How to sucessfully organize a Young Single Adult ward

Young Single Adult wards come in all shapes and sizes. Membership can ebb and flow and members are at varying stages in life. All of these factors mean that YSA wards can dramatically change at any minute. Many bishops are at a loss for ways to concisely and effectively organize such a volatile ward. However, by following the model provided on this site a successful ward organizational meeting can take place in under an hour and set the foundations for a strong and thriving ward.

Effective ward organizational meetings do the following:

• Enable the bishopric to find meaningful callings with return and report responsibilities for each member in the ward
• Quickly give new members a calling and chance to make friends in the ward
• Provide a way to regularly reorganize a rapidly changing ward
• Ensure that all members of the ward are receiving leadership opportunities

Holding a ward organizational meeting

These five steps will guide you through preparing for, executing, and following through with a successful ward organizational meeting. This model suggests that you determine a period of time, appropriate for your ward, as a “calling cycle.” It is recommended that a ward organizational meeting take place at the beginning of each calling cycle. Calling cycles help prevent burnout, ensure that new members receive callings quickly, and allow more ward members hold leadership positions.

1. Prepare for the meeting
   • Call key leaders such as presidencies, chairs and co-chairs, executive secretaries and the ward clerk prior to the new calling cycle. All other ward organization should happen during the first week or two of the new cycle. Leaders have a short time to serve the Lord in this position and they must take advantage of each moment.
   • Invite the new ward leaders to the meeting. Instruct the new ward leadership that the organizational meeting is a spiritual experience. Help them understand that as a bishopric you have invited the ward leadership to participate in this sacred responsibility of organizing the ward by recommending callings for members. The meeting should be held under the watchful eye of the Bishop. Many wards invite ward leadership to attend the meeting in a spirit of fasting.
   • Get to know who is in your ward. Each new member should fill out a member data sheet (here is an example member data sheet in PDF and Word formats). This information gives the ward leadership an idea of abilities such as music or teaching experience. It also provides information to contact the prior bishop. Because the number of new ward members can be so large at certain times of the year, it is almost impossible for the bishop to make required calls to the prior bishop regarding member worthiness.

     To reduce the burden on the bishop, we suggest a ward clerk make those calls using the following dialogue:

     Hello (prior bishop name). My name is ___________. I am the ward clerk of the ___________ ward. (Name of new ward member) has recently moved into our ward. Our Bishop asked me to call you to see if you would need to speak with him regarding any worthiness issue prior to him extending (Name of new ward member) a calling.

     If the answer is “no”, a calling can be extended. If the answer is “yes”, the ward clerk notifies the bishop and he personally calls the prior bishop.

     The ward clerk and executive secretaries should create a list of all ward members eligible for a calling and then distribute the list to the ward leadership prior to the ward organizational meeting.

   • Visit the members. Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidencies, along with Chairs and Co-chairs, should visit new ward members to begin to get to know them. This allows each new ward member to feel that they are cared for early in their ward experience.
2. Meeting Setup
   • Prepare name cards. The executive secretaries prepare cards labeled with each member’s name. These cards are displayed on a blackboard while the names of each organization and council are listed on an adjacent blackboard. Bishoprics will determine the order of selection.
   • Determine numbers needed for each organization. Organization leaders should have previously determined how many members will be needed in their organization and sought inspiration to determine who should serve in their Elder’s Quorum, Relief Society, or council.
3. Meeting Execution
   • Introduce the meeting’s agenda. The meeting begins with a hymn and prayer and the bishop or executive secretary then explains how the selections will proceed. As needed, leaders are encouraged to discuss what callings will be best suited to the needs of the individual members and the work of each council.

     “Quorum and group leaders may organize committees to help with missionary work, spiritual and temporal welfare, and temple and family history work. These committees can increase the effectiveness of the quorum or group. They also can provide opportunities for members to participate meaningfully.” Book 2, Page 167

   • Assign callings. Leaders select members by name and the name card is moved to the appropriate council until each organization and council is staffed and each member has a calling. Highest priority is given to those organizations that are selecting instructors. This helps guarantee the quality of gospel instruction in your ward. The bishopric and the member of the high council are available as resources to the ward leaders during the selection process.
4. Meeting Follow-up and Extending Callings
   • Review. The bishopric reviews the final selections and makes any changes needed.
   • Make a calling list. The ward clerk and executive secretaries provide lists of each calling and the overall ward organization for the bishopric.
   • Extend callings. The bishopric extends the callings as soon as possible.
   • Sustain and set apart members. After members are sustained in Sacrament meeting, the executive secretary coordinates the settings apart of the members of the ward. Settings apart of members should take place as soon as possible, preferably the same day members are sustained.

     “Members who are called to most Church positions should be set apart before they begin serving (see D&C 42:11). Quorum and group leaders set apart secretaries, instructors, and committee chairmen.” Book 2, Page 173

   • Report. The member of the Elders Quorum presidency officiating in the setting apart reports to the executive secretary which council members were set apart.
5. Maintaining changes in membership
   • Throughout a calling cycle changes can occur in the ward membership. These changes can be best tracked through the relationship between the membership clerk and the secretaries of the Relief Societies and the Elders Quorums. These changes should be reported to the bishopric and new members should promptly receive a calling.