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Just wanted to share how my Church pain has been a source of Church commitment lately. As you know, I have had angst for some time about how boring and ineffective our church meetings are, on average. So many times, I walk out of the meetinghouse thinking that if I provided the level of quality I see on average, I’d be fired from my teaching job. There has to be allowance for people who are volunteers, doing their best, etcetera, but still, to sign up for 3 hours of that a week as a passive observer is the equivalent of a 3 contact hour a a week course for the rest of your life. Out of that angst has come commitment to improve things for the better, As a teacher’s council facilitator, I have an opportunity to create a direct impact on the engagement problem we see at church. After some frustrations with lack of top leadership support, I’ve finally decided just to do what is necessary, and am fully engaged in helping our Ward succeed.
I see this as a possible template for some people who have angst. Angst that can be a motivator to make contributions to your Ward for good.
Do you have such angst? Do you see ways you can harness that angst for commitment to work and help your Ward succeed? I’m sure people have their own examples.
I feel the agnst, but have been unable to use it to inact change in the ward. It sounds like you have a little more credibility than I do. I’m anxious to see how it works out. Seems to be working OK. I do think you have to find ways of contributing in ways that appear, outwardly, to be totally orthodox. Here are examples:
1. You ask to teach home teach only less active people who want a visit.
This is so you can be supportive and non-judgmental. This could help quell angst about how we tend to ostracize people who are not fully on the wagon, and help them feel part of a community. Your goals is to do that, and that only.
2. You offer to speak or train on how to work with less active people.
I have seen a few people here do this. We all know that leaders can actually make you feel even more less active than you already are. And when you go to them — “your spiritual leaders” — with doubts you end up with experience like Doubting Tom did — shut out of praying or speaking for an unknown period of time with no plan The word “repentence plan” doesn’t even seem to qualify as what is needed, since I see no sin in the face of facts that cause us to doubt. And no sin in wanting to solicit help from the leaders we are encouraged to approach when such things happen (as bad an idea as that can be).
Speaks to the angst associated with leadership abuse.
3. You befriend people who don’t seem to fit in. Speaks to angst about our conditional sense of community.
4. You attend church and participate in lessons in ways that make people think about what they just said. I’ve had such experience many times. Strangely you get more thanks than when you make orthodox comments if you do it right!! Speak to the angst associated with harmful cultural norms people accept without even thinking.
5. You help on social activities committees. Speaks to the angst of lack of community.
Any other ideas about how to use angst as a form of motivation and positive impact in our Wards or Stakes?
SD, I feel you on how church goes sometimes! I do not think the LDS church is the way God wants it to be. I simply don’t. That is my personal conviction.
This may seem irrelevant, but hear me out—this is one of my favorite patriots and war heroes. This is one of my favorite speeches he gave:
I love how he said “there is always one more thing you can do.” I try to take that advice to heart when it comes to making church a little better. Honestly, the lessons at my old ward were horrendous. They then gave me a teaching calling, and wrong or right, I tried teaching in an entirely unorthodox method. Additionally, 1) I spent 15 minutes a day preparing for the lesson. 2) I learned everyone by name and referred to them as much as practicable. My class gained a lot of popularity because of the passion put into it, and the “at oneness” people felt in it.
I’m in a different ward now, being a pilot who goes to a different location every weekend. Every ward suffers greatly from dry lessons and curriculums.Even though I can’t teach now, I think of Hal Moore’s advice… Everyone is different, but I have found that being actively engaged helps immensely. Here’s a fun way to stay actively engaged for me—instead of saying “I felt the Spirit and agree with everything you said,” I recently told the teacher, who was talking about D&C 132 “I respectfully disagree with that statement, and here is why I do…” Not everyone was happy, but it made the time fly during the lessons.
I’m kind of rambling. In short, I agree with you that it is dry. I still don’t always like it even when I try. But I try, and sometimes pray for new ways to liven it up. I feel like I made a difference when I was in the capacity of a teacher, and have seen many also make a difference. For me, looking for that “one more thing” is what helped me avoid angst during dry presentations and lessons. I dream of a church culture where teachers come prepared with genuine lessons and everyone in the class is eager to participate or learn something. That’s for Sunday school, but I’m still looking for ways to make sacrament meeting better! There, I feel absolutely helpless haha. I know my post doesn’t even scratch the depth of your topic, but this is what was on my mind at the moment.
Falcon20Commander wrote:
SD,I feel you on how church goes sometimes! I do not think the LDS church is the way God wants it to be. I simply don’t. That is my personal conviction.
This may seem irrelevant, but hear me out—this is one of my favorite patriots and war heroes. This is one of my favorite speeches he gave:
I love how he said “there is always one more thing you can do.”]
I tried “one more thing” last week. I was ready to stop going to HPG because our HPGL just talks non-stop the whole period.
I kept putting my hand up and asking questions. These were things that crossed my mind as the HPGL was giving his soliloquy.
They sparked discussion, and soon about 1/3 of the otherwise boring period was littered with discussion that I found interesting.
So, if the HPGL won’t lead a discussion, I would….it spoke to my angst.
I got really good ideas and validation about a question I had regarding Service to Be Seen of men here on StayLDS — it was interesting to basically have that same discussion in an orthodox class and compare the answers.
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