All those serving in stake leadership (including the stake presidency, high council members, and the bishop and his counselors) will now comprise the high priests' group in the stake. This will add strength and power to priesthood quorums.
On a personal note, I welcome this change. My first opportunity to teach a lesson in Elders' Quorum was in my parents' ward. On the first day I was going to teach, I was advised that the High Priests in the ward would be joining the lesson, as their instructor was not able to make it. As I taught that group of combined elders and high priests, there was a power in the discussion of the lesson material, and, above and beyond that, how to implement the principles taught into our lives.
So I welcome the chance all Melchizedek Priesthood holders will have in a ward to meet in one united group, firmly committed to bearing the priesthood and doing the Lord's work together. I testify, along with the testimonies we have received tonight from President Nelson and Elders Christofferson and Rasband, that this is yet another example of the clear fact that modern revelation does occur in this Church. It is the Lord's Church. Together we will move the work of the Lord forward.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
One correction, the stake leaders you mentioned in the 2nd paragraph comprise a High Priest Quorum not group.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, of course, but I was basing the wording above on the fact that, until this change, the High Priests' Quorum was comprised of all those within a stake who had been ordained to the office of high priest, and on the fact that the larger quorum had been divided into groups on the ward level. Either way, this change is tremendous, and I very much appreciated the fact that we heard all who spoke tonight testify of the inspired nature of this change. Anyone who says we do not have modern revelation anymore did not pay attention to what the Church has done in just one day.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a day it has been, with two new apostles (one of Asian descent and the first from South America generally and from Brazil in particular), an almost full turnover for the Presidency of the Seventy (although, aside from the two vacancies resulting from these apostolic calls, the three other changes will only actually be effective on August 1, the first time I know of in which a change was sustained in advance), new General Authority Seventies, the new Young Women General Presidency, and many changes in area seventies. I just posted about all of that a few moments ago. Thanks, Scott. Always appreciate hearing your insights and thoughts.