Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Essentials for Effective Councils


“In his book, Counseling with Our Councils, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gives the following three suggestions:

First, focus on fundamentals.” Follow the guidelines in Handbook 2: Administering the Church, chapter 4, which can be found online in the Serving in the Church section of LDS.org.

Second, focus on people, not programs.” Pursue “the integration of new members, activation of the less active, concerns of the youth, the economic plight of individual members, and the needs of single mothers and widows.”

“Third, councils are for counsel and the exchange of ideas, not just reports and lectures. Establish a climate conducive to openness, where every opinion is valuable.” Individuals have different viewpoints and backgrounds, so each can add a helpful perspective to understanding members’ needs.

See Elder M. Russell Ballard, Counseling with Our Councils, 106, 109, 112. 

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