[You can make a difference if you try]

Everyone faces challenges. Some challenges can be tough to overcome. While the Spirit of Zion can be built on any hill or in any valley, the true mission of the Church can not be fully realized without resting on a firm Home Teaching foundation... not only do I believe that... it is supported by HT data. Home Teaching efforts strengthen a ward in every possible way. A lack of Home Teaching efforts degrade a ward in every possible way.

 
Home teaching is a priesthood responsibility of teachers, priests, and Melchizedek Priesthood holders.
 
Home teachers “visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties” (D&C 20:51). 

They are assigned to families and individuals to “watch over … and be with and strengthen them” (D&C 20:53).

They “warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” (D&C 20:59). 

Where possible, home teachers visit members in their homes at least monthly. 

Home teachers may also find other meaningful ways to watch over and strengthen the families they are assigned...they may render service to the families or contact family members by mail or telephone. 

Home teachers represent the Lord, the bishop, and quorum or group leaders.

HT'ers consult with the head of the household about the family’s needs and about ways to be most helpful. 

Home teachers become acquainted with family members’ interests and needs and recognize special events in their lives.
 

... home teachers help parents ensure that their children are blessed, baptized, and confirmed. They help parents ensure their sons have the Aaronic Priesthood and Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them and are ordained to priesthood at the appropriate ages.

Home teachers help members strengthen their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and encourage them to make and keep sacred covenants. 

This service is especially important to new members and less-active members.

.

[Home teaching alone]

On 8/9/2017 at 5:58 PM, Fether said:

 Is there anything written that suggests we shouldn't go alone? 

As my Wards Elders Quorum President, I often consult the Handbook and General Conference talks for guidance and clarification. I believe there are some very strong written suggestions that home teaching is to be completed as a companionship. I would encourage you to prayerfully consider the following information and then act on it. Let the Spirit guide you as to how.

Handbook:

5.1.4 Ward Missionaries (I know you are referring to your calling as a Home Teacher, but its worth mentioning)... "They need not have assigned companions, but they should not go alone when visiting in homes."

7.4.1 "Before visiting a home, companions pray together." 

7.4.2 ... "leaders assign a companionship of two home teachers to each household where possible"... I stress the phrases "assign a companionship" and "two home teachers" and "where possible"... Unless it is not possible to assign a companionship, I think that is a strong suggestion that Home Teaching efforts are best administered as a companionship.

General Conference Talks:

“Home teaching, properly functioning, brings to ‘the house of each member’ two priesthood bearers divinely commissioned and authoritatively called into the service by their priesthood leader and bishop." Your home teaching calling is not functioning properly. Something should be done about it.. sooner rather than later.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/04/to-the-home-teachers-of-the-church?lang=eng


I wish the Elders in my stewardship would come to me more often and ask me to find a solution to their Home Teaching challenges. There is always a solution. I would also suggest you speak to your EQP and inform him of your circumstance right away. Ask him to go with you when you have an appointment to home teach or ask him to give you an active companion. If you do not receive a favorable response to your request, speak to your Bishop. He will facilitate the solution. I would not suggest you simply accept the situation as "the way it is" and keep doing your Home Teaching as an individual. Your current companion might be less active for a variety of reasons. He may have personal issues he does not want to talk to the Bishop about, but should. His testimony might be thin at present. He might resent the fact he was not being home taught so he stopped home teaching as often as he should. He might need you to be his Home Teacher rather than his companion. There is a solution to be found if you bring the problem to the surface. There will be no solution found of you bury the problem.

I wish you well.. 







 

[I need your help. Please read.]

On 5/2/2017 at 0:31 PM, jerrop said:

"That's quite an agenda you've got there." .... I know. I tried to leave no stone unturned.

"Firstly, regarding meeting frequency."... we tried weekly outside of church, prior to member visits, changed to sunday quick meeting during 2nd hour.

"Second is regular PPIs."...  all good advice. thank you. we are assigning PPI interviews before/after sacrament to active brethren, during third hour, 15 minute intervals. Less active members are also reached out to and invited to accept an invitation, in or out of the Church for a PPI.

"Maybe you already know all this and you can just ignore me." Maybe... but I kinda like your style, honesty, wisdom and council... thanks for your 2 cents.. really appreciate it. 

 

[I'm not a Mormon]

Prior to being baptized I considered myself an agnostic, dyslexic insomniac.. I stayed up nights wondering if there really was a Dog. 

Im not Pioneer stock from Utah, Im northern european old world colonial stock from the sixteen hundreds.

I didn't go to BYU. I didn't serve a mission when I was young. I don't have a big family. I have never been to Temple Square during Christmas.

Im a convert that didn't really need to convert FROM anything to get here, am Im less a convert than saint, or less a saint than convert. Im imperfect.

I have a testimony of Christ Jesus as the savior and redeemer of man, faith in his atoning sacrifice, his resurrection and his return.

I go to Church. I serve others in a calling. I support my leaders.  I strive to keep all my covenants and His commandments at all times in all things... 

I believe Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, seer and revelator. 

Im not "Mormon" either.. Mormon was.. I am a lost sheep.. who found his flock.. or.. did the flock find me..

 

[Skipping Elders Quorum]

 

[I need your help. Please read.]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT... THIS FORUM WAS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL... MORESO THAN I IMAGINED... MUCH OBLIGED...

 

UPDATE..03/28/2017 

It has been about a month since the "grand daddy" of all quorum meeting agendas has been implemented. Things are going well.

This meeting agenda was met with fair amount of resistance.. "what is this?"... "Its too detailed"... "its too much to do" ... "how can we do all this" ... were the responses from my Presidency.. I assured them I understood their reservations and that I valued their counsel. Indeed, it is a daunting task to attempt to implement such a drastic change. Especially since the previous Presidency had no agenda at all... 

I pressed forward. It must have seemed like going from a dead stop to warp speed. I can almost hear Scotty calling out "Captain, we need more POWER!" Resistance to change is part of being human. We are creatures of habit.. sometimes change is difficult... 

And still.. I pressed forward.. reassuring them it is a "catch all" agenda.. it is supposed to be very detailed.. we CAN phase this in slowly based on the needs and priorities of our Quorum. It is, by design, a means to work towards an end goal.. it was place to begin.. The resistance began to fade as they learned my goals and expectations were not going to be compromised just because they seemed difficult..

I began by assigning ONE monthly agenda item to each member of the Presidency. Just one item per member of the EQ Presidency seemed like a good way to kick off this initiative. I asked my counselors and secretary to have ownership over that item, and focus their efforts on that one item... I assured them I would be here to help and support them in their efforts, all I asked for in return was to have some efforts to support.

And... guess what... we made some progress.. its not as hard as they first thought it would be.. 

One of my counselors has taken over "Perfecting the Saints" ... and has made good efforts in doing so...

One of my counselors has taken over "Proclaiming the Gospel" ... he too has made good efforts on that item...

My Secretary has also stepped up his game and has assumed more responsibility for the reporting and administration functions... as well as supporting myself and the counselors in their efforts... I am working on calling an assistant secretary for him..

It turns out there is a light at the end of the tunnel.... it is not a train coming at us... to run us down... after all...

It is the light of Christ... and it shines bright...



 

[I need your help. Please read.]

On 2/14/2017 at 8:45 AM, omegaseamaster75 said:

How many total Elders on the records?

we have 50+ Elders total

 

 

[I need your help. Please read.]

4 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

I second this. As someone from a similar ward, we are all sick of being given ' a good talking to'. The people who show up have been bearing the burdens for a long time. Yell at us, overburden us and we will stop coming (well I won't! But most others will based on past experience). You will get a lot farther by being warm and loving than by cracking the whip. It is tempting to whip people into shape- don't! You will only end up with fewer slaves to boss around. If I could plead for sanity -cut the non essentials. Once every person has a calling, call it a day! Enough already!

I got it. Dont "preach" to them, Minister dont administer them. Ya get more bee's with honey. Dont kick over tables and whip folks, keep it relevant..

I have fewer than 5 elders .. including the Presidency... on some sundays. participation is a challenge, so is filling callings.. thanks for chiming in and adding your feedback. I appreciate the straight talk..

 

[I need your help. Please read.]

6 hours ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

A couple of comments from someone who has to go to a lot of meeting every Sunday.

1. You're the EQ president you shouldn't be preparing the agenda your secretary should. Task him with preparing the agenda and taking notes during the meeting so that he can prepare the subsequent one.  Better yet make him conduct the meeting since he prepared the agenda and you will be in a better position to be thoughtful and more in tune with the spirit during the meeting.

2. I think I saw a post that said that you are going to phase this in little by little,  that is good, but keep your agendas to one page otherwise they just go in the round file because you'll never get to it all

3.  You say your EQ struggles pick one or two items and work on those until you do them really well, until they become automatic only then move on to your next item.

4. Don't kill them with meetings, I suggest once a month at MOST twice and keep them short 45-1hr MAX. 

1. my sec is recently reactivated, working thru some family issues. I don't want to lean on him too much and risk secretary burnout! I need a right hand man! The agenda will eventually be his to manage with collaboration and input from Myself., my 1st & 2nd counselors and/or any other councils  (Teacher councils, Ward Council, etc).

2. Keep it short and simple.

3. Yes, Great idea, I agree.. I am focused on prioritizing specific efforts and have lead them in those efforts to take action. (for example, stewardship.. we are going out as companions on visits  this Thursday to assess the welfare of less active members and members who are struggling.. as well as members new to the ward who just need fellowshipping.

4. meetings.. our meeting takes place once a month while they are all there during activity nights for their kids, <1 hour. 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.. much appreciated! 

[I need your help. Please read.]

On 2/13/2017 at 0:49 PM, Suzie said:

Just a few suggestions:

1. Less meetings (more meetings do not necessarily equal effectiveness,I find generally speaking we seem to have meetings to plan another meetings, etc).

2. Service, service and service activities! (We do great in the golden answer category but I find we could do a better job at practical activities that can help those in need).

3. Listen to your counselors, I mean, really do. (They have a lot of knowledge to provide you and some great ideas too).

Less is more (esp. when it comes to meetings). Focus on serving others. Receive council. Got it!

ty for your counsel  =)

[I need your help. Please read.]

49 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

You know, I admire you so much bro. In your place, I'd give up and just not do anything. You are awesome to care so much about these people and they are so, so lucky to have you. They should be grateful. 
 

I appreciate your willingness to be forthright with your opinions. There is much work to be done. I do take my stewardship over the members of my quorum to heart. THANKS!

[I need your help. Please read.]

29 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Wow.  Your ward is one lucky ward!

I just have one mini suggestion - I'm a woman so I am cluess about EQ.  I just noticed the Proclaiming the Gospel part and that's the same agenda we had in our Ward Mission meetings.  I used to be a Ward missionary and the Ward Mission Leader would call a meeting once a week with the full time missionaries and the ward missionaries and talk about all the bullet points you had there on your Proclaiming the Gospel heading.

So anyway, in those meetings we come up with action items we need from the EQ and RS and send it to the Presidencies so they can assign/complete those action items.  Basically, the Ward Mission Leader spearheaded those things.  Just thought I'd bring it up so you can coordinate with your Ward Mission Leader.

GREAT IDEAS! I am in close contact with the Ward Mission Leader and our full time missionaries. I agree with your suggestions. I will make sure to include them in my efforts and utilize the resources they can bring to the table. THANKS A LOT!

[I need your help. Please read.]

5 hours ago, my two cents said:

written before HA's second post showed up - 

I agree with JAG about it being a lot to cover in one meeting.  Aside from your agenda, a couple thoughts that came to my (female) mind:

- Would it be possible to give each pres member a specific role to be over (ie pres - relieve poor, 1c - redeem dead, 2c - proclaim gospel, etc).  That way it all gets attention and everyone feels they have a focus so-to-speak.

- It sounds like you first need to build the quorum and have some social activities (a variety to cover more interests).  People are more willing to ht and serve when there's more of a relationship.

- You may also want to consider expanding their thoughts on how ht can be done.  For instance, a letter may not be ideal but it's better than nothing. (from chi 7.4.1 -  Home teachers may also find other meaningful ways to watch over and strengthen the families they are assigned. For example, they may render service to the families or contact family members by mail or telephone.)

Im so glad you decided to give me "your two cents". Your suggestions are very well received. Thank you for taking the time to give me your feedback. I agree with your suggestion to divide the efforts among members of the Presidency. The work I would like to accomplish is a tall order. Giving individuals in the Presidency ownership of certain agenda items will allow us to all work on certain parts simultaneously. You are right, I need have a laser focus on building or rebuilding the relationships between quorum members to make HomeTeaching efforts more successful. I also appreciate your insight on collaborating and "expanding" our efforts by soliciting input from others on how we can best serve and implement each task..  THANK YOU!  

[I need your help. Please read.]

Thank you for your reply and candid opinions. I agree this is quite a lot to accomplish, I intentionally created an agenda with the angels share of topics and subtopics; So many in fact it may seem like a daunting task to address half of them in one sitting. I like to set the bar high. I only expect to address a handful at first. We will begin by prioritising, based on the needs of the quorum. This agenda will be released in phases, some may only be addressed quarterly as you suggested, each predicated on the success of my clarion call to serve. I will need to be diligent yet practical with making assignments, soliciting volunteers and inviting all to accept invitations to serve. 

I also agree with your noteworthy advice on clarity, both in vision and in action. While this "running agenda" is being phased in piece by piece, the EQ Presidency will have a unanimous vision and clearly defined goals and objectives. I also agree that our time and efforts will be better utilized outside our monthly Presidency meeting time. I have some fairly sharp counselors who already embrace technology based solutions like using email, web meetings, group txt messages.. or my new personal favorite, collaborating on Google docs.

Once again, I appreciate your reply. Your response carries the weight and wisdom of your experience. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

[I need your help. Please read.]

and yes, I know there are a lot of typo's. My apologies to any and all who have the type of mind that automatically recognizes them. I do plan on fixing them and some of the quirky formatting inconsistencies. 

[I need your help. Please read.]

So... here is my story. I hope to get your feedback...

Im a relatively new convert and fairly new Elders Quorum President. The quorum has a history of inactivity ( 50-60 % inactivity ) and not much in the way of organization by previous elders quorum presidents. Home Teaching is in the single digits. Service is nearly non-existent. Finding someone to accept an invitation to serve others is very hard. To say we have challenges in finding motivated individuals is an understatement. I struggled to fill my Presidency for many months. I have this crazy idea that what this quorum needs is leadership, focused efforts and lots of Gospel influence. As much as I believe the Lord does not call the qualified... he qualifies the called... I still feel the need to get feedback from others on my Elders Quorum Presidency Agenda form PRIOR to introducing it to my Presidency. If you would review my Elders Quorum Presidency meeting agenda I would appreciate it. I plan on using my keys to implement this agenda, slowly but steadily, in an effort to benefit the all the brethren. Thank you for your time and effort should you choose to leave me some feedback..
 

Elders Quorum Presidency Meeting
Monthly Agenda Items

 

Recurring Monthly Agenda Assignments

 

Opening Prayer— EQ President (EQ P)

Inspirational Scripture— EQ 1st Counselor (EQ 1)

Spiritual Thought— EQ 2nd Counselor (EQ 2)

Record Presidency Meeting Minutes-EQ Secretary (EQ S)

Elders Quorum Member Assignment (EQ A)

MONTHLY AGENDA ITEMS

 

Report from other Meetings (EQP, 1, 2, S)

• PEC Meeting (EQ P)

• Ward Member Welfare Concerns (EQ P, 1, 2, S)

• Ward Council Meeting (EQ P)

• Ward Missionary Work  (EQ P, 1, 2, S, A)

• Stake Meetings (EQ P, 1, 2, S)

 

Proclaiming the Gospel-(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Missionary Moments/Opportunity

• New Member Discussions

• New Member Fellowshipping & Retention (EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Feeding The Missionaries

 

Redeeming the Dead-(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Temple Trip w/ Youth

• Ward Temple Day

• Elders Quorum Temple Outing

 

Perfecting the Saints-(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Prospective Elders Update

• Home Teaching

• Service Projects

• Sunday Lessons

• Quorum Committee Activity Reports

• Agenda for 1st Sunday Quorum Meeting

 

Discussion Items-(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Open Callings

• Family Search Project (Indexing)

• Teaching In The Savior's Way
   

Emergency Preparedness-(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

• Emergency Preparedness Update

• Emergency Equipment Discussion

• Preparedness Information

C.A.M.S. Calendar/Assignments/Missionary/Service—(EQP, 1, 2, S, A)

 

C Calendar/Assignments/Missionary/Service Reminders To Be Addressed With Quorum:

•  

• Set Apart Bro Smith as Instructor (EQ P)

•  

•  

• Release Bro Smith As Instructor & Hold A Vote Of Thanks (EQ 1,2)

•  
•  

• Call Additional Instructor (EQ P)

•  
•  

• Schedule Personal Priesthood Interviews (EQ S)

•  

•  

• Address Home Teaching Concerns/Companionships/Assignments (EQ P,1,2,S)

•  
•  

• Identify Individuals Of Concern for EQP/Bishopric Visits (EQ P,1,2,S,A)

 

Review of Previous C.A.M.S.—(EQ S)

 

Schedule Next Meeting/Send Out C.A.M.S. Reminder—(EQ S)

 

Closing prayer—(EQ P)