An Awesome Elders Quorum President

I have long held that a great elders quorum president is an unsung hero in the church.

The bishop gets lots of praise and thanks, and he deserves it, too. The Relief Society president should be recognized as one of the bishop’s greatest co-workers in his ministry, particularly to the poor, and a wise bishop takes great advantage of that resource.

A good elders quorum president may well have (if he's doing everything he should) a church workload quite similar to the bishop’s, but he gets little recognition for what he does. The elders quorum president – the only other Melchizedek Priesthood holder in the ward with keys – does all his work at the retail level. And yet, he's often seen as "one of the guys" among his own quorum and among others in the ward.

I thought about all of this yesterday as I attended my nephew’s ward for his mission farewell talk. (He was also awesome, by the way – really awesome!) In the third hour, the bishop led the combined elders quorum and high priest group in a discussion of a couple of topics of importance to him, including home teaching. Toward the end of the bishop's comments on home teaching, the elders quorum president stood briefly to remind his quorum he had just redone the home teaching assignments (he’d made the same announcement in opening exercises), and then he did the awesome thing: he bore his testimony of the inspiriation he had received in making these assignments.

It was the bearing of that testimony that was moving to me, and I’m not even in his ward. And yet, I could feel that here was a quorum president who had counseled with the Lord and sought His guidance in making the assignments he had. He may well have counseled with others (and would have been wise to do so), but he made it clear that these were not just assignments based on geography or demographics, but on spiritual confirmation.

I believe (and hope) this happens in the church more often than we realize, that local leaders who are doing their best to honor their covenants and magnify their callings go to the Lord for His help and guidance in the work He’s called them to do. I know I did when I was an elders quorum president and a bishop. And I watch my lovely wife do the same in her present calling in the stake Relief Society presidency. I know that many Primary teachers pray about how to reach one or another of the kids in their classes. I know that youth leaders pray to understand how to approach a particularly surly youth to help soften his heart to the possibility of spiritual influence.

We’ve all heard the occasional story of a calling made out of desperation rather than inspiration. But I believe and hope those are the exceptions. I’ve sat in plenty of corporate personnel meetings in which we’ve tried to decide who should do what job. I’m happy to say my experience in the church is very different as we prayerfully considered who to recommend or who to call.

So, kudos to that elders quorum president, and to all those local leaders who seek to magnify their callings by seeking to know God’s will for them in their service.

On Giving and Receiving Correction

I served in a position in the church where I was under the direct supervision of our stake president. I had for years admired our stake president, even long before he had that calling. He was humble and kind. He knew adversity in his life and he also knew the joy of doing things the Lord's way.

When he was my "file" leader, from time to time he had to correct me. That was part of what I expected as he trained and led me, and I'm fortunate that he saw it as his responsibility, as well. I remember on one occasion in particular, he asked to speak with me after a meeting I'd conducted. He thanked me for what I had said in that meeting, and then very clearly pointed out where I'd gone afoul of specific instructions he'd given in a recent training meeting. And yet, he did it with such love that I was happy to hear his feedback, even though I was embarrassed that he had to give it to me. But, sensing that reaction in me, he also put me at ease and let me know that he loved me (and I knew he did).

It was, as far as I can tell, a near perfect execution of D&C 121:43 ("Reproving betimes with sharpness…"): his correction came immediately after the meeting where I had made a mistake, his instructions were very clear and fact-based (no emotions), and he showed a great deal of love before and after his correction, both in our conversation and in his actions long after the meeting.

In our lives we are sometimes in a position to offer correction to others. Perhaps, as in the case of my stake president, it is because of our leadership calling. Perhaps it's because we're parents. I think my stake president's example is instructive in a variety of situations.

There are times when we might want to offer correction and it's not our place to do so. We may be critical of something someone else is doing. We may know a better way. We may be certain that they are out of touch with the latest direction / counsel / fashion / trend. What to do then? I suppose one possibility is to invoke the lessons of steadying the ark (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Uzzah put forth his hand to steady the ark when he thought it might fall. He was not called to do so, and he was struck dead. On the opposite end of the continuum is to offer our opinions freely to all who will listen.

I try (but do not always succeed) to err on the side of caution when it comes to offering correction, particularly in a church setting. We're all volunteers, after all, and we're all trying to do our best. But I think of my experience with my stake president: I was grateful for his correction, and I needed it, too. I can think of times when my concern for how someone might respond kept me from offering correction when it was due. In so doing, perhaps I feared man more than God.

In my family, I probably could be more gentle, and I am now more gentle than I used to be. I had a friend with whom I served who suggested that some of us were "old sarges" when it came to correcting our children. His view was sarges were probably good for boot camp, but not for scout leaders or fathers. Some of my kids probably thought I was an old sarge, and they'd probably agree with my friend, as I do.

When it comes to offering correction when it's none of my business, I need to overcome the urge to gossip. My wife is quite good at gently reminding me (mostly by her example) to keep my mouth shut.

Have you had a particularly positive experience receiving or giving correction?