The cure for counsel-itis

[_MrStakhanovite]

If they paid me, I'd go back.

Yeah, but you are a cold hearted sell out.

I feel horrible for those Bishops, thrust into a position that is really a full time job that requires at least some training in pastoral care (e.g. discerning between a spiritual problem and an organic problem). All this does is do a disservice to all those wonderful people who put their heart and soul into this Church.

[_LDSToronto]

If they paid me, I'd go back.

Yeah, but you are a cold hearted sell out.

I feel horrible for those Bishops, thrust into a position that is really a full time job that requires at least some training in pastoral care (e.g. discerning between a spiritual problem and an organic problem). All this does is do a disservice to all those wonderful people who put their heart and soul into this Church.

Here is the training a bishop receives:

1. When called, he will receive 3-4 hours of training on filling out forms, welfare policies, review of the handbook, and managing finances. This training is given by the stake president, who also got the same amount of training.

2. 2-4 times per year, a group bishopric training session is held. All bishops in the stake are trained by the stake presidency. The topics are usually on increasing ward membership through missionary efforts or re-activations, getting members to fulfill callings, getting youth to enroll in EFY or other youth conferences, or getting members to give more service.

Most of the training in #2 comes in the form of, "Bishops, not enough members are going to the temple, what can we do about it?". In other words, most training sessions are really brainstorming sessions.

Bishops receive absolutely no training on pastoral care. Ever.

H.

[_Willy Law]

It's always good to know that the person you are receiving counseling from 'has an app for that.'

The very mention of "apps" in this is so depressing.

I wonder if they will instruct bishops on keeping folders on their iPhones with all the necessary "apps" to help their flock. They can have a porn app, infidelity, faith issues, depression....on and on.

Why they hell do we even need mental health professionals now that we have the app store?

[_Infymus]

I wonder who is related to whom, when the contracts are awarded.

There are a lot of "related" and "contracts awarded" down there. I got threatened with litigation on a couple articles I posted on the MC a couple years ago that put one of those companies in a bad light. I took the articles down of course. The company does a lot of business for the cult with a lot of padded pockets in the mix.

[_sock puppet]

I predict more copies of "Faith Precedes The Miracle" and "The Miracle of Forgiveness" will be sold by Deseret Book.

I predict more members will told that if they pay their tithing and attend church services - and obey priesthood leaders - then everything will be taken care of. Those continuing to have problems will be berated on whether they look at porn, masturbate or are cheating on their spouse.

The cult can spend $3 billion dollars on a shopping mall. They can buy priceless works of art. They can build multi-million dollar buildings in Hawaii. They buy acres and acres of land. They build million dollar temples - in some cases only miles away from each other.

I really wonder what is going on down at 50 E North Temple Street.

The Mormon god is most impressed with temporal success of COJCOLDS.

[_gramps]

I wonder who is related to whom, when the contracts are awarded.

There are a lot of "related" and "contracts awarded" down there. I got threatened with litigation on a couple articles I posted on the MC a couple years ago that put one of those companies in a bad light. I took the articles down of course. The company does a lot of business for the cult with a lot of padded pockets in the mix.

The Boyer-Romney connection is an old one that I am familiar with.

The Franklin Richards family is another, or so I am told. Cannon, big time.

Those are the first families that come to my mind.

[_Sethbag]

Just wait until the church has a member call a hotline directly instead of going to the bishop, and Sandeep or Rajeev answer the phone...

My friend quit his job at the company he and I worked at to become a Catholic priest, and then spent six years full-time at the seminary outside of Boston before he was finally ordained, and he's now working through a three-year stint as an associate priest, receiving mentoring in pastoral care from his parish's head pastor, and building up his experience working with parishioners, before he will be considered for a head pastor role in his diocese.

The Catholic church may not be true, and may have its own mega-share of problems, but I've been mucho impressed with the training and preparation my friend has received, and is still receiving, for taking on a role that is similar to what a Mormon bishop just gets thrust into over the course of a weekend.

[_harmony]

Just wait until the church has a member call a hotline directly instead of going to the bishop, and Sandeep or Rajeev answer the phone...

My friend quit his job at the company he and I worked at to become a Catholic priest, and then spent six years full-time at the seminary outside of Boston before he was finally ordained, and he's now working through a three-year stint as an associate priest, receiving mentoring in pastoral care from his parish's head pastor, and building up his experience working with parishioners, before he will be considered for a head pastor role in his diocese.

The Catholic church may not be true, and may have its own mega-share of problems, but I've been mucho impressed with the training and preparation my friend has received, and is still receiving, for taking on a role that is similar to what a Mormon bishop just gets thrust into over the course of a weekend.

Did he pay for this out of his own pocket? Because the church would make him pay for this 6 years of training, and for his associate priest training.

[_Jason Bourne]

Holy Mary mother of God. POS church with their POS policies. I hope they are enjoying the mall project. Maybe they can just start sending people there for retail therapy when it is done. This isn't a church, it is a business. Pretty damn obvious.

It's always good to know that the person you are receiving counseling from 'has an app for that.'

This is disappointing and scary. Bishops receive little to no training other than the General Handbook and monthly bishops correlation meetings with the stake presidency. And often the training in those meetings is not that helpful and certainly not focused on how to counsel with a person who need professional therapy. I can recall asking for some basis training to be the topics of such meetings. Training on things such as marriage counseling, addictive behavior, depression, and so on. I knew my limits when I had such issues and would only council on the Church and spiritual issues, then I sent them off to a good therapist. I used LDSFS at times as well as other good non LDS therapists that I was aware of. And often I would use fast offering funds to assist them.

LDS bishops are not trained or qualified to be counselors on issues that require professional ability. I have no problem with a bishop counseling about spiritual matters, matters of repentance, giving good solid LDS Church based counseling to members seeking it and that can be part of any good therapy. But not beyond that.

I cannot help it but the cynical side of me wonders if the Church really is strapped for cash with the many years of a poor world wide economy as well as the billions it has sunk in the City Creek Mall.

This is just unfortunate. Poor members and poor bishops.

[_Jason Bourne]

Here is the training a bishop receives:

1. When called, he will receive 3-4 hours of training on filling out forms, welfare policies, review of the handbook, and managing finances. This training is given by the stake president, who also got the same amount of training.

I know I was supposed to get this but I never did.

2. 2-4 times per year, a group bishopric training session is held. All bishops in the stake are trained by the stake presidency. The topics are usually on increasing ward membership through missionary efforts or re-activations, getting members to fulfill callings, getting youth to enroll in EFY or other youth conferences, or getting members to give more service.

We met monthly but yea many of these things we discussed. We did at times get into more substantive issues.

Most of the training in #2 comes in the form of, "Bishops, not enough members are going to the temple, what can we do about it?". In other words, most training sessions are really brainstorming sessions.

Bishops receive absolutely no training on pastoral care. Ever.

Spot on.
H.[/quote]