The following is my summary of the worldwide leadership training:

1. New Handbooks, Red and Blue. Only Bishops and above have the blue one.

2. New rules on who can do priesthood ordanances. Other than baby blessings, Baptism, Confirmation, Aaronic Priesthood ordinances, everyone must have a temple recommend to use the priesthood (can you say MONEY!. Even these aforementioned ordinances require consultation with the Bishop. If you dont have a recommend you may stand in the circle to give your son the Melk Priesthood, but cant be the voice. You cant do any other ordinances without a temple recommend.

3. Less power in Bishop, more in auxillary leaders. Ward counsel now the preeminent meeting. Priesthood Executive Meeting now sidelined, and said it could be handled before ward counsel in a few minutes. According to the meeting, there is revalatory power in counsels. We can receive insiration in our counsels for others, even outside our zone or responsibility. This is because we are acting under our Bishop. Responsibility should shift from the Bishop. We need to act without him to reduce the Burden. Men need to realize women are an integral part of this. Women can have imput on home teaching assignments.

4. We need to teach people to be less dependent upon the church for financial support. Leaders, members and home teachers need to take care of these needs, and not have every need go to the Bishop. (In other words, too many people are seeking assistance from the church for money, and individual members need to address the need).

5. No activities committee. Ward activities need to have a purpose, and be controlled by the ward counsel.

6. Members and especially ward counsel have responsibility for member retention and activation. (trying to stop the bleeding from the church).

7. Elders Quorum Presidents will have increasing responsibility (I am a EQP... so this sucks). THis requires us to be delegators, not workers. May have to stop moving people to get it done. (In other words, EQP is accountable for the losses of ward members).

If I think of others I will post later.

Thank you for posting some of the changes. Please post any others that were outlined in that meeting if you have time. I am surprised at the temple recommend requirement. This may cause more problems for those who attend, but don't believe.

It seems to be a sifting measure.

The activities have been anemic for years so no surprise there.

Less financial support doesn't surprise me either. The economy is taking its toll on all charitable organizations, and the LDS church real estate arm needs to get that mall completed for the revenue.

Putting the falling attendance numbers squarely on the shoulders of members is ingenious. Not the fault of the doctrine, policies, or first presidency when numbers continue to drop. The responsibility will be on the back of all members and I can predict the guilt that will follow from the pulpit.

Thanks for the heads up on the changes.

Apart from the small group that is unfortunate enough to have to attend these councils (hopefully RedBull and NoDoz are provided) will anyone care or even notice the change?

There is a large portion of the cult that simply attends out of habit and for the sake of family peace and really couldn't care less what the BS du jour from the pulpit is that day.

Before calling it quits, I spent years attending and still self identifying as LDS but also having realized that the TSCC was irrelevant in my life. Even though I was still believing at that point I viewed the TSCC as a burden and not a source of strength. I would sit in the pew and daydream and plan for the coming workweek. I would hear the guilt, damnation, and nonsense spray down from the podium but I had my mental umbrella up so it mattered very little what stupidity rained down.

I think there are massive numbers of people attending who are in the same mental place I was. They self identify as LDS but care very little about the stuffed shirts and what they say at any given time.

NoToJoe Wrote:
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> Apart from the small group that is unfortunate
> enough to have to attend these councils (hopefully
> RedBull and NoDoz are provided) will anyone care
> or even notice the change?

Now that ward councils believe they have revelatory power, all sorts of fresh crap can be rained down upon the wards. I pity the faithful.

I just read my wife's copy. Baby blessings, baptisms, and conferral of Aaronic Priesthood offices may be done by priests and M.P. holders without a temple recommend.

does this mean that a woman would NEVER be able to read this manual for the church? I don't know how they are still getting away with such sexism.

I'm so glad I'm out - even though my family look down on me for not believing in such trash.

Kendal Mint Cake Wrote:
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> does this mean that a woman would NEVER be able to
> read this manual for the church? I don't know how
> they are still getting away with such sexism.
>
> I'm so glad I'm out - even though my family look
> down on me for not believing in such trash.

"The handbook includes two volumes, one of which will be provided to hundreds of thousands of men and women who shoulder significant responsibilities in administering local Church programs and congregations. It contains the vast majority of revisions and will be posted online Saturday at lds.org, the Church’s website for members, where anyone can view it. Complete video of the worldwide leadership training broadcast will also be posted online late Saturday evening, Mountain Time.

The other volume of the handbook, which contains relatively few changes, will be used primarily by bishops and stake presidents (leaders who oversee the work of several bishops). It will also be placed on the Church’s website with other resources specifically used only by these leaders."

http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/article/Church-Leaders-to-Release-New-Administrative-Handbook

M.

GAs, area 70s, members of general auxiliary presidencies, Church department heads, directors of temporal affairs get one each, along with local leaders.

I suspect the top leader of the Relief Society is on that list, maybe a couple other ladies.

That's still sexist b*llsh*t. It's obvious the leadership doesn't think that women are in any way equal to men when we can't even have our own copies of the handbook.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: my amoral capitalist corporate employer treats me a ton better than the church. That statement could, should and would embarrass someone who could be embarrassed, but the leadership are such corrupt *ssh*ts that they are beyond embarrassment.

Weasels.

@Still Deluding Voice ... did you get the idea from the talks that the church is losing young people and/or the internet was the number one threat?

In other words, did you sense they were "freaking out" just a little bit? Is the mask cracking?

Probably wishful thinking on my part.

Cook did mention something about stakes tracking YSA by name. But could not find that in the book.

This is actually tracked by attendance in institute and seminary attendance. There is a new report that shows their attendance in software system

There some subtle changes here that quietly allude to women having more of a voice/input.

Does that now require a temple recommend?

A note on a friend's FB:

My Church Job (AC) dissolved Saturday!!! Just waiting to see what happens next!!! At first I felt the Donald Trump line "You're Fired!", probably because it happpened in Ward Council. But now I am okay, it will be better with the new direction that Heavenly Father wants to go--to strengthen our families! I know that what ever comes next will be Heavenly Father's will. I just want to serve & help where I can.

Some day it will be

"the church just fell apart! Now there's a Utah Church and a South American Church and a Southern US mormon church and a church on the moon and one on mars even. That's ok, because I know the gospel is twoo! I'll go wherever HF wants me to go!"

It will never end.

Serious question for anyone who saw it.

1 - We expect more of the membership of the church to pay more tithing, and do more to benefit the church.

BUT

2 - Church leaders will be doing less work for you, and we will now be using less of your money to help those in need.

Eric Davis Wrote:
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> 2 - Church leaders will be doing less work for you...

They were already doing nothing.

This is just a corporate program wrapped in new paper. Many corporations use this type of approach to get people to feel they are contributing to the organization.

Revelation in the LDS program means "group dynamics." So its going to be all about a feel good approach and less about actual revelation. The Church needs to be prepared for people in the organization getting "P" off.

This is a desperate attempt to main stream the Church as other Churches use this approach.They call them Ministries.


When the ward screws up the main body of the Church will have no responsibility.

How will this activate members? Who knows? How will this keep members? Who knows? People are leaving because they are unhapopy with doctrinal issues not explained. Or changes made and not explained. Or questions asked but not unanswered? Nothing about B of M issues. Nothing about being able to question the brethren. This is why people are leaving not because the ward leadership is screwed up. Maybe a few do leave but generally it's a disatisfaction with Church history and the Church today.

It's not even a good corporate program. It's a lousy program because it fails to utilize all the human capital available due to sexist ideas. I'm a mid-level employee in my Fortune 500 company and I have more responsibility than I would if I were a single adult female member of the Church.

That sounds very reasonable. A real church would cherish _and_ use all the available energy of the members. The morg doesn't.

Also there is no more welfare meeting. Very nice if you ask me. The meetings are usually a re-hash of the meeting that just happened.

two things: Cook sounded like a lawyer-robot (e.g., "turn to section 7.2.1, etc.) and I can't wait for them to get rid of priesthood meetings.

If they get rid of priesthood meetings then they'll have to change the temple recommend question that asks if you attend sacrament and priesthood meetings weekly.

The new manual no longer says that PEC occurs weekly. There is some light, but my bishop basically said that it will happen weekly.

Totally F'd up

We heard following bullet-points yesterday from an emeritus GA:

The new CHI has been a ten-year work in proocess.

BKP is the committe chairman in charge of the CHI.

Dallin Oaks is pretty much the author of the new handbook.

Those are the interesting tid-bits from his observations on the new edition of the CHI.