Question
Hi Gramps,
I have a concern. Apparently a worthy priesthood holder is not bishopric”material” if he has gone through a divorce and remarried in the temple! I have never heard such nonsense and if it was not for my testimony built upon a solid foundation of the gospel I would leave the church I can’t believe this. Straight out of the mouth of a stake president! How far reaching is the atonement? And another thing the stake president has said, was that the proposed name for a bishopric councilor was denied because he was too young (28). Well President Monson was 22 years old when called as a bishop. What’s going on? Help me understand the stake president please. Is he on a power trip?
Claire
Answer
Dear Claire,
I don’t know precisely what the Church’s policies are regarding the eligibility for bishopric service of a man who has been previously divorced, or for a man who has not yet attained a certain age.
I do rather suspect that the Church’s policies–and even the personal views of leaders such as your Stake President–are, more often than not, developed because of unfortunate experiences that have happened in the past, and are designed to avoid repeating those kinds of experiences. If I have a question about something my Bishop or Stake President is doing, I will often ask “Is that a matter of Church policy? I’d be interested to see the written policy so that I can understand it more fully”. If it’s not a matter of Church policy, but of my leader’s preference, I might privately–without publicly embarrassing or shaming–ask the leader something like “Can you tell me what kinds of experiences you have had that are leading you to implement this specific policy?”
It may be that, even after all this, you feel that an individual is unfairly being denied a choice to serve in the Church in some sort of capacity. That can be frustrating. Sometimes I’ve had to have faith that perhaps the Lord has a better use in mind for that person–and my experience is that He usually does.
.”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. (Romans 8:28)
Gramps
