No Home Teaching = No Temple Recommend

[Sleeping in EQ]

FTR, I have yet to be punished for not doing my home teaching.

And if you are just addressing DnF's rogue EQP who doesn't want to follow church policy, I think you may have just wasted 5-10 valuable minutes of your life typing that out. That said, reading your post, it sure seems like you were implying this is a common occurrence in the church, hence my initial comment.

I think you have misunderstood my post. I proceeded from the specific to the general, which is an inductive rhetorical style.

I can't help but wonder if your apparent concern for me wasting my time isn't just your way of saying that you disagree with what you think I've said. Mormons are skilled at the backhanded expression of concern that is really a kiss off. I hope you weren't' doing that. My criticism of a tendency in Mormonism to uphold mighty programs regardless of their failing to fulfill people's needs is sincere.

I have witnessed many times a lack of consideration for whether or not a program met the needs of the people. I have also witnessed many times that when said program did not perform up to leaders' expectations, people were blamed. I think its poor leadership technique to blame people for not supporting a program that is not meeting their needs. I think that relying on a "do it because I told you to do it" approach will fail in the long run.

I suspect that many members' needs are not met by Home Teachers coming to their house to read an Ensign article. I suspect that people do not find either teaching or receiving by-the-manual lessons to be fulfilling. I believe that, at the extreme, blaming people and ignoring problems in programs and curricula contributes to an over-correlated church environment where adults are infantilized. I further believe that while some leaders think they will find an infantilized membership convenient, such a thing is morally repugnant.

My church membership has nothing to do with leaders' convenience, nor should it.

I think that in the case of Home Teaching, the numerous lectures, declarations that the program isn't about numbers (these repeated declarations alone indicate a problem. It's like the old joke that the way you know something is a multi-level marketing scam is that it tells you that it isn't a multi-level marketing scam), outright tantrums, patronizing comparisons to the RS, and the never ending stream of such constitutes "punishment."

I also can't help but wonder how a thinking leader would believe that any of those punishments is effective. I have sat through years of them, and I see no improvement whatsoever. If anything, the total failure of the punishment approach suggests that either leaders don't actually care, that they themselves are too busy to put much effort into improving things, or that they are so arrogant that they think that they can just order people around and things will get done.

Many of the rank and file have taken notice of all of this and are no longer on board. When the program is reworked or replaced with something that people believe meets their needs, things will change.

Of course I could be wrong; but if I was worried about avoiding error I wouldn't be holding truck with religion anyway.

[KillerDog]

I agree completely with SIEQ. I member of the Stake Presidency was touring the priesthood units in the Stake with a lesson on Home Teaching. He asked our group why people might not home teach. I told him it was a lack of testimony in the program. I think that is fundamentally what SIEQ is talking about. If you, like me, don't want to be home taught because you feel like there is no benefit in being home taught, you also don't want to home teach because you don't want to waste people's time. This belief and the lack of testimony it is indicative of, is the real problem with the home teaching program.

I think there are those who really benefit from the program. Widowed and single sisters seem to benefit from the program. The small group of members in every ward who provide the majority of the "opportunities for service" seem to benefit from the program. Outside of those noted exceptions, I don't think many benefit from the program. Interestingly, both groups that benefit from the program aren't contributors to the program. I wonder if there is a correlation there?

[smokymountainrain]

I think you have misunderstood my post. I proceeded from the specific to the general, which is an inductive rhetorical style.

I can't help but wonder if your apparent concern for me wasting my time isn't just your way of saying that you disagree with what you think I've said. Mormons are skilled at the backhanded expression of concern that is really a kiss off. I hope you weren't' doing that. My criticism of a tendency in Mormonism to uphold mighty programs regardless of their failing to fulfill people's needs is sincere.

I have witnessed many times a lack of consideration for whether or not a program met the needs of the people. I have also witnessed many times that when said program did not perform up to leaders' expectations, people were blamed. I think its poor leadership technique to blame people for not supporting a program that is not meeting their needs. I think that relying on a "do it because I told you to do it" approach will fail in the long run.

I suspect that many members' needs are not met by Home Teachers coming to their house to read an Ensign article. I suspect that people do not find either teaching or receiving by-the-manual lessons to be fulfilling. I believe that, at the extreme, blaming people and ignoring problems in programs and curricula contributes to an over-correlated church environment where adults are infantilized. I further believe that while some leaders think they will find an infantilized membership convenient, such a thing is morally repugnant.

My church membership has nothing to do with leaders' convenience, nor should it.

I think that in the case of Home Teaching, the numerous lectures, declarations that the program isn't about numbers (these repeated declarations alone indicate a problem. It's like the old joke that the way you know something is a multi-level marketing scam is that it tells you that it isn't a multi-level marketing scam), outright tantrums, patronizing comparisons to the RS, and the never ending stream of such constitutes "punishment."

I also can't help but wonder how a thinking leader would believe that any of those punishments is effective. I have sat through years of them, and I see no improvement whatsoever. If anything, the total failure of the punishment approach suggests that either leaders don't actually care, that they themselves are too busy to put much effort into improving things, or that they are so arrogant that they think that they can just order people around and things will get done.

Many of the rank and file have taken notice of all of this and are no longer on board. When the program is reworked or replaced with something that people believe meets their needs, things will change.

Of course I could be wrong; but if I was worried about avoiding error I wouldn't be holding truck with religion anyway.

FWIW, I agree with your main point regarding the home teaching program.

It was your initial comment about being punished for not doing hometeaching that stood out to me - it simply doesn't happen except in extremely rare cases where you have some moron in charge who wants make new rules.

I apologize for focusing on that one part rather than the meat of your post.

[wuapinmon]

Atlantic Monthly? I would take Harpers or New Yorker any day over that old rag.

IJR, you ignorant cur, the New Yorker isn't fit for hygienic paper. I like Harper's but the subscription is too much money.

[BYUHoopster]

On Sunday in PEC, our new EQP (whom I've posted about before) when discussing the struggles we're having with home teaching suggested that bretheren who don't do their home teaching have their temple recommends revoked for a few weeks/months until the numbers go up.

Thoughts?

Personally, I think this is just a lazy EQP. He is looking for other people and other programs for motivation, and in essence do his calling/work.

It is his calling to figure out how to help the quorom with home teaching. Part of the calling as EQP is figuring out what works for the different elders in the quorom. He must be a novice if he thinks one course of action will fix the problem for all elders. His answer seems overly simple and quite frankly represents simple mindedness on his part.

[Hallelujah]

That is pretty unusual to have all of your families refusing to let you come by. Do you have a reputation for staying way to long during your visits.

Sounds like the only common thread amongst his home teaching families is .. wuap.

[wuapinmon]

Sounds like the only common thread amongst his home teaching families is .. wuap.

[Sleeping in EQ]

FWIW, I agree with your main point regarding the home teaching program.

It was your initial comment about being punished for not doing hometeaching that stood out to me - it simply doesn't happen except in extremely rare cases where you have some moron in charge who wants make new rules.

I apologize for focusing on that one part rather than the meat of your post.

No worries. Sometimes if we focus enough, the planets will align and mighty Kolob will emerge.

As an aside, I just can't ignore the fact that while many a statement asserts that "Home Teaching isn't about the numbers," it is in fact the numbers, and only the numbers, that go up the leadership chain. When the Stake President reports to the Area Presidency, he gives them the HT numbers. These numbers keep going up and up like magic balloons until they are compiled and compared with other numbers (like sacrament meeting attendance and activity rate).

So the numbers are what leadership is interested in, because its what leadership measures. This is exactly why someone who focuses on the numbers can easily come off like your basic religious bureaucrat interested in "climbing the ladder." It's also why not doing or accepting Home Teaching is the only action the rank and file can take that will send a message up the chain.

If leadership was interested in understanding how HT does or doesn't meet members needs, they'd gather different kinds of data. They'd do things like ask you to describe what you think is beneficial, and not, in HT. They'd ask you what you found inspiring, and not, in Sacrament, SS, and the rest of it. In short, they'd get additional quantitative and qualitative data.

In fairness, all of that would be expensive and time consuming on the general level. On the ward level, though, it is exactly what an EQP should do if he wants his quorum to take him seriously when it comes to HT. He should also find a way to make that information matter in the lives of his quorum members.

An EQP would also be wise not to think of the numbers he reports as a form of accountability (which Stake Presidents sometimes do, but which members who think about it for a minute can see is all about the SP's own accountability before the Area Presidency). Family Home Evening is a program that I find does a much better job meeting my and my family's needs. FHE feels less correlated than HT. FHE also seems more important than HT. And yet, there is no regular reporting of FHE participation.

I'll step down from my high horse now.

[byu71]

It is about keeping people active. Let's for discussion sake assume the church is true and the activity in the church is a good thing. Once you accept that premise, isn't anything done legally, justified in keeping one active.

Home teaching keeps men active. That is why the numbers game is so important and why a phone call doesn't suffice.

Studies have probably been done that show correlations to activity in the church. While I may feel I can be active and I don't need home teachers to come or I don't need to make a physical visit to keep active, the studies show that I would be an exception to the rule.

[myboynoah]

I like the Home Teaching program. It offers great opportunities to serve and to be served. If nothing more, it facilitates the creation of a feeling of community within a ward. You get to know and value the experiences of people with whom you might not otherwise interact. I sincerely believe there are lost opportunities in not participating.

It is sad that it has gotten caught up in such a numbers game and accountability. The accountability aspect of it can actually hinder progress. We all know we are asked to do it, so when 2-3 months go by and it's not done, guilt sets in and the home teacher finds it more difficult to go because going is a reminder that it wasn't done in the previous months. Who wants to keep apologizing for not doing it? I don't know the answer to that dilemna.

I haven't gone the past two months, which is unusual for me. We've been very busy and things haven't worked out. We had a power outage during that time and I did check in on my families to make sure they were okay. Again, had I not been doing it regularly, I probably wouldn't have felt very comfortable calling them during the power outage.

Our home teacher is MIA. We haven't seen him for several months. Even when he came it was only every 3-4 months. I don't judge him at all. Maybe he has health problems, or something else. It would nice if he would come. Frankly, if we had some kind of emergency, I wouldn't feel at all comfortable calling him to assist, for obvious reasons. I'd opt for someone else I know better. I think that's a little sad.

[wuapinmon]

Family Home Evening is a program that I find does a much better job meeting my and my family's needs. FHE feels less correlated than HT. FHE also seems more important than HT. And yet, there is no regular reporting of FHE participation.

Whoa there, tiger. We have to put our name on a little piece of paper with a fish on it and say if we had FHE that week; there's a little goldfish bowl in the foyer. Our ward has a goal of having 1200 FHEs this year. The RS has two bowls up front on the table where their stand is. When you walk in the door, they hand you a marble, and in front of everyone, you have to walk up in front of everyone and drop it in the "did VT this week" or "didn't do VT this week" glass jars. The make a loud clinking sound.

My protests of these public displays of putative piety fell on deaf ears, because, "Brother Williams, we have to have some accountability." WTF are PPIs for then?


I hate the Stephencoveyization of the Church.

The meetings about setting our ward's goals for 2009 were all about objectives, and appropriate measures, and 'optimizing our schedules' so we could 'maximize' our 'spiritual output' through stretching ourselves to reach 'challenging goals.' They always glossed this over by reminding us at the end "Remember, this isn't about numbers, it's about raising our collective spirituality through serving others."

VOMIT.

[Tex]

Whoa there, tiger. We have to put our name on a little piece of paper with a fish on it and say if we had FHE that week; there's a little goldfish bowl in the foyer. Our ward has a goal of having 1200 FHEs this year. The RS has two bowls up front on the table where their stand is. When you walk in the door, they hand you a marble, and in front of everyone, you have to walk up in front of everyone and drop it in the "did VT this week" or "didn't do VT this week" glass jars. The make a loud clinking sound.

Heh, that's awesome. I once had a bishop who wanted to have a Book of Mormon reading contest, complete with a giant chart that families would color in each week to show far along they were. He was none too pleased to get disapproving stares from the Ward Council.

It's unfortunate when leaders--who are honestly trying to do the best they can--supplant the inspired programs of the church with their own. Teach the brethren to love the people to whom they are assigned, and the numbers will take care of themselves.

[SeattleUte]

Heh, that's awesome. I once had a bishop who wanted to have a Book of Mormon reading contest, complete with a giant chart that families would color in each week to show far along they were. He was none too pleased to get disapproving stares from the Ward Council.

It's unfortunate when leaders--who are honestly trying to do the best they can--supplant the inspired programs of the church with their own. Teach the brethren to love the people to whom they are assigned, and the numbers will take care of themselves.

Heh, you're back. I for one am glad. This place is in sore need of you. I like your straight talk about the faith.

[Solon]

The RS has two bowls up front on the table where their stand is. When you walk in the door, they hand you a marble, and in front of everyone, you have to walk up in front of everyone and drop it in the "did VT this week" or "didn't do VT this week" glass jars. The make a loud clinking sound..

That's pretty funny - they should have jars made of different materials so that the sound leaves no doubt which jar the marble ended up in.

Reminds me of Homer, Iliad 24.527-33 (Achilles addressing Priam)
"Two jars of gifts are seated on Zeus’ floor, from which he gives either curses or blessings:
To he whom Thunderbolting Zeus gives a mixture of these, sometimes he comes to bad, and sometimes to good. But to him that he gives only from the mournful jar, Zeus makes despised, and causes ravenous evil to drive him to and fro throughout the land, honored by neither gods nor mortals.

(cf. Plato’s citation at Republic 2. 379d)

[beelzebabette]

The RS has two bowls up front on the table where their stand is. When you walk in the door, they hand you a marble, and in front of everyone, you have to walk up in front of everyone and drop it in the "did VT this week" or "didn't do VT this week" glass jars. The make a loud clinking sound.

Could you have your wife test to see, if a marble is dropped into the jar from a high enough height, whether the glass jar will break or not?