Elder Dale G. Renlund (Oct. 17): "The Priesthood and the Savior's Atoning Power"

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The Activity:

Prior to doing this activity, spend time discussing some of the quotes about the purposes of the priesthood, e.g. Paragraphs 3-5, 8, and 24

1.     Draw a line down the middle of the board

2.     On the left side, make a list of the ways that the priesthood achieves these purposes.

3.     On the other side of the board, make a list of things that keep us from doing the items in the first list or keep us from doing them well.

4.     Ask each individual member to consider the list on the right and identify one thing that is preventing them from more effectively fulfilling the mission of the priesthood and that they could change to some degree immediately.

5.     Ask them to write down what they will change in their lives to be a better servant of God and keep it in their scriptures to review on a regular basis.



Using the Activity:

Obviously, this talk was given to the Priesthood and deals with the priesthood.  So, many of us are simply going to think about this in terms of the men in the Church, but in many ways this applies to the sisters as well.  We may forget that auxiliaries such as Relief Society, Young Women’s, Primary, and Sunday School all function under the direction of the Priesthood (the Bishop, specifically).  As such, they are engaged in carrying out the work of the Priesthood, i.e. the Savior’s work of salvation and exaltation.  During this discussion, then, be aware of the universality of much of the counsel in this talk. 

Also, it is worth noting that for many faithful members, the priesthood can be a difficult topic.  As teachers, we should be sensitive to these struggles.  We are not going to utter some magic phrase that will make these struggles go away for anyone.  The only one who can do that is the Spirit.  What we need to make sure is that we do not make anyone feel attacked, belittled, or demeaned because of our class.  If they do, the results could be catastrophic from an eternal perspective.  A person who feels attacked is not likely to feel the Spirit.  Furthermore, making some members of the class/group/quorum/ward feel attacked is not how we build unity.  We can speak correct doctrine without singling out or ridiculing any particular perspective.  Also, if a person is repeatedly made to feel attacked, the chances of them leaving us increase.  And ultimately, our goal is to draw all to Christ.  We do that best, when people want to be with us. 

Specifically, with this activity, you could easily structure it to be a small group or individual activity.  I hope that this helps you see how you might magnify your calling as a teacher.  God bless.

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