Baby Steps for Women’s Status

[Anonymous]

SilentDawning wrote:

I think elevating the Ward council over PEC was a step in the right direction. I understand WC meets more frequently than PEC, which gives women leaders more of a voice than they had in the past.

I like this one a lot. No one likes meeting just to meet. There may be more of a “let’s work this out in the meeting we already have” mindset.

As part of his testimony our bishop recently mentioned a ward council discussion where he had been insisting on a point. The Primary pres. had better info…. Bottom line of the anecdote was: this is a better, wiser way for ward leadership. I liked that he was willing to tell the story at all.

[Anonymous]

SilentDawning wrote:

I think elevating the Ward council over PEC was a step in the right direction. I understand WC meets more frequently than PEC, which gives women leaders more of a voice than they had in the past.

This drove me nuts! I couldn’t get behind having any PEC meetings. I actually started having them once a quarter because it was just another WC meeting without the women being represented. Now that could have been my fault in the direction of the meeting but in all seriousness, PEC is no different that WC. I loved and looked forward to having the input of our RS, YW and Primary presidents.

[Anonymous]

51Mag wrote:

SilentDawning wrote:

I think elevating the Ward council over PEC was a step in the right direction. I understand WC meets more frequently than PEC, which gives women leaders more of a voice than they had in the past.

This drove me nuts! I couldn’t get behind having any PEC meetings. I actually started having them once a quarter because it was just another WC meeting without the women being represented. Now that could have been my fault in the direction of the meeting but in all seriousness, PEC is no different that WC. I loved and looked forward to having the input of our RS, YW and Primary presidents.

I was trying to brainstorm what an agenda would look like at PEC. Maybe have short, individual serial interviews with the YM pres, HPGL, and EQP and then have a joint meeting to discuss any common issues. Perhaps a big picture HT meeting. Maybe talking about a schedule for how the sacrament is passed, or perhaps a priesthood campout or something. But I do see how it duplicates everything.

I had to write a paper on my personal leadership style, and I came out with a number of ways I would choose to lead — and one was on a platform of efficiency. Remote meetings, conference calls, no duplication across meetings, etcetera. This may have led to simply doing what you said — once per quarter meetings, or maybe cut WC short and have a short PEC at the front or back end of WC just to tell the Stake “we did it” once a quarter- ie, check the box.

[Anonymous]

51Mag wrote:

SilentDawning wrote:

I think elevating the Ward council over PEC was a step in the right direction. I understand WC meets more frequently than PEC, which gives women leaders more of a voice than they had in the past.

This drove me nuts! I couldn’t get behind having any PEC meetings. I actually started having them once a quarter because it was just another WC meeting without the women being represented. Now that could have been my fault in the direction of the meeting but in all seriousness, PEC is no different that WC. I loved and looked forward to having the input of our RS, YW and Primary presidents.

At the stake level there is a little difference because the PEC has to sustain some actions of the SP (Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations, all callings except bishops, etc.). I agree that at the ward level there isn’t a discernible difference. Starting last year my stake started having monthly stake council, with one regular monthly high council meeting (AKA PEC) and one shortened one immediately following stake council for the sole purpose of doing business (no discussion or “council”). I have to say I like it and very much appreciate the perspective of the sisters, who really do have a say in things like what the topics at stake conference will be. And we have some sisters who are not at all afraid to speak their minds and offer opinions even if they think the SP might not agree – and I appreciate that as well. Most of our wards also have more frequent ward councils and less frequent PECs these days as well – which I also appreciate. The only downside I see to this is it means more meetings for some sisters, but I think the positives outweigh this one downside.

[Author]

Posts