3 Responses to “How are mormon bishops chosen and what are their roles in th…”
Bruno Rios
2009-04-20 01:57:25
A missionary hugging a bishop in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
Hi James. I was happy to hear from you again! I've been thinking of you lately, as I recently attended a Catholic Easter mass. I really enjoyed the meeting. I think if I were not Mormon, I would probably be Catholic. :)
Let me first do a little translation from mormonese into catholicese. :) My catholicese is quite rusty, so I hope I get it right. I believe that a Mormon bishop is more or less equivalent to a Catholic priest, and that a Mormon stake president is more or less equivalent to a Catholic bishop. The details about how these men are called to their positions are probably outlined in a manual called "The Church Handbook of Instructions." Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of that manual, but based on sermons I've heard I think I can pretty accurately reconstruct the process.
The process of calling a new stake president (like a Catholic bishop) is called the "reorganization of a stake." Typically a general authority (a "Mormon cardinal") is assigned to visit the stake, a geographical region like a diocese. The general authority, together with local leaders, conducts multiple interviews of members of the stake. While interviewing, the general authority pays careful attention to impressions he receives from God in order to choose the new stake president according to God's will. After the interviews, the general authority, together with local leaders, pray together and in private, again trying to understand God's will before making a decision. The new stake president, once chosen, is announced in a special meeting called a stake conference.
I believe the process of calling a bishop (like a Catholic priest) is similar, except that the stake president takes on the role of the general authority.
Bruno Rios
2009-04-20 02:23:56
I just realized that I only answered half of your question. Here are the responsibilities of a Mormon bishop:
The Bishop has a special responsibility to teach and encourage the young men and women of his congregation. He is the leader of the quorum of priests. The LDS Church has no paid clergy, so most young men enter the priesthood at age twelve. Priests are young men aged 16 to 18, or recent male converts who have not yet been ordained to the office of Elder.
The bishop is responsible for the redistribution of wealth in his congregation. In the 19th century, Mormons lived communally. Members gave all they had to the church, and the church redistributed the community's wealth according to the needs of each member. We eventually adopted capitalism, but part of that early communal philosophy lives on in "tithing." Mormons typically give 10% of their earnings (a "tithe") to the Bishop, who then uses the funds for projects that benefit the whole community. One important use of these funds is to help the poor of the congregation. The Church has a well-established welfare program based on these kinds of voluntary donations.
The Bishop also regularly interviews members of his congregation to make sure they are adequately prepared for things like church responsibilities and temple worship. If they are not adequately prepared, often because they are struggling to follow Christ's commandments, the bishop works with them so they can be made right with God and continue on their path of personal progress. Thus, a Mormon bishop receives confession much like a Catholic priest.
Bishops also preside at weekly Sunday worship services. While they do occasionally preach sermons, sermons are typically preached by lay church members, both men and women, selected from the congregation.
It is interesting that Mormon bishops, like most Mormon clergymen, are unpaid. They continue to work in their chosen professions while serving as bishops. They too pay their tithes and devote countless hours of voluntary service to their church responsibilities.
WhiteEyebrows
2009-05-03 05:23:04
Actually... I'm gonna have to correct one point there. The bishop does not use tithing funds to help the poor.
Tithing funds are used to run the church. Tithing pays for construction and maintenance of church facilities, as well as for the annual ward and stake budgets (to pay for activities for the various auxiliary organizations (young men, young women, etc) a member tithes 10% of their "annual increase." Tithing is a commandment from God.
Fast offerings are voluntary donations from church members and are used in a ward and stake to assist the poor and needy. Members are asked to give generously, but no amount is stipulated.
As for distribution of fast offerings, bishops (under the direction of the stake president) are custodians of these funds, and when a church member is struggling, they are to speak with their local bishop.
People are usually not given money when they come to a bishop with a need. More often, they are provided with food from the bishop's storehouse, or other items to cover their immediate necessities. Then the bishop will assign members of the ward to assist that person in becoming self-sufficient. Some times the church might pay a utility bill, but only as a short-term need.
Welfare needs in the church are addressed in a manner to assist the member in becoming self-sufficient, not to train the member to become dependent on the church.
Webmaster: Thanks, WhiteEyebrows. Good to distinguish between tithing and fast offerings. My response was admittedly simplistic.
Let me first do a little translation from mormonese into catholicese. :) My catholicese is quite rusty, so I hope I get it right. I believe that a Mormon bishop is more or less equivalent to a Catholic priest, and that a Mormon stake president is more or less equivalent to a Catholic bishop. The details about how these men are called to their positions are probably outlined in a manual called "The Church Handbook of Instructions." Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of that manual, but based on sermons I've heard I think I can pretty accurately reconstruct the process.
The process of calling a new stake president (like a Catholic bishop) is called the "reorganization of a stake." Typically a general authority (a "Mormon cardinal") is assigned to visit the stake, a geographical region like a diocese. The general authority, together with local leaders, conducts multiple interviews of members of the stake. While interviewing, the general authority pays careful attention to impressions he receives from God in order to choose the new stake president according to God's will. After the interviews, the general authority, together with local leaders, pray together and in private, again trying to understand God's will before making a decision. The new stake president, once chosen, is announced in a special meeting called a stake conference.
I believe the process of calling a bishop (like a Catholic priest) is similar, except that the stake president takes on the role of the general authority.
- The Bishop has a special responsibility to teach and encourage the young men and women of his congregation. He is the leader of the quorum of priests. The LDS Church has no paid clergy, so most young men enter the priesthood at age twelve. Priests are young men aged 16 to 18, or recent male converts who have not yet been ordained to the office of Elder.
- The bishop is responsible for the redistribution of wealth in his congregation. In the 19th century, Mormons lived communally. Members gave all they had to the church, and the church redistributed the community's wealth according to the needs of each member. We eventually adopted capitalism, but part of that early communal philosophy lives on in "tithing." Mormons typically give 10% of their earnings (a "tithe") to the Bishop, who then uses the funds for projects that benefit the whole community. One important use of these funds is to help the poor of the congregation. The Church has a well-established welfare program based on these kinds of voluntary donations.
- The Bishop also regularly interviews members of his congregation to make sure they are adequately prepared for things like church responsibilities and temple worship. If they are not adequately prepared, often because they are struggling to follow Christ's commandments, the bishop works with them so they can be made right with God and continue on their path of personal progress. Thus, a Mormon bishop receives confession much like a Catholic priest.
- Bishops also preside at weekly Sunday worship services. While they do occasionally preach sermons, sermons are typically preached by lay church members, both men and women, selected from the congregation.
It is interesting that Mormon bishops, like most Mormon clergymen, are unpaid. They continue to work in their chosen professions while serving as bishops. They too pay their tithes and devote countless hours of voluntary service to their church responsibilities.Tithing funds are used to run the church. Tithing pays for construction and maintenance of church facilities, as well as for the annual ward and stake budgets (to pay for activities for the various auxiliary organizations (young men, young women, etc) a member tithes 10% of their "annual increase." Tithing is a commandment from God.
Fast offerings are voluntary donations from church members and are used in a ward and stake to assist the poor and needy. Members are asked to give generously, but no amount is stipulated.
As for distribution of fast offerings, bishops (under the direction of the stake president) are custodians of these funds, and when a church member is struggling, they are to speak with their local bishop.
People are usually not given money when they come to a bishop with a need. More often, they are provided with food from the bishop's storehouse, or other items to cover their immediate necessities. Then the bishop will assign members of the ward to assist that person in becoming self-sufficient. Some times the church might pay a utility bill, but only as a short-term need.
Welfare needs in the church are addressed in a manner to assist the member in becoming self-sufficient, not to train the member to become dependent on the church.
Webmaster: Thanks, WhiteEyebrows. Good to distinguish between tithing and fast offerings. My response was admittedly simplistic.