Tech Forum

Can anyone enlighten me as to what the duties of the Activities Committee Chairman is?

I vaguely remember some 2-3 years ago that the Activities Committee was effectively discontinued, in favour of the Ward Council being more involved in organising events.

Is the Activities Committee Chairman just a leftover calling from this era, or do they still have an active role to play?

I've looked through Handbooks 1 & 2, but cannot find a reference to this calling. This is not to say it isn't there. Just that I haven't found it!

I believe that it is still around mainly for use in some YSA wards.

Biggles wrote:I vaguely remember some 2-3 years ago that the Activities Committee was effectively discontinued, in favour of the Ward Council being more involved in organising events.

Is the Activities Committee Chairman just a leftover calling from this era, or do they still have an active role to play?

That sounds about right. If it's not in the handbook, then it's up to the local leaders to decide the role.

Biggles wrote:I vaguely remember some 2-3 years ago that the Activities Committee was effectively discontinued, in favour of the Ward Council being more involved in organising events.

When the 2010 handbooks were published, the structure in wards for managing activities changed. The new roles are listed in HB2, Section 13.2.1.

In the 2010 WWLT, Elder Cook delivered a message titled Selected Principles from the New Handbooks. In that address, we read:

This chapter [HB2, Chapter 13] provides a new approach for planning and implementing activities. There is no longer a permanent activities committee at the ward level. Section 13.2.1, in the middle of the second paragraph, reads: “When an activity is for the entire ward, the bishop may assign responsibility for it to one or more organizations represented on the ward council. He may also assign responsibility … to other individuals or to a committee.” Normally these assignments are for a specific activity or event only.

So the way I read it, there should not be an Activities Committee Chairman at the ward level, because there is no standing activities commitee (although there can be one at the stake level).

Taking note of what is stated in Section 13.2.1, so if the Bishop is inspired, could he call an Activities Committee Chairman to oversee/coordinate ward events, without going against policy?

The first line in the paragraph quoted above is:

"Under the direction of the bishopric, the ward council oversees the planning of ward activities. "

That seems to me to eliminate an Activities Committee Chairman, on a ward basis. That being said, it is up to the auxiliary leaders to decide how to carry out their responsibilities in this area. In our ward for example, the High Priests have someone called as the "Social Chairman." He overseas any activities they do, such as dinner groups, etc, along with planning ward activities that the Ward Council assigns the High Priests to carry out. Thus, he is sort of a "mini activities chairman." The other auxiliaries in our ward do not do it that way, but rather assign people in the ward (not just their particular stewardship) to oversee any ward activities they are assigned by the ward council.

But the bottom line is, it is the Ward Councils responsibility, not an Activity Chairman's.

YSA wards, of course are a different animal. You don't find the calling of "Family Home Evening Coordinator" in the handbook either.

Biggles wrote:Taking note of what is stated in Section 13.2.1, so if the Bishop is inspired, could he call an Activities Committee Chairman to oversee/coordinate ward events, without going against policy?

I would note that Elder Cook said "There is no longer a permanent activities committee at the ward level." Also, speaking of individuals outside the ward council who might be asked to oversee an activity, the Handbook says "Normally these assignments are temporary for a specific activity." I suppose the word "normally" gives a bit of latitude, but it's clear that the intent of the Handbook is to have the ward council oversee activities on an ongoing basis.

Biggles wrote:Taking note of what is stated in Section 13.2.1, so if the Bishop is inspired, could he call an Activities Committee Chairman to oversee/coordinate ward events, without going against policy?

I would find it hard for the Bishop to be inspired to go against the handbook, so I would say it would be going against policy.

Many thanks everyone for your advice and insight into my question. I can now report back, in our next Bishopric meeting, that this calling is in fact a left over from a past era!

Some YSA wards have an "activities committee" but they call it "communications committee" or "service committee" because they're not really supposed to have an "activities committee." Our YSA stake is discouraging this, but it still happens. I guess the bishop should look at the policies and seek inspiration for what's best in his ward.