How can I participate effectively in councils in the Church?

The Lords Church is governed through councils. Under the direction of

priesthood leadership, leaders counsel together for the benefit of individuals,
families, and the Church. Effective councils invite full expression from all council
members, who seek to be united and guided by the Holy Ghost to build the
kingdom of God. Learning how revelation is received in councils can help us
participate effectively in council meetings, including presidency meetings,
bishopric youth committee meetings, and family councils.

Prepare yourself spiritually

When have you been a part of a council? What experiences have helped
you understand the importance of councils in the Lords work?
What councils have the youth participated in (for example, class and
quorum presidencies or the bishopric youth committee)? How well do the
youth understand the purposes of councils?

Make connections

Invite the youth to share their experiences participating in council settings in

the Church, such as class and quorum presidencies or bishopric youth
committee meetings. What did they do to prepare for the meeting? What did they
do to participate? How did the council help accomplish the Lords work?

Learn together

1. Write on the board the scripture references suggested in this outline. Ask each
class member to select a scripture to study and then think about why the Lord
uses councils to accomplish His work. Why would it be less effective if one
person made all of the decisions without counseling with others? How can the
youth apply these principles in their relationships with their families?

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them. (The Lord will be in the midst of those
gathered together in His name)
Moroni 6:45 4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were
wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were
numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names
were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good
word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually
watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the
author and the finisher of their faith.
 5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak
one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.(Church members
meet together oft to discuss the welfare of souls)

D&C 38:27 27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is
even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not
mine. (We are commanded to be unified)
D&C 88:122 Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be
spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto
his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all,
and that every man may have an equal privilege. (Edification occurs
when all have the opportunity to speak and listen)

2. Show the video Participate in Councils. Invite the youth to look for key
elements of a successful council and write them down (some examples may
include following the Spirit, listening to one another, and making and receiving
assignments). Invite them to share experiences in which they have seen these
principles applied in a council or in other setting.

3. Invite some of the youth to read President Henry B. Eyrings experience as a

youth in his priests quorum (in his talk Learning in the Priesthood), and invite
the others to read his 20 years later as a bishop (in the same talk). Ask them to
retell the stories to each other. What do they learn from these stories about
councils? What makes councils such an effective way to do the Lords work?
What are some opportunities the youth have to counsel together?

Twenty years later as a bishop, I had the opportunity to see the effectiveness of a
council not just in the meetinghouse but also in the mountains. During a Saturday
activity, a member of our quorum had been lost in the forest overnight. As far as
we knew, he was alone and without warm clothes, food, or shelter. We searched
for him without success.

My memory is that we prayed together, the priests quorum and I, and I then
asked each to speak. I listened intently, and it seemed to me that they did too, to
each other. After a while, a feeling of peace settled on us. I felt that our lost
quorum member was safe and dry somewhere.

It became clear to me what the quorum was to do and not to do. When the
people who found him described the place in the woods where he had gone for
safety, I felt that I recognized it. But the larger miracle for me was to see a united
priesthood councils faith in Jesus Christ bringing revelation to the man with the
priesthood keys. We all grew that day in the power of the priesthood.
The second key to increased learning is to have love for each other that comes
from great faith. I am not sure which comes first, but both always seem to be
there whenever there is great and rapid learning in the priesthood. Joseph Smith
taught that to us by example.

4. After completing one of the above activities, invite the youth to apply the
principles they learned by role-playing participating in a council. Assign each
class member a role to play, and ask them to choose a topic that they could
counsel together about, such as how to help the members of the ward
understand the importance of reverence or modesty.