Thankful

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

Today I am thankful for a good bishop one who understands that:
Christ is more important than church
That church is about bringing people closer to Christ
That Christ understood that the first step in refining people is loving them just how they are
That Christlike love is not judegemental,
Rather, loving them means listening, understanding, empathizing, and caring rather than judging, shaming, or changing
That doing that requires a focus on the individual rather than policy
That this can sometimes mean subjugating what you want to do/say/prefer to what is best for the person where they are
That it is ok not to have all the answers
That it is ok to say "I don't know".
Even to say, I'm sorry
Or, I made a mistake.
I am grateful for a bishop that can say the brethren give general advice, it is why they are general authorities an that
Acknowledges your specific answer might be different than general council.
I am grateful for a bishop that focuses on what the members of the ward do to make it better for all rather than focus on what they aren't doing. Someone who is grateful for the contributions of each member of the ward.
Mostly I am thankful today for a bishop who, while not perfect, truly strives to represent Christ.

I know we have leadership roulette in the church. I've had my share of both the good and the bad. When our current bishop was called, I was a bit skeptical. I just wish all my fellow NOM's could have the kind of experience with their bishops as I have had with mine over the last several months. If the church actually developed and called leaders like this consistently, I believe it would be a much better and healthier p,ace for all.

[MalcolmVillager]

You ate lucky. I think most members and leaders in the church feel similarly, but the top down structure doesnt always let it show. It sounds like there is a story behind this.

Glad you feel this in your middle way.

[wtfluff]

I had a bishop like that once.

Then they "divided the ward" and I took that as my opportunity to slip under the radar and stop attending.

There have been at least two new bishops since that time, and I don't think I've ever spoken to either of them, and don't plan to do so at any point in the near future...

[mufflerman]

Today I am thankful for a good bishop one who understands that:
Christ is more important than church
That church is about bringing people closer to Christ
That Christ understood that the first step in refining people is loving them just how they are
That Christlike love is not judegemental,
Rather, loving them means listening, understanding, empathizing, and caring rather than judging, shaming, or changing
That doing that requires a focus on the individual rather than policy
That this can sometimes mean subjugating what you want to do/say/prefer to what is best for the person where they are
That it is ok not to have all the answers
That it is ok to say "I don't know".
Even to say, I'm sorry
Or, I made a mistake.
I am grateful for a bishop that can say the brethren give general advice, it is why they are general authorities an that
Acknowledges your specific answer might be different than general council.
I am grateful for a bishop that focuses on what the members of the ward do to make it better for all rather than focus on what they aren't doing. Someone who is grateful for the contributions of each member of the ward.
Mostly I am thankful today for a bishop who, while not perfect, truly strives to represent Christ.

I know we have leadership roulette in the church. I've had my share of both the good and the bad. When our current bishop was called, I was a bit skeptical. I just wish all my fellow NOM's could have the kind of experience with their bishops as I have had with mine over the last several months. If the church actually developed and called leaders like this consistently, I believe it would be a much better and healthier p,ace for all.

I hope we start to see more of these types.