I assume this topic has probably been addressed, but because I've only been on this board a short time I hope nobody will object to my bringing it up again.

Are bishops and stake presidents given goals, quotas, etc. they are expected to meet? I would suspect this is the case since they act more like a corporation than they do a church.

For example, are they expected to increase a specific number or % of members, in their boundaries, that:

1) pay tithing
2) re-activate members (currently not participating, LOL)
3) attend sacrament or whorship services (whatever it's currently called), sunday school and relief society.
4) have temple recommends
5) are contacted by home teachers/visiting teachers
6) etc., etc., etc.

I would be genuinely surprised if they are not. These will be handed down from the Area authorities under instruction from the BIG15, through Stake Presidents, to Bishops.

They count everyone in sacrament meeting and keep meticulous records of home teaching, visiting teaching, priesthood attendance, etc.

Since my attendance at priesthood was scattered because I had to work half the Sundays, they took my name off the roll and made me a write-in.

I was a bit insulted, but that helps them with getting better numbers, I guessed.

You bet they send all this data to be digested by corporate computers. I helps them know who's still drinking the kool-aid and who's getting wise.

I 'think' that the only/main applications are when

wards / stakes are open for division/consolidation,

a new building is up for consideration.

SL Knows how to hold ppls Feet To The Fire.

of course, No Leader would likely divulge the extent of the 'grading' that goes on, that's 'Sacred'.

although the Area authority or stake pres. might suggest goals for the things in your list.

Yes, but does anyone know for a fact, having acted as a bishop or stake president, that they are given a quota and if they don't meet it they get a "dressing down?"

My husband was EQP.

He was certainly given quotas. It was one of the things that helped him out of the door.

Bishop was always nagging him about getting more to the temple, more HT, more inactive's hounded, more, more, more.

If the EQP was getting it, i'm sure it went right up the line.

When I was in the EQP, we got the same--and ALWAYS "challenges" to improve. It was never good enough.

I've never been the leader, always a clerk. I have been in the room when a Stake Presidency member or High Councilman appears to give us a goal. Sometimes they would have the courtesy to ask us for our target, but even then some had an agenda.

Here is one story from ancient history before President Benson removed budget assessments from members. One particularly obnoxious fellow wanted the Bishop to commit to an ambitious budget figure as our Ward's contribution to the Stake. The Bishop and this High Councilor kept passing a paper with figures on it between themselves. I thought it looked like they were negotiating the purchase or lease on a vehicle. The Bishop was continually told that this wouldn't be enough until his offer surpassed the minimum the High Councilor was instructed to obtain.

My husband was bishop and he was not "dressed down" for his preformance. I do know he was questioned and advised about the amount of welfare he was giving, our ward was needy and he was generous. I'm sure SP's could give a list of those goals to his bishops but insisting a bishop meet those goals is unrealistic, though the pressure to make the SP happy could be unbearable. I don't know how much pressure the SP has, I'm sure it depends on who the GA over him is. As is usual for the church it all depends on the individual in power and how controlling they are. As a leader in some presidencies I was in, we were given goals by our bishop but we rarely met them, you can't force someone who isn't interested to help you meet your goals.

Quotas on what? How many lives to destroy like they tried to do with mine?

Look. SP and bishop are unpaid jobs.

Who needs this hassle?

If there is too much pressure from Salt Lake, they have the option of resigning.

Yes, I know a man who has been in Stake Presidencies for years. He told me once that SLC has actual expectations of "probations,"disfellowshippings," and "excommunications." They have down to the science of statistics. If there isn't a certain number of these events then the folks at the local level aren't doind their job apparently.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2012 08:26PM by tensolator.

I don't know about at the stake level by my experience at the ward level has been that annual goals are set for things like convert baptisms, reactivations, prospective elders getting the priesthood, and geting new converts to the temple. My experience has also been that there's very little accountability regarding the goals. They are usually forgotten about pretty quickly.

My experiences was that bishops and underlings were/are given impossibly stupid goals but not quotas as such. The SP will say, for instance, that this year's goal is reactivation of 20% of all stake inactives, and then say that failure is not an option. Of course, in time they see that failure is not so much option as it is a reality, and then it is all forgotten, nothing is said again, and it's off to a new goal the following year.

One year we were "challenged", with all the rest of the sheep who attended tithing settlement, to double our fast offering. I could tell the bishop was embarrassed when he asked us. I figured it was some "numbers" thing put on him by the higher ups. Quotas, disguised as goals, would not surprise me. Dressing down depends on how big of an a-hole the next in charge is.

Our Stake has 'goals' for the stake which are then divided among the wards. The SP will talk about them in our stake conferences and ward councils and praise the wards that are an example. Ours has been praised a few times but I think it has more to do with our bishop keeping our records clean of extras in the wad and a very aggressive mission leader.

Goals include
% of sacrament meeting attendance, I think we're asked to have over 50% but it's hardly 30 or 40. I always wondered, how do we force people to come?

# of convert baptisms. The goals is always unrealistic. One year they decided to increase the number from the previous year, I asked why are we increasing the goal if we didn't come even close this year. Silence.

# of families to reactivate

# of YM ordained to the Melquisedec priesthood

# or % of seminary and institute enrollments

The ward council meetings were about meeting these numbers not about how to help people.