Stake High Council more callings ?

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idefaye
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Stake High Council more callings ?

#1

Post by idefaye »

Why is it possible to add more callings or more than 12 high priest in the Stake High Council ?

Why this odd question ? Well, I am executive secretary in a stake composed of 17 units, spread over 8 hours drive. Our high council members are quite loaded with responsibilities and travel.
The stake presidency wants to call more than 12 high council members.
Yes I did point them to manual 2, 15.3 and D&C 102, but still they are looking at this option. :(

In the past, when trying to do abnormal callings (like a third counselor in the stake presidency), we (stake clerk and myself) have been able to tell them that the system doesn't allow it, so they kind of revised their position, though not quite.
Anyways, long story short, can I relie on the callings options to define what is authorized to do in the Church ?
Why can we add more high counselors ? What would be the other authorized callings within a Stake High Council ?
russellhltn
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#2

Post by russellhltn »

idefaye wrote:stake composed of 17 units, spread over 8 hours drive.
Wow. I'd be looking hard at a stake split. But I know there can be issues doing that.
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idefaye
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#3

Post by idefaye »

The request to split the stake has been rejected, so we have to make do with what we have.
russellhltn
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#4

Post by russellhltn »

Seems like a good subject for the Stake President to discuss with the area authority. Not only in how to deal with this situation, but in doing a split.

Handbook 1:9.1.1 outlines the requirements for a new stake. I'm thinking it was a specific proposal that was rejected, not the idea. It's possible you may have to change ward boundaries to make it work - perhaps even combine wards to free up some leadership material. You might also want to consider the idea of handing off some units to neighboring stakes.

Handbook 2: 15.3 is pretty explicit about "12". Handbook 2: 17 Uniformity and Adaptation - seems to be about how to scale back the programs to work with that you have, not scaling up positions to deal with a greater workload.

I'm sure someone in your stake with access to making changed in CDOL can tell if it allows more than 12 HC. Something in the back of my mind suggests it's exactly 12 slots - with no room to add or remove.
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lajackson
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#5

Post by lajackson »

idefaye wrote:Anyways, long story short, can I rely on the callings options to define what is authorized to do in the Church ?
No. LCR usually follows the Handbook, but there are still some escapes. What you are authorized to do is in the Handbook.

A high council has 12 members. Many years ago, stakes were authorized to call alternate high councilors, but that position was specifically ended. In a stake with more than 12 units, one or more high councilors are going to have assignments in more than one ward or branch.

I echo russellhltn's suggestion that the stake president visit with his Area Seventy concerning the state of his stake. There are specific requirements to create a stake. If a proposal to divide the stake was not approved, one of more of those requirements were not met. The stake president should know exactly what needs to happen to divide his stake.

A wise stake president will share these requirements with his two counselors and his 12 high councilors, and they will counsel together as the Priesthood Executive Committee to come up with a plan to move forward and bless the Saints in his area of stewardship.
russellhltn
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#6

Post by russellhltn »

lajackson wrote:There are specific requirements to create a stake. If a proposal to divide the stake was not approved, one of more of those requirements were not met. The stake president should know exactly what needs to happen to divide his stake.
I've had the impression from past stories in my stake that even if the requirements are met, it might be turned down if the division is too lop-sided or otherwise unequal in critical metrics. They submitted one plan for ward division and it was turned out. They drew the lines in a different way using a different tactic in thinking, and it was approved. I consider my stake rather large (10 units - 7 family, 2 language and 1 student) but it hasn't divided yet. It may be an issue of buildings since the stake center currently has 5 of the 10 units meeting there. There may be a problem in dividing and leaving both in good shape. Because of geography, we really only have one adjoining stake, but that's not much help as it falls on the wrong side.

But with 17 units, it seems like something should be workable. The only thing that can think of that might be insurmountable is lack of leadership material to form a new stake and constraints imposed by geography that prevents any reorganization to solve that. In that case, all I can suggest is targeted missionary work. <grin>
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idefaye
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#7

Post by idefaye »

lajackson wrote:
A high council has 12 members. Many years ago, stakes were authorized to call alternate high councilors, but that position was specifically ended.
Any place I could find the official communication regarding this, to transfer it my the stake presidency ?
idefaye
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#8

Post by idefaye »

We've received the recommendations needed for a division, unfortunately, it will take a lot more time now because the church changed the minimal requirements to divide stakes, which we do not meet. (Canadian up north scarce population and huge distance makes it very hard to meet)
Anyways, this situation is still being adressed with area seventy, but it's already a year and a half, and we don't foresee much in near future. Anyways, it brings us back to the fact that our stake presidency is trying to find loop holes to circumvent this and ease the burden of the brethren, which I understand, but I am trying to keep them in the straight and narrow.
lajackson
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#9

Post by lajackson »

idefaye wrote:
lajackson wrote:
A high council has 12 members. Many years ago, stakes were authorized to call alternate high councilors, but that position was specifically ended.
Any place I could find the official communication regarding this, to transfer it my the stake presidency ?
Well, it has only been 20 or 30 years, I think. My memory is not as good as it used to be. I think it would have been in a Bulletin in the late 80s. That was the official method the Church used back then to make changes to the Church Handbook of Instructions.

I'll look around at home this weekend. No promises.
zaneclark
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Re: Stake High Council more callings ?

#10

Post by zaneclark »

Here's a wild idea... There seems to be no limit on the number of stake assistant clerks, so appoint a bunch to help with all the units. They could essentially do what the HC do, bring messages from the presidency and report back. I'm sure some will say they have no authority, but as a former HC a couple of times, I don't remember having much authority...:-)
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