Comments on: Inactivity & Leadership

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sun, 07 May 2006 23:00:13 +0000

Well, I don’t know about that. I had a pretty strong testimony and was really active and dedicated when I was a young woman and single and childless.

“Can a persons testimony continue to grow if their activity with the Church consists of attending Sacrament meeting?”

Of course it can. Why not? Are we so weak that we have to have some sort of status calling to guarantee our dedication to the Gospel?

“Perhaps each stake needs a ward for adults without children to attend. Then they would be able to serve each other. Just a thought.”

Most do. They are known as YSA wards. There are some Single Adult wards too.

Yes the LDS church is a family based faith, but we are ALL part of families, whether we have children or not. I don’t see the Church excluding single or childless people at all. Individual members often do so, but certainly not the Church.

We can all serve each other whether we have children or not. Being in a ward where there are children doesn’t mean we don’t get to serve one another. Why are children a deterrent to service? My favourite callings have been in primary. I personally think more people should serve in primary, then they would get over themselves.

Oh and you don’t need a calling to serve others. There are so many ways to be of service without needing to tack a title on it.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 07 May 2006 22:49:00 +0000

Mary – I have heard testimony and commitment for years but I wonder if there might be more to it than that. Can a persons testimony continue to grow if their activity with the Church consists of attending Sacrament meeting? If one’s activity was attending a meeting then would they not be about the same as a Methodist or Baptist or Church of England memebr that only goes to Church on Sundays. Is there a reason the Lord provides service to others thru church callings? If so, why would older members whose children are grown be left out?

You have to admidt that the LDS faith is a family based faith and if you do not have children, you don’t teally fit in as well as a person who has children at home.

Perhaps each stake needs a ward for adults without children to attend. Then they would be able to serve each other. Just a thought.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sun, 07 May 2006 22:08:16 +0000

“Mary I agree with you about those who have served in leadership positions staying more active than those who have not served in a major leadership position.”

Well, no I didn’t say that. I said there is no relation. Leadership or not, it doesn’t make a difference. The key factor is testimony and commitment.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 07 May 2006 21:58:18 +0000

Mary I agree with you about those who have served in leadership positions staying more active than those who have not served in a major leadership position. In my current Ward, if you look at the members who are active that are over 50, the vast majority of them were either a Bishop and or SP. The less active over 50 did not server has a Bishop or SP.

Would it make sense to rotate more men in and out of leadership positions? Would more men remain active in later life if they had served in a Bishopric?

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sun, 07 May 2006 12:07:59 +0000

And there might be a relation between non-leadership and activity. There are plenty of those in leadership who do NOT become inactive (I have seen more of those than the opposite). The relation between activity or non activity and anything is level of commitment and testimony.

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 06 May 2006 23:51:56 +0000

I have seen cases of where a person is in a high leadership position and then when they are released they go inactive. There might be something to the relation between leadership and inactivity.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Mon, 01 May 2006 11:19:29 +0000

No, I am saying, in YOUR ward, perhaps they are given those callings because THEY are the ones that are available. I do think the more available someone is, the more likely they are to help in a leadership calling which requires a lot of time.

Uh, yeah. I am very active and haven't had a leadership calling in about 8 years.

We have social health care. You get sick, you get taken care of. There is also extra coverage for extra things the government doesn't consider essential. Well, you have to get extra coverage for those things. In everywhere but BC and Alberta you pay nothing for health care (well for the regular health care). In Alberta and BC you pay a premium, but still not terribly expensive.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 01 May 2006 05:36:18 +0000

Mary – Are you saying that church activity and leadership positions go hand in hand?

Are there any cases of a person being active for long periods of time and not have a leadership position?

How many different levels of health care do you have in Canada. In the USA we have one. You pay and you get health care. If you have too little money you stay sick.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 18:22:09 +0000

Yeah I know. But if they privatise it completely we are in trouble.

I know we don't have a single tiered health care, but people at least don't get kicked out of hospitals because they don't have insurance. Which is a good thing.

By: rick

rick — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:16:50 +0000

"Of course itâ€s good, as long as they donâ€t privatise it." Now Mary, you know it's already got private portions... It's a popular myth in Canada that we have single tiered healthcare.