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SilentDawning Quote:SilentDawning=I agree with much of what you say, but I think we should expand our investment in making our programs and meetings truly good, rather than reducing the time invested in the auxiliaries.
What is the difference between a community cub pack and an LDS auxiliary program? They are both volunteers offering their time? Why can’t we (the local members) build programs that serve the needs we see our youth need? If the congregation felt the need to have a strong cub program, then concerned parents could get together, organize and have a program that they felt met their kids needs. It doesn’t happen because everyone has so many other obligations, callings, home teaching, temple trips, blah, blah to do.
I think we have so many obligations in the current church that people are just too tired. Look at what is expected of our youth. Early morning seminary, attend 3 hours of meetings, a once a month fireside and every Wednesday night activity. Why does it have to be every week? Can’t it be once a quarter?
All I’m saying is kind of like Christ said about the Sabbath, the church ought to be for the members not the members for the church. It is tough to have creative thinking in the church because who in their right mind would suggest another program. When my boys were young, they along with several other LDS boys joined a basketball league at another local church. It met their needs a lot better than a one day Stake basketball day with no refs. Their church leaders were the refs and coaches. The pastor at that church grew the program from a few teams to about 50 teams. It was run so well that it attracted a lot of youth every year. Before the games, the Pastor would share a short message. It was really cool and he did a lot of good.
Could our church do that? In theory we could. Missionaries/members could be coaches and games could run 2 or 3 times a week and it could even be a missionary program. A local ward could not do this in the modern church. There are just too many other obligations that get in the way. Even if it is what the youth need. It can’t happen because it would take up too much time and conflict with other programs. Plus who would really staff it? It would take a lot of focus on quality and it would be viewed as such a burden to do anyway. Instead we have church basketball. I won’t even comment on that.
ElCid wrote:What is the difference between a community cub pack and an LDS auxiliary program? They are both volunteers offering their time? Why can’t we (the local members) build programs that serve the needs we see our youth need? If the congregation felt the need to have a strong cub program, then concerned parents could get together, organize and have a program that they felt met their kids needs. It doesn’t happen because everyone has so many other obligations, callings, home teaching, temple trips, blah, blah to do.
Yes. The leaders in these programs might have cubs as their only extra-curricular effort. And they weren’t “called” to do it, they are often there because they want to be there. Also, in our Church, cubs is only one of several competing priorities for Ward members. So what happens is when someone is good at cubs, or gets trained, the Bishop calls them to something else. There isn’t the same kind of stability — at least, not in the Wards I’ve attended. And, when I was a Stake YM leader and tried to get scouting going.
Quote:I think we have so many obligations in the current church that people are just too tired. Look at what is expected of our youth. Early morning seminary, attend 3 hours of meetings, a once a month fireside and every Wednesday night activity. Why does it have to be every week? Can’t it be once a quarter?
All I’m saying is kind of like Christ said about the Sabbath, the church ought to be for the members not the members for the church. It is tough to have creative thinking in the church because who in their right mind would suggest another program. When my boys were young, they along with several other LDS boys joined a basketball league at another local church. It met their needs a lot better than a one day Stake basketball day with no refs. Their church leaders were the refs and coaches. The pastor at that church grew the program from a few teams to about 50 teams. It was run so well that it attracted a lot of youth every year. Before the games, the Pastor would share a short message. It was really cool and he did a lot of good.
Could our church do that? In theory we could. Missionaries/members could be coaches and games could run 2 or 3 times a week and it could even be a missionary program. A local ward could not do this in the modern church. There are just too many other obligations that get in the way. Even if it is what the youth need. It can’t happen because it would take up too much time and conflict with other programs. Plus who would really staff it? It would take a lot of focus on quality and it would be viewed as such a burden to do anyway. Instead we have church basketball. I won’t even comment on that.
I agree with all of this. One thing that frustrated me in my last calling was that there was no room for innovation in our programs. I had things I wanted to do that I thought would be effective, and had buy-in from others, but our Bishop, a former military man, wouldn’t deviate from the boring, stilted ways of doing things we used to do. I don’t see this changing much, frankly.
Again, my conclusion is that my leadership and overall initiatives will be limited to short projects with the potential for measureable results. Extra-curricular projects of a large nature, will have to be outside our organization since there is just too much time wasted trying to get things done that lack the necessary human resources in the Church. I agree with just about everything you said.
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