Standardization of practices and curricula

[MikeWaters]

Harold B. Lee was instrumental in the unification and standardization of curricula in the church. Probably his most lasting and important achievement.

Today, any Mormon can attend virtually any ward in the United States, and not feel that it is very much different than any other ward they have attended.

Obviously, this has many benefits.

Is there a downside? Perhaps. Local experimentation and innovation, which is noted and then promoted, can help an organization improve itself. I.e. "the branch office of Dunder-Mifflin Paper in Scranton is doing XYZ, let's replicate that in Nashua."

Are we in a period great harmony and unity? Or are we in a period of great stagnation?

To some degree, this local experimentation does occur. For example, there are three wards in my stake, that have broken church rules, and combined their scouting/YM programs into one unit. They say it works for them. Me, on the other hand, I've been to scout campouts where only two scouts went. It's pretty hard to have a patrol structure with two scouts. That's small change--what about bigger change? Like completely reorganizing the way we approach Sunday School? I wish I had the opportunity to try my own experiment--which is to create small discussion groups that are not didactic-based. It would be run more like a book club, with an elected or chosen group leader, but that person would not be a teacher. The idea would be to stimulate actual study, reading, discussion, deeper more real back-and-forth about the scriptures, and allow people in these smaller groups to really get to know each other. You would be assigned a group. Every 6 months or 1 year, the groups would be shuffled, and you would have a new bunch of ward members to get to know. This is just an example of a local innovation that could take place, but won't.

[Levin]

Scripture book clubs for Sunday School? Hmmm. You're right, standardization has its obvious benefits.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Levin

Scripture book clubs for Sunday School? Hmmm. You're right, standardization has its obvious benefits.

Sunday School is already a book club. But with bad teachers, poor lessons, boorish participants, no real getting-to-know each other.

I don't attend. Lots of people don't attend in my ward. Bishopric, clerks don't attend. Plus the random group of guys who stand around and chat just outside of Gospel Doctrine. Plus people like me who have found "legal" alternatives.

You are probably one of the boorish ones, if your work experience is any indication.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Harold B. Lee was instrumental in the unification and standardization of curricula in the church. Probably his most lasting and important achievement.

Today, any Mormon can attend virtually any ward in the United States, and not feel that it is very much different than any other ward they have attended.

Obviously, this has many benefits.

Is there a downside? Perhaps. Local experimentation and innovation, which is noted and then promoted, can help an organization improve itself. I.e. "the branch office of Dunder-Mifflin Paper in Scranton is doing XYZ, let's replicate that in Nashua."

Are we in a period great harmony and unity? Or are we in a period of great stagnation?

To some degree, this local experimentation does occur. For example, there are three wards in my stake, that have broken church rules, and combined their scouting/YM programs into one unit. They say it works for them. Me, on the other hand, I've been to scout campouts where only two scouts went. It's pretty hard to have a patrol structure with two scouts. That's small change--what about bigger change? Like completely reorganizing the way we approach Sunday School? I wish I had the opportunity to try my own experiment--which is to create small discussion groups that are not didactic-based. It would be run more like a book club, with an elected or chosen group leader, but that person would not be a teacher. The idea would be to stimulate actual study, reading, discussion, deeper more real back-and-forth about the scriptures, and allow people in these smaller groups to really get to know each other. You would be assigned a group. Every 6 months or 1 year, the groups would be shuffled, and you would have a new bunch of ward members to get to know. This is just an example of a local innovation that could take place, but won't.

We're in a period of stagnation. Still, I believe an increasing number of Church members are recognizing this fact, and that gives me hope.

I could make a strong case that the Church over-correlated in the 60s-90s, and is now, at the highest levels, working on how to slowly dial things back about 30 degrees.

Last year I began texting my Sunday School students questions about the upcoming lesson. I thought that this was a fairly common sense thing to do in my ward, but, alas, it has been perceived as innovative. My Bishop loves it and has been encouraging other teachers to do it. A member of the High Council has been wringing his hands about "waiting for the OK from Salt Lake."

I will never wait for some bureaucratic OK before I do something that is obviously good. If the mullahs don't like it, they can release me and see just how far stagnation gets them.

[MikeWaters]

The billion dollar open-air mall in SLC is the capstone of the correlation era.

SLC, we don't need your ideas. We don't need to wait for your direction. Allow the people to innovate and discover new ideas that can be replicated.