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A little over five years ago I vented here about my experiences with some local leadership that didn’t want to allow me to opt out of a calling. They were pretty adamant that I couldn’t. I was a little more adamant that I could. 
Well I just wanted to report on something that happened recently to help balance the scales in my corner of the vineyard. I found myself in a similarish situation, I needed to be released from a calling that I’ve had for a while. I just need a break.
This time they honored the request with no pushback and asked if there was anything they could do for our family. Even sent another communication a little later apologizing that they had forgot to thank me for my time spent in the calling in prior communications.
It was really that last communication where they wanted to be sure to thank me for having served. I can’t recall anyone ever doing that before, or at least not in a scenario where someone is asking for a release.
Night and day compared to the last time I had to ask for a release.
Thanks for sharing this with us. It was good to read this morning.
I read this just after reading the SL Trib article about what’s happening to some LGBTQ members who are married (really leadership roulette). That article was somewhat sad and disheartening considering that I thought some progress had been made and for the most part leaders were content to at least let sleeping dogs lie. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/06/16/leadership-roulette-leaves-same/ ” class=”bbcode_url”> https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/06/16/leadership-roulette-leaves-same/ Anyway, this was a nice contrast. Our recently released SP was adamant about us thanking people when we were assigned to release them – even if they didn’t do a great job or weren’t doing their jobs. He wanted to make sure they felt appreciated. I hope this is a trend, and something GAs/AAs are training SPs in.
Interesting article. These days all I have are anecdotes that don’t even extend out beyond the boundaries of my ward but it feels like the higher up the hierarchy you go, the less mercy you’re likely to receive.
It’s growing pain, but I suspect that’s how most needed change in the church begins. Leadership is always trying to hold change back but eventually there’s enough change in the hearts of people at the grassroots level to where the leaders at the top make the change.
Maybe we’re in similar days to the days leading up to when the priesthood ban was lifted. More and more locals get restless, some of the more vocal ones (or ones that ignored the rules like Douglas Wallace) get excommunicated, more time goes by and the issue only grows, then the church makes the change from the top.
As a side note, I bet an individual’s political leanings have a huge factor in how many bullets get loaded into the gun when playing leadership roulette. If your political leanings are in harmony with church policy you’ll want to be more strict in their enforcement; if your political leanings aren’t in harmony with church policy you’ll want to be more lenient in their enforcement.
I too am thankful to hear this nibbler. My last calling was ward Family History and Temple leader and it was a pretty blatant attempt to get me to catch the spirit of the work, pay tithing, and renew my TR. I did what I could to administer the family history center and even ran a Family History Challenge calendar. After maybe 6 months the bishop called me in and told me that the SP decided that this position really needed to to staffed by a TR holding member so they were releasing me. There was no mention of thanks. I honestly think that my Bishop felt aggrieved, frustrated, and inconvenienced that I hadn’t started to pay tithing. Giving me thanks for the work that I had done was probably the furthest thing from his mind.
That was a few years ago and I have not received a calling since. I guess that is its own form of “thanks” … a well deserved rest!
Roy wrote:
That was a few years ago and I have not received a calling since. I guess that is its own form of “thanks” … a well deserved rest!
This is an interesting thing I have been more or less internally dealing with of late. I, too, am fine with being given a break after being released from my most recent calling (which was stake auditor and I asked for a release). It’s been a while, though, and I see my ward struggling. While there are certainly callings I would flat out turn down, there are some I would consider as well. I’m sort of waiting for inspiration on the part of the ward or stake leadership, and that doesn’t seem to be coming (I’ve been waiting for a bit).
DJ, have you asked your Bishop for a calling, with a list of ones you think you could do well? I don’t know him, so I don’t know how he would take it, but it might be worth a shot.
Being able to play the organ almost guarantees a calling for me.
😂 I teach Gospel Doctrine, which I love – and I openly take a “liken all things to ourselves” approach that allows me to pick and choose the verses and stories we cover each class. That approach also allows me say things like, “Isn’t it wonderful that we each can take something different from the scriptures when we read them then someone else in the room?” – and it gives the class members permission to share different perspectives.
I have not spoken to him. I have known him since I came to this ward over 30 years ago and this is his second stint as bishop here (third total, he lived elsewhere on a job assignment for some time). We get along fine, and he’s actually somewhat open minded, although his relationship with his two gay sons is very complex. He would likely be fine if I gave him a list, but honesty I only have a list of ones I won’t do and some others are pretty iffy and dependent (if I felt some confirmation I might accept). That said, there are multiple reasons I won’t approach him, although I would not refuse to meet with him were he to reach out to me. Very bluntly, I have a very hard time with the church’s profession that all callings are directly from God and that leaders are inspired. This particular bishop frequently mentions how he prays each day to know who he can help. If God is as we’re taught, that God knows how I feel and what I need and if the bishop (or SP) is inspired they might also know. This all goes back to FC stuff, which is also complex, but can be simplified as God inspires, leaders/people act. Imma wait until both those happen. 
In the eventuality there is some good to report, I will do so.
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