Hello again, everyone! I recently addressed on this blog President Nelson's statement about how all of us should eat our vitamin pills and get our rest, because there will be more revelation from the Lord for His Church in the days ahead. In another totally unexpected announcement that again instantly made sense and for which I received confirmation that it was right, the First Presidency announced a change in the way young men in Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and young women in their groups will progress from one Quorum or class to another.
As further explained in the official letter and FAQs, beginning in January, all boys and girls in the Church will complete Primary in January of the year in which they will be turning 12. At that point, all young men who will be 12 during that year will receive the Aaronic Priesthood and will be ordained deacons, and all young women who will be 12 that year will join the Beehive class. Similarly, all young men who will be 14 each year will be ordained teachers in January, while the young women will advance to the Mia Maid class, and the same will be true at the beginning of the year when all turning 16 will be ordained priests (for the young men) or will advance to the Laurel class (for the young women).
As has been the case in the past, all Aaronic Priesthood ordinations will continue to be presented for sustaining vote, but that will occur in January. The advancement of young women will not be recognized over the pulpit. This also means that all ordained teachers and priests and all Mia Maids and Laurels will continue to be part of the ministering program, and that all young men and young women who will be 14 and older any given year will participate in youth conferences and be invited to the youth dances. And of course, all ordained priests and young women in the Laurel class will be able to assist in the temple as previously announced.
These changes are being made in the Church's ongoing efforts to reduce and simplify the work of leaders and members worldwide, and also in an effort to add strength and numbers each year to Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and young women groups. These changes will take effect this January. The bishops of each ward will continue to meet with youth on a yearly basis, with the counselors in the bishopric interviewing young men and young women at other times during the year as needed.
I was pleased to hear of this development, and grateful for the chance to bring word of it to you all here. I am similarly grateful that the Brethren have recognized the need for consistency and have determined the best way to strengthen Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and young women classes. Now the transition to Sunday School classes and youth groups will match perfectly.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
Friday, December 14, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: Changes Announced for Age Progression/Ordination in Young Men Quorums and Young Women Groups
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
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The Church News has provided additional context, including comments on these changes from the General Presidents of the Primary, Young Men, and Young Women organizations. You can find that in the article at the address below:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2018-12-14/first-presidency-announces-age-changes-for-primary-progression-young-men-priesthood-ordination-and-youth-temple-recommends-48626
This is a quick timeline of when ages for priesthood ordinations have changed over the years:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2018-12-14/heres-a-quick-timeline-of-how-priesthood-ordination-has-changed-throughout-the-years-48629
And, in case it is needed, this is a separate page showing the FAQs about these changes:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2018-12-14/frequently-asked-questions-what-to-expect-from-the-changes-for-primary-progression-and-young-men-priesthood-ordination-48631
If any further resources relating to this change are subsequently posted, I will share those here in another comment. My thanks again to you all.