When I was a kid I pretty much thought that Bishops, Stake Presidents, and GAs were gods. I was taught to hang on their every word. When I got a little older I started to realize that to be a "leader" that was "chosen" by "inspiration" one had to fit into one of several categories:
1. Wealthy
2. Learned
3. Prestigious livelihood such as doctor, lawyer, CPA, dentist, engineer, or in my locality wealthy insurance salesman.

At one point I spent several years in the army. I did a three year tour in Germany and was in a small serviceman's branch. Again, all the leaders were "officers" and never "enlisted" people such as myself. Our stake president was a Lt. Colonel as were his counselors. Our Branch President was a Captain. At one point when it became necessary to pick a new counselor in the branch presidency the Branch President got up in church and told us all that he had a good friend that was on his way to Germany (fellow officer) that he wanted us to sustain as a new counselor even though he was not there yet because he was such an outstanding guy. As if there was no one in the congregation that was up to the task.

When I was released from the army and moved to another state that was Mormon heavy I started to realize a pattern. You could always tell who the new Bishop was going to be because the man was made a counselor in the Bishopric or put on the High Counsel to "groom" him. I always guessed who the next Bishop was going to be. I was actually considered for the High Counsel once. The guy they picked instead of me had a 17 year old kid show up at his door one day and say they he was the man's son. Evidently the man had gotten a German foreign exchange student pregnant before he left on his mission and he knew nothing about it until years later. At least that is what I sort of figured out.

I think that you've got it about right.

I also notice who is angling for the high power positions. They start mimicking the conference tone and cadence when they speak etc.

That never happened in our (UK) stake.

The Stake president was a gas engineer for the gas board, and Branch Presidents and Bishops were factory workers, teachers, social workers and the like.

matt Wrote:
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> That never happened in our (UK) stake.
>
> The Stake president was a gas engineer for the gas
> board, and Branch Presidents and Bishops were
> factory workers, teachers, social workers and the
> like.

Matt, the British person that I know well thought, when she moved to SLC, that it was a completely different church over here than the one she joined and attended in London.

There are enough people wanting to climb the social ladder here (inter-mountain west) that they can choose the typical corporate climber types.

There are of course exceptions, but the way the original poster described it is the pattern that I've seen over and over.

Heresy Wrote:
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> http://mormonmatters.org/2008/04/14/nepotism-in-th
> e-church/

My mormon file on my computer just got a little fatter.

When I was a kid in SLC, I wondered why my father was never given any leadership positions in the ward - I had expected him to be called to the bishopric some time, but it never happened. I even kept track that some of these guys who were chosen had less 'seniority' than my father (i.e., had been in the ward less time than he had). Instead, my father got assignments - 'callings' - in areas that involved menial labor, such as putting up and taking down chairs for wedding receptions, funerals, etc. The main difference between my father and the others? My father was an immigrant, coming to the U.S. when he was 31 years old, and so he spoke English with a thick accent. He was also a cabinet maker. For these reasons, he was treated like he was mentally retarded - the 'leaders' in the ward spoke louldly when they talked to him (like speaking louder would help him understand them better?). He was as intelligent and insightful as any of those who were chosen, and often more so. But he was never considered. Now, he is 93 years old, and has been abandoned by his ward (after putting up/taking down their chairs for over 50 years). They no longer pay any attention to him because he cannot afford to pay tithing on his Social Security money, and he won't sign his house over to the church, both of which the ward leaders had repeatedly requested of him.

They all can go to Hell...

Don't worry, if there is such a place, they will.

Disgusting.

OMG Sign his house over to them? They're not even hiding how evil they are anymore.

I think that a lot of the time, it depends on where you live. If you live in an affluent area, then the leaders have to be affluent too. If you live in a low income area, then you will find seminary teachers, or church workers. However, I know a family that their Dad was a Stake President, and every son he had in the same stake were made Bishops after he was released. It is all about name, and yes nepotism!!!! My Dad was a hard worker and was a great man. He was a High Councilman, Counselor in the bishopric, but was never a bishop because he didn't have the right name. My Dad just worked hard and did his "job" in the church. Bishops, Stake Presidents, etc are those who aspire to the position. They are all self righteous. My brother is a bishop, and he fits the mold. "He is rich and self righteous", but a great brother.

It has definitely happened up here in the frozen wastes of Scotland.

The bishy was the wealthiest man in the ward, and his counselors were next. In the last couple of years he ended up almost bankrupt and his company went under. He was swiftly released and replaced by his 1st counselor.

He now can't get a calling for love nor money; apparently the word is that he sinned and is being punished!?!

In my experience it hasn't always been down to wealth, having the right name or a certain level of education, but it has ALWAYS been the case that Bishops and SPs were businessmen who were obvious and accomplished leaders and strong delegators. They respected reporting lines, they toed the corporate line, they chose councillors who were obvious succession plan material and they focused on the numbers. These were the sort of people that a professional recruiter would select to run the ward or stake.

Even as a TBM I longed for God to 'choose' someone that didn't fit this stereotype. The fact it never happened was just another chink in the concept that it's God who chooses rather than man.

The bishoprics kids, stake high councilman's kids, Primary presidency kids get all the solos in the Primary program, end up as Mary and Joseph in the Ward Christmas play (back when we had them) and get to be the Quorum presidents etc. They get the best parts in everything, then they fill in the rest of the parts with the riff raff. Growing up, I was fairly shy and never felt passed by because I was in a part member family mostly because I never wanted to be onstage in the Roadshows or have a solo in the Dance Festival but looking back, it was always the leadership kids that got these parts. No wonder some of the LDS moms I knew had chips on their shoulders.

I have to admit that the ward I live in now--it isn't the rich who get the calling as bishop. Right now, it is a plumber. BUT we don't have wealthy people in our ward. One of our last bishops drives some big piece of machinery for a local construction company. This ward has been the best I ever lived in in all my years of being mormon--so it is definitely an exception--here in Cache Valley--and also probably one of the reasons my daughter got pulled back in. She has been shocked by other wards she has attended.

And CAgirl is right--it was always the leaders' kids who got parts. I didn't like being in the spotlight either--so I didn't care.

Another thing IS that I worked with some Ph.D. Scientists and Chemists for a while. There were some really great mormon guys in that group and there were the bastards. Guess who didn't get called as the leaders? I'll say it again--I have been SHOCKED by how quickly a seemingly nice guy can become a complete as*hole with in a year or less of being called as a bishop.

As for my dad, he NEVER wanted a calling of ANY KIND and he was the one who checked to make sure the church was locked at 10 every night or the Blazer's teacher or ward clerk (a job he detested because of all the gossiping that went on in bishopric meetings).

My son beat up every kid in the Deacon's Quorum. The Bishop's kid was president and very snooty. The Young Men's President told my son that violence didn't solve anything to which my son replied: "What about Ammon that cut off the right arm of all the robbers that tried to steal the King's sheep?"

You're right on when it comes to military wards. It's been talked about on this board before by several people who have lived overseas in wards that were totally military. I was in one in Okinawa in the late 70s.

It's as you said, the leadership is always officers and the stake presidency is high-ranking officers. And what's worse is that in church they were not referred to as Brother or President, it was always "Colonel" or whatever their rank was.

When they came out with the three hour block of meetings and the structure was announced--the nursery was a new thing. I was at Relief Society and heard a couple of the snoody officers wives saying "well, that would be a good job for the lower enlisteds." Next week hubby (an Airman) and I were called to be the first nursery leaders.

I always felt that we were treated like trash until they'd need hubbie to speak to the Japanese ward (who the building was really built for and who we shared it with) since hubbie went to Japan on his mission and spoke the language. Then they had a whole different tone. They just didn't know that hubbie was standing there talking to the bishop of the Japanese ward while the leaders/officers were right there and they were talking about what arrogant pricks the military leaders were right in front of their faces. He thought that was so funny.