A Happier Ward

Improve Everyone’s Experience at Church

Important note: These articles are meant to help grow the quality, capacity, and awareness of a ward or a branch. They are not intended to be used as a fault-finding expedition or a reprimand. That’s a leadership quality right there…patience and compassion for people’s learning curves. Growth and improvement usually come in baby steps. Pick something below and steadily work towards it through smaller, achievable steps or goals.

Be happy about small miracles!

Ward Health

If your ward seems lethargic or has poor attendance, consider one of these three topics. These articles will help you solve big problems quickly – but require an open mind that is unafraid of pushing against cultural norms and traditions.

1) Ministering

Build up the acceptance and importance of ministering – and it will do wonders for your ward or branch. Here are some of the important basics and useful suggestions for a more successful ministering experience for everyone – for both the enthusiastic and those less interested.

Ministering Made Simple

• A clear and easy guide
• Can be used as training or a 5th Sunday lesson.

2) Ward Activities

Some tips and ideas for strengthening wards through activities and why we want to encourage them.

• Do Ward Activities Matter? Never have our people needed gatherings, feasts, and regular traditions that unite us –more. Especially after so much isolation!

3) Widen the Inner Circle

Ward Growth vs. Ward Decline – What to do when the leadership positions cycle between the same few.

Ward Leadership

How well does your presidency, bishopric, or ward council work together? Do dynamic ward solutions and upgrades take place because you meet together? Or do things get frustrated, rationalized away and the momentum lost?

1) How to Get Cooperation and Buy-in

Build Teamwork and Create the Win-Win – How to navigate a room full of different opinions and values and build consensus. It’s the blue t-shirt principle.

Increase the Warmth of Congregation

How does it feel to be at Church? Could meetings in your chapel use an overall pick-me-up? Consider turning reverence and spirituality upside down and giving them another look.

1) Emphasize What is Real Reverence and Love in the Chapel

• Reverence Has Almost Nothing To Do With Being Quiet – Reverence is a phenomenal experience when understood. Go down the list and see if you’ve been taught what makes us reverent. If you’re like me, you haven’t!

2) Independent Study Groups and FHE

• President Nelson Freed You; Let Your Creativity Flow – What can you see yourself doing for FHE or independent study groups? Maybe, step outside the manufactured, cultural box of what gospel study is supposed to look and sound like. Let the Spirit inspire you.

3) Narcissistic Clan Self-Love and Its Side Effects

• The Sneaky False God of ‘Family First’ – If we are not careful, the idea of “family first” can become over-worshipped and repeatedly create win-lose situations for others.

What Is Being Taught?

When Doctrine Isn’t Doctrine

We all grew up with (or later stepped into) a surprising number of cultural teachings and folklore that sound like Latter-day Saint doctrine…but they are NOT. Here’s an easy guide on how to recognize what is true Church doctrine.

• Is It Really Doctrine?

• The Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost – what is the difference between the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost. What does each of them do?

• Crying Is Not Spirituality – Fair warning, this article may trigger some folks, because it pushes back hard on cultural teachings. Nonetheless, it is doctrinally sound.

Coming Someday (I hope!)

• The Handbook Secret – the handbook Is 100x better than you think – tips on how to make it work for you.
• A Memorable Relief Society – how I set up our Relief Society – and it broke attendance records.
• Welfare Dependency and Food Order Challenges – how to diplomatically help people increase their confidence and graduate from the Welfare system.