Any ideas on how to get ward council meetings to stop going round and round on the same dead topic that keeps getting brought up? Or to stop hearing “we have to do something” in regards to a specific family instead of someone saying I will do this or ok you do this by the next meeting and report back the results etc. What a waste of my time. Our YWP nearly took the ward mission leader’s head off as 2 of her new converts (1 baptized a year ago and the other one about 6 months ago) still have not had new member discussions yet and he kept going on about well I have to ask so and so if they can do it and then maybe they should have females doing it and I have to ask around and she just flipped and said you have been saying that for the 3 meetings I have been at when are you actually going to just do it?
Does anyone have different ward councils that are actually productive?
The ward counsels I have participated in were only productive if the Bishop was on the ball. If he is decisive and administering/administrating effectively, then they were very useful. If he is an indecisive figurehead who lets people do whatever theyre supposed to be doing but not really doing it, then its a waste of time. If someone tries to be decisive and administer over/around the Bishop, then it just causes a huge mess (or that person ends up getting called as Bishop or RES Prez) if they are skilled enough to do it without offending. Its hard to get an all volunteer ward program to work the way its really supposed to. You need a large pool of dedicated, selfless and skilled people, which isnt common.
Hey Kim,
From a “meetings in general”, I find it useful to ask, at the end of every meeting, “what are our action items?” In that way, people reflect on what has been discussed and come up with specific items that can be done.
Of course, then you actually need to get people to take responsibility for completing those items. If there are no volunteers, take what you know about peoples’ strengths and interests and say things like “Hey Ken, you’ve got a lot of connections with local businesses, could you take a look at getting some corporate sponsorship for this?”
Jon
This isn’t my post, Jon. :)
Well Sally,
Tell those people that if productivity continues to diminish that you don’t foresee any raises in the near future.
:)
And I reply with it’s Monday. You can’t expect me to read EVERYTHING! ;-)
Advice is the same though.
Sally, I agree with Kurt. Your bishop needs to step things up. After the EQP’s hem-haw, he should follow with, “Brother Jones, i’d like to know who gets that assignment by Tuesday. When you extend the calling, please tell those two brothers that I’d like them here for YW on Wednesday night this week so that our Young Womens President can properly introduce them.”
If there’s never any accountability, nothing ever gets done.
Also, instead of a “Brother Smith lost his job, what do we do?” meeting, a “Brother Smith lost his job. I (the EQP) have already meant with the family to begin to assess their needs. I’ve called Brother Christensen, the employment specialist, to see about helping him put together a resume and start networking. Bishop, I recommend that if he doesn’t find a job within the next three weeks that there may be a need for a full Bishop’s assessment to be done.”
Ward Council should be (among other things) a report of what has been done rather than a meeting where people come awaiting orders.
Whoops, that last one was me.
Chad Too
You said that the YWP nearly took your head off because the lessons were not taught.
SOunds like contempt to me. We need to be converted and try to act more like the Master. Instead of ripping off your head—-she should have said —-can I help? Would you like to do it together> Maybe some of my older girls would like the missionary experience.
PEC/Ward Council is not the place to abuse, and to get off passing out assignments. It is a place to work togethrer.
“Taking the head off” sounds a little harsh, but there are just some callings where performance is not merely hoped for, but is required. If the WML took some heat, it was the rent he pays for the space he occupies. Assuming a willing recipient, there is no excuse for a new convert to be delayed for so long for New Member discussions. These new converts are entrusted to the WML care. It’s interesting that in the church you can ask for a blessing 24/7 with response, with enough phone calls you can field a basketball team in danger of forfeiture within 10 minutes, and some things seem to never move. – I’m a former WML
For a meeting to be productive, the people IN the meeting have to be productive OUT of the meeting.
Unfortunately, at least in the wards I’ve been in, we’ve tended to be very inwardly focused on our own problems.
MRKH
im a new bishop its good to see there is some sensible people around but im also taking notes