Counseling and Repentance
Many of YSA members struggle with addictions and immorality, and often find it difficult to believe that they have been fully forgiven of their sins. Here are some thoughts on how to help our YSA members find healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Since most YSA disciplinary councils deal with moral issues of one form or another, you will also find principles for conducting loving disciplinary councils, including ideas for ways to help members repent, resources for dealing with addictions (including pornography), and general guidelines for bringing members into full fellowship.
Editor’s note: the author, chairman and CEO of a large Utah corporation, served as bishop of a single student ward near the University of Utah from 2005-2007. During his service 17 people were baptized; over 80 less active members of his ward became fully active; and 111 couples were married – 108 of them in…
Addictions are one of the primary challenges faced by many YSAs. Gambling, eating, shopping, sex, pornography, the internet, work, codependency, drugs (both prescription and illegal), coffee, tea, alcohol, nicotine and video games can all be destructive — crushing self-confidence, interfering with worthy goals, destroying virtue and breaking covenants. A YSA bishop who works with addicted…
During my service as bishop in the University Ward, I had many opportunities to help young men and women repent of their violations of the Law of Chastity. To my dismay, this opportunity arose with tragic frequency — and from these interactions I saw a consistent pattern in the ways that Christ and Lucifer flip…
These materials were written by individuals with extensive background in the area of helping individuals recover from pornography use. The committee that wrote these materials includes LDS ecclesiastical leaders, LDS professional therapists, and counselors. These materials are not an official church publication. These materials are intended as a helpful resource only, not as the definitive…
This piece contributes several insights about the challenges our young single adults face, and some ideas for how to cope with them. The central principle is listening to and counseling with our young single adults in meaningful ways, and then giving them opportunities to build up the kingdom through service and leadership.