Priesthood Advancement

Right, you are.

I asked one of the YM adult leaders about it on Sunday and together we asked the Bishop. The answer that I got was that first we wait for the new year, then we schedule the interviews, and then we do the ordinations.

The ordinations themselves seem to operate similar to when someone is set apart for a calling. There is no special meeting, it is just handled in the bishops office after church on Sunday and is put together on a sort of ad hoc basis.

I’ll wait until after the new year to be contacted about the interviews. We always give my kids the option of having a parent present. Last worthiness interview, DS opted to do it alone.

Roy — my approach was different. I waited until the leadership approached my son and my family about advancement. They are motivated to advance young men in the Aaronic Priesthood for its perceived inherent goodness, and also because of the metrics, so they will likely bring it up if you are patient. When they do this, the subject of whether I was willing to do the advancement came up on their end, and I learned what their approach was that way. In all situations, I was asked to perform the advancement. And I think my situation was very much like yours is now.

I have taken an attitude of passivity and acceptance of church rules in all my dealings with the rites of passage in our church. My Bishop never approached me about getting a TR when my daughter was getting married in the temple and didn’t mention me when my wife approached him for a TR to attend my daughter’s sealing. I didn’t approach him about it, had no TR, and sat in the waiting room of the temple during the sealing.

Ultimately, it’s their rules. If we decide not to abide by the rules, then we are subject to the outcomes of such a decision. I think that if you approach it with this type of “humility” you can be deprived of the privileges of our religion yet still be happy. I hesitate to say “humility” because someone once said that humility is a virtue that, if you say you have it, you’ve lost it. But it has been a peace-inducing way to go for someone like me who is on the fringes. It’s like that Biblical scripture that says it’s better to sit in the low seats and be asked to move up than it is to sit in the high seats and be asked to sit in the lower ranks. I am also reminded of a funny birthday card that said “Blessed are they who expect nothing on their birthday, for they shall not be disappointed”. Altered, I think the phrase “Blessed are they who expect no privileges in the church, for they shall not be disappointed.”

Roy — my approach was different. I waited until the leadership approached my son and my family about advancement. They are motivated to advance young men in the Aaronic Priesthood for its perceived inherent goodness, and also because of the metrics, so they will likely bring it up if you are patient. When they do this, the subject of whether I was willing to do the advancement came up on their end, and I learned what their approach was that way. In all situations, I was asked to perform the advancement. And I think my situation was very much like yours is now.

That’s a good point SD. This is different from the baptism of my children, which required some amount of preparation (from scheduling the font, to invites, to the program, etc.). In contrast, after the requisite hurdles are cleared (youth worthiness interview and any necessary birthdays) – the actual ordination seems to require almost no advanced planning on my part. I can just wait for them to come to me.

That’s what I think. The same could work with Baptism too. You can wait until they come to you, then plan the baptism far enough out that people can come. All good things come to those who wait

We were contacted by the executive secretary letting us know that the bishop was wanting to meet with our teens for their annual interviews.

I did go over the TR questions with my children prior. I told them that this was the time to ask questions and that we want to minimize questions with the bishop in order to keep the interview focused on the TR questions as written. We reviewed what atonement and restoration meant.

I also ask each of my children if they prefer to be interviewed alone or with me present. DD asks for me and DS says alone.

We get up there and bishop stops me at the door and asks if he can meet with DD alone. I explain that DD has asked that I be present. Bishop turns to DD and asks if this is correct and she confirms. Then bishop lets me into the room. I sit in the corner and don’t say anything so as to not intrude.

The interview is mostly on track. Bishop asks DD what to do when she sees pornography (Run). DD self declares as a part tithe payer and Bishop asks DD to work on that. Bishop challenges DD to think about serving a mission.

Next is DS. DS goes in alone. Afterwards bishop lets me know that they will be doing the ordaining after second hour on Sunday. I answer that we’ll be there.

The whole thing is low key. It is assumed that I will be the one to ordain. I just hope things run as smoothly when it comes time for DS to be ordained an Elder and receive the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Thanks for the report, Roy.

I am glad it went well

One of the motivators that I have to StayLDS is to pass on the priesthood line of authority that I received from my own dad.

I believe if I were to made a high priest at some point that this would change my priesthood line of authority to whoever made me high priest. I honestly think that I would decline rather than “advance” and lose what I feel to be a connection to my father.

Though not necessary in your situation, I think one could get their way if they were to choose to play hardball. “We’re not going to do it unless Fulano de Tal gets to act as voice.” Because generally I think church leaders actually want the ordinances done by family members and that they’d rather relax on their take on what amounts to a rule that’s open to interpretation anyway than to have an ordinance that goes undone.

Yes, I agree. However, bishop roulette is a factor here. IF the Bishop feels inspired to take a hard line approach against you then there is very little recourse (You can appeal up the chain of command but I think the bishop would need to be egregiously in the wrong before the bishop’s decision would be overturned).

If bishop refused to let me act as voice and I refused to let the ordinance take place then I could always wait for him to be released and try again with a new bishop. Thankfully, my relationship with the bishop is pretty amicable and such extremes seem to be only distant possibilities.