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What does it mean to sustain my Church leaders?

What does it mean to sustain my Church leaders?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

As members of the Church, we have the opportunity to sustain those the Lord has called to serve. We raise our hand to indicate that we sustain the General Authorities and officers of the Church and each of the leaders in our wards and stakes—including Young Women class presidencies. Sustaining leaders involves more than just a raised hand—it means that we stand behind them, pray for them, accept assignments and callings from them, obey their counsel, and refrain from criticizing them.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What do you do to sustain Church leaders? How have you been blessed for doing so? How can you help the young women feel the love that you, as a leader, have for them?

When have you seen the young women in your class sustaining Church leaders—including members of their class presidency? What experiences could they share with each other?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior called and set apart leaders to direct and govern His Church (see Matthew 10:1–5). How can you help the young women feel gratitude for those who are called to serve and help them?

Video: “Let Us Teach”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Give each young woman a portion of President Henry B. Eyring’s message “The Lord Leads His Church” to review. Ask the young women to use a quotation or idea from President Eyring’s message as they write a letter that might be given to someone who is critical of a Church leader. Encourage them to share their letters, and invite them to share experiences that have helped them have faith that the Lord calls people to serve in Church callings. How does this knowledge help us sustain those He has called?

  • Before class, invite the young women to read President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Sustaining the Prophets” and come prepared to share something from the talk that inspires them to sustain President Russell M. Nelson. Invite them to list on the board the names of leaders in the ward, including presidents of the Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, and their Young Women class. What are we doing to sustain these people?

  • Invite some of the young women to find an example of people in the scriptures who rejected their leaders, such as Laman and Lemuel (see 1 Nephi 18:9–14) and the children of Israel (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:23–25). Ask the rest of the young women to find examples of people who followed the Lord’s servants, such as the widow of Zarephath (see 1 Kings 17:8–16) and Naaman (see 2 Kings 5:8–14). Ask them to share their stories and explain what they teach about the consequences of rejecting or honoring Church leaders.

  • Invite the young women to read President Henry B. Eyring’s article “Called of God and Sustained by the People,” looking for examples of ways we sustain our Church leaders. Bring copies of Church magazines, and ask the young women to find and share pictures in the magazines that represent ways to sustain Church leaders. What could the young women say if they hear someone criticizing one of their leaders? What do they do to sustain their leaders, including their class presidency? Invite the class president to share her feelings about her calling and the young women she serves.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.