Ministering & youth

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

Ok, so does someone want to explain the logic in this:

1) There have been a lot of recent stories regarding sexual impropriety in the church with individuals taking advantage of their position (Mission president, Bishop, youth leader) to abuse youth in the church.
2) The Boy Scouts require two deep leadership. At least two leaders must be present at all times in order to meet with a scout.
3) The Bishop in a ward is a registered Boy Scout leader and as such should NOT be meeting with the scouts (boys between 12-18) in the the ward without someone else present in the room.
4) There have been individuals advocating for change in the interview process to protect both the youth (from sexual abuse) and the bishop (from false allegations of the same).


Then recently we have the "new" ministering program. In the materials for the ministering program it talks about how

5) "Leaders may choose to assign Laurels and Mia Maids as companions to Relief Society sisters, as
priests and teachers are now assigned as companions to Melchizedek Priesthood holders."

So, individuals express concerns about vulnerable populations being in a situation where they are alone with an adult of perceived authority, and the church then EXPANDS opportunities to place youth one-on-one in unsupervised situations with adults!!!! Not only do they not have access to inspiration or revelation, they apparently don't have a brain in their heads or the ability to listen and process information from those that do.

-lost

[slavereeno]

Wow, now that you mention it... They just took my son who is a minor away from me and assigned him to another dude from our ward. They ride alone together in the car to appointments, communicate with each other via texts that I am not copied on, etc. WTF!? Why do I allow it? I suppose I need to make a stand when the new system gets in place.

[Not Buying It]

A couple of years ago I sent my bishop an email instructing that none of my children were to be assigned as Home teaching companions to anyone but me. I am very disturbed that Scouting has a two deep rule, but as a matter of policy the Church assigns minors as Home teaching companions to men outside of their families and puts them in situations where they are alone together. It is completely unconscionable. It blatantly and negligently disregards the safety of youth in the Church.

The email killed two birds with one stone. It protected my sons, and kept me from being assigned with some gung-ho zealot who might actually try to make me go home teaching.

[Thoughtful]

Wow, now that you mention it... They just took my son who is a minor away from me and assigned him to another dude from our ward. They ride alone together in the car to appointments, communicate with each other via texts that I am not copied on, etc. WTF!? Why do I allow it? I suppose I need to make a stand when the new system gets in place.

And it contradicts the new abuse policy that implements 2 deep in all classes. Obviously that was lip service if they turn around and let youth minister with adults who are not their parents.

[slavereeno]

A couple of years ago I sent my bishop an email instructing that none of my children were to be assigned as Home teaching companions to anyone but me.

After a discussion with DW yesterday, we agreed that I will be sending a letter very much like this to my ward leadership. For our sons and daughters.

[alas]

If we are going to focus on "real needs" and then report up the line any thing that really needs "ministering" then having children along on the visits seems counter productive. Seriously, if you are out of food, with no paycheck in the foreseeable future, are you REALLY going to report that to your "ministering brothers" with the 14 year old kid sitting there.

And VT was always the backup, because often the man was too proud to say he children were going hungry, but the children's mother has no such false pride when her children are hungry and would report to the VT. When I was RSP, 90% of the problems reported were reported through the VT, not directly to the bishop. The wife/mother would say something to the VTs before things got really bad, and the VTs passed it up to me and I would report to bishop and then go make a visit to see how bad things were. But you think the wife/mother is going to say something when there is a 14 year old there as official "ministering sister"?

And the VT found out about domestic violence, problems with a pregnancy, and other situations that simply will not be mentioned with a child as "ministering sister".

I see the whole "put a child as MS to train them " as putting the needs of the YW to be "trained" ahead of the sisters and the REAL problems that the VTs used to find.

Not to mention lack of two deep adult leadership when a minor child is involved.

Disaster/disaster.

I am so not thrilled with putting children in charge of reporting problems back up the "ministering" line of authority. Obviously who ever made this decision was more worried about "giving the YW a purpose" in the church to keep them active than in truely doing the ministering that needs to be done.

When I was RSP, I got supper irritated that the needs of the YM came before the needs of the whole rest of the ward, and now they are doing the same thing in an attempt to puff up thee egoes of YW so they will stay active cause they "feel needed". Why not give them REAL callings, like playing the music or teaching primary as team teachers with an adult? Oh, there are not enough of those kind of callings for the women....oops.

So glad I am out, so glad I am out, so glad I am out.

[slavereeno]

If we are going to focus on "real needs" and then report up the line any thing that really needs "ministering" then having children along on the visits seems counter productive. Seriously, if you are out of food, with no paycheck in the foreseeable future, are you REALLY going to report that to your "ministering brothers" with the 14 year old kid sitting there.

+10 Couldn't agree more.

I got supper irritated that the needs of the YM came before the needs of the whole rest of the ward

When I was YMP, the YM budget in our ward was twice the budget of RS, YW, HP, EQ, SS, BP and PRI combined. Where your treasure is there will you heart be also?

[slavereeno]

I just sent the letters to the RSP and EQP and copied the BP, assign my kids to me or my wife or don't assign them at all...

A step in the right direction I hope.