A question regarding bishops

[Guest Breezy]

I have a question regarding Bishops. I believe I have a good grasp of how they come to be in the position of Bishop but I am wondering what training if any there is that goes with the position? Are there guidelines that they are required to follow in fulfilling this calling in regards to how peoples problems are handled? I am curious after a recent personal experience and after reading several things regarding Bishops on another LDS forum. Before someone says it I am not looking to debate something or start a fight I just dont know the answers to these questions

[Guest yourgirlinpink]

Bishops are called by God and upon being called they are "set apart" or have what is called a mantle placed upon their shoulders. You may also hear them be referenced to as "Keys" Of course the church does have Guidelines, but each bishop makes their own judgment as to what is right for the particular members they have stewardship over. There is also a discipline counsel or church court that is in place if the bishop feels like it is warranted. I guess without knowing your actualy experience or what your question really pertains to, that is the best i can do! If i am not being clear enough or you have additional questions, just ask.

And if someone has something to add that I might not have said very well, or clean up what i said, it would be appreciated :)

[NateHowe]

As far as training Bishops receive, the Church has leadership training, usually administered by the Stake, but also occasional worldwide training meetings. Bishops also receive many written instructions, in the form of handbooks and letters from the leaders of the Church.

[Palerider]

This is what a Bishop uses ....he has a Handbook....a set of personal Scriptures and other Church material....while serving as a Bishop he also has Bishop's training meetings usually once a month he attends...and he prays an awfull lot....perhaps more than the average person would imagine and also does alot of pondering and will fast.....he also has a Stake President he can talk with....there are some guidlines on how to handle some situations, but I will not go into what those are....

[Guest Breezy]

Thank you all for the replies. That helped me get a little bit better grasp on what I needed to know. I appreciate the help.

[cgrantreed]

Even more detail... in case its important:-)

Every bishop that I know of has done many of the callings of the church in their past. For instance, They might be a ward missionary, then young mens president, then elders quorum president , then bshops counsellor, then bishop...or some process like that. They usually are at least an elders quorum president before they get the opportunity to be a bishop. They are called by the stake president through prayer and fasting and once they are placed as Bishop, they use a handbook which lays out almost all of their job duties and such. Any questions they have about anything is referred to the stake president. If they end up with ward member issues...repentence or what not, the handbook lays that out pretty good and when in doubt... call the stake president for answers. They have free reign over some specific decisions and are supposed to use prayer and God to make those decisions. Any thing else is deferred to the stake president.

And then... you don't get to be a stake president without first having been a bishop... Its a chain thing.

hope that helps.

[NeuroTypical]

Bishops are trained on a wide range of subjects. There is periodic churchwide training for bishops and bishoprics. A bishop will have periodic one on one interviews with the stake president to cover various topics. As mentioned, the general handbook covers just about everything from the repentance process to what to do when someone opposes a calling. There is a 1-800 number bishops are strongly urged to call whenever they hear about sexual abuse. Perhaps most importantly, bishops have access to the spirit to assist them in their duty of Judge in Israel.

All that said, bishops are human and occasionally make mistakes.

And that said, of course, bishops often know more about a situation than anyone else, and often make decisions and statements that don't make sense to onlookers.

LM

[rameumptom]

Even more detail... in case its important:-)

Every bishop that I know of has done many of the callings of the church in their past. For instance, They might be a ward missionary, then young mens president, then elders quorum president , then bshops counsellor, then bishop...or some process like that. They usually are at least an elders quorum president before they get the opportunity to be a bishop. They are called by the stake president through prayer and fasting and once they are placed as Bishop, they use a handbook which lays out almost all of their job duties and such. Any questions they have about anything is referred to the stake president. If they end up with ward member issues...repentence or what not, the handbook lays that out pretty good and when in doubt... call the stake president for answers. They have free reign over some specific decisions and are supposed to use prayer and God to make those decisions. Any thing else is deferred to the stake president.

And then... you don't get to be a stake president without first having been a bishop... Its a chain thing.

hope that helps.

Actually, I have known stake presidents called that were not a bishop first. While most have been a bishop first, it is not a requirement.

[the_jason]

There are no prerequisites for becoming a bishop. A person need only be endowed in the temple and maintain high standards of worthiness. No prior callings, or positions, are required. A person who's been a member a year could conceivably receive their temple endowment today and be called as a bishop tomorrow. It's all about who the Lord wants, not who's the most "qualified."

[inthearmsofsleep]

Bishops have to be married, correct? I remember when my brother asked my dad if he thought they'd call him as bishop after the current bishop left (my dad was first counselor at the time, I think) he said "I wouldn't be called as bishop because I'm not married." ... which, sadly, was sort of his way of telling us that him and my mom are officially divorced.

[VoluntaryPrison]

Bishops aren't called by the Stake Presidency. When a Bishop's position needs to be filled the Stake Presidency and High Council will make recommendations to the First Presidency. Sometimes this list will have 3 or 4 names on it. The First Presidency then either approves or disapproves the names on the list. If there are four names, sometimes only two will come back approved. If more than one name is approved, the Stake Presidency and High Council make a decision from among the approved names.

The call as a bishop, thus, comes from the First Presidency, and Stake Presidents are authorized to extend the calling. It's one of the few callings in the Church made by the First Presidency.

Also, marriage is not required to be a bishop. Anyone who is approved by the First Presidency may be bishop. However, if two potentials are equal in all things and equally capable of the job, but one is married and one is not, preference is generally given to the married. Likewise, temple ordinances and missionary service is not required, although very strongly preferred. These days, you almost never hear of a bishop being called who hasn't been to the temple because of the way Stakes and Districts are organized. But Church beauracracy could take up an entirely different thread.

[rameumptom]

It is generally considered a requirement for bishop to be married. There have been a few instances I'm aware of, where a widower was bishop. The concept comes from Paul's admonition that a bishop be the husband of one wife.

[MissouriBoiler]

There is no prior calling requirements to be a Bishop Nor is there a required chain of callings that are prerequisites to a Calling such as Bishop or Stake president.

The only requirement for biship is that he needs to be a worthy, endowned, High Priest. Bishops are called by First Presidency by Stake presidency's recommendations.

[Mahonri]

The High Council usually has nothing to do with a Bishop being called.

When the Lord indicates that it's time for a bishop to be released, the entire stake presidency will pray and perhaps fast if required to have the Lord help them find the man the Lord wants as the new bishop.

Eventually the Lord lets the three of them know who His choice is. The stake presidency then fills out a recommendation form for that individual and then send it on to the First Presidency. The signature of all three members of the stake presidency must be on the form. (There won't be any First Presidency approvals this week:))

The First Presidency then prays about the recommendation. Marriage is a requirement. (I've filled and signed the forms) A man who has high debt that can't be managed will not be called as a bishop. He needs to have stable employment and he needs to be "church broke". The man's wife needs to be respected. He needs to have a good home life. His children should be examples for good. If there has been prior church discipline the chances of being approved are diminished. In border states in the US, police officers are not called as Bishops.

I sent in 10 recommendations while I served and none were turned down. I know of a couple of stake presidents who have told me that they had a recommendation turned down.

Bishops have a handbook, the scriptures, monthly PPI's with their stake president, World wide training sessions, stake bishop's training and prayer. We once told them in a training session, "You have your handbook, your keys and your knees-- go to work."

[swan75]

The High Council usually has nothing to do with a Bishop being called.

When the Lord indicates that it's time for a bishop to be released, the entire stake presidency will pray and perhaps fast if required to have the Lord help them find the man the Lord wants as the new bishop.

Eventually the Lord lets the three of them know who His choice is. The stake presidency then fills out a recommendation form for that individual and then send it on to the First Presidency. The signature of all three members of the stake presidency must be on the form. (There won't be any First Presidency approvals this week:))

The First Presidency then prays about the recommendation. Marriage is a requirement. (I've filled and signed the forms) A man who has high debt that can't be managed will not be called as a bishop. He needs to have stable employment and he needs to be "church broke". The man's wife needs to be respected. He needs to have a good home life. His children should be examples for good. If there has been prior church discipline the chances of being approved are diminished. In border states in the US, police officers are not called as Bishops.

I sent in 10 recommendations while I served and none were turned down. I know of a couple of stake presidents who have told me that they had a recommendation turned down.

Bishops have a handbook, the scriptures, monthly PPI's with their stake president, World wide training sessions, stake bishop's training and prayer. We once told them in a training session, "You have your handbook, your keys and your knees-- go to work."

Why are the chances of being called dimished of there has been prior Church discipline?

I knew a Bishop who had been excommunicated before he was called, he was a very good Bishop.

[estradling75]

This thread is 5 years old... most of the posters are no longer active and are not likely to respond.

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