Strengthen Elders Quorums

[Sleeping in EQ]

Some of you probably have dynamite EQs. I've been in several that were having severe problems: Lack of strong leadership, HT in the dumper, misfits galore, and a general feeling of inertia.

As someone who thinks about the relationship between ideology and space, I can't help but wonder if a little architectural change might help EQs be more dynamic.

Why not have an Elder's Quorum President's Office in the Ward House? I know there are monetary and logistical barriers, but it would certainly help send a "take this more seriously" message. It could be a place for PPIs (not the kind some of us have with our wives!), presidency meetings, planning, purposes of the Church committee meetings, meetings with quorum instructors and so on. The EQP holds keys after all.

Oh yea, and the Church is reaping what it's sown with all of the patronizing "the sisters are so much better than the men are" talk. Some of our men have internalized this and have used it to lower their expectations of themselves. It's self-fulfilling prophecy.

And don't even get me started on the messages Church leaders send when they give yet another "You better do your HT or else" lecture. How many times will they do that before they realize it doesn't work (and especially not in the long term)? I suspect some leaders HAVE realized this, and so the message that really comes through is that they don't really care.

And then there's the "you guys aren't important" message that gets sent to every EQ when they have almost enough of the ward budget to buy a sack of popcorn. Go out there and do something fantastic with that 1$ per Elder per year budget!

Oh yes, and how are the committees doing in your EQ (those of you who are Elders)? Is your Strengthening the Members Committee doing anything at all? I didn't think so. Does your Proclaim the Gospel Committee manage to eek out splits with the missionaries? Does your Redeeming the Dead Committee exist on anything but paper?

And many of the strong, dynamic Elders are serving outside of the Quorum (in Young Mens, Primary, wherever) and so the EQ twists in the wind on Sundays.

Last one: Finding a way to involve those single Elders over 30, the ones who often see themselves as Single's Ward throwbacks, seems like an imperative. I've noticed more of them in recent years.

And some of us wonder why EQs sometimes struggle.

I'm just brainstorming here. Please don't take me for thinking I have all of the answers. I'd just like to get a discussion going.

[MikeWaters]

I used to be of the opinion that a good EQ was one with good lessons and did nothing else beyond that.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I used to be of the opinion that a good EQ was one with good lessons and did nothing else beyond that.

Perhaps it is. If so, many EQs are nonetheless struggling.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I used to be of the opinion that a good EQ was one with good lessons and did nothing else beyond that.

I attend HPQ so I don't care about EQ.

The more I contemplate the actual duties necessary to do a good job, I'm glad I'm past that period. It was tough but it would be harder a second time.

How does one overcome the complacency experienced by most members?

How does one render assistance to those most needful?

How does avoid getting bogged down with Movers R Us? I detested moving. It seemed to be the least useful aspect of EQ, but my sentiments were simply unsatisfactory.

[BigFatMeanie]

I think one of the biggest historical mistakes in church machinery has been to divide up the threefold mission of the church between HP and EQ (and back the day, the Seventies). Historically, HP were responsible for Redeem the Dead, Seventies were responsible for Proclaim the Gospel, while EQ was been responsible for Perfect the Saints. This basically meant that all the HP group did was fill the monthly temple assignment and call it good. When they got rid of Seventies, the EQ got everything else: service projects, welfare, helping people move, etc.

I think this was a mistake because the HPs are, arguably, more seasoned, better leaders, more dedicated to the Gospel, etc. In other words, you've got your best men doing the easiest job (not that filling the monthly temple assignment is easy but it's easier than finding people to help the Jones move their crap).

The same mistake happens when wards divide up the families to home teach and give the HPs all the families with HPs in them and the Elders all the families with Elders or part-member or single-parent, etc. Again, you have your (arguably) best people doing the easiest assignments. I always have jokingly said, "I can't wait until I make high priest - then I can retire from all the crappy 'service' opportunities in the church." Granted, HPs usually have had to fill a difficult assignment in being a member of a bishopric or a high council but once that assignment is over, being an HP has historically been a cakewalk compared to being an Elder.

If I was the Tsar of the Universe (or at least a Bishop), I would get my best people on the hardest jobs. I would put HPs in YM and Scouts. I would put HPs with the families that desperately need the best home teachers. I would put HPs in charge of missionary work, etc.

Thus, I am greatly encouraged by the new trend for HPs to be responsible for all Prospective Elders (is this a church-wide thing or did that just happen in my stake?).

[BigFatMeanie]

Originally Posted by Archaea

I attend HPQ so I don't care about EQ.

The more I contemplate the actual duties necessary to do a good job, I'm glad I'm past that period. It was tough but it would be harder a second time.

This is a perfect example of my point. Arch, you couldn't have confirmed the statements in my previous post any better if I had planned it.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

I think one of the biggest historical mistakes in church machinery has been to divide up the threefold mission of the church between HP and EQ (and back the day, the Seventies). Historically, HP were responsible for Redeem the Dead, Seventies were responsible for Proclaim the Gospel, while EQ was been responsible for Perfect the Saints. This basically meant that all the HP group did was fill the monthly temple assignment and call it good. When they got rid of Seventies, the EQ got everything else: service projects, welfare, helping people move, etc.

I think this was a mistake because the HPs are, arguably, more seasoned, better leaders, more dedicated to the Gospel, etc. In other words, you've got your best men doing the easiest job (not that filling the monthly temple assignment is easy but it's easier than finding people to help the Jones move their crap).

The same mistake happens when wards divide up the families to home teach and give the HPs all the families with HPs in them and the Elders all the families with Elders or part-member or single-parent, etc. Again, you have your (arguably) best people doing the easiest assignments. I always have jokingly said, "I can't wait until I make high priest - then I can retire from all the crappy 'service' opportunities in the church." Granted, HPs usually have had to fill a difficult assignment in being a member of a bishopric or a high council but once that assignment is over, being an HP has historically been a cakewalk compared to being an Elder.

If I was the Tsar of the Universe (or at least a Bishop), I would get my best people on the hardest jobs. I would put HPs in YM and Scouts. I would put HPs with the families that desperately need the best home teachers. I would put HPs in charge of missionary work, etc.

Thus, I am greatly encouraged by the new trend for HPs to be responsible for all Prospective Elders (is this a church-wide thing or did that just happen in my stake?).

Here is a perspective that might need developing. When I was just a lazy EQ member, I never understood why the Perfecting the Saints required so much boring stuff, i.e., moving members and the like.

When I was in EQ leadership, I appreciated more the members we were helping especially in light of the endless meetings with the Bishopric. When I saw the purpose I liked helping.

Purposeful service is easy for me; just do it service was and is hard.

Anybody else feel the same?

[BigFatMeanie]

Another thing that bugs me that SIEQ touched on is the fact that the EQP has keys while the HPGL does not. In fact, the office of EQP is theoretically a higher office in the priesthood than that of bishop (which is an office of the Aaronic priesthood). Yet, of all the adult priesthood leaders in the ward, the EQP is practically the lowest on the totem pole. The EQP gets the crappiest assignments (Friends of Scouting - need I say more?). Power-monger bishops often request that internal quorum callings (like EQ teacher which is a completely internal calling to the quorum) be run by the bishop first. The EQP basically reports to the Bishop in a practical sense. That kind of irritates me. If the EQP should report to anyone it should be to their line priesthood leader - the Stake President, NOT the Bishop.

In a past stake, I had a SP that was VERY active with the EQPs in the stake. He would meet with each EQP at least once every other month and took an active role in training and leading the quorums. In other stakes, the Stake President would probably not even recognize the EQP if he came in for a recommend and would maybe send a High Councilor around every once in a while to see how things are going and do a little chastizement. Needless to say, the stake in which the SP took an active role in directing and leading the various EQs, as opposed to just delegating off to a high councilor or letting the Bishop dominate the EQ, had much more vibrant and function EQs.

[BigFatMeanie]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Here is a perspective that might need developing. When I was just a lazy EQ member, I never understood why the Perfecting the Saints required so much boring stuff, i.e., moving members and the like.

When I was in EQ leadership, I appreciated more the members we were helping especially in light of the endless meetings with the Bishopric. When I saw the purpose I liked helping.

Purposeful service is easy for me; just do it service was and is hard.

Anybody else feel the same?

Like you, I don't mind serving when there is a true need/purpose.

Thus, I always volunteer to help out for Church Welfare assignments (Deseret Dairy, Deseret Bakery, etc.) because I know that those are useful service assignments and that my labors actually help people in the long run. I'm much less inclined to help out on crappy service like gratuitous "call the elders at the last second because we are too lazy/cheap to handle our own moving needs" type of assignments. Everyone knows the horror stories here - no need to regale you with my own set.

Other types of crap "service":
- We need the Elders to staff a nursery so the sisters can have a 3 hour long self-esteem event. Sorry, but that is just bullshit in my opinion. Let the RS use their $2000/year budget to hire some babysitters instead of trying to guilt the Elders with their $100/year budget into providing free labor so the RS can go and entertain themselves.
- We need the Elders to provide officiating for the YW softball/basketball/whatever league. Have the dang women provide their own refs.
- Friends of Scouting - I've ranted enough on this in the past. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.
- We need the Elders to set up and take down chairs for the Stake RS event. Why can't they set up their own stinking chairs? (Hmm, maybe the reason why they ask the Elders to do this is because if the RS did it you would end up with the abomination that Waters found in his ward's gym one morning)

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

Like you, I don't mind serving when there is a true need/purpose.

Thus, I always volunteer to help out for Church Welfare assignments (Deseret Dairy, Deseret Bakery, etc.) because I know that those are useful service assignments and that my labors actually help people in the long run. I'm much less inclined to help out on crappy service like gratuitous "call the elders at the last second because we are too lazy/cheap to handle our own moving needs" type of assignments. Everyone knows the horror stories here - no need to regale you with my own set.

Other types of crap "service":
- We need the Elders to staff a nursery so the sisters can have a 3 hour long self-esteem event. Sorry, but that is just bullshit in my opinion. Let the RS use their $2000/year budget to hire some babysitters instead of trying to guilt the Elders with their $100/year budget into providing free labor so the RS can go and entertain themselves.
- We need the Elders to provide officiating for the YW softball/basketball/whatever league. Have the dang women provide their own refs.
- Friends of Scouting - I've ranted enough on this in the past. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.
- We need the Elders to set up and take down chairs for the Stake RS event. Why can't they set up their own stinking chairs? (Hmm, maybe the reason why they ask the Elders to do this is because if the RS did it you would end up with the abomination that Waters found in his ward's gym one morning)

You're on a real roll here, BFM. I know basically nothing about Friends of Scouting. Can you give me a bullet point list of grievances?