Why do people aspire to callings?

[cowboy]

I have two good friends who are bishops and my FIL is in the Stake Presidency after serving as bishop for 5 years. Listening to them and watching my own bishop deal with problems makes me wonder why anybody would want the calling. But people aspire to the calling and other high profile callings all the time.

I don't think it's all about power, though with some it may be. I think that many aspire to callings because they want to feel like the Lord thinks they're worthy to hold them. "If President so-and-so received inspiration that I should be the EQP, then the Lord must think I'm doing okay." Just wondering what y'all think.

[JohnnyLingo]

Because they don't understand what the callings actually entail?

[Levin]

I tihnk you're right that part of it is that they crave the "Godly acknowledgement."

But part of it also is they want that acknowledgement in front of their peers. They want their peers to see them as great, inasmuch as any calling designates a peson as such (those who aspire for the callings think the callings connote a lot, obviously).

And I suspect there are some agitators out there who want the calling so they can shake things up -- they see changes they want made and they want the calling so they can make those changes.

[TripletDaddy]

Matthew talks about the scribes and Pharisees. They make broad their phylacteries. They enlarge the borders of their garments. They enjoy being called "Rabbi" out in the marketplace and getting to sit in the uppermost rooms at feasts and the Chief seats in the synagogues.

Not much has changed today. Some people really dig the prestige that comes along with the calling or title. Or, should I say, they dig what they think is "prestige." The wife likes being the "Bishop's wife." The guy wants to preside at meetings. He wants to show what he knows.

Keep in mind, my response is to cowboy's question....regarding those that aspire to callings. I am not saying that Stake Presidents and Bishops all feel this way....just maybe the ones that aspire to the calling.

I think that much of these aspirings probably cease once the guy actually gets the calling...and realize how much thankless work and endless headaches and sacrifices it takes to be a Bishop or a SP.

The real quest should be to aspire to have no calling. At least in my experience. I like my garment borders nice and small. And tiny phylacteries.

[Indy Coug]

I have two good friends who are bishops and my FIL is in the Stake Presidency after serving as bishop for 5 years. Listening to them and watching my own bishop deal with problems makes me wonder why anybody would want the calling. But people aspire to the calling and other high profile callings all the time.

I don't think it's all about power, though with some it may be. I think that many aspire to callings because they want to feel like the Lord thinks they're worthy to hold them. "If President so-and-so received inspiration that I should be the EQP, then the Lord must think I'm doing okay." Just wondering what y'all think.

While I acknowledge that there are undoubtedly people out there that aspire to be a bishop or SP, I personally don't know anyone that has. So I can't really answer your question.

Having served in a couple of PEC-type callings, I can see where people might enjoy certain callings because they enjoy serving and feel they are making a difference, but that's a different slant on things than trying to power grab. I also think that a lot people have a very romanticized conception of what these callings are really like.

[Art Vandelay]

Not much has changed today. Some people really dig the prestige that comes along with the calling or title. Or, should I say, they dig what they think is "prestige." The wife likes being the "Bishop's wife." The guy wants to preside at meetings. He wants to show what he knows.

Keep in mind, my response is to cowboy's question....regarding those that aspire to callings. I am not saying that Stake Presidents and Bishops all feel this way....just maybe the ones that aspire to the calling.

I think that much of these aspirings probably cease once the guy actually gets the calling...and realize how much thankless work and endless headaches and sacrifices it takes to be a Bishop or a SP.

My wife really hates being known as the Bishop's wife or worse the Mother of the Ward. She feels like everything she does or doesn't do is somehow judged by others, "if the bishop's wife lets her kids do this then it must be ok..." "I don't think that kind of book is appropriate for a bishop's wife". Granted these comments have been few and far between and done mostly in jest by her friends, but it still make her bristle at times.

[SeattleUte]

No one here aspires to any calling almost by definition. The only exception I can think of is Pelagius. Perversely, he seems to use this place as a platform to advance his calling aspirations.

[beefytee]

I too don't know of any personal examples of people aspiring to callings.

There are lots of blessings that come from these calling, or so we hear over the pulpit from them.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I too don't know of any personal examples of people aspiring to callings.

There are lots of blessings that come from these calling, or so we hear over the pulpit from them.

I've told this story before but (obviously) do not tire of repeating it. The Church receives 2-3 letters a week from recent retirees that read something like the following: "I've recently completed the sale of my business/practice/whatever and now have the time and resources to serve as a mission president." As of the time I was given this information, the number of such letters' authors who were then called to be mission presidents: zero.

I urge everyone to get their letters in promptly.

[LA Ute]

The most satisfying callings I have had have been the ones where I got to work with people one-on-one: Scoutmaster, YM pres., Ward Mission Leader (I live in a small ward so everyone who's active always has a pretty demanding calling). The administrative callings have their highs, but almost anyone who really has a sense of what the callings entail wouldn't aspire to them.

This reminds me of my nephew, who served as a bishop when he had a young family. He spent one entire Christmas Day with a family in his ward that had a huge and terrible issue of some kind. I'm sure he and his family were blessed greatly in some compensatory way, but still . . . .

[happyone]

My brother had been called as a bishop of a servicemans ward in Germany. He only had less than 1 yr left in country when he was called. About 3 mths after he was called, his boss asked him to extend his tour for a year. He said he thought about it for about 15 secs (he really liked his job and Germany) and then told his boss sorry, can't do it.

He was really grateful for his release.

[byu71]

In some circles foks talk about "my son the Bishop" like others talk about my son the Dr. Fortunately one of my brothers came through and I no longer felt I had let my parents down.

[Tick's wife]

imo, those that 'aspire' to be bishops and other high callings like the short man who has a big truck. They are trying to make up for lack of something.

[Viking]

imo, those that 'aspire' to be bishops and other high callings like the short man who has a big truck. They are trying to make up for lack of something.

I aspired to be AP. I now aspire to being able to throw back more than 3 caipirinhas without falling over.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I aspired to be AP. I now aspire to being able to throw back more than 3 caipirinhas without falling over.

lightweight