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IN my world, it would work like this: 1. The Ward is conditioned to have low expectations of home teachers. There are talks that home teaching is voluntary service, and that home teachers give as much as they feel they can give. Members should adjust their expectations accordingly. Part of the problem is that some members see home teaching as a right to be served in ways that go beyond what is reasonable for the average person.
2. Hometeachers opt in to the program. They are not conscripted, and blindsided, as I was a couple weeks ago.
3. If there is a family in need, and the person does not have a willing home teacher, then the Ward council or priesthood leadership works to find the right person in the ward to help the family through whatever they are going through at the time. Many people WILL step up when there is legitimate need, but not when it’s a box checking exercise.
4. Home teaching families opt into a level of contact they want — from no contact, to monthly visits — pending the availability of willing home teachers.
5. Measurement of the program’s administrative success is whether families have been contacted to determine the level of contact they want. If families don’t respond, we assume no home teacher is desired. We also consider the program a success if the willing home teachers have met the family at their desired level of contact. From an administrative perspective, if a priesthood leader has approached all brethren to home teach people who want such visits, and there aren’t enough brethren to go around, then that priesthood leader has done his best. There is no censure from the Stake, and the priesthood holder should feel safisfied with his efforts.
6. Stake leaders are seriously cautioned about calls to repentance, about being critical of priesthood leaders without doing their homework first.
7. The reporting system is altered to record the level of contact each family wants, and whether the family received that level of contact. There is mercy for situations where there aren’t enough willing home teachers to go around. Priesthood leaders are NOT held accountable for willing famillies not assigned if there aren’t enough priesthood leaders.
Talks center on encouraging people to serve those who need it or want visits. In other words, we back up, and dont’ assume that if you receive the priesthood, you’re a home teacher. We respect agency and make it voluntary but encourage service in those situations we have more needs than willing brethren.
What would change? Better priesthood leader/HT relationships, we would probably get the same or better results than we get now, less frustration by priesthood leaders, better metrics, more sense that we are a church that respects its volunteers.
You have my vote. Maybe I’ll try to implement some of these excellent ideas into my quorum. Hopefully I don’t ruffle too many feathers of the higher ups, but then, as long as I do what I think is best I don’t really care. Thanks for your insights.
DoubtingTom wrote:
You have my vote. Maybe I’ll try to implement some of these excellent ideas into my quorum. Hopefully I don’t ruffle too many feathers of the higher ups, but then, as long as I do what I think is best I don’t really care.Thanks for your insights.
Don’t be afraid to report the full range of your home teaching efforts. Of course you will report the limiting, gold standard visits in the home required in MLS, but consider reporting all of your activities meant to support hometeaching, and email it to your bishop, the SP member who PPI’s you (if he does), and your HC. Do their homework for them to preempt their judgmentalism and possible calls to repentence.. and consider reporting the data two ways — their flawed, limiting, demotivating, unrealistic way, and your own compassionate, motivating respectful way.
I would also give verbal appreciation to quorum members who meet the soft criteria I have given above. Thank them for being a 100% home teacher when they meet people at the level of contact they want. This will likely motivate them and give you significant cred as a compassionate leader who is realistic in his expectations.
I would also be prepared to have some phrases ready to assert yourself to overzealous leaders…
Finally, because I’m unorthodox, I am at the point I don’t mind saying things that run counter to prevailing tradition. I personally would have no problem sharing with the quorum my own philosophy of what makes a successful home teacher. The new standards for home teaching, and a strategic focus on making the church experience for the people currently in front of you better. Make the strong stronger, and the less active people who flirt with reaactivation will see it and want to be part of it.
Fact is, home teaching is a broken program, and many, many of our leaders are too blinded by tradition to do anything about it…strange how claims to divine revelation creates unhealthy tradition, and in some cases, massive arrogance.
We have a special stake conference this Sunday for Easter, but the following week I’m going to introduce some of these ideas when I hand out new assignments. By requirement from the SP, everyone in the ward list needs to be assigned a HT, which is turning into a ridiculous charade since many on the list don’t even live in the ward boundaries or have no phone number listed or have asked not to be contacted, etc. But I think we can incorporate some of these ideas to make HT more meaningful and productive. I’m actually getting a little excited to talk about it and usually I dread beating that dead drum again! (How long until they release me as EQP?)
DoubtingTom wrote:
We have a special stake conference this Sunday for Easter, but the following week I’m going to introduce some of these ideas when I hand out new assignments. By requirement from the SP, everyone in the ward list needs to be assigned a HT, which is turning into a ridiculous charade since many on the list don’t even live in the ward boundaries or have no phone number listed or have asked not to be contacted, etc. But I think we can incorporate some of these ideas to make HT more meaningful and productive. I’m actually getting a little excited to talk about it and usually I dread beating that dead drum again!(How long until they release me as EQP?)
I would be inclined to implement as much of the plan we discussed earlier, as much as you agree with, and park the families who don’t have a home teacher against the leadership, maybe even your own name. Ask them if it’s OK if you simply park the names there, with expectations they do nothing with those names if they are unable. My wife was able to access my home teaching online — I do hope the general membership can’t see all that. If they can, find a way of making it invisible if possible — I don’t know the new MLS so can’t comment on it.
That way you are in compliance as “everyone will be assigned a home teacher”. If the SP balks at it, or his HC, then be prepared to reason with him about the negative effects of unreasonable loads on retention of brethren, the credibility of the HT program, and the motivation of leaders to administer it. Comment on the lack of respect for the agency of families who don’t want a visit or prefer a letter. There HAS to be reasonable loads, and measurement systems that help the best brethren feel they have been successful, while allowing for the agency of the families to be home taught, and the needs of the brethren who donate their time to the church.
Anyway, good luck — please let us know how it goes. Part of me wishes I was in your position to implement something that relieves brethren of the lifelong chain of an unreasonable home teaching proram as currently envisioned. And if they release you as EQP, remember, the whole world needs your talent and commitment – the church does not have a corner on service.
I like your suggestions, SD, but, at the most basic level, I like Elder Holland’s recent statement that “everything counts”. Trying to make sure nobody in need, in any way, slips through the cracks and suffers is important. Trying to make sure everyone has the support they need is important. (That ought to be understood very well here.) **How** that happens for each person is flexible, up to and including seeing the Do Not Contact list as a sacred obligation, so I like the idea that everything counts.
Personally, I wouldn’t even mind a ridiculously one list if, truly, everything counted – since I could send a form letter one time asking those I can’t contact otherwise to contact me if they need anything – or visit 1-2 families each month on a rotating basis – or whatever else makes sense for me.
This is a case of accepting new policy – of letting go of the old bottles and pouring new wine in new bottles.
what do you think motivates people to do home teaching? Heber13 wrote:
What do you think motivates people to do home teaching?
1. Brownie points with the leadership.
2. Sincere caring about the families
3. Belief that doing so will increase the chances of exhaltation eventually
4. Achievement motivation — be a 100% home teacher
5. Obedience
6. Duty
7. Encouraging youth to be a priesthood leader and strong in the gospel
8. A desire to sincerely help someone in need.
9. Avoiding chew-outs from higher up priesthood leaders
10. A desire to “clean up” the ward records
11. Sincere desire to take the burden off the Bishop and his counselors.
Some people like the socializing, but that can vary depending on the family assigned.
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