A Question about the Bishopric

[michaela]

In many of the posts I've read, people have recommended talking to the bishop about any number of problems: marital infidelity, addictions of various types, unpure thoughts, etc.

Do the men who are called to be Bishops receive any special training to deal with these issues?

michaela

[Guest tomk]

My understanding is that in most cases -- no.

But they are judges in Israel and have the Spirit of the Lord with them.

There are some great LDS 12-step resources out there. Let me know and I can post them.

[Moksha]

This is why LDS Social Services referrals can be a useful adjunct for lack of training by the Bishop.

[Palerider]

In many of the posts I've read, people have recommended talking to the bishop about any number of problems: marital infidelity, addictions of various types, unpure thoughts, etc.

Do the men who are called to be Bishops receive any special training to deal with these issues?

michaela

I will answer your question with yes and no.....they do recieve training on some issues and others no....they do have alot of resources at their hands if they need help.....

[Ray A]

A bishop's responsibility is to oversee the temporal affairs of the ward (D&C 107:68). He is the president of the Priests Quorum too. His main concern should be the temporal welfare of the members, which guidelines are provided in the Welfare Services Handbook, and his aim should be to use all auxillary resources to ensure members have adequate resources to fulfill their responsibilities as individuals, families, and Church members.

He is not trained in marital counseling or how to deal with addictions, because this isn't his area of responsibility. He can only offer guidelines here, or personal encouragement and motivation. It would be no less wise to ask him to fix your computer (unless he has a degree in computer technology), than to ask him to fix your marriage (unless he's a trained marriage counselor). Mothers and fathers aren't trained professionals either, but they still give children motherly and fatherly advice, so the bishop can be viewed in the same regard.

Which reminds me, do you know how they call a Church leader? They look for someone with Christlike qualities, compassionate, caring, dutiful, sober, of sound mind, and of good report, and when they find her - they choose her husband.

[Alaskagain]

Are you sure RayA? I think the Bishop's responsibility also includes the spiritual welfare of his ward. It is at the very minimum, an area of his concern.

He may not be trained as a counselor in any specific area, but he has been called to be a Bishop. He receives the mantle of the Bishop, which gives him insight and a spirit of discernment in order to guide those in his ward. A humble bishop can certainly give valid and valuable counsel in any number of sensitive areas such as those listed in the OP. A humble bishop will also be inspired to call in for more expert assistance as needed.

If I were facing a marriage crisis, I would talk to my Bishop first, and then if needed, go to a marriage counselor.

[michaela]

Thank you for all your responses. I'm not in need of help (at the moment:D), but I was curious about the Bishop's qualifications.

michaela

[sixpacktr]

Are you sure RayA? I think the Bishop's responsibility also includes the spiritual welfare of his ward. It is at the very minimum, an area of his concern.

He may not be trained as a counselor in any specific area, but he has been called to be a Bishop. He receives the mantle of the Bishop, which gives him insight and a spirit of discernment in order to guide those in his ward. A humble bishop can certainly give valid and valuable counsel in any number of sensitive areas such as those listed in the OP. A humble bishop will also be inspired to call in for more expert assistance as needed.

If I were facing a marriage crisis, I would talk to my Bishop first, and then if needed, go to a marriage counselor.

Pres Eyring gave a talk several years ago about the mantle of a Bishop. He spoke of being released, and someone came up to him and asked to get his advice. He counseled the person to talk to the new Bishop, but the person said he felt more comfortable, etc., talking to Pres Eyring. So he agreed. He stated that as the man began to pour his heart out, he (Pres Eyring) was drawing a complete blank. That hadn't happened when he was Bishop. He stated that he knew then that the mantle of authority had left and that he wasn't able to have the same insights anymore.

They may not be trained, but they have the ultimate source of wisdom as their guide.

[Ray A]

Are you sure RayA? I think the Bishop's responsibility also includes the spiritual welfare of his ward. It is at the very minimum, an area of his concern.

He may not be trained as a counselor in any specific area, but he has been called to be a Bishop. He receives the mantle of the Bishop, which gives him insight and a spirit of discernment in order to guide those in his ward. A humble bishop can certainly give valid and valuable counsel in any number of sensitive areas such as those listed in the OP. A humble bishop will also be inspired to call in for more expert assistance as needed.

If I were facing a marriage crisis, I would talk to my Bishop first, and then if needed, go to a marriage counselor.

Alaska, I am sure that a bishop's main concern is the temporal welfare of members. Yes, he is also the "spiritual father" of the ward by virtue of the Melchizedek PH. A bishop is an office in the Aaronic PH. The reason Melchizedek priesthood holders have this office is because of the absence of one who is a literal descendant of Aaron, who has the right to this office (pending worthiness). The Melchizedek PH officiates in spiritual matters.

D&C 107:

6 But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood. 7 The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek.

8 The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.

9 The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the church.

10 High priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering spiritual things, and also in the office of an elder, priest (of the Levitical order), teacher, deacon, and member.

17 But as a high priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

14 Why it is called the lesser priesthood is because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances.

68 Wherefore, the office of a bishop is not equal unto it; for the office of a bishop is in administering all temporal things; 69 Nevertheless a bishop must be chosen from the High Priesthood, unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron;

70 For unless he is a literal descendant of Aaron he cannot hold the keys of that priesthood.

71 Nevertheless, a high priest, that is, after the order of Melchizedek, may be set apart unto the ministering of temporal things, having a knowledge of them by the Spirit of truth;

72 And also to be a judge in Israel, to do the business of the church, to sit in judgment upon transgressors upon testimony as it shall be laid before him according to the laws, by the assistance of his counselors, whom he has chosen or will choose among the elders of the church.

73 This is the duty of a bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aaron, but has been ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

[Alaskagain]

Thanks! I have read that before, I have been taught that before, and it just was not clicking with me tonight. I have always looked to my Bishops for spiritual guidance moreso than temporal, so I see them in more of the "spiritual Father" of the ward aspect. But that is on an individual level, and yes, of course, they administer the temporal necessities of the ward and for the business of the church as far as they are responsible.

[Moksha]

He receives the mantle of the Bishop, which gives him insight and a spirit of discernment in order to guide those in his ward.

Not to mention those other skills he may have with plumbing or insurance sales.

[michaela]

Thank you for all the responses. I did think of another question. What about the church social services? When I was active (a million years ago), the church social services dealt with food and very little else. It sounds like now, the services are pretty extensive. So, how do they work? Who actually carries out the social services. I do know that my mother, before she died, would transport babies that were being put up for adoption. That certainly didn't require any special training or expertise (other than the fact that she loved babies and had raised five of her own).

What other social services are available? Are they available everywhere? In every congregation?

Thank you again for your information.

michaela

[Alaskagain]

This page provides a list of services available::

LDS Family Services

The link to Counseling services in that section:

Counseling services

To quote from it:

"LDS Family Services has 57 offices throughout the United States and 12 international offices in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil available to provide counseling services to individuals, couples, and families. The professional counseling staff hold a master's degree in the behavioral sciences at a minimum."

(There is a fee charged for these services, although in hardship cases, financial assistance may be available.)

You would have to check with your local bishop or branch president to find out what services are available in your area.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I'm not sure how it works in the US but here in the UK if you need LDS Counselling services you need to go through your Bishop anyway. So when people say to take your problem to the Bishop it may not be that he will be the person who deals with it but that he can refer you to the person who will and who is qualified to do so.

[prisonchaplain]

There was a movement years ago in many larger Protestant churches to offer "lay-counseling" ministries. Trained, professional Christian counselors would offer seminars to church members who wanted to serve, teaching them how to listen attentively, and how to detect when the person being counseled needed more professional services. My understanding was that it was successful, but ultimately did not catch on. Perhaps the bishops are offering the same service, by virtue of their calling?

[Ray A]

Perhaps the bishops are offering the same service, by virtue of their calling?

MormonWiki gives a good run down of the role of a bishop:

Roles of a Bishop - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion - MormonWiki

[prisonchaplain]

MormonWiki gives a good run down of the role of a bishop:

Roles of a Bishop - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion - MormonWiki

In that article, the most relevent section I found was this: In this role a bishop is also a counselor and is able to give spiritual as well as temporal advice.

So...am I right in surmizing that most bishops would only offer short-term lay-counseling, and would refer the individual to a professional counselor, if such seemed merited?

[Ray A]

In that article, the most relevent section I found was this: In this role a bishop is also a counselor and is able to give spiritual as well as temporal advice.

So...am I right in surmizing that most bishops would only offer short-term lay-counseling, and would refer the individual to a professional counselor, if such seemed merited?

One of my former stake presidents (who was also a bishop) was an LDS social services counselor, a psychologist by profession. He still separated his profession from his calling as a bishop/stake president. In most cases bishops are not trained professionals and do only offer lay counseling, but it can be long term in individual cases, for example where the person is trying to meet a personal goal, or overcome a personal problem. In cases of deep marital conflict or serious addictions that may lead to violence, for example, professional help will be sought. Some members also opt for non-LDS professional help.

I was a bishop at the ripe old age of 25, and I can tell you that no matter how inspired you are, nothing can compensate for raw experience in the real world of marriage and relationships. I was fond of quoting scriptures to people in marital difficulty, and while this may be superficially effective, in the long term people sometimes do need professional advice. Older bishops are usually wiser in this regard, but that's my opinion.

[Palerider]

In that article, the most relevent section I found was this: In this role a bishop is also a counselor and is able to give spiritual as well as temporal advice.

So...am I right in surmizing that most bishops would only offer short-term lay-counseling, and would refer the individual to a professional counselor, if such seemed merited?

yes you are correct......I would work with them for as long as I could and if I could see they were in need of proffessional help I would refer them to someone. I always had a few people I could use in these situations.

[lilered]

I like to think of it as a Bishop as Father of the entire ward, has responsiblity for each and every ward member both spiritual and temporal. Similiar to the Father as the head of the family. In assisting the ward members, he has a lot of resources at his disposal Bottom Line. We are a ward family and as such when a family member needs help, if the Ward Father doesn't have the knowledge, he does have the authority to obtain help for a myriad of sources. Thus, for very personal issues requiring help, whether spiritual or temporal , he is the one to seek out in private counsel. He has the keys and authority to get help if required, either inside the ward or outside.

[MissouriBoiler]

I remember having training on the subject by the Stake leadership. It wasn't how to do you resolve this marital problem or this family problem, but what are policies you should be aware about. We had a member who was professional psychologist and worked in counseling services. He spoke to us as to what the law is on certain subjects such as abuse and situations dealing with children. It was very beneficial and I'd recommend your local units do the same.

Not for answers on how to resolve family problems but what the law is and what you should do some of the most extreme situations, such as spousal and child abuse.

I can testify to the mantle of callings. I am grateful for Bishops and Branch Presidents listening to the inspiration given to them.

[Hemidakota]

A bishop's responsibility is to oversee the temporal affairs of the ward (D&C 107:68). He is the president of the Priests Quorum too. His main concern should be the temporal welfare of the members, which guidelines are provided in the Welfare Services Handbook, and his aim should be to use all auxillary resources to ensure members have adequate resources to fulfill their responsibilities as individuals, families, and Church members.

He is not trained in marital counseling or how to deal with addictions, because this isn't his area of responsibility. He can only offer guidelines here, or personal encouragement and motivation. It would be no less wise to ask him to fix your computer (unless he has a degree in computer technology), than to ask him to fix your marriage (unless he's a trained marriage counselor). Mothers and fathers aren't trained professionals either, but they still give children motherly and fatherly advice, so the bishop can be viewed in the same regard.

Which reminds me, do you know how they call a Church leader? They look for someone with Christlike qualities, compassionate, caring, dutiful, sober, of sound mind, and of good report, and when they find her - they choose her husband.

It is also should be noted, the Bishop at times, need to put away the 'manual' and listen to the Holy Ghost for the appropriate answer.

[Palerider]

It is also should be noted, the Bishop at times, need to put away the 'manual' and listen to the Holy Ghost for the appropriate answer.

you are correct.....have to remember....the manual is a guideline.....not all problems are in that book....

[Hemidakota]

The GA who wrote it and still lives [humor], reminded one stake president that he wish he never wrote the manual.