How can I help my stake, ward or family council be more effective?
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Jeff Daly, second from left, and his wife, Kendyl Daly, right, hold a family council with their children in their Laguna Niguel, California home on July 18, 2021. Alan Gibby, for the Church News
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Bishop Paula F. Ika leads a ward council discussion in the Provo YSA 221st Ward (Tongan) on Sunday, June 13, 2021, in an Orem, Utah, meetinghouse. Scott Taylor, Church News
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Relief Society, Young Women’s and Primary leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attend a meeting together at the Relief Society Building in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attend the leadership and planning committee meeting at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
The Church News interviewed several Church leaders about how principles of counseling at the general level can be applied to stake, ward and family councils. Here are 8 principles they identified:
Understand stewardship: Leaders receive revelation for their own stewardships.
Know your purpose: The primary mission of any council is to bring souls unto Christ.
Invite the Spirit by preparing: Spiritual preparation helps foster a revelatory experience.
Seek the Lord’s will, not your own: The Savior should be the center of every council.
Make sure every voice is heard: Revelation is scattered among the various participants of the council.
Seek women’s perspectives: Progress is made when men and women are unified and work together.
Listen to learn: Be open to others’ ideas and actively listen, rather than waiting for a turn to speak.
Seek consensus through revelation, not compromise: Once a decision is made, all move forward actively supporting it.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles attend the Leadership and Planning Committee meeting at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. | Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
