Why does the bishop have so many responsibilities?

[Syme]

I can name a few off the top of my head:

  * Managing the storehouse

  * Managing the church's funds (D&C 72:10)

  * Meeting with every ward member who has an emotional or financial issue

  * Meeting with every BYU student every summer who needs their ecclesiastical endorsement (THAT must get old!)

 

 

And some implicit ones... every bishop I've ever had has been married (a responsibility) and had children (another responsibility).

 

Now I know... it's revelation that the church is structured this way. But I'm just curious... why couldn't the first or second counselors do some of these things? The bulleted ones, I mean :)

Edited June 20, 2015 by Syme

[Guest]

I imagine it's because he's the only one who holds the keys to be a judge in Israel, and all of those have to do with holding people accountable and/or management of the Lord's resources. 

[Average Joe]

I can name a few off the top of my head:

  * Managing the storehouse

  * Managing the church's funds (D&C 72:10)

  * Meeting with every ward member who has an emotional or financial issue

  * Meeting with every BYU student every summer who needs their ecclesiastical endorsement (THAT must get old!)

 

 

And some implicit ones... every bishop I've ever had has been married (a responsibility) and had children (another responsibility).

 

Now I know... it's revelation that the church is structured this way. But I'm just curious... why couldn't the first or second counselors do some of these things? The bulleted ones, I mean :)

 

1. Managing the storehouse - Delegation. He uses the E.Q. Presidency, the HP group leaders, and RS Pres. (and they use home teachers) to evaluate needs and form action committees to recommend courses of action to help members in need for the Bishop.

 

2. Managing the church's funds (D&C 72:10) - Delegation. He uses the Ward financial clerk and the counselors in the bishopric to count, enter and deposit tithing funds. Each ward council presidency and member (like activates committee, YSA) summits a budget for approval. 

 

3. Meeting with every ward member who has an emotional or financial issue. Delegation. Many of these issues are addressed per #1 above. Every ward member, their time and talents are part of the Bishop's storehouse. A member with skill as an accountant, lawyer, social worker, or whoever he deems able to help may assigned to assist. 

 

4. Meeting with every BYU student every summer who needs their ecclesiastical endorsement (THAT must get old!) I doubt seeing someone they watched grow up making something of their lives could ever get old.

 

All in all, the key is inspiration and delegation.

[rameumptom]

We do it because God loves torturing certain men, who clearly needed a major attitude adjustment.  

[Palerider]

You can delegate lots of the responsibility ... But it's still you the Bishop the one they come to

[Average Joe]

You can delegate lots of the responsibility ... But it's still you the Bishop the one they come to

 

This is true, but sending them to those you chose to delegate their aid to will save a bishop a mighty lot of time and energy.

[Palerider]

This is true, but sending them to those you chose to delegate their aid to will save a bishop a mighty lot of time and energy.

Yes I know ..... Bishop still has to approve ....needs to know what's going on in Ward

[askandanswer]

The other week after Sacrament, I saw our bishop standing in his office with the door open doing nothing. A few minutes later I walked past again and he was still standing their doing nothing. I called out to him that the ward must be running extremely well if he had nothing to do. He explained that there was nothing he could do because his counsellors, clerk and exec sec were all away. 

[Average Joe]

Yes I know ..... Bishop still has to approve ....needs to know what's going on in Ward

 

yes he does, no escaping ultimate responsibility for the ward and that takes time...but he was inspired to put ward leaders in place for a reason, and if all home and visiting teaching accomplishes is delivering a monthly message from the Ensign, the program is pretty much a failure.