Brothers and sisters, we welcome you today to this worldwide leadership training broadcast on the new Church handbook. The presentation of these new handbooks has been a lengthy and challenging task. I'm Elder Perry. During today's broadcast, we'll be pleased to hear messages from President Thomas S. Monson and from President Boyd K. Packer. We recognize the following members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who are present with us today— Elders Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, and Quentin L. Cook. Also with us are Elder Walter F. Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy and Sister Julie B. Beck, the general president of the Relief Society. We welcome other General Authorities and other general Church auxiliary leaders who are here or in attendance at the various meeting houses throughout the world. We are broadcasting today to 95 different countries and in 22 languages. Our music will be under the direction of Sister Vanya Y. Watkins, with Brother Herbert Klopfer accompanying on the organ. We'll begin our meeting by singing "Redeemer of Israel," hymn number six. The invocation will be offered by President Ricardo Castillo of the North Salt Lake Utah stake. [MUSIC - "REDEEMER OF ISRAEL"] [SINGING] Redeemer of Israel, our only delight, on whom for a blessing we call, Our shadow by day and our pillar by night, Our King, our deliv'rer, our all! We know he is coming to gather his sheep and lead them to Zion in love, For why in the valley of death should they weep or in the lone wilderness rove?

How long we have wandered as strangers in sin, and cried in the desert for thee! Our foes have rejoiced when our sorrows they've seen, But Israel will shortly be free. As children of Zion, good tidings for us. The tokens already appear. Fear not, and be just, for the kingdom is ours. The hour of redemption is near.

Our dear Heavenly Father, we are grateful for this opportunity to come before Thee in prayer to receive instruction from our leaders regarding the work of salvation. We are grateful for Thy Son, our Savior, and for His atoning sacrifice for all mankind. We are grateful for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the restoration of the priesthood and priesthood keys and ordinances that enable us to return to Thee. We are grateful for living prophets, seers, and revelators who we sustain and we follow.

We unite our prayers on behalf of President Monson, the First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for their continued health and that Thou would continue to sustain them and strengthen them. We invite Thy Spirit to be with us, to be with all those that are invited to participate and to be with all of those that are here to learn and be instructed, that the instructions that we may receive and that we will hear regarding the new church handbooks will be clear to us and clear to our minds and hearts.

May we be inspired to, in the work of rescue of our brothers and sisters, to all those that are in need. And may Thy work in the branches, wards, and stakes would be pleasing to Thee. We invite Thy spirit to be with us. And we do this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.

It will now be our privilege to hear a message from our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Following President Monson, we'll be taught by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He will be followed by Elder Quentin L. Cook, also of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

My brothers and sisters, how pleased I am to begin this worldwide leadership training broadcast by sharing a few thoughts concerning the newly revised Church handbooks. Whenever the subject of the handbook comes up, I recall an experience I had in the 1970s when I was responsible for the work of the Church in what we called East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic. The government of East Germany would not allow Church materials to be taken into the country, so I was asked by President Spencer W. Kimball to memorize the new edition of what we then called the General Church Handbook of Instructions, to cross the border into East Germany, then to type the handbook for the faithful Church leaders there. Although it would have been impossible for anyone to actually memorize the entire book, I did study it thoroughly and learned the concepts cover to cover. I traveled to East Germany, asked the Church leaders there for an office, a typewriter, and a ream of paper. I commenced typing. An hour or two and many pages later, I stood up to stretch, glanced around the room, and noticed on a bookshelf behind me a copy of the new edition of The General Handbook of Instructions in the German language. Someone had obviously smuggled it across the border. Since that time, I've been rather knowledgeable concerning the contents of that book. In July this year, 2010, the membership of the Church passed 14 million. Our membership has been increasing since the Church was organized in 1830 and will continue to grow. With thousands of units throughout the world, it would be nearly impossible to maintain the integrity of the policies, procedures, and programs of the Church without these handbooks, which are available to Church leaders everywhere in all the languages which you represent. They will be an invaluable resource to you. They've been read and re-read, corrected and re-read. Most of you are in possession of your copies. Read them. Understand their contents. Follow them. As we of the First Presidency meet together in our regular sessions each weekday, we must, of necessity, deal with and correct errors which are made by Church leaders in administering the affairs of the Church. Most of these errors can be avoided if such leaders were familiar with the handbook and followed the policies and procedures outlined therein. During the past several years, the Office of the First Presidency has received hundreds of requests for ratification of improper actions. Requests for nullification of ordinances that have been improperly performed, though fewer, also number in the hundreds. One area where errors occur frequently concerns disciplinary councils. There are really two types of councils: the ward or branch disciplinary council and the stake disciplinary council. Each has a different function, and if we stay within those rather specific functions, we will be all right. Unfortunately, such is not always the case. As an example, we've had bishops' councils excommunicate elders when in actuality, holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood must be handled in a stake disciplinary council. If procedures are not followed correctly, then we of the First Presidency must ratify the action or have it redone. If we're not familiar with policies and procedures, aberrations can creep into our Church programs. I'm reminded of an experience I had many years ago when I served as a bishop. During the opening exercises of our priesthood meeting one Sunday morning, we were preparing to ordain a young man to the office of priest. Visiting our ward that day was a high councilor who also served as a temple worker. As I prepared to have the young man sit down to face the congregation so that we could proceed with the ordination, the high councilor stopped me and said, "Bishop, I always have those being ordained turned to face the temple." He repositioned the chair so that the young man would be facing in the direction of the temple. I immediately recognized an unauthorized practice and could see the potential for it to become more widespread in practice. Although much younger than the high councilor, I knew what needed to be done. I turned the chair back so it was again facing the congregation and said to him, "In our ward, we face the congregation." Over the years, we've had to correct many attempts by well-meaning leaders to change some of the programs of the Church. We've dealt with lighted candles on sacrament tables, with locally determined changes in the length of church meetings, with elimination of Sunday School from the Sunday block of meetings, with creative methods for providing visiting teaching to women gathered in large groups. The list goes on and is fairly long. I will not try to mention all the many changes, errors, and problems which can occur. The point, however, is that in almost all cases, if the leaders would only read, understand, and follow the handbook, such problems would not occur. Whether you've been a lifelong member of the Church or are a relatively new member, consult the handbook when you are uncertain about a policy or procedure. You may think you know how to handle the situation, when in fact you may be on the wrong track. There's safety in the handbooks. My brothers and sisters, whatever your current leadership calling is, the new handbooks will be a treasure you. They'll be a blessing to you and to those you serve as you read them, understand them, and follow them. Such is my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

My dear brothers and sisters, we are grateful for President Monson's keynote message. We accept his challenge to read, understand, and follow these handbooks to maintain the integrity of the policies, procedures, and programs of the Church. In doing so, we will fulfill his inspired declaration that these new handbooks will be a treasure and a blessing to each of us. The publication of these new handbooks and this broadcast are the final steps of a three-year process. The two volumes of the 1998 Church Handbook of Instructions, including the 2006 update of volume one have been reviewed line by line and revised as necessary to direct the work of general and local leaders and headquarters personnel to serve the members of a worldwide Church. This revision has focused on the salvation of the children of God and the strengthening of their families. While handbooks do not have the same standing as the scriptures, they do represent the most current interpretations and procedural directions of the Church's highest authorities. As President Monson just said, they have been read and re-read, corrected, and re-read. Under the direction of the First Presidency, individual chapters were written, read, and approved by the Presiding Bishopric, by the general auxiliary officers, and by General Authorities assigned to the various Church departments. The proposed text was then reviewed and approved by the Quorum of the Twelve assisted by the Presidency of the Seventy. Finally, the total text was read, modified, and approved by the First Presidency. Throughout this work, we've been guided by a sweet spirit of inspiration. We know that these handbooks and their directions, as President Monson has said and as is stated in their introductions, quote, "can facilitate revelation if they are used to provide an understanding of principles, policies, and procedures to apply while seeking the guidance of the Spirit." End of quote. This broadcast will concentrate on the main issues and overarching principles in the new handbooks. In February, a second presentation will focus in detail on additional issues, including the unique responsibilities of stake presidents and bishops, the work of quorums and auxiliaries, and the special challenges of units that lack sufficient members and leaders to carry out the full programs of the Church. As we begin, I stress that almost all of you brothers and sisters in this worldwide audience of priesthood and auxiliary leaders should now have your own copy of the new handbooks in your own language for reference during this broadcast. These new handbooks are primarily focused on wards and branches. Stakes and districts are secondary, and there is no information on area or general church organizations or functions. These handbooks are reference works arranged to assist a reader in finding specific information being sought. They have tabs to identify each chapter, and they're indexed by chapter and section number, which are the same in all of the various language editions. Their total word count is about 12 percent less than the current handbooks. Our new handbooks consist of two volumes.

Handbook 1 contains those matters administered by stake presidents, mission presidents, district presidents, bishops, and branch presidents. Only those officers and their counselors will have Handbook 1. Most of the text of Handbook 1 is the same as the current 2006 update of The Church Handbook of Instructions. The most recent First Presidency letters are included. The chapters on duties of the stake president and duties of the bishop have been shortened and revised to provide a clearer statement of major responsibilities. Some of the text has been simplified or rearranged. For example, the material on name removal has been folded into the chapter on church discipline.

Handbook 2, titled Administering the Church, contains all of the chapters necessary to administer the Church in the bishoprics, branch presidencies, quorums, and auxiliary organizations in the wards and branches. As you know, copies of this Handbook 2 are given to all members of the ward council. Thus the Melchizedek Priesthood quorum leaders and the presidents for Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, and Sunday School and their counselors will have all of the chapters that pertain to administering the Church in the wards and branches. In this way, each member of the ward council, women as well as men, stand together in knowing what each of the other members of the council is responsible to do in their organizations. This also gives all of these leaders access to the selected church policies and guidelines that appear in chapter 21 of book two. Please remember that these handbooks, and especially these policies, are not to be copied or shared beyond those authorized to have them. The First Presidency directed that the contents of book two should facilitate the desired balance between uniformity on doctrine and principles and flexibility to allow limited adaptation where required on some subjects. Following that direction, book two is principle-based. It seeks to reduce the complexity of Church programs. It allows some adaptation where needed such as in newer units or geographically large units of the Church, but it does not sacrifice the uniformity of policies, procedures, and programs that President Monson has taught us is necessary in our worldwide church. Truly, as he just said, quote, "There is safety in the handbooks." End of quote. Elder Cook will say more about the principles that guide leaders in this important matter. Another major theme in Handbooks 1 and 2 is to reduce the workload of the bishop. Partly this is done by allowing some flexibility in meetings. Just as important, Handbook 2 seeks to reduce the workload of the bishop by enhancing the role of the ward council and its members. They are to act not just as representatives of their quorums and auxiliary organizations but with their counselors and organizations to receive delegation to assist the bishop on matters of importance to the whole ward. Quorum and auxiliary leaders will also assist the bishop by helping in the rescue role of activation and retention of their members. The roles of elders quorum presidents and high priest group leaders are significantly enhanced in the new handbooks. These leaders and their counselors have increased responsibilities to help individual quorum or group members both spiritually and temporally. Handbook Two directs them to, quote, "encourage quorum and group members to fulfill their priesthood duties, especially their duties as husbands and fathers." End of quote. "They're also directed to work with their counselors and with home teachers and others in reaching out and ministering to those in their organizations and others who need assistance." End of quote. In order to accomplish these vital ecclesiastical responsibilities, these priesthood leaders will have to delegate extensively and may need to reduce some temporal service demands such as helping members move.

Handbook 2 instructs bishops to assign each prospective elder either to the elders quorum or to the high priest group depending on individual needs. When prospective elders are so assigned, these leaders are responsible for their retention, activation, home teaching, and other needs. An elders quorum president is called and released by the stake president after consultation with the bishop. He is trained by high counselors under the direction of the stake president. In his responsibilities in the ward, the elders quorum president is directed by the presiding high priest in the ward, the bishop. High priest group leaders are called, released, and directed in a similar way. Book two begins with three short chapters that provide the doctrinal framework for administering the Church: Number one, "Families and the Church in God's Plan;" number two, "Priesthood Principles;" number three, "Leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ." Everyone who is receiving this broadcast should carefully read these three new chapters. They are doctrinally based on the scriptures. They are extremely important. For example, chapter two describes the overall purpose of the Church, an important subject that has been described in different ways at different times. In 1981, the First Presidency made its first reference to a threefold mission of the Church— proclaiming, perfecting, and redeeming. At that time, the First Presidency declared that these three applications are, quote, "part of one work to assist our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ in their grand and glorious mission to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." End of quote. However, since 1981, some have given excessive attention to definitions and boundaries among these three applications of the Lord's work, at times overlooking their common doctrinal foundation and excluding other essential elements such as caring for the poor. This new handbook restores the original emphasis on one foundation of spiritual doctrine to describe the Church's overall purpose. Book two, section 2.2, reaffirms the 1981 language. Quote, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized by God to assist in His work to bring to pass the salvation and exaltation of His children." End of quote. On this basic doctrinal foundation, section 2.2 goes on to say that, quote, "In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exhortation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities." End of quote. Those responsibilities are then described to include the following— "helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances." End of quote. The general principle stated in section 2.2 is that, quote, "The programs and activities of the Church are intended to support and strengthen individuals and families." End of quote. Following that principle, we suggest that in issuing callings, bishops and branch presidents remember that their native urge to have all positions filled and all programs carried out is less important then the well-being of the families involved. We consider it desirable that members have no more than one major calling, especially where both parents of minor children have a major calling.

In contrast to the doctrinal uniform and permanent principal stated in the first three short chapters, most of book two consists of inspired programs and policies that can be changed in the future by appropriate authority. For most of the handbook, including its stated policies and principles, the only authority authorized to make changes is the First Presidency. We need to remember that policy directions are approved and announced only by the First Presidency. They are not introduced through rumor from one leader or member to another. Further, if you have questions, you should discuss them with your presiding priesthood leader. Only the most senior priesthood leaders should be checking with the office of the First Presidency.

As an exception, as Elder Cook will explain in a moment, a limited number of programs can be modified by local authorities where needed by local conditions or where necessary to serve the members. Chapters four, five, and six focus on the ward council, the work of salvation in the ward, and welfare principles. All ward council members should study and apply these chapters in their participation in the ward council and in their work in their priesthood and auxiliary organizations. Book two continues with six chapters on the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Aaronic Priesthood, and the four auxiliaries. Though their titles are the same as in the current handbook, these chapters have some important simplifications in content and format.

It will now be our pleasure to hear a discussion of handbook principles and content from Elder Quentin L. Cook. By appointment of the First Presidency, he and I and Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy have been responsible to coordinate the work on the new handbook. We've received particularly valuable assistance from the priesthood department of the Church, from other General Authorities, and from the correlation department and their skilled editors. All of this has of course been under the direction and subject to the approval of the First Presidency. I have felt privileged to work in this inspired effort and testify that it will further the work of Him whose servants we are, even the Lord Jesus Christ in whose name I testify, amen. Elder Cook.

It is an exciting and inspiring occasion to have the leadership of the Church from across the world gather together for this satellite broadcast. We express our love and appreciation to you for your commitment and devotion. We admire who you are and what you do. It will not be possible to fully cover all of the chapters of Handbooks 1 and 2 in this broadcast. We will therefore concentrate on those principles, areas of emphasis, and responsibilities that will be most effective to bless the saints and enhance the work of salvation. When leaders of the Church know their duties and follow established procedures, they invite the Holy Ghost to inspire them and the people they are serving. I reemphasize Elder Oaks' request that you read and ponder the first three chapters of Handbook 2. They are foundational to the administration of the Church and must undergird everything you do. Handbook 2 provides instruction on how bishops and leaders can minister to the needs of members. The bishop, as the presiding high priest, works through three related councils: the bishopric, the priesthood executive committee, and the ward council. Chapter four provides an explanation of each of these. The bishopric will function mostly as it has in the past. As always, it is important for the bishop to have discussions with his counselors and, when appropriate, the ward council before making decisions. The priesthood executive committee meets regularly to consider priesthood matters but need not consider matters that will be discussed by the ward council. In practical terms, PEC meetings in most areas will probably be decreased in length of time. For convenience, this committee could meet just before the ward council. The PEC and the ward council will perform all of the functions that were previously performed in a separate welfare committee meeting. Accordingly, the welfare meeting will no longer be held. The Relief Society president as needed may be invited to attend PEC meetings to discuss confidential welfare matters and to coordinate home teaching and visiting teaching assignments. Handbooks 1 and 2 reduce other leadership and training meetings and give additional flexibility on how often they are held. The Church is governed through councils at the general, area, stake, and ward levels. The new handbooks significantly enhance the role of councils in the Church. Chapter four relates to the ward council. Please turn to section 4.1.

The second paragraph reads, "Under the keys of priesthood leadership at each level, leaders counsel together for the benefit of individuals and families. Council members also plan the work of the church pertaining to their assignments. Effective councils invite full expression from council members and unify their efforts in responding to individual, family, and organizational needs." The new handbook elevates the role of the ward council in administering the ward under the keys of the bishop. The ward council spends minimal time on calendaring, activity planning, and other administrative business. Its meetings should focus on matters that will strengthen individuals and families. The focus should be directed to identifying both general issues, such as strengthening youth or improving reverence, and to specific issues, such as assisting and blessing individual members in need of spiritual progress or who face special challenges. An effective ward council will assist overworked bishops in their efforts to delegate. At the ward level, bishops will now be encouraged to delegate to members of the ward council so that both the auxiliaries and the priesthood quorums will exercise their authority and power. The principles in the handbook provide the means for priesthood quorums and other members of the ward council to assume this increased responsibility. First, all members of the ward council have a general responsibility for the well-being of all ward members. Second, section 4.4 contains the following language which magnifies their responsibilities through their respective organizations. The last sentence in the middle paragraph reads, "Priesthood and auxiliary leaders also have a specific responsibility to watch over and strengthen each member in their organization." End of quote. Accordingly, members of the ward council do most of their work outside of ward council meetings. They work with their counselors and with home teachers, visiting teachers, and others in reaching out and ministering to those in their organizations and others who need assistance. Therefore, concerns that can be resolved through a priesthood quorum or an auxiliary organization should be addressed in that organization, not by the entire ward council. The primary effort of the ward council is the work of salvation in the ward. Please turn to chapter five.

The statement at the beginning of chapter five reads, "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ are sent forth to labor in His vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men." This work of salvation includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel. The bishopric directs this work in the ward assisted by other members of the ward council. Three points need to be stressed about ward councils. One, this meeting should be held regularly—and probably more often than in the past. It usually lasts no longer than 60 to 90 minutes. Two, council members, both men and women, are encouraged to speak honestly on any issue both from their personal experience and from their positions as organization leaders. All should feel that their comments are valued as full participants. Three, council members must faithfully protect the confidentiality of private or sensitive information about members, families, and subjects discussed. Council members should respect individual and family privacy and recognize that only the bishop deals with matters of personal worthiness. Many issues now come directly to the bishop. Hopefully this will change as bishops delegate more matters in ward council meetings and/or privately to individuals, including such items as welfare, retention, activation, et cetera. The bishop alone deals with problems that require a common judge in Israel, especially worthiness issues. However, with the consent of the member seeking repentance, the bishop can delegate to others the extensive counseling that may be necessary to assist those members recovering from addictions or needing help with financial issues, interfamily matters, and other problems. Where available, the bishop can also encourage members to seek help from LDS Family Services. A major goal of the increased responsibility of ward councils is to allow the bishopric as presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood to spend additional time with the youth and the young single adults to strengthen them and help them avoid future problems. Chapter 16 of Handbook 2 instructs priesthood and Relief Society leaders to give increased attention to the needs of young single adults. In general, stake presidents and bishops have a particular mandate to identify, locate, and shepherd all young single adults. Remember that they can serve in responsible church callings. The ward and stake quarterly reports contain two new lines that will help them do this. Each unit will now report the number of young single adults and the number who attend priesthood and Relief Society meetings. This report assumes that local leaders will make a list of all young single adults by name and then keep track of their attendance, all as part of the effort to identify them and shepherd their individual spiritual progress. In general, bishops will be most effective when they do the following: One, rely on the spirit and the discernment to which they are entitled. Two, utilize the ward council not only to solve problems but also as a means of prevention. President Harold B. Lee taught, quote, "It is better to build a fence at the top of the cliff than it is to station an ambulance at the bottom." End of quote. A significant responsibility of the ward council is to identify how the work of salvation can reduce future problems. Discuss solutions without using names or specific moral concerns. Three, bishops and ward council members establish priority for those being counseled and/or assisted. This requires a little elaboration. In determining how to prioritize and when to delegate, a medical analogy may be helpful. When a person is involved in a serious accident and is brought to the emergency room, an untrained observer looking at the patient might identify a severely broken arm or leg as the principal problem needing immediate attention. But the trained emergency-room physician will check life-threatening vital signs first. Is the patient obtaining oxygen, and is the circulatory system functioning properly? Only then would the physician turn to the broken arm or leg. Bishops and ward council members will need to use discernment to determine priorities and which matters the bishop must deal with and which ones can be delegated. Please turn to chapter 13.1 on activities. Activities at the ward, stake, and multi-stake levels bring Church members together as fellow- citizens with the Saints. In addition to providing fun and entertainment, activities should build testimonies, strengthen families, and foster unity and personal growth. Activities should also help members see how living the gospel brings joy. This chapter provides a new approach for planning and implementing activities. There is no longer a permanent activities committee at the ward level. Section 13.2.1, in the middle of the second paragraph, reads: "When an activity is for the entire ward, the bishop may assign responsibility for it to one or more organizations represented on the ward council. He may also assign responsibility to other individuals or to a committee." Normally these assignments are for a specific activity or event only. This chapter also provides instructions for planning activities and contains general guidelines for stake, multi-stake, and area activities. An appropriate number of such activities is strongly encouraged by President Monson. These activities, particularly for youth and young adults, strengthen them and give them a vision of a united, righteous generation that can withstand worldly temptations. Please turn the chapter 17, "Uniformity and Adaptation." This new chapter has particular significance to branches and wards whose insufficient membership causes them to struggle to carry out the full program of the Church. The section headings beginning from 17.1.1 through 17.1.10 set forth clearly which matters must be uniform everywhere in the Church. These include such subjects as scriptures, commandments and standards, purity of doctrine, sacrament meetings and the Sunday meeting schedule, and other subjects of similar importance. Uniformity in these areas will bring the influence of the Holy Ghost into the lives of leaders and members. Most of these uniform principles, policies, and procedures are based on pure doctrine. In contrast, some matters allow local adaptation. Section 17.2 contains exceedingly important principles setting forth the conditions that may permit this local adaptation. It states, "Stake presidents, bishops, and branch presidents have discretion to make simple adaptations to certain Church programs. Where needed, such adaptations may be made as follows: One, in the staffing and programs of the auxiliaries. Two, in the format and frequency of leadership meetings. Three, in the format and frequency of activities." When considering what adaptations may be appropriate, leaders should always seek the guidance of the Spirit and counsel with their immediate presiding authority. The headings in this section describe some of the circumstances to be considered in making local adaptations. Family circumstances, transportation and communication, small quorum or class size, leadership resources (such as not enough members), and security. As an example, let's review specifically section 17.2.1 titled "Family Circumstances": "When extending callings, scheduling leadership meetings, and planning activities, leaders consider the family circumstances of members. Church service and participation always entail a major sacrifice. However, strong families are vital to the church, and members should not be asked to make excessive family sacrifices to serve or to support programs or activities." End of quote. Some circumstances to consider are one, too many church callings in one family, especially major callings, and two, the demands members face in supporting their families, including employment schedules that leave little time for family and church service. These are legitimate consideration for leaders to weigh in extending callings, scheduling leadership meetings, and planning activities. Where there are not yet enough qualified members to fill all leadership positions, the presiding officers may fill only those that are most essential. Additional guidance on this is provided in section 17.2.4. Elder Oaks has said that these handbooks focus on the salvation of the children of God and the strengthening of their families. Under that focus, I call attention to some important changes that affect fathers performing priesthood ordinances and blessings. Please turn to chapter 20, section 20.1.2, which sets forth the general principle.

It reads, "Only a Melchizedek Priesthood holder who is worthy to hold a temple recommend may act as voice in confirming a person a member of the Church, conferring the Melchizedek Priesthood, ordaining a person to an office in that priesthood, or setting apart a person to serve in a Church calling." Now note carefully the next two paragraphs. "As guided by the Spirit and the instructions in the next paragraph, bishops and stake presidents have discretion to allow priesthood holders who are not fully temple worthy to perform or participate in some ordinances and blessings. However, presiding officers should not allow such participation if a priesthood holder has unresolved serious sins. "A bishop may allow a father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to name and bless his children even if the father is not fully temple worthy. Likewise, a bishop may allow a father who is a priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder to baptize his children or to ordain his sons to offices in the Aaronic Priesthood. A Melchizedek Priesthood holder in similar circumstances may be allowed to stand in the circle for the confirmation of his children, for the conferral of the Melchizedek Priesthood on his sons, or for the setting apart of his wife or children. However, he may not act as voice." Note the two important principles at work in these sections: First, recognition of the eternally significant role of fathers, and second, the discernment that must be righteously exercise by bishops and stake presidents. Handbook 2 also contains important changes in home teaching and visiting teaching. Please turn back to section 7.4.3 titled "Adapting Home Teaching to Local Needs": "In some locations, visiting every home each month may not be possible for a time because of insufficient numbers of active priesthood holders or other challenges. In these circumstances, leaders give priority to visiting new members, less active members who are most likely to respond to invitations to return to church activity, and members with serious needs." End of quote. "Further, with approval from the bishop, leaders may temporarily assign only home teachers or only visiting teachers to certain families. They also may assign home teachers to visit a family one month and assign visiting teachers to visit Relief Society members in that family the next month." Please note that these adaptations are appropriate only where there are insufficient priesthood holders or other challenges exist. There is of course much more of great importance contained in these two handbooks. I assure you that as the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have worked on these handbooks, we have experienced continuing inspiration. I also testify that the Lord will guide all who work in this important effort, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.

Thank you, President Monson, Elder Oaks, and Elder Cook for your inspired instruction. Next, brothers and sisters, we have invited a group of currently serving members of ward councils to model for us some examples on how a ward council can effectively work together to meet the needs of their members and accomplish the purposes of the church.

Brothers and sisters, welcome to this week's ward council meeting. We as a bishopric appreciate you being here and on time. We'd like to start our meeting today by calling on Sister Jones, our Primary president, who will give us an opening prayer. [PRAYING] Amen. Thank you, Sister Jones. I appreciate that. Now Brother James has distributed to you the ward calendar. It has our dates between now and the end of the year, and I appreciate you coordinating with him so that we don't have to spend much time in the meeting today going over that. So I'd ask you to quickly look at the calendar and tell me if there are any corrections or changes that you would like to make. It looks good. Does it look good? Then we'll accept it as our calendar between now and the end of the year, and we'll move forward with it. Brothers and sisters, before we start our discussions today, I just wanted to remind you that my impression has been and having watched us as a ward council, we make better decisions when we all participate, regardless of what the topic is or our particular calling in the ward. So please, in our discussions today, feel free to contribute and make an expression as you feel moved upon by the Spirit. If you remember, we started a discussion about the general level of spirituality and the commitment level of our youth. And as we discussed it last week, we found that our seminary attendance was down. There was a general sense in the ward council that perhaps our youth are struggling with their testimonies a bit and living some of the standards. And so we decided that we would ponder and pray about it this week and come back prepared to counsel together. And so I hope you've had a chance to do that. So let me just ask this question and throw it out to the group. What are some things that we can do to increase the spirituality of the youth in our ward? -As a mother of teenage daughters, I worry about that too. I wonder if the parents realize some of the challenges their teenage children are facing. We could plan a fifth Sunday joint priesthood and Relief Society meeting and address this topic. Bishop, if you led the discussion, and you shared the ideas from this ward council today, you could get the parents participating in their perspective of their teenagers. And then with the ideas that we glean, I'm sure we can make up a plan to strengthen our teenagers and increase their spirituality as well as ours. -I appreciate that. -Bishop, in addition to meeting with the parents, I think it would be very important to meet with the youth. I'm speaking now as a father as opposed to a group leader. But my children love the Sunday night devotional meetings that you have. They like meeting with you in a personal setting. And we haven't had one of those for a while. So may I suggest that we think about scheduling one of those where you can talk about standards, modesty, dating, studying the scriptures? I think that would help a lot. -I had the same thought this week. I know my children love coming to the devotionals, and they love it when there's time for question and answers with you, Bishop. They love your input. -Well, brethren, I guess we're on. And Brother Reyes, our ward clerk, I'm hoping you're making some notes here so we can remember these commitments and assignments that we're putting together. And, Brother James, why don't you do this? If you would look and find the next available fifth Sunday that has not already been planned for this joint meeting, and then find us a Sunday evening that we can have a devotional? Bring that to our bishopric meeting, and we'll make a decision. -All right. -Bishop, may I suggest that we include in that discussion the benefits and the blessings of both the Duty to God program and the Personal Progress for our young women? I think if the parents are involved once again, then we'll have a lot more success with our youth. -Bishop, with regard to the young men, there's such a need to reinforce to live virtuous lives and to learn and understand their priesthood duties. -I think it would make a huge difference if we could get the parents to accept the responsibility, to take the lead in these two programs with our youth. In fact, I think the Strength of Youth pamphlet is the perfect foundation for a discussion on testimony and on standards. -These are wonderful ideas, Bishop. I also feel strongly about missionary work and the special spirit that it brings. This spirit also resonates with our youth. What if we invited the full-time missionaries to come to teach at a combined youth meeting where they could talk about their mission as well simple ways that the youth can share the gospel with their friends? -Bishop and brothers and sisters, next week we have a bishopric youth council. Perhaps the bishopric can bring this up with the council before we make final plans? -Let's do that. Brother Reyes, why don't you go through now and remind us from your notes as the clerk what decisions we've made here and any follow-up items we need to keep track of? -Yes, bishop. Here are the notes I have made so far. Brother James will check the calendar for available dates for a Sunday devotional and a fifth Sunday joint priesthood and Relief Society meeting. Also Brother Smith will coordinate with the missionaries to see if they can participate in a Sunday devotional or a combined youth meeting on the first Sunday of the month. The bishopric will discuss the idea with the bishop's youth council. And I've also made some notes for you, Bishop, on the Duty to God and Personal Progress program. -That's wonderful. Thank you very much. That's a good start. Let's come back in two weeks with a plan and an agenda and something that we're ready to move forward and implement. Now our second item on the agenda today follows a discussion that Sister Todd, as the young women's president, had with her presidency. And it had to do with the issue of reverence, reverence at our sacrament meetings, reverence in the chapel, and reverence in our homes. And so I thought it would be a good idea for us to discuss that as a follow-up because last week, if you remember, we decided that we would ponder and pray about it before we continued that discussion. So during the week, I asked Brother Glauser, our high priest group leader, if he would find a scripture that might serve as a guide and a basis for our discussion today. Brother Glauser, what did you find? -Bishop, I really enjoyed studying the topic of reverence this week, and I learned that reverence is a profound respect and love and gratitude for our Father in heaven and for all the blessings that He has given us. In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn that reverence is a very important quality of those that attain the celestial kingdom. So if we come to our meetings in the spirit of reverence, we're coming there to learn about our Father in heaven and how we can become more like Him. And it's this spirit of reverence that leads to revelation, which leads to personal growth and development. -Thank you, Brother Glauser. I think that's a wonderful scripture that you found. So, brothers and sisters, with that as a background, let's talk for a moment and express the feelings of your heart. What do you think we could do to increase the reverence in our ward and in our homes? -Bishop, I think from a Sunday School perspective, we've noticed over the past couple of months some of our teachers making last-minute preparations and then hurrying off to class and sometimes even showing up a little bit late. And that's got to have an impact on the reverence in the classroom. So with your permission, we'd like to work with the teachers and emphasize to them that they have a wonderful teaching opportunity, but they can't do it unless they're well prepared and unless they really bring a good spirit of reverence to the classroom. -I appreciate that, Brother Mayato. Why don't you move forward and do that? -Thank you. -Oh, Brother Mayato, we're going to take that challenge as a Relief Society presidency. We are going to encourage our teachers to have their lesson preparation complete the night before so that they can attend Sunday School. But maybe the solution for the reverence problem begins with us. Perhaps we need to be the example and set it by arriving to church five to ten minutes early with our families and listen to the beautiful organ music. The prelude music sets the tone for the meeting and prepares us to partake of the sacrament and to be spiritually fed by instruction. -Bishop, maybe if we as a bishopric set the example and were on the stand five minutes early and enjoyed that prelude music ourselves, that might be a good thing to do. -It's a wonderful temptation for me to spend that time shaking people's hands, but I think we're right. We need to be on the stand and set that example. -It needs to start in the home. And so I think if we really want to have this increased level of reverence for our whole ward, we've got to let the heads of homes know, the mothers and the fathers, and tell them what our goals are as a ward. And if we can have greater reverence with our family home evening and in our family prayers, I think when it starts at home, it will likely extend once we walk into the church. -Bishop, I know that we can improve with the Aaronic Priesthood as well. For example, I think the teachers could get there early to have the sacrament prepared so that they too can listen to the prelude music and not be disrupting the congregation. Also, I think it would be helpful to have the deacons and the priests in their seats, ready to bless and to pass the sacrament before the meeting begins. -I think that's a good point. But I do have to commend you, Brother Weber, as the Young Men's president. I think in general our young men are very reverent about the way they bless and administer the sacrament. -I think the Primary children do a great job walking in each Sunday and sitting reverently. Last week I watched the Wallace boys all walk in with their arms folded. And they sat and listened to sacrament meeting so reverently. I was so impressed. They are great example for all of us. -They are. Brothers and sisters, any other thoughts? -Bishop, I'm conducting a sacrament meeting next month. How would you feel if we devoted the topic of that meeting to how reverence can bless our lives? -I think that's a great idea. Let's plan to do that. Now we're not going to solve the issue of reverence here in the ward council today, so I would recommend that you go back and discuss it with your leadership groups, in your leadership meetings. And Brother Reyes has been continuing to take notes here, which is good. If you come up with other ideas, please share them with Brother Reyes. He will get them on his master list. And then, Brother James, in another two weeks, let's schedule this on our agenda. Now looking at our agenda, we have a couple of follow-up items from last week that we'd like to take care of. -Bishop, I had that assignment to follow up on our rescuing efforts with the Wood family. Our visiting teachers have been able to go in and give a spiritual message to Sister Wood. She is a delightful lady. They confided with me last week that Sister Wood and the children would love to come to sacrament meeting but that her husband works long hours during the week, and his only time to be with his family is on Sunday. And he would prefer that they would stay at home with him. -Bishop, the home teachers were not able to make an appointment with the Wood family. However, Brother Kelly in the ward is a friend and neighbor of the family, and he told me that he invited Brother Wood to attend the upcoming elders quorum social this month. And he accepted the invitation. Brother Kelly also told me that Brother Wood doesn't seem to be hostile to the Church. He's just overwhelmed with work right now. -That's a very valuable insight. I think we need to keep the efforts for home teaching going. And the Primary as well could reach out and make sure that the children are involved in the activities. -Bishop, I feel that if Brother Wood can be taught by the home teachers in his home, and the doctrines can be set in his heart deeply, that his priorities will change and that he will want to come to church. -I think that's a wonderful prospective, Brother Wesinsco. Appreciate that very much. As our elders quorum president, I think the key is going to be these home teachers and their effectiveness. Thank you. Let's look at our agenda as well now. The Madson family. Several of you reported last week that there had been some sickness in the home. And in fact, Sister Madson had actually spent some time in the hospital. What have you found out from your respective organizations regarding the family? -Bishop, I dropped by the Madson home, and she is home from the hospital. The illness was not serious at all. She's back with the family. The kids are all doing great this week. So I think they're back to normal. -Wonderful. -And we invited the eldest child to the Primary activity, and he came and had a really great time with the other children. -We took them a few meals, Bishop. And the children were delighted with the hot meal, and Sister Madson was so delighted not to have prepared it. [LAUGHTER] My first counselor made a personal visit, and all is going to be well. That's good news. Thank you very much for those reports. Now our agenda calls for some follow-up as well on some items that Brother James has been tracking for us, some individual families and some people. We can't discuss all of them today because the list is too long. So we as a bishopric have made a priority of a few. First we'd like to mention the Green family, how excited we are that after six months of working with them, we've now seen them at church for the past four weeks in a row, which is wonderful. Brother and Sister Green have accepted a calling in the Church, which is great. And they're even starting to have discussions now and sending some signals that they'd be interested in learning more about the blessings of the temple and how it can help their families. -Bishop, on that note, maybe it'd be helpful if we invite them to attend the temple preparation class in Sunday School. That's a good idea. Brother Duvall, you know the Greens pretty well. Would you have a discussion with them both, and if it feels right, would you extend to them the invitation to participate in that temple preparation class? -Bishop, I'd love to have that discussion with them. -Thank you. -We'll stay very close to them as they prepare to attend the temple as a family. -We really appreciate all the organizations of the ward in helping to make a significant impact in the lives of the Green family. Thanks very much. The next family is Ayoki family, who are investigating the church. And I talked to Brother Smith earlier in the week who's our ward mission leader who said that next Sunday could be the first week we actually see the Ayokis at church. -We sure hope so, Bishop. -That's wonderful. Now if I remember right, they have two children in the Primary, and they have one young man about— -14 years old. -About teachers age. -Will the children be coming for Primary? -I'm not sure, but if they do, having someone there from the primary to greet and escort them to the class would help a lot. -OK. -We should do the same thing with the young man and with his parents for that matter. Why don't we have each member of the ward council go out of your way and meet them? Learn their names and get to know them a little bit. That would really be meaningful to them. Who have we invited to host them for the lessons? -Brother Briggs, the Broadbents have had them and the full-time missionaries in their home. But according to our progress record, we have six investigators that currently do not have families participating with the full-time missionaries. Can we ask the high priest and the elders quorum to each invite three families to participate in the teaching of these investigators? -Brethren, how do you feel about that invitation? Can you accept it as an assignment? -Our family can take one of those families, and I'll find two others. -We'll be happy to help as well. -Will you coordinate, Brother Smith, with the missionaries at that weekly missionary coordination meeting— -Certainly. —to ensure we get the families assigned? And then will you let the bishopric know—in fact, why don't you let Brother Briggs know who has been assigned so that we can extend a special invitation to those families and encourage them to really catch the missionary spirit that is very powerful in the ward when our members get involved? Our next family is the newly baptized Garcia family. We're excited about having them as members of the ward. And I've noticed that they've been to the ward now for the past several weeks, and I thought it would be valuable for us to discuss as a ward council just how we think they are progressing. -Well, Bishop, I realize that they're doing rather well in the ward, but I did have some concerns that perhaps they could use a little more fellowshipping. -I actually checked our records this morning, Bishop, and I didn't notice any home teachers assigned to them yet. -Actually, Brother Reyes, we have assigned two very strong home teachers to the family, which is something we always do with new converts. I'll get you those names after the meeting if that's OK if you can put them on your records. However, like Brother James said, I also saw that they were a little bit isolated at church. I think they just haven't really made any friends in the ward yet. -You know, Sister Banyon, I was thinking, along with Sister Garcia's visiting teachers, what if we ask two other sisters to be friends with Sister Garcia? And maybe that would make her feel more connected with the members of the ward. -Oh, I love that idea. We love new converts, and we will just be so happy as sisters to put our arms around her and welcome Sister Garcia. As a presidency, we'll also consider those two or three sisters to get to know her and befriend her and help her feel part of the ward. I'll also assign one of them to make sure that they invite her to the midweek activity in two weeks. -Good. -Bishop, their two sons have been coming to priesthood meeting, but they haven't made it to any mutual activities. So this week, the young men have planned an activity especially for them. We're actually going to go to the park and play soccer. We've invited them. They're planning to come. So we're excited about that. -That's a great idea. Thank you. Now it seems to me if I remember right, Brother Garcia owns an auto-repair business. I wonder if there's a way of connecting our young men with Brother Garcia. -That's a great idea. Maybe we could have him host or help us participate in a career night down at his shop. In fact, I think it would be fun if the young men were able to go down there and take a tour of his shop and maybe see what he does for a living and see how cars are repaired. -Wait, Brother Weber, don't forget the girls on this one. What if we made it a joint activity, and the young men and the young women went down? I think it would be helpful for every young woman to know how to change a tire or know a little something about a car. -They should know those skills. -Bishop, we'll make sure that the entire family is also invited to the elders quorum social later this month. -Thank you. -Bishop, I've gotten to know the Garcia family. They're a wonderful family. And I know once they feel the love and affection and support of the members of the ward council, and when we give them a calling, they're going to become very strong members of the Church. -It will be exciting. Now Brother Reyes has continued to make some notes. So after the meeting, I suggest you compare your notes with his, because we have had some good ideas here and some assignments made. We want to make sure that the follow-up actually happens. And again, though, these are just a few ideas. I think the real key is going to be in your leadership meetings having discussions about how we can make the Garcia family feel a part of the ward and become fully integrated and feel the spirit of what we have to offer as friends and as neighbors. So thank you very much. Now we have on our list as well several families that we've been reaching out to and trying to rescue. We only have time today to talk about the Young family. And I've been thinking about them. You know, it was up to about a year ago they used to be in church every Sunday without fail. And now we begin to see a slow drift in their activity level. A couple of weeks ago, I happened to bump into Brother Young, and I thought I heard in what he had to say a desire to get his family and himself back on track. I even sensed that the blessings of the temple could be something that would inspire him and get him ignited again about his enthusiasm regarding the Church. And so I ask this question. What is it as a ward council that we might be able to do to help Brother Young and to make his family feel more comfortable about returning to us? -You know, bishop, they have two children in Primary. Why don't we as a Primary come up with an idea to help them return to church? -I can help with that. I live very close to the Young family, and they are fabulous family. I think those children know me well enough from the neighborhood they'd feel comfortable. I live so close, I can drive by and pick them up any time. Starting with those little girls is probably a very good idea. -Now their boy who's in high school, I think, I understand he's not doing too well. -Bishop, my first assistant's son is just an excellent student. He's a top-notch scholar, and I bet he would be willing to help as well. Wonderful. Will you check on that and report back to the council the next time we meet? -I will. -Thanks, Brother Glauser. -Bishop, does anyone know if he's been invited to attend seminary? -Let me check on that, Bishop. I think it's important that he have that experience. -I think that's a good idea. -You know, I would also like to help as well. We are having a Relief Society activity in two weeks, and I would like to personally invite Sister Young and pick her up if I may. You know, Bishop, I don't know if you're aware that our husbands work together. And John and Brother Young have had some wonderful gospel conversations during lunch. John is amazed at Brother Young's understanding of the scriptures dating back to when he was a missionary. Maybe he needs an opportunity to serve, perhaps be a teacher. -Brethren, maybe that's something as a bishopric we could consider, the idea of a teaching assignment maybe a key. So let's think about it. And we'll pray, and we'll ponder. And if we can find the right opportunity, we will move forward as a bishopric and extend a call. Thank you very much. But I think, again, the more discussion we can have in our individual leadership meetings, the more we will find opportunities to encourage the Youngs. I believe that when we seek the Spirit, Heavenly Father will touch our hearts. And we will get the Young family back into full activity. I have a testimony of that in my heart as I've listened to Brother Young express in his own way his testimony. So thanks again for all the effort. And, Brother Reyes, let's make sure we get this list of ideas distributed this next week, OK? -Will do. -Thank you very much. Now one of the other names today that we wanted to discuss is Sister Turner. I understand that Sister Turner's visiting teachers have been there and reported back that her little house is not in very good repair. I think it's been a hard since Brother Turner has passed away for her to keep up on that house. As you know now the ward council replaces the discussions that we would normally have in the ward welfare committee. And so Sister Turner's given me permission to talk about her needs with the ward council to see what it is we could do. What thoughts do you have? -I think the young women could be of service there. Just a few weeks ago, we were able to help another sister in the ward do some cleaning and painting around her house. We could certainly do the same. In fact, the young women would love to get to know Sister Turner and do that for her. -Well, maybe we could make it a joint activity and include the young men. -Well, if you let us come to the repair shop, we'll let you come pull weeds with us. -That's a deal. -All right. That's good. I think her biggest problem that was reported to me was she has a leaking roof. -Bishop, I'm not sure anyone in the high priest group understands roofing, but I could check on that and let you know. -Brother Brooks in the Elders Quorum might be able to be of service. We've been looking for ways to help him be a little more active in the quorum and better understand the duties of the priesthood. And I think that an opportunity to serve would be very helpful for him. Until just a couple years ago, Brother Brooks was a full-time roofer. And it's my understanding that a couple of the younger men in the ward work for him part-time. I'll be sure to ask him if he would help. -Good. And will you coordinate that with Brother Glauser? Because Sister Turner is assigned to the high priest group for home teaching. So, Brother Glauser, could we ask you to take that assignment and oversee what we might be able to do with Sister Turner and her home? I think the keys are these: Let's use as many of the ward organizations as we can and voluntary labor. Will you put together a plan and then report back to the council? And let's see what we are able to do for her. -Yeah, we would love to organize a coordinated effort. And we'll get back to you next time we meet. -Bishop, did you know that Sister Sayers fell and broke her leg? It was a nasty fall, but she has lots of family around that are helping her. But I think she would appreciate if the priesthood came and gave her the sacrament. -Brother Weber, could you take that assignment? And let's get two young men over there and administer the sacrament to her. -Yes, we'll do that. -Good. -Oh, bishop, I do have two confidential matters that I need to share with you after the meeting. Could I meet with you for about five minutes? -I'll be glad to do that. -OK, thanks. -Brothers and sisters, this concludes our meeting today. I'll just remind you of two things. Number one, the confidentiality of what we've spoken about, particularly as it relates to individuals and families. They are sacred to our Father in heaven, and what we say here should remain sacred. And as a bishopric, we just want to extend to you our great love and appreciation for what you do in serving the members of the ward, in your willingness to speak here in love and in openness and in concern to bless the lives of our ward members. Now Brother James, will you give us a closing prayer for our meeting? -Yes. -Thank you.

Thank you, brothers and sisters. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will now lead a panel discussion on the application and some of the principles found in the new handbook. Our panel participants are Elders M. Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, and David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Walter F. Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy, and Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President. Following the panel, we will hear concluding remarks from President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Following President Packer's remarks, we will conclude this meeting by singing together under Sister Watkins' direction "How Firm a Foundation," hymn number 85. The benediction will then be offered by Sister Bonnie Parkin of the [? Parlage ?] Utah Stake. We thank all of those who are participating in our meeting today and pray that these new handbooks as well as the training will be a blessing to the members of the Church throughout the world. Elder Ballard. Thank you, Elder Perry. I think we would say as a panel to begin with that Bishop Richards and his council did a wonderful presentation. Also I'd like to say that what we've learned from Elder Oaks and Elder Cook and our beloved President has been really a wonderful experience. So we're grateful to be able to participate. And one of the things that I would like to ask our panel first, as you think about what we just watched with the ward council, what were some of the things that you felt were particularly well-handled? Sister Beck? -I thought it exemplified very well the scripture. If I may, this is in Doctrine and Covenants section 88, verse 122. I'm saying this because everybody can take the scriptures home, and this is your measure of what happened. "Appoint among yourselves a teacher and let not all be spokesman at once, but let one speak at a time and let all listen to his sayings that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all and that every man may have an equal privilege." I saw that in action in that council meeting. It created a feeling of edification that was beautiful. -Very good. Anyone else? Elder Holland? -President Monson introduced it, and then both Elder Oaks and Elder Cook stressed these wonderful introductory chapters, one of which, the first of which focuses on family. I thought this council was remarkable to keep coming back to parents rather than just immediately jumping into what is an organizational activity going to be or what will the auxiliary do or the quorum, though there was a needful part of that. They repeatedly, regularly— I sat and listened and took count— they repeatedly took it back to parents and how could they get parents involved, and how could they strengthen the home. I thought that was terrific. -I would add that consistently through the entire council, they were focused on people, not programs. And they were ministering to individuals and to families. I think that's the spirit that's intended in the new handbook. -Mm-hmm. Brother Gonzales? -Yeah, I think that's very clear. The level of participation they had was fostering revelation. And it was a highlight for me also the follow-up. So things, ideas were there, but the principal of follow-up was so clear that those ideas will go to action. -I think we saw a very good example of how a bishop can direct but not dominate what takes place in a council. The bishop listened more than he talked. And I, frankly, have seen lots of ward and stake councils where a priesthood leader says, "Here's the issue. Here's what I think we ought to do. What do you think?" And nobody says anything. Well, no kidding. [LAUGHTER] And so what you had was this bishop presenting the issue, framing the issue—a thoughtful, inspired question— and then he would listen more than he would talk. -That's all good insight. When we think about a ward council or we think about this new handbook, what is the underlying purpose of it all? What are we trying to accomplish together in the Church and then bringing it down into a council? Where are we trying to go? If I'm not jumping in too quickly, but I thought Elder Oaks went immediately to that in his introductory remarks, that we are engaged in the work of salvation. And we are attempting not to divide up too much, not to categorize too much, not to break out lines of division and boundaries that seem impossible to pass or cross. He went straight to the prophetic statements, the scriptural statements that we're engaged in the work of salvation. May I quickly say that for me, that is one of the delights of chapter five. I may be a little ahead of the discussion. But chapter five, entitled "The Work of Salvation," integrates missionary work and retention and temple work and teaching. That seems to me symbolically and literally a terrific step forward in this manual. -Elder Ballard, watching this council, they seemed perfect. And I wonder if everyone out there looks at that council and says, "well, we don't look like that, and we don't act perfect." And what I loved about the council example that we had, we don't need to focus on "was it perfect?" They had the patterns in place of a good council. That's what was modeled for us, that they were unified. They were focused on ministry. And they were talking about people. They had a goal in mind, Heavenly Father's goal in mind. And sometimes we might worry if we're "perfect" in our council. -That's, I think, a mark of a great leader in any setting is one who is willing to understand that there is an issue but then having the gift to be able to draw from all of the resources that the Lord has provided. And oftentimes we hear the statement that bishops are overburdened. And some of, they are if they allow themselves not to understand this principle. If they understand the principle of the function of the ward council, they've got a lot of help. The thing that they need to understand is that they can open up the dialogue. They can open up the insight, the inspiration, the revelation. It will come from men and from women on any issue that the bishop feels burdened over. And I thought that the bishop did well in the council. One of the things that we also ought to take away from that, I think, is that the Relief Society presidency is a council. The Sunday School presidency is a council. Each of those people that were represented there, they would go back to their own council, hopefully, and talk about the things that the ward council was concerned about. And in that setting, if they will do that, will they come back, you think, with even more insight and better ideas? -This is the work of salvation, and the council is the setting for receiving inspiration. That's why unity and confidentiality are so important. We can't receive inspiration if we're not united and if we violate sacred confidences. -It struck me, Elder Ballard, that that will have to go and will go both directions. One is that council can't quite do everything they got assigned. If they try to go out and do that personally, they're going to be as burdened as the bishop was. So they're going to have to go to their councils. They're going to have to spread this concept. That's great for the participation. Also I loved that Elder Cook stressed in that introductory remark that there ought to be planning and preparation before you come. And anything that can be handled ought to be handled elsewhere or before. And we start to thin this out and spread it out. And often that will be some council, some council other than the ward council. -Not only in the level of councils like a presidency or a bishopric is, but that principle was clear in the model we saw when the bishop, Bishop Richards, said, "I gave you an assignment to think of something." So individually, they were also receiving inspiration before the council. -There isn't one person that knows all of the answers to every question. But when the council system's operating, we have an opportunity to draw on inspiration from the various members of the council and even members of the ward. If we're doing it right, everybody's got their ear up. They may hear something that's not in their presidency but just comes out of a home teaching visit or a visiting teaching visit that solves the issue that council was worried about. -Elder Ballard, I'm thinking of so many of the places where I've been in the world. And I've been, as you have, all over the world. And as I've studied about what the Lord intends for councils and the example that we've seen here, I think that the ability to counsel in the Lord's way is really counterculture in every culture in the world. It's difficult in families and homes. It's difficult for everybody. But when you come into the gospel of Jesus Christ, and make those covenants, and He becomes your model, then you start bit by bit trying to adapt to His culture and His way and His model of how to talk to one another and communicate. I don't think anybody should feel discouraged if they're not perfect at counseling the Lord's way. Every council meeting I go into with my own presidency, I try and mentally say to myself, "how can I have a better council this week than we had last week? What is something I'm going to take responsibility for to improve that with me and my counselors?" And we're better this week than we were last week. And we're better this month than we were last month. Because we're seeking to get a new spiritual gift so to speak. It says it's a spiritual gift from the Lord to know how to work in His way. We don't have to be discouraged. We just go line upon line, bit by bit getting better, helping each other to develop that gift. -Elder Gonzalez, sometimes the bishop feels like that because he's the bishop, he has to know everything. -Sometimes. And sometimes you can find some bishops that will follow these principles. Today, for instance, I think a perfect example for our people here, we had the bishop when he was saying— I really liked what he said—"what do you think we can do?" After that, he listened their opinions, their thoughts. And he expressed himself after listening to the members of the council. And not only that. For me it was wonderful that he also— and some of the counselors as well, praise their comments. That's very important in every culture. And it's always good to praise contributions and good ideas of others. That brings unity and also builds Zion, of course, and it promotes revelation and inspiration. And people feel more comfortable to share their best ideas and opens the door for more portions of the Spirit, if you will. -Elder Bednar, please. -I think we have the mistaken notion that every element of revelation coming to the ward has to come through the bishop. By virtue of his keys, he has to acknowledge it and affirm it, but he doesn't necessarily have to be the only vehicle through whom it comes. So in that council, as you have that spirit of unity and acting under the influence of the Spirit, the contributions of all of the council members add elements to the inspiration. So the council doesn't decide. This is not just participation in decision-making. It's an inspired pattern that the bishop by virtue of the keys has to direct, but he doesn't have to receive every jot and tittle of the revelation. -Perfect. Good example. -One of those cultural issues with which we're all familiar that was addressed head on, not by design, just by spontaneity and by inspiration is those women were talking. Those women were engaged. We sometimes have not been as inviting or as encouraging or as outreaching to the women sitting in the council as we should be. And I thought those women were terrific. And we've been in enough councils with Sister Julie Beck that we know how terrific she is. So if anybody thinks that's an issue, let's get past that one. We've got to have the help of the women. -May I add something? This principle we have seen goes beyond ward councils and even Church administration, because those principles can be used in family life. Listenin to sisters and wives and children is part of those principles. That brings unity to the Church, integrity in policy everywhere. -From the council of the First Presidency to the Quorum of the Twelve, which is a council, to the seven presidents, which is a council to the Seventy, who work in their various area presidencies, or in a council, into the stake where there's a council, to the ward, to the quorum, to the home, the council system works. And the leader of the council, whoever it is, must be willing to listen. I think that's one of the big keys of being a council leader that will absorb the resources and accept the help that's available if they're willing to listen to the input that they get from those who have revelation independent of just being the head of the organization. -If you think about the pattern that we saw in this council, I believe the gift of discernment operates more effectively when we're listening as opposed to when we're talking. And so if you have the presiding officer in a position where he's guiding and directing, but he's not dominating, he's in a far stronger position to have the spiritual gift of discernment in what's taking place. -That also applies to every member of the council. It's possible that even a sister or another council member would have maybe a tendency to dominate the conversation. So the leader of the council has to teach the purpose. And that was beautifully demonstrated, I think, in what we just watched. -Elder Ballard, I don't want to overdo this, but I do think that one of the points we need to keep coming back to and that we'll have to teach in the Church for many months to come is that we've got to help overburdened bishops. That's one of the purposes of this discussion right here. It's certainly one of the purposes of the handbook. And I was thrilled, in that little give and take, I don't know who thought it or how spontaneous it was. But was it Sister Matson who'd been ill? Somebody was ill. Somebody had a broken leg. Somebody had something. And it— -They had some problem. -They had problems. But two or three people— two or three people—had been to her before the bishop. And then the bishop said to his counselors, well, let's us get over there and see how she's doing. But how terrific that everybody in the entire ward didn't wait to see, "well, is the bishop going to be the first one to get and we're not going to do anything until he gets there." No one would have thought that. But that came through so spontaneously, I thought, boy, there's a step toward helping an overworked bishop to share the wealth, share the blessing. -Elder Ballard, we had something taught to us today that I thought was very important, this idea that you can take care of things in presidencies that can be taken care of in presidencies. I remember an experience of meeting a Relief Society president. She was waiting on the curb outside of a home, a poor little home. There she was, wringing her hands. I was going to make the home visit, but she said, "I don't know what to do, because I don't know what my authority is to help this family." It happened to be a family in great need. They were hungry. They were cold. They didn't have water. And she wasn't sure what she could do. And I said, you are a Relief Society president. Think for a moment what you and your counselors could do immediately to help provide some relief for this family. Then think what you would take to your bishop and discuss. As we started helping her understand what she can do with counseling, a whole new world opened up to her. Her burdens were lighter, and she wasn't going to dump a problem on her bishop. She was already starting to solve what could become a great blessing to one family and then sanctify the rest of the ward council members. -What a wonderful thing when a Relief Society president or a Young Women's president, Primary president can come to the council and say, Bishop, we want to report to you, this is what we found, and this is what we did. What just happened? Part of the burden was automatically lifted off of the bishop's shoulders. -Yeah, he's going to need oxygen to hear a report like that. -I think there's a caution too. And that is that in our appropriate desire to be anxiously engaged in these councils, we cannot violate the very welfare principles that we're trying to teach. Everything that we do needs to foster self-reliance. And we can be too quick to do too much and make people dependent rather than self-reliant. -Very good point. Very good point. Now I don't know whether you brethren have ever had the experience I have out in the world where people ask questions. Have you ever been asked a question? -Never. Never in my whole life. I'm waiting for my first. -Then I will ask you one.

Have you ever been asked a question that's already answered in the handbook? -Almost always. In fact, if it's not divulging too much, the secretary to the First Presidency, our staff secretary to the First Presidency once said that roughly 80 percent of the questions that come even to the First Presidency are answered in the handbook already. We just don't know the books well enough. -Then we're going to follow the policy along the line that you're talking about, Elder Bednar. We're not going to wander off. We're going to keep anchored to where the basic policies of the church are. Elder Gonzales, is that a good idea or not? -Oh. [LAUGHS] It's an excellent idea. We need to know the handbook very well. Someone said that if you want to have a secret well kept, put it in a handbook. [LAUGHTER] So we hope that that will not be the case with the handbooks. -We would also hope, at least on behalf of the Twelve, and I think all the General Authorities, that we would never walk into a stake president's office after these handbooks have been delivered and see them on top of the cabinet. We hope they're out being used. -I mean, international we'll— in other places sometimes where the church is growing, sometimes one of the challenges, we don't have models on how to do things. The handbook is the closest we have to a model. So if we have doubts about how to do something because we don't have a model, then we have the handbook. -This handbook contains doctrines and principles and guidelines for inspired judgment. This is not a personnel manual. This is not something that I'm going to find every answer in here. It has basic principles, doctrines, and guidelines. And given the number of people in a ward and branch council who will have access to this, that's going to have a carryover blessing in the lives of individuals and families. -Elder Ballard, I love your idea of everyone studying the whole handbook. There's no better training than to know what the whole picture is. It takes us out of a little silo or envelope on ourselves, and it let's us see what the Lord has in mind for all of us, what this is about with the family, and where He wants everyone to go, and how the bishop works, and what he needs to do, and then how we all play into that. Another chapter we have in here is where we're uniform and how we can adapt. And those are important words, carefully chosen. This isn't, adapting doesn't give us the privilege of re-creating the Lord's church. And sometimes we get so much creativity going on that we wouldn't even recognize the Lord's church. So following even the guidelines for how to adapt is very important, because we don't have permission to re-create the church and redesign policies that have been approved by the First Presidency. We have permission to help put these policies in place and practice, with some adaptation if we need that. -And that adaptation will come through council and prayer and drawing down the Spirit as to what is appropriate and what is doable, what is possible— -And what's the goal. —with the circumstances that we have. I want to repeat something, though, so it doesn't get misunderstood. I don't think we should ask our people to sit down and read the handbook from cover to cover in one sitting. Why don't we just take it a chapter at a time and move through it? And that's not going to overwhelm anybody. And then there will be an opportunity for some discussion that would really be meaningful— what did we really learn now on Chapter One? And that would be brought into a council setting. I think in six months, we would have councils operating in the church directly proportionate to where the First Presidency and the Twelve, through the inspiration of heaven, have brought the Church in these handbooks. So I think that the demonstration we've had today is very good. Well, now to wrap this up, Elder Holland, after you've had years of experience in education as well as church service. What observations would you like to leave as we wrap up this panel discussion? -Well, you mentioned the word "education." Let me just pick up on that. We in the Church do not use motivation and incentives that are common in most of the rest of the world. We don't force people to do anything. We don't pay people. We don't threaten to fire them. You think of life outside the church, whether it's in business or government or almost any other way. Most of those incentives and most of those means are not gospel principle and not the kinds of things we'd be doing in councils and in families and in quorums and wards and stakes. What we do largely is teach. We are teachers by example, and we are teachers by the word. The Prophet Joseph Smith said once, "When a man works by faith, he works by words. And when God said, let there be light, there was light." This is a wonderful incentive. And it's in these handbooks, beautifully introduced in those early chapters in that handbook, including the work of salvation, the chapter on the work of salvation that teaching, better teaching, powerful teaching, inspired teaching, humble teaching, that's what the Savior did. That was the incentive and the ability that he had. He did not use those ways of the world, and neither can we. -Thank you for using that word education, Elder Ballard. I didn't anticipate that. -But I think we can all try to be better teachers. And that's built beautifully into this handbook. -Thank you. Elder Bednar. -If I had the wish of my heart, I would remove from the vocabulary of the Latter-day Saints the word "meeting." We have not been talking about a ward council meeting. We've been talking about a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council. And if members of councils, if members of families, as they come together would think in terms of "I'm preparing to participate in a revelatory experience with my family" instead of going to a meeting, a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council, I think we would prepare and act much differently. In these latter days, given the forces of the adversary and the darkness, no one person in a family and no one person in a ward is going to be the conduit through which all of the answers come. So all of that speaks to the spiritual nature of this work and seeking for the inspiration to do what the Lord wants us to do. Thank you. Sister Beck. I think we have a new opportunity, a new blessing from our Heavenly Father to decide what we're going to count. What counts to the Lord? Is it going to be the meetings? Is it going to be the numbers? Is it going to be how many papers we distributed? Or is it going to be the caring that we count? That we value the caring, the love, the service. What I saw in that ward council is we want to know how you were serving, how you were ministering, who was watching over, who was strengthening, who was blessing, who was lifting. That's what we count in the Lord's gospel. That's what He's worried about. We have such an opportunity to make a new beginning on what we count, and the Lord wants us to count what He would count, the ministry that He did. And all the other statistics were invented by man, not by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our chance to count as He counts. -Thank you. -When I think of councils, there's one thought that really touched me is that in unity and faith is to seek the will of the Lord. That's a wonderful thought that is in the handbook itself. -Well, thank you. And in summary, let me just suggest this thought that when a council, whether it's family or it's ward or branch, when they discuss an issue and come to a conclusion that, "yes, this is what we need to do," there's a power in that synergy that Lucifer has to get out of the way.

He cannot stop that. When council members leave a council meeting and say, this is what we are going to do— and it's not, this is what the bishop wants me to do. This is what we're going to do, because we've counseled with one another. We've prayed about it, and this is what we need to do to lift and to inspire and bless the lives of our Heavenly Father's children. When that spirit operates within the council system of the Church, the work will go forward. And we will rescue many more of our Father's children. Women are just as important in missionary work and in the rescue and in family history as the men are. So we take down those barriers we've talked about. And it's one grand work that we all put our shoulder to, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of our Heavenly Father's children. And I ask our Heavenly Father to bless the councils of the Church throughout the entire world, every ward, every branch, every family. May the peace of the Lord be with them, and may the handbooks and these examples be helpful, which we all pray for in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.

This training meeting is of consummate importance. We have heard from the President of the Church and six members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, each giving pertinent instruction. And now, in conclusion, something to carry with you. These handbooks prepared with much time and energy by so many are not to be read as a lesson or a book. It is a reference book to be examined carefully to begin with and thereafter to be visited as needed. There's a prevailing message in the beginning of these introductory headings, God the Father's plan for his eternal family. The next heading explains the pre-mortal family of God. It then describes the role of families and the role of the Church in God's plan for His children. There are many headings in the handbook. Under these headings and throughout the chapters one and two of book two, important doctrine is emphasized. In addition, when viewed as a whole, the handbook now provides for simplification and flexibility. Let me underline that—for simplification and flexibility. As the Church has grown in size, it always seems to grow in complexity. There's so many programs and procedures that need to pull together in harmony. We all wish for patterns of administration that mirror the simplicity of the gospel. Many years ago, President J. Reuben Clark, speaking for the First Presidency, made an inspired statement, warning that too much regimentation in the Church would have the effect of nullifying revelation. The work of the Church in all fields is standing in grave danger of being regimented down to the minutest detail. The result of that will be that not only will all initiative be crushed out, but all opportunity for the working of the Spirit will be eliminated. The Church has not been built on that principle. And now this simple scripture. "But not withstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the elders of my church from the beginning and ever shall be that they shall conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit." I repeat, "But notwithstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the elders of my church from the beginning and ever shall be to conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit." If we understand that, we will not be led astray in our administration. The Lord said, "And it shall come to pass in the last days sayeth God I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your songs and your daughters shall prophesy. And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." It is the spiritual work that we are about and the spiritual work, it must be guided by the Spirit. As we read in the Doctrine and Covenants: "And they shall observe the covenants and Church articles to do them. And these shall be their teachings as they shall be directed by the Spirit. And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith. And if ye receive not the Spirit, ye shall not teach." In our day and age, there's always the danger of establishing the Church without establishing the gospel. It is not enough. We need to have the Church in the lives of the members and the gospel established in the heart of the members. In its first few pages, Handbook 2 describes the role of the Church leaders, teachers, including this quote, "Priesthood and auxiliary leaders and teachers strive to help others became true followers of Jesus Christ and to assist individuals and families in this effort." If we are not careful, our members keep so busy concerning themselves with programs and procedures and buildings and budgets that the spiritual testimony is not firmly planted. Members should be taught with the power and authority of the priesthood. They should know how significant the ordinances are and understand why it is necessary to be worthy to qualify each ordination, each blessing. I repeat, the handbooks are reference books, much like a dictionary is a book of reference. The contents are so structured that you'll be safe by following them and be able to raise worthy families in this very, very troubled time. In order to live by the spirit and teach by the spirit, we can do much better than we are doing. The organization of the Church should sustain and strengthen families. Too often families are regarded as instruments to staff the organizations and complete all of the activities listed as possibilities. Priesthood officers must prayerfully consider what not to do and strive to reduce substantially the requirements upon the families. Their time and money should be spent doing things that would better be done in the family as a family. Once again, "Not withstanding those things which are written," meaning regardless of what is in print, including the handbook, "it always has been given to the elders of my church from the beginning, and ever shall be to conduct all meetings as they are guided by the Holy Spirit." In conclusion, we face a world now that is terrifying is its influence upon the saints and their families. The adversary rejoices. We must not be discouraged. As the scripture says, "shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren, [and courage, sisters]; Go on, on to the victory." I invoke the blessing of the Lord upon you as you move to have the families in the Church strengthened and, by that, strengthen the whole Church, and do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. [MUSIC - "HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION"]

[SINGING] How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent word. What more can he say than to you he hath said? Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

In ev'ry condition, in sickness, in health, in poverty's vale or abounding in wealth. At home or abroad, on the land or the sea, as Thy days may demand, as Thy days may demand, as Thy days may demand, so Thy succor shall be.

Fear not, I am with thee. Oh, be not dismayed. For I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand. Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

Our beloved Heavenly Father, we feel blessed to have been taught by the spirit, and we thank Thee. We thank Thee for the new handbook and pray that we may use it to bless individuals and families. We rejoice in the counsel given to us by our leaders, and we ask that we may ever be blessed by their love, kindness, and understanding.

We are grateful for Thy beloved Son, for His love for us, for His obedience to Thee, and we express our gratitude unto Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.