of the travel time, and we arrived a couple of minutes late to the service project.  That decision confirmed my initial preconceptions about this man.

But as I served with that bishop and got to know him, my perception of him changed quickly and dramatically.  I soon learned that inside that hard and gruff facade was a deeply caring man who loved the Savior with all his heart.  His love and concern for all the ward members became evident (especially for the youth) along with his devotion to humble service.  At every service project or church cleaning assignment he was always the first one there.  I recall one time when I was assigned to clean the church, he and I were the only ones doing it (and it made me have concern if he was the only one doing it on the weeks when I wasn't assigned).  But his desire to serve inspired me, and I could feel his true devotion to the Lord and to his calling (even though he made a few mistakes from time to time, like not listening to me when I told him which freeway we should take!).  I can honestly say that I love this man and he still inspires me to this very day.

Then when that bishop was released, the man called to replace him surprised me even more, because he was a man that I knew quite well.  I home taught his family about a decade prior to that, and I had served with him in another calling a few years earlier.  Even though he was well suited for the position he held when we served together, he simply did not seem like the bishop type to me.  He struggled in his speaking.  He used bad grammar at times. And I remember one lesson he taught where I thought he was teaching bad doctrine.  And he sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.  But I watched as this man took on his calling as bishop, and he became one of the most humble and loving bishops I have ever known.  I had the opportunity to serve closer with this new bishop a short time after he was called, and I watched how he sought out guidance and revelation on all the callings and personal challenges of the ward and its members.  He still had some of the same shortcomings, but I watched how the calling of bishop changed him and he was blessed with the capacity to do what he needed to do.

I want to add one last example of a good bishop that I heard in a 2014 BYU Devotional talk by Mark Alden Callister, titled "Lost and Found".  I listened to this devotional this past week in preparing for a lesson topic.  The whole talk is exceptional (I recommend it to anyone who has 30 minutes to listen to it or read it).  But the experience he related (below) about the way a bishop handled a particular situation sticks out as an example of a good bishop:

Quote

At times we are called upon to serve those who may make it difficult to love them. The Savior taught, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?”  But charity in such moments can soften hearts and heal relationships.

I remember on one occasion a frustrated and angry ward member speaking quite sharply and unkindly to a bishop, criticizing his leadership. As I listened I found my anger rising, feeling this criticism was unfair and inappropriate, for I had such great respect for this bishop and knew of his great sacrifices and able leadership. After the ward member concluded his comments, I was ready to provide a strong defense for the bishop and tell the ward member how I felt about his behavior.

But before I could speak, this great bishop, with his eyes moist from the stinging rebuke, replied with such genuine love to the member. “Thank you for sharing your comments,” he said. “I know that I have shortcomings, and you have shown me where I can improve. I commit to do better. Now, what can I do to make things better for you?”

A spirit came into that room and a change came over the ward member—a visible softening—and he apologized. The bishop then expressed his genuine love for this man and the meeting came to a close. I remained in the room until the ward member had left and I was alone with the bishop. I couldn’t speak; I was so moved by what I had just witnessed. It was charity, pure and sweet.

The bishop looked over at me, and he could tell that I was emotional. He asked if I was all right.

I couldn’t answer for a moment. I then told him that I had just witnessed one of the most beautiful, Christlike experiences of my life and thanked him for it.

I've witnessed similar experiences with bishops.  The one thing that I try to keep in mind is that we're all in this together.  I'm not perfect and I make mistakes in my callings, so why should I expect my bishop to be perfect?  And having seen the burdens that are placed upon our bishops, it makes me want to do everything I can to help make their job easier, because they can't do it alone.  

Edited August 13, 2023 by InCognitus

[Pyreaux]

The Louisiana Bishops have been solid pillars of their communities. Two worked as locksmiths for the same company. The South Carolina Bishop was okay, but they had rather unrighteous children. They were interesting to look at, naturally redhaired half-Japanese adolescents. "Gingers", unfortunately playing into their stereotype. (This was decades ago, so hopefully they've changed)

Edited August 14, 2023 by Pyreaux