Feedback on a Visual Aid Needed

[MarginOfError]

While trying to teach the 12 and 13 year olds in my ward about the organization of Priesthood and the various quorums and offices, I found myself really wishing I had a good visual aid to help put the pieces together. This is what I've come up with, and I'm hoping you call can give me some feedback.

I am fully expecting that some explanatory text needs to be added, but I'm not sure what is already clear and what is only clear to me. Criticisms and suggestions for improvement are welcome. Also, any corrections on policy would be welcome. For instance, I assume that Apostles hold the requisite authority to perform the duties of a patriarch, but I could also be wrong about that. If I am, I would need to adjust the graphic a little.

Lastly, if you can share what you gather from the graphic without any explanatory text, that would help me determine how well the graphic communicates the desired information.

Thanks for your help--(assuming I can get the image to show at all)

If you can't get the image to render, click on this link. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw3leA1Ef_e5aGZ5WmhBX1owc0U/edit?usp=sharing

Edited June 14, 2013 by MarginOfError

[pam]

My thoughts were drawn to a couple of things.

1. First I see where the steps of the priesthood are. Such as starting with deacons and working up.

2. I see where it shows that the Bishop is over the Aaronic Priesthood. (I don't know if that was your intention or not)

But that would leave me to wonder who is over the Melchizedek Priesthood offices. If I'm going strictly by the graph or visual aid that you have made.

[beefche]

This looks like a bishop is equal to a priest instead of being a high priest (bishop is in the same red zone as priest).

Also, I'm not sure how Seventy and Patriarch fit in--it looks like they are parallel?

[Gwen]

I am caught up on the appearance that the high priest has authority over the bishop. But maybe I'm thinking too much along the lines of church organization rather than Priesthood organization. It's very possible I'm the one missing something. lol

Based on what is there I would say the apostles are over the melchizedek offices. It's the darkest and biggest blue, which would be compared to the bishop who is the biggest and darkest red of the aaronic priesthood..... yes/no? But then where would the stake pres fall? Should there be a bar under the melchizedek like the bishop is supporting the aaronic?

Priesthood wise is a patriarch equal to a seventy? If the seventy is a "step above" the patriarch then shouldn't there be a thin line from seventy encompassing the patriarch? Or can seventy not act in the capacity of a patriarch?

Do you need more colors? I find the distinction between the bishop and priest to be too faint, same for the lines between apostle, seventy, and patriarch. But then it could just be the settings on my computer screen. lol

lol I'm finding this very hard to put into words. lol I'm also not sure if I'm confusing too much of the church organization with the priesthood organization. So now I'm doubting myself and feeling very unprepared for the lesson I was supposed to teach Sun. lol I should find a guest teacher. sigh

[Wingnut]

Based on what is there I would say the apostles are over the melchizedek offices. It's the darkest and biggest blue, which would be compared to the bishop who is the biggest and darkest red of the aaronic priesthood..... yes/no? But then where would the stake pres fall? Should there be a bar under the melchizedek like the bishop is supporting the aaronic?

Stake President isn't an office in the Priesthood. It's a calling.

[pam]

Stake President isn't an office in the Priesthood. It's a calling.

But then again isn't Bishop as well? Yet Bishop is on the visual.

[MarginOfError]

Well, already it appears we've hit on the first textual need. Please look at these as the organization of priesthood offices. The office of bishop is not the same as the calling of bishop. So a bishop has the authority to act in all of the offices of the Aaronic Priesthood, and a high priest has the authority to act in the office of a bishop (when properly called to do so).

I agree that the it's hard to distinguish some of the shades. I just chose transparency levels of .25, .50, .75, and 1.0 because it was easy to do. I can tweak those to create a little more contrast.

To answer a question, patriarch and seventy are offices, in my understanding, that are not in a hierarchical relationship to the other offices. That means a seventy does not have the authority to act in the office of a patriarch, and a patriarch does not have the authority to act in the office of a seventy. If someone can show me a reference demonstrating an error in this understanding, I'll change that.

How are the colors on this version?

(if the image doesn't render, see it here: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Of5Tf79AQII/UbsuYD_F_TI/AAAAAAAAAZg/s1_G-PCCfXM/s320/PriesthoodGraphicv2.jpeg)

[MarginOfError]

But then again isn't Bishop as well? Yet Bishop is on the visual.

Bishop actually is an office in the Aaronic Priesthood. It is also a calling.

Perhaps you've heard the phrase "Once a bishop, always a bishop." This is true because once your are ordained to the office of a bishop, you never lose that office. Upon a bishop's release, he loses the keys to act in the office of bishop.

A stake president, on the other hand, is not ordained to any office in addition to high priest.

One of the difficulties in presenting the graphic is conveying that a high priest may be called to act in the office of a bishop, but an elder may not. (I tried to represent this by not having the elder portion touch the bishop portion).

[pam]

Point taken. Taking the graph at face value and my interpretation of it, would have me asking the same questions I previously mentioned and that Gwen indicated earlier as well.

[Traveler]

While trying to teach the 12 and 13 year olds in my ward about the organization of Priesthood and the various quorums and offices, I found myself really wishing I had a good visual aid to help put the pieces together. This is what I've come up with, and I'm hoping you call can give me some feedback.

I am fully expecting that some explanatory text needs to be added, but I'm not sure what is already clear and what is only clear to me. Criticisms and suggestions for improvement are welcome. Also, any corrections on policy would be welcome. For instance, I assume that Apostles hold the requisite authority to perform the duties of a patriarch, but I could also be wrong about that. If I am, I would need to adjust the graphic a little.

Lastly, if you can share what you gather from the graphic without any explanatory text, that would help me determine how well the graphic communicates the desired information.

Thanks for your help--(assuming I can get the image to show at all)

If you can't get the image to render, click on this link. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw3leA1Ef_e5aGZ5WmhBX1owc0U/edit?usp=sharing

I think you have done very well. And I also think you should present it as is as an aid to help your class in much the same manner that you have presented it to the forum. To look at it, consider it, and then to discuss it and add their opinions. Thus it becomes a means of discussion and not a cast in stone complete answer to all priesthood organization questions.

Pending on your class - you may want to talk about the role of fathers and families and even consider such things as Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary Presidencies.

As I understand the new curriculum for youth - the main purpose is to engage the youth to search out and seek their own understanding and testimony of things - not so much to hand them a neat little lesson with all the loose ends resolved for them.

I think you have a great tool to start discussions and see where you 12 and 13 year old's will take it.

The Traveler

[pam]

Actually I think Traveler has a great idea. It has gotten us on a forum to discuss it and the priesthood offices. I think it would also be a great way to get the young men to discuss it as well. How would they change it and what would be their suggestions. I think as an object lesson that would bring them into the discussion and still teach them about the various offices within the priesthood.

[MarginOfError]

I do like the discussion idea, and I would definitely do it if I hadn't already tried to teach the lesson. I tried drawing this out on the chalk board, but it just wasn't effective enough on the fly and I am trying to improve it.

What I'd like to do is get it to a point where it seems like a reasonable starting point and then annotate it so that it can be used either as just the graphic, or as a stand alone reference/cheat sheet.

I'm leaning toward an animated graphic or slide show that starts with the plain graphic and then guides a discussion of the offices and nuances of each office. I could annotate it with things like, "a deacon's quorum consists of up to 12 deacons." and "bishops are not organized into quorums" and other such trivia. Of course, all of the trivia would give references back to the D&C and CHI.

[Bini]

I would just say that the blue columns are difficult to read in black text.

[skippy740]

The Calling/Role of Stake President does have keys to preside over the High Priests in the stake.

For that reason, you may want to include it because Deacon's Quorum President, Teacher's Quorum President, Bishop, Elder's Quorum President and Stake President are the only ones that hold keys to the priesthood.

It might get convoluted in your diagram, but it would be interesting.

[MarginOfError]

The Calling/Role of Stake President does have keys to preside over the High Priests in the stake.

For that reason, you may want to include it because Deacon's Quorum President, Teacher's Quorum President, Bishop, Elder's Quorum President and Stake President are the only ones that hold keys to the priesthood.

It might get convoluted in your diagram, but it would be interesting.

What do other people think of this suggestion. It seems that once we start getting into keys and presidencies we start talking about priesthood government, which could take up an entirely new lesson. Would it be better to try to roll those into one or discuss them separately?

[MarginOfError]

I would just say that the blue columns are difficult to read in black text.

Better?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-JZJI8XUkI/UbtAPaq2ujI/AAAAAAAAAZw/d1BDp7Zsk6g/s320/PriesthoodGraphicv3.jpeg

[Gwen]

What do other people think of this suggestion. It seems that once we start getting into keys and presidencies we start talking about priesthood government, which could take up an entirely new lesson. Would it be better to try to roll those into one or discuss them separately?

Well, as you have seen from my posts (and maybe others, so i don't feel foolishly alone) the calling/roles/keys/government/organization lol can all be confusing. That would be a lot to cover in one lesson.

Possible to do a double layer designed for back to back lessons? Start with what you have, priesthood organization. Then the next week go into the government, who holds the keys to what, etc. Break down how much there is to process in one class. lol

If you have a particularly bright group that seems to be getting it or already knows most then you could condense it into one double layered class. I would break them into separate sections though. Trying to cover both at the same time might make it more confusing.

I think both are needed.

[skippy740]

What do other people think of this suggestion. It seems that once we start getting into keys and presidencies we start talking about priesthood government, which could take up an entirely new lesson. Would it be better to try to roll those into one or discuss them separately?

I just had a thought - for those quorums, just put a clip-art of a key and indicate the position of responsibility.

Deacons [key] - DQP

Teachers [key] - TQP

Priests [key] - Bishop

Elders [key] - EQP

High Priests [key] - SP

You may want to discuss them separately in different lessons, but having them on the diagram shouldn't be that hard.

Or, you can have it be interactive and get the students to put the keys where they go, and then review the verses in D&C 20. (I think it's section 20... but I'm not going to look it up right now.)

[pam]

It is D&C 20

[Dravin]

What do other people think of this suggestion. It seems that once we start getting into keys and presidencies we start talking about priesthood government, which could take up an entirely new lesson. Would it be better to try to roll those into one or discuss them separately?

I think regardless of if you try to cover them together in a single lesson or separately it might be better to give them separate visual aids. A good visual aid is a clean and simple visual aid, a common error is to try to fit too much information into a single visual aid.

[Just_A_Guy]

MOE, as a friendly criticism: I think you're over-thinking this, and re-inventing the wheel a bit. The Salt Lake Temple was specifically designed as a graphical representation of the priesthood offices.

Three western towers = Presiding Bishopric, over the Aaronic Priesthood.

Four stories in those towers, each with a window = Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Bishop.

Three eastern towers = First Presidency, over the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Five stories in those towers, each with a window = Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle. (And yeah, I'm aware that there's some theological controversy over whether a High Priest is "higher" than a seventy or an apostle; but the above seems sufficient for a Deacons' quorum.)

There's also some other cool symbolism you can get into with the Salt Lake temple (i.e. the big dipper and north star on the western towers remind us of how the priesthood orients us in our lives, clasped hands of fellowship, all-seeing eye/lookouts on the tower, etc).

[bytebear]

Confer. Ordain. Quorum. Set Apart. Release. Those are all you need to understand.

[bytebear]

MOE, as a friendly criticism: I think you're over-thinking this, and re-inventing the wheel a bit. The Salt Lake Temple was specifically designed as a graphical representation of the priesthood offices.

Three western towers = Presiding Bishopric, over the Aaronic Priesthood.

Four stories in those towers, each with a window = Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Bishop.

Three eastern towers = First Presidency, over the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Five stories in those towers, each with a window = Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle. (And yeah, I'm aware that there's some theological controversy over whether a High Priest is "higher" than a seventy or an apostle; but the above seems sufficient for a Deacons' quorum.)

There's also some other cool symbolism you can get into with the Salt Lake temple (i.e. the big dipper and north star on the western towers remind us of how the priesthood orients us in our lives, clasped hands of fellowship, all-seeing eye/lookouts on the tower, etc).

Not just the towers, but the assembly halls of early temple have priesthood pulpits, Aaronic and Melchizedek on opposite ends matching the towers..

[Wingnut]

there's some theological controversy over whether a High Priest is "higher" than a seventy or an apostle

Really? I've never heard that.

[Anddenex]

Really? I've never heard that.

I have. My understanding stems from the idea Christ as the "Great High Priest."

There is also the language from Abraham who sought greater righteousness and knowledge who mentioned, "I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers."

This also, "Today, three presiding high priests form the Presidency of the Church and preside over all other priesthood holders and Church members."