Ok, so Jason said something in his comment that unbeknownst to him, is a soapbox for me. Actually, he was just repeating what someone else said, so it wasn't really him.
So here's my soapbox. I totally agree with him (your YM's president?) that YM are in desperate need of strong leaders to help them right now. The pressures on YM and YW these days is incredible. The kinds of things they see and hear is astonishing.
But here's my problem. The reason, in my mind, for the need for strong leaders supporting them is because those strong leaders aren't in the Primary. Hear me out.
In my experience as the Primary President, and in Mike's experience in the Bishopric, (and now as the executive secretary where he hears all the gossip) people would rather serve almost anywhere but Primary. This isn't always the case but even some of you siblings have said you hate Primary or just don't want to be there. There seems to be a feeling of dread that, "Please don't make me be in Nursery." In our current ward, members have turned down callings in the Primary because they "just don't feel it is where they should be."
Thankfully, there are people that will serve happily in the Primary and love it. There are people that don't want to be there but they are willing to serve where the Lord asks them to. But it is astonishing to me how many people do not want to be there. I
have a problem with this because my boys are in Primary and their growth is hugely important to me. I believe that the most important time to teach your children is when they are Primary age. Why would you wait to help them gain strong testimonies until they are teenagers? Doesn't that seem silly? Throw them into middle school and High school and then hurry and teach them how to withstand the temptation. That's the feeling I get. And by then, it's way too late.
I feel that people need to stop talking about how much support our YM/YW need and get to the bottom of the problem--the fact that our children are not being supported from the time they come into Nursery. If you want your YM/YW to be strong, then you must teach them when they are younger.
I know from experience that even the bishopric doesn't always have this vision. They also view Primary as the last on the totum pole. Once, when I went to request someone for a position, the bishop said to me, "Don't you just have people floating around up there? Why do you need more?" Actually no, I didn't have people floating around. I was told over and over, "So and so is trying to come back to church, or we are trying to get so and so to come back to church, please find a place for them in Primary." So what you have are a lot of people not fulfilling their callings. Children are not getting taught and you are always running around looking for subs.
In my opinion, bishops need to start putting more focus on the Primary children. They need to start stressing how important it is to target these little kids and help them have strong teachers and leaders that will instill in them strong testimonies from the beginning and then, when they get to YM/YW's, they will already be prepared to withstand all the crap that comes at them.
Of course, it would be nice if all members of the church were strong leaders and there were enough to go around for both Primary and YM/YW.
So, that's my soapbox. Sorry Jason, I hope you don't think I'm attacking you--I'm just frustrated at these kind of comments over and over.
Oh, P.S. Of course, if the family isn't teaching these things in the home then it really doesn't matter how strong your leaders in YM or in Primary are. It has to be started in the family.
5 comments:
We do need good strong leaders in Primary. It seems to me that Primary is always last to be filled with callings and that they are always looking.
Consider this, though. At those younger ages, your children listen to you and mostly do what you say. Assuming you're doing your part as a parent, what they learn in primary is gravy.
As they get older, say 12 - 18 years old, these kids go through phases where the parent is the last person they listen to. Sometimes the youth leader in a church or sporting team gets a ton more respect than the parent, meaning their influence is potentially exponentially more important at this age than the younger age.
I assume that a wandering teen with wandering youth leaders is more detrimental to their growth than a young child with wandering primary teachers. -Jester
Adrianne, I do not feel the slightest bit mauled. I agree with you - for the most part.
We are blessed in our ward with a wonderful primary organization. We have great teachers and a great presidency. We occasionally have the individual who doesn't want to serve in the Primary but that is fairly rare for us. You can walk through the halls at church on Sunday and see a world-renowned opthlamologist on his knees telling a story to a group of Sunbeams and in the next room see a young couple teaching the 11-year-olds. After the home, Primary is where the foundation is built.
However, just because a child comes from a strong family or seems to have a good grasp on gospel principles does not ensure that they will be adequately prepared for the onslaught of the world when they become teens. Just as a house with a strong foundation can crack with ongoing environmental instablility, so to can the budding testimony of a YM or YW crack under the pressures of the world. Remember, this is usually the first time that these kids have really been tested. As much as we prepare them at home or in primary, their faith won't become their own until it is tried. It is at these times that the importance of good YM and YW leaders is underlined.
The foundation of faith upon which we build our lives is not finished in the first 11 years of our life. Mine is still being built and strengthened. I do believe that the most critical time in our lives with regard to our faith is in our teenage years. As the father of 4 teenage boys, I see on a daily basis the battles they wage. Some battles are fought more successfully than others. It is often a painful experience to watch but I can only do so much. I am grateful to the YM leaders in our ward who so carefully lead my boys through the minefields of life.
I also know that if it hadn't been for some great primary teachers that my boys would be having a much more difficult time navigating these years.
I am grateful to have brothers and sisters (and in-laws) who serve where ever they are called with dedication and do so willingly. Thank you for your example.
Jess, and Jason, please note that I'm NOT saying youth should get all the inactive or crazy leaders. I agree that some leaders can make a difference where perhaps a parent could not. I AM saying however, that it needs to start in Primary and unfortunetly, in most cases (in my experience) there is not as much value placed on Primary. And, I agree that it might not be until later that children will really gain a strong testimony, but you can't wait until then to help them gain it.
Fire prevention is better than fire fighting. Ensuring the foundation of your house is strong is better than finding a good guy to apply the plaster.
Besides, you might forget that Primary deals with 10 and 11 year olds too...not exactly little kids.
P.S. You mentioned the youth having their faith tested for the first time and that is when you need strong leaders. What I am saying is that if they don't have any faith to be tested in the first place, it doesn't matter how strong the leaders are. You will lose them at that point or spend a lot of time trying to get them back. When instead, if you put your time in instilling a firm faith in the first place, when they are young, then when their faith is tried, they will better be able to withstand those trials and the leaders will only have to remind or gently lead them back.
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