Savior carrying a lamb

My Calling as an Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Specialist

What Should I Focus On?

“Leaders encourage members to engage in God’s work by becoming ‘true followers of … Jesus Christ’ (Moroni 7:48)” (General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4.1). Your focus is to help each young man for whom you have responsibility increase his faith in Jesus Christ and progress along the covenant path toward receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and making temple covenants.

In President Russell M. Nelson’s first address as President of the Church, he counseled: “Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere. … The end for which each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God—that of eternal life” (“As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018, 7).

Lead in the Savior’s Way

You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Discipleship includes loving, teaching, leading, and serving others. President Henry B. Eyring taught: “You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands” (“Rise to Your Call,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 76).

The following leadership principles will help you as you seek to bless the young men you serve:

• Prepare spiritually.

• Counsel together with the quorum presidencies and bishopric. Minister to others.

• Teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Mentor the quorum presidencies as they administer the organization.

For more information, see General Handbook, 4.2.

Teach in the Savior’s Way

Every lesson and activity is an opportunity for young men to learn the truths of the gospel and how to apply those truths to their daily lives. Help create a setting where the Spirit can teach. Help the young men recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and invite them to act on what they hear and feel.

Assist the bishopric and quorum adviser in helping quorum presidency members improve learning and teaching in Aaronic Priesthood quorums. Help them review upcoming lessons and activities in presidency meetings and discuss how to improve gospel learning and teaching in Aaronic Priesthood classes.

• Prayerfully prepare for and teach the lessons the quorum presidency invites you to teach (see “Assist with Sunday Quorum Meetings as Invited” below).

• Under the direction of the Aaronic Priesthood quorum presidency, instruct and mentor young men who are invited to teach a lesson or a portion of a lesson. Help them gain confidence in their ability to teach by the Spirit.

• Participate in teacher council meetings. In these meetings, teachers discuss the principles in Teaching in the Savior’s Way.

Know and Love Each Young Man

As you come to know and love the young men you are called to serve, you can help them progress toward lifelong conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayerfully counsel together with the bishopric and quorum presidency members to decide who needs your time and attention. As you reach out to those you are assigned to serve, you will find that your love for each young man increases. As you pray for the gift of charity, your heart will be filled with love for the Savior and for others (see Moroni 7:46–48).

Elder Dale G. Renlund taught: “In the Church, to effectively serve others we must see them through a parent’s eyes, through Heavenly Father’s eyes. Only then can we begin to comprehend the true worth of a soul. Only then can we sense the love that Heavenly Father has for all of His children. Only then can we sense the Savior’s caring concern for them. … Only when we see through Heavenly Father’s eyes can we be filled with ‘the pure love of Christ’ [Moroni 7:47]” (“Through God’s Eyes,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 94).

You can come to know and love the young men you serve by:

• Praying for each young man.

• Getting to know each young man’s interests, strengths, and challenges.

• Giving special attention to the needs of new members or less-active members.

• Showing love to each young man in ways that are suited to his needs.

• Under the direction of the bishopric or quorum presidency, counseling with each young man’s parents to learn how you can help strengthen their son and encourage him to actively participate in the quorum (see General Handbook, 10.2.1).

• Being willing to share your personal experiences and testimony of the gospel to help guide the young men along the covenant path.

Guide and Support Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Presidencies

One of your most important responsibilities as an Aaronic Priesthood quorum specialist is to guide and support the young men, especially those serving in a quorum presidency. You have the opportunity to shepherd these young men as they learn to seek and act upon revelation as leaders, to counsel together as a presidency, and to minister to those they have been called to serve. With the bishopric and quorum advisers, you will mentor them as they learn to act under the direction of the bishopric and participate as members of the ward youth council.

The call to serve in a quorum presidency is the first calling that many young men receive. Some youth quorum leaders, especially those who are new to the calling, may need a lot of help from you. As they gain experience, they will gain confidence and skill as leaders and will be able to take on more responsibility.

Your bishopric has the responsibility to call young men as quorum leaders and may counsel with you regarding young men to serve in quorum presidencies.

To help the young men lead their quorums:

• Under the direction of the bishopric, provide regular leadership training to the quorum presidency (see “Quorum and Class Presidency Resources”).

• Make sure that new quorum presidency members receive an initial orientation from a member of the bishopric.

• Give quorum leaders experiences and opportunities that will help them develop spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially (see Luke 2:52).

• Teach quorum leaders how to minister in brotherly love and service.

• Help young men lead quorum meetings with dignity and in a manner that invites the Spirit. Quorum meetings should reflect the principles in Doctrine and Covenants 43:8–10.

• Set a righteous example for the young men to help them come unto Christ.

Encourage quorum leaders to identify the needs of the quorum by prayerfully pondering questions such as the following:

• What would help quorum members better understand and live the gospel?

• How can we help them feel the love of the Lord and discover the blessings of following Him?

• What interests and goals do the young men have? What skills do they need to learn for the future?

• How can we bless each quorum member in a way that builds and supports his family as well?

• What can we do to build unity within the quorum?

• How can we reach out to those who do not attend regularly?

As the quorum presidency prays for and gets to know the young men they serve, they will be better prepared to plan Sunday meetings and Aaronic Priesthood service and activities. Understanding class members’ needs will guide their ministering efforts as a presidency, and they will discover the joy of representing the Savior and caring for others as He would.

Attend Quorum Presidency Meetings as Invited

As an Aaronic Priesthood specialist, you help the bishopric and quorum adviser mentor quorum presidency members as they develop as leaders. As invited, attend quorum presidency meetings. Consider the three principles—be with them, connect them with heaven, and let them lead—and how you can implement these principles more fully as you work with quorum presidency members. Help presidency members understand their callings, teach them how to lead, and express your trust in their ability to lead. Then let them lead. Communicate clear and loving expectations, but resist the temptation to take over.

Assist with Sunday Quorum Meetings as Invited

Sunday Aaronic Priesthood quorum meetings are sacred opportunities for young men to increase in knowledge and testimony of our Savior. In these meetings, young men learn doctrine from the scriptures and general conference messages, discuss how the doctrine applies to their lives, and counsel together about how they can act on what they are learning.

Sunday meetings follow the outlines in Come, Follow Me—For Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women Classes (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). A member of the quorum presidency conducts each meeting and leads the “Counsel Together” discussion. A bishopric member, Aaronic Priesthood quorum adviser, or quorum member teaches the lesson. A quorum presidency may also invite you to teach a lesson. For more information about Sunday meetings, see “Using Come, Follow Me—For Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women Classes” on the Come, Follow Me website.

Seek to create a safe environment for young men and their leaders. When adults are teaching young men in Church settings, at least two responsible adults should be present. Ensure that all leaders are familiar with and follow Church policies and guidelines on preventing and responding to abuse, as outlined in “Preventing and Responding to Abuse.”

young men and leaders

Assist with Quorum Events and Activities as Invited

“Activities strengthen [young men] by giving them a sense of belonging and mutual support. Activities should help [young men] feel connected to others their age, to their leaders, and to their families. Activities should also help [young men] see how living the gospel brings ‘the joy of the saints’ (Enos 1:3)” (General Handbook, 20.1).

Aaronic Priesthood quorum activities should strengthen the young men’s testimonies of Jesus Christ, help them magnify their priesthood duties, and prepare them to fulfill their divine roles. Quorum presidencies have the primary responsibility to plan and implement activities and events. You and other Aaronic Priesthood leaders prepare, guide, and support youth so they may succeed. Activities allow you to interact with youth, connect them with heaven, and let them lead. Encourage quorum presidencies to involve other young men in planning so all can contribute and gain experience.

Youth and adult leaders plan service and activities following the guidelines in General Handbook, 10.2.1 and chapter 20. See also ChildrenandYouth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, AP.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the annual First Presidency safety letter, and the Safety and Health page on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Activities

Aaronic Priesthood quorum activities are held on a regularly scheduled day or evening other than Sunday or Monday. Help quorum leaders plan activities that:

• Help strengthen the young men’s faith in Jesus Christ and help them progress along the covenant path.

• Provide a variety of opportunities for the young men to serve others and develop spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually (see Luke 2:52).

• Encourage the young men to develop sincere friendships with each other outside of Sunday meetings.

• Help the young men live their covenants and apply gospel principles in their lives.

• Teach skills that will help quorum members bless their families now and help them prepare for future service as missionaries, husbands and fathers, Church leaders, and community members.

For more information about activities, see General Handbook, 10.2.1.

Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Events

• Standards events: These events emphasize moral values and eternal goals. They help youth understand and commit to living gospel standards. For more information, see General Handbook, 10.2.1.

• Bishopric youth discussions: The bishopric plans and carries out bishopric youth discussions, which may be held with all the youth or with a certain age-group, and which can address specific needs as determined by the bishopric. For more information, see General Handbook, 10.2.1.

• Multiday and overnight activities: Young men may plan and participate in overnight activities that strengthen quorum members. They may also plan and participate in at least one multiday activity per year. These activities may be planned at the ward or stake level. Advisers and specialists should take advantage of these opportunities to be an example to and build relationships with quorum members. For more information, see the Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Camp Guide.

• For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference: This is a multistake youth activity held every other year for young men and young women ages 14–18. It is held under the direction of the Area Presidency, and Area Seventies oversee the planning and implementation of the events. For more information, see the FSY website (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Youth conference: Young men and young women ages 14–18 may participate together in a ward or stake youth conference in years when an FSY conference is not being held in their area. For more information, see General Handbook, 20.4, and the youth conference website (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Support Quorum Members Serving as Ministering Brothers

The elders quorum presidency will assign young men in the teachers and priests quorums to serve as companions to Melchizedek Priesthood holders in ministering to the needs of families in the ward. Encourage and support young men in these assignments. Help quorum members find opportunities through lessons and activities to prepare for this important work.

For more information about Aaronic Priesthood holders and ministering, see General Handbook, 21.3.