Church Leadership and Selfless Service

"Is there a leader or teacher who has had a positive influence on you, or who you really admire? What qualities or attributes do/did they exhibit? Be prepared to share!"

This is what I wrote on the chalkboard in the Relief Society Room during the break between Sunday School and Relief Society yesterday. I wanted to make sure that the sisters in the room had plenty of time to think about the question, and what their answer might be before I started my lesson. This weeks lesson was Chapter 18 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, entitled, "Church Leadership and Selfless Service. "

I took a little different approach to teaching this lesson than I have to the last few lessons I've taught, and for some reason, that made me nervous. Maybe it was because I didn't want to be the only person talking. I was depending on others to share their thoughts and experiences, and f they didn't participate, the lesson I had planned would not be very meaningful. My hands were shaking before I even began, and usually for me, the shaking doesn't start until I'm done. I was grateful that someone else was willing to play the piano for me, because I find it really hard to play with shaking hands.

I started by explaining to the sisters that I felt like they would learn more from their own experiences and thoughts, than they would from just hearing mine, and that I would like for them to share the experiences they had with good teachers and leaders. I asked them to think about skills and characteristics that they would like to improve in themselves.

I started the sharing by telling about a high school history teacher I had. Mr Vargish would come into class with his long hair and mustache, his jeans and his Birkenstocks, sit on his desk at the front of the class and say, "Let me tell you about the '60s." He would then tell us about the 1860s, the Civil War, and his hero, Abraham Lincoln. The man had a passion for American history, and he was able to convey that passion and enthusiasm to his students. I think that passion and enthusiasm are wonderful qualities for a leader, because they help their students/followers to sense the importance, to catch the vision of what they are trying to do.

I wrote "passion" and "enthusiasm" on the chalkboard, and then asked the sisters for their stories. Instantly three hands shot up. After we had heard their stories, there were more hands and more stories. My list on the chalkboard grew: love, concern for individuals, compassion, patience, endurance, going the extra mile, acceptance, service, sacrifice, encouraging, and the list went on.

At times, when it seemed appropriate, I added bits from Lorenzo Snow's words. After a touching story about how a Primary leader went above and beyond the call of duty to help a troublesome boy with ADD to get the most out of primary, I brought up the story of Jesus asking his disciples to "feed [his] sheep", and Lorenzo Snow's interpretation of what that meant: "But said he—'Feed my sheep.' That is, 'Go forth with your whole heart, be devoted wholly to my cause. These people in the world are my brethren and sisters. My feelings are exercised towards them. Take care of my people. Feed my flock. Go forth and preach the gospel. I will reward you for all your sacrifices. Do not think that you can make too great a sacrifice in accomplishing this work.'”(p.218)

After the stories seemed exhausted and we still had ten minutes or so left, I brought up some things from the lesson that hadn't been covered yet, like the story from the beginning about the man who wanted the glory and recognition for himself.  I shared a quote I found in Teaching: No Greater Call which said, “A skilled teacher doesn’t think, ‘What shall I do in class today?’ but asks, ‘What will my students do in class today?’; not, ‘What will I teach today?’ but rather, ‘How will I help my students discover what they need to know?’ [Teaching the Gospel: A Handbook for CES Teachers and Leaders (1994), 13]. The skilled teacher does not want students who leave the class talking about how magnificent and unusual the teacher is. This teacher wants students who leave talking about how magnificent the gospel is!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 13–14; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 12).

 I closed with my testimony about our Bishop's humility and leadership. I was on the ward council when he was called as bishop, and I watched him take on that mantle, striving to be guided by the Spirit, to do as the Lord wanted him to do in his calling. I've been impressed by his adherence to the guidance and teachings given in the Church Handbooks that came out about the same time he was called. I have observed the great love and concern that he has for our ward members. I feel that he sets a wonderful example for the members of our ward as a teacher as well as a leader.

The lesson manual focused a lot more on humility than I did in my lesson. In preparing, I didn't feel that humility was as important an issue for the sisters in our ward, so I chose to focus more on the things that make a person a good leader or teacher. I hoped that helping them think about the good leaders and teachers in their own lives would inspire them, or motivate them to develop the good qualities they have seen.