Big changes coming in April GC!

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

So, they are pairing men w/ their wives to make sure the men actually go. My TBM husband never does his HT. I always tried to do my VT. I opted out of VT, including being visit taught, at least 5 years ago. It has been wonderful. So I'm not going to go "ministering", nor will I encourage my husband to go.
Same old stuff I guess.

If the husband wife team thing is true, I have to say that might actually be a genius idea to shame men who have zealous obedient wives into active participation.

[oliver_denom]

So, they are pairing men w/ their wives to make sure the men actually go. My TBM husband never does his HT. I always tried to do my VT. I opted out of VT, including being visit taught, at least 5 years ago. It has been wonderful. So I'm not going to go "ministering", nor will I encourage my husband to go.
Same old stuff I guess.

If the husband wife team thing is true, I have to say that might actually be a genius idea to shame men who have zealous obedient wives into active participation.

I'm wondering if they will be calling couples like they used to do with Ward Missionaries. Instead of doing x hours per week proselyting non-members, they'll focus on home visits and reactivation.

This would make sense considering the massive ward consolidation efforts that have been happening. Bigger wards mean more people for new callings. If so, then this seems very Jehovah's Witness to me. Instead of spreading Home and Visiting teaching out across the ward where only a handful of people go every month, they can concentrate the entire program into the hands of a select number of zealots whose job will be to regularly harass the entire ward.

Yay.

[Brent]

Pro: The word "Minister" would be used to help lift the heavy weight of "Home Teaching" which most see as "Home Monitoring". The question is if real freedom is involved to minister as your families need, phone calls, FaceTime, "Drive by"s...

Cons: Changing names doesn't change culture. Also, what do you do with single members? Do they minister as individuals? As a "companionship"?

[EternityIsNow]

Wait, I just thought of something... the rumor apparently includes that this will be something that has not happened since 1830... Maybe we need to think bigger. What happened then was that the church was incorporated. So what if that is the change? I can think of a good reason for the church to re-incorporate itself, so there would be two fiduciaries, a non-profit church and the Corp.of the President, with either possibly having a new legal name. And maybe one being a foundation. And if they did that, which one would keep all the money...? I can see the church trying to protect assets against possible major lawsuits or other liabilities in the future, and therefore changing how it is incorporated, or something like that. So add that one to the list of possibilities...

[Not Buying It]

Wait, I just thought of something... the rumor apparently includes that this will be something that has not happened since 1830... Maybe we need to think bigger.

Something that hasn’t happened since 1830? Maybe Church leadership being completely honest with the members they lead? But somehow I doubt that’s gonna be the “big change”.

[Raylan Givens]

Big changes just mean restructuring things like a business. Nothing doctrine related, that will stay the same. It will be about efficiency and making Church less daunting, while also getting rid of the fun parts of church (pot lucks, parties and bigger youth events). The fun things are not efficient, expensive, and don't always translate to other cultures.

[redjay]

Misdirection, to take the focus from flat growth?

[Mad Jax]

I'm glad I got out when I did. I don't think all these changes they're making would have sat well with me as a TBM. I might have been tempted to seek out Strang's following or some alternative.

[moksha]

The 1950's are coming back y'all. Embrace the change!

At the stroke of midnight on December 31st at BYU each year, the clocks always adjust to Jan 1, 1959.

[Hogbreath]

Big changes just mean restructuring things like a business.

Only the LDS church can present a name change and call it revelation. Now standing up in GC and stating that Sunday hymns will no longer be played & sung as if at a funeral - now that would be inspiration!

[1smartdodog]

Considering who has come to power I would not think it is Linley any changes would be NOM friendly

[Reuben]

I'm actually a little hopeful about this change, weirdly enough. I've always thought that the "teaching" part of HT and VT was the least important part, despite the word being in both names. Discontinuing the FP message means they're serious about changing the nature of the programs, and also removes the ability of HTers to just fall back on old patterns. The changes together might actually be effective.

Whether the new program ends up being better is anyone's guess at this point.

Big changes just mean restructuring things like a business.

Only the LDS church can present a name change and call it revelation. Now standing up in GC and stating that Sunday hymns will no longer be played & sung as if at a funeral - now that would be inspiration!

Watchtower Society does this, too, but they call it "new light." It amounts to the same thing, and is generally just as meaningless.