What's your calling right now?
 

I team teach our ward's entire senior primary with Gidget.

Granted our ward is barely bigger than a branch. Still we usually have about 10 kids or so each week in our class. I love it. Last night I was asked to share my testimony at the priesthood preview for some of our 11 year old boys. I taught these same boys 4 years ago when they were about to be baptized. It was great to be a part of that milestone and I feel privileged to be a part of this one. One of the father's told me last night that he was grateful for me and remarked on the impact I have had on his son and it made me feel great.

Ward Mission Leader...one of the loneliest callings in the church.

That's awesome--I can tell you're the type who would be great at this. I love teaching kids, especially teenagers. My all-time favorite calling was Priest Quorum advisor in a ward in Indiana.

Right now, I'm the music director--2nd straight stint, only last time I was the choir director too. Time-wise, one of the best callings (when you don't add on choir director), so I'm not complaining.

Most dreaded calling - Ward Mission leader...sucks to be you, DNF.

Scoutmaster, and I deduct all the extra expenses from my tithing. And don't even think about asking to borrow my truck.

Bummer for the kids. ;) Half the fun of scouting is throwing every substance known to man into the fire to see what it does. Sadly I bet you don't let your boys do that.

Your wolf bloodlust has numbed and tinged your good senses. I was trying to tease Waters.

I'm executive secretary, and that same Waters gave me some good advice a while ago on the very subject if say so myself.

SS President. When they called me I was a little surprised because I thought you actually had to attend SS to be the president. I guess they figured as long as I was just walking the halls I might as well be making sure all the classes were covered. I've got team teachers in all my classes with responsible people and my 1st councilor is a young mullah that really helps a ton. It's been a pretty good job.

Hall monitor and visitor.

There's nothing like a primary calling to make you wish you could actually sit and attend SS. Ingrates!

I went from SS President to nursery worker. You can tell from my past two callings I have been marginalized in my ward. I think it has to do with trying to get the elders quorum to go see the Passion of the Christ as a group. Some of the members didn't think that was too funny but it has paid off in that I don't have to worry about serious callings any more.

SS Presidency is the promised land of callings. No better calling in the Church.

Ward Mission Leader is the worst calling, hands down.

I was 2nd counselor in the SS Presidency of my last ward with a stable of former bishops, a stake president, and mission president as my GD teachers. That was the best calling.

I've slipped between the cracks for now. It's been great and I'll do what it takes to remain this way for a long time.

Worst calling:

Scout Master.

Next worst:

WML.

Best calling:

CTR 8 teacher.

I tend to agree with that. Although you have to throw Bishop in there somewhere - maybe at #3, but it should be mentioned with the other two.

That's probably where I'd land things too. I was Ward Clerk for a long time of a very transient ward. That wasn't too enjoyable keeping up with all that. I spent most of the 2nd and 3rd hours in the clerks office and running around the building. Plus our ward was so small I didn't have a finance clerk so I had to stay to do tithing each week. Not to mention sit in on the bishopric meetings before church. I'd spend 5-6 hours at church each Sunday and still have to go in to the office probably every other week on Tuesday or Wednesday for an hour or so.

I really enjoyed Ward Clerk with the new software. I spend Sundays going to the meetings, and then one evening a week keeping up on stuff and had no other responsibility. I mean how many callings let you play on the computer? It's much better with better quality computers, and trying to figure out the new program iterations. Plus we had great membership and financial clerks. Getting the groups to report their numbers was easy and entering even easier. We implemented many reforms, such as placing lost members in a SLC area to get them off our records.

Sunday school.

I was released as WML about a year ago. That was not a sad day. Currently I am:

1. Stake Sunday School 1st Counelor. This is possibly the best calling ever. My main duty is to go to the party that the Stake President throws for all Stake Workers every Christmas. Come to think of it, that might be my only duty. A couple of months ago, the new guy on the High Council was assigned to us, and asked when we held our Presidency meetings. We laughed and laughed. We did have one to make him feel better.

2. Webelos Leader. I don't really like the fact that I have to be at the Church every Tuesday night, but I enjoy being with the boys. It has some of the positives of being a Scoutmaster, without most of the negatives (time commitment is much less, boys aren't as snotty when they are only 10, no overnight trips or scout camp)

3. Assistant Ward Choir Director. You didn't know this calling could exist, did you?

4 and 5. Last Basketball season I was called to be the Youth B-Ball coach in our ward and the Assistant Stake Adult Basketball Supervisor, or something like that. Coaching the boys was fun. The stake job was, I think, mainly a way to get a ref at every game without feeling guilty about asking me every week. I haven't been released from these, so I'm not sure if I am still doing them this year, or if my term of office just expired.

I think that's all of them, though I may be forgetting one. If so, I'm not doing a very good job at it.

1st couns. in YMs. The asst. does activity night, I teach on sundays.
a friend (who travels a lot) teaches GD, so I get to sub for him about once a month.
So, I have an enjoyable gig right now.
Other favs: nursery, sem, (any) primary teacher.

Yes, WML is worst calling. I hate camping, so scout master would be equally fragrant. Stake callings (never had one though) appear to be lame too, especially outside the west where the stakes can be several hundred miles across.

I have my monthly stake Ward Mission Leader meeting tonight. In previous meetings, WMLs have talked about how they have assigned someone to go on exchanges with the elders most nights of the week and if that brother cannot go, it is his responsibility to find someone who can go. IMO, this is going a little too far...and it wouldn't work in my ward, largly because it flat out does not support the mission, missionaries, etc.

I feel kind of silly when I get in these meetings and they ask me what things are working in my ward...and I just tell them that my ward is unique and we're slowly building support for the missionary efforts.

I've been in a year and cannot wait to be released.

Hilarious.

YM President

5 years running

I am been the Gospel Doctrine Teacher for 3 years. I start my own class, call on who gives prayers, and always teach sick because I hate cold call begging for someone to teach in my place last minute. I was told when I got the calling to find my own subsitutes. Somehow each year a manual is placed in my hand with a schedule glued behind the front cover.

Honest questions:
Can someone please tell me what does the SS Pres. and his counselors do?

The uniformity on WML being one of the worst callings is interesting. I was WML during law school for 2 and a half years. It was a huge relief to be released, but why wasn't it very enjoyable?

(1) Plan, organize, and conduct the baptisms? That's not terrible. Kind of a pain to fill the fonts, but always an uplifiting experience (except when you're a half hour late on accident).

(2) I was also in charge of the 8-year old baptisms, which I didn't like very much. Talk about pressure.

(3) corralling over 16 ward missionaries (the bishop just kept throwing them at me) was unpleasant; hard to keep them all busy.

(4) early morning meetings and ward mission meeting every week;

(5) having every meeting with the bishop start with me b/c "the ward mission is the most important auxiliary in our ward"

(6) feeding the missionaries incessantly;

(7) being in charge of their meal calendars and splits;

(8) fellowshipping and stressing about those who quickly fell away;

etc.

So from this overview, I think it's an unpopular calling b/c (1) the time demand and (2) the pressure. As WML, you can (and probably should) always be doing more.

And pretty much anything can fall under the WML job description. For example, the Festival of Lights at the Temple is gearing up here in DC and the stake decided that it should be the WML's job to find people from the ward to staff the various jobs. Luckily, our ward assignment was for one brother for one 4 hour parking shift...other WMLs had to find people to play Mary and Joseph at the Visitor's Center nativity scene. I guess I should be glad I didn't have to find people to staff that...but still...random assignments fall under the ward mission all the time.

I too have to organize 8 year old baptisms, but with the caveat that the family should have very little say about the program. It makes for fun exchanges with ward members on behalf of the bishop.

I currently teach in senior primary and I am the 11 y/o scout leader. I enjoy teaching primary, but being a scout leader is a different story. I don't like camping, I don't like wearing the uniform, I don't like singing those silly songs, I don't like the advancement work, if all I had to do was meet with the boys once a week to play games/sports, I might enjoy it quite a bit.

The best calling I have had was being the assistant newsletter editor. My wife was the editor and did all the work. My duties were to make copies, staple, and pass out the newsletters on Sundays. Great gig.

The toughest calling has got be the WML and not too far behind is being the scoutmaster. When you find two men that are willing to accept and they like the callings, you keep them there until they move out of the ward.

They don't do much of anything. That's what makes it a great calling.

I am 2nd Counselor in the EQ. Not too bad. Conduct the meeting every 3 months, teach the lesson once a quarter, and bug people about their Home Teaching.

I'm also trying to put together an EQ fitness group. We've got a lot of fat asses in there.

Currently SS president. I have meetings about once a quarter with the stake SS presidency where they try to convince me that there are all kinds of things I can and should be doing.

I was ward clerk for about 4 years and mostly liked it other that the early Sunday meetings. We had a great finance clerks so I rarely did any money stuff. The membership clerk, however, was completely useless so I did all the membership stuff.

I was also GD teacher for about six months before moving out of my ward. Other than that - counselor in several EQ presidencies, taught several youth SS classes (but never primary). I don't seem destined for high and holy church callings.

Really nothing. When my husband got a calling in the SS presidency in our last ward the first thing he said when we got out of the building was "money calling" I was like huh? And then realized he was happy because he would have to do nothing.

Why do you say that CTR 8 is the best? That's my calling now, and although it's far from the worst (and indeed all that you guys discuss as being the worst is off limits to women anyway), I'm not really loving it. I think I"m just too tired to be a good primary teacher.

I liked it because I got to help the kids prepare for baptism by manipulation through candy. The sugar rush effectively killed any sense to reason, if an 8 year old is capable of any to begin with.

Hmm. . . last year I did give candy, but then they just starting feeling so entitled that it annoyed me. So this year, I don't give candy. I mainly just try to get them to keep sitting in their chairs and watch as they gradually slide into "too cool" for primary, which must be what the age of accountability is really about.

We are nursery workers. My wife and I. We have 12 kids in our class, which is one of 6 nursery classes with between 12 and 15 kids. We by far have the most active class and never have less than 10 kids there. So it can be quite the challenge. Sometimes I feel like I miss out on getting my spiritual fix during church but I do get snacks which makes up for it.

I was being sarcastic with my post by channeling my inner SU. But I really did enjoy being a part of the kids' baptism and helping them prepare for that milestone.

I think the 11 year old Blazers and Merrie Miss class are the most difficult. They're the ones with the too cool for primary attitude. Granted that is an awkward age, too old for primary, not old enough for YM/YW.

My friend's mother had taught seminary to a rowdy bunch. When her frustration was too much she finally baked them a huge cake and took it them. The kids were all excited. When they were all seated she picked up the cake and chucked it into the trash. The kids were shocked. She told them that the cake represented her lessons. She spends a lot of time preparing them and when they misbehave it's like them throwing it in the trash. She then walked out of the classroom and went home leaving the kids there for 45 minutes to think about it.

The years I taught it, I had my sons go through it, and I liked the excitement the kids show for baptism. My kids were all prepared, knew the basics, were reading their scriptures, and behaved extraordinarily well in class. I enjoyed attending their baptisms, and being able to share it with them.

I brought candy and we did hangman, nature trips and even examined the narratives. It was a great time.

I bet they ate the cake right out of the trash can while she was gone.

I babysit ungrateful snots.

This applies beyond just my calling in church.

Oh, no, my friend, Soutmaster is the best calling in the Church. By far.