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What does it mean to sustain my Church leaders?

What does it mean to sustain my Church leaders?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

As members of the Church, we have the opportunity to sustain those the Lord has called to serve. We raise our hand to indicate that we sustain the General Authorities and officers of the Church and each of the leaders in our wards and stakes—including Aaronic Priesthood quorum presidencies. Sustaining leaders involves more than just a raised hand—it means that we stand behind them, pray for them, accept assignments and callings from them, hearken to their counsel, and refrain from criticizing them.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What do you do to sustain Church leaders? How have you been blessed for doing so?

When have you seen the Aaronic Priesthood holders sustaining Church leaders—including the bishop or members of their quorum presidency? What experiences could they share with each other?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior trusted His disciples, prepared them, and gave them important responsibilities to teach and serve others. In this way He helped them become more deeply converted to His gospel. How can you follow the Savior’s example as an adviser to Aaronic Priesthood holders?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

  • Give each young man a portion of President Henry B. Eyring’s message “The Lord Leads His Church” to review. Ask the young men to use a quotation or idea from President Eyring’s message as they write a letter that might be given to someone who is critical of a Church leader. Encourage them to share their letters, and invite them to share experiences that have helped them have faith that the Lord calls people to serve in Church callings. How does this knowledge help us sustain those He has called?

  • Before quorum meeting, invite the young men to read President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Sustaining the Prophets” and come prepared to share something from the talk that inspires them to sustain President Russell M. Nelson.

  • Ask the young men to read Exodus 17:8–12 individually, and invite one of them to summarize the story in his own words. How does this story relate to us as we sustain our Church leaders? How are we like Aaron and Hur when we sustain our quorum president and other leaders?

  • Invite some of the young men to find an example of people in the scriptures who rejected their leaders, such as Laman and Lemuel (see 1 Nephi 18:9–14) or the children of Israel (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:23–25). Ask the rest of the young men to find examples of people who followed the Lord’s servants, such as the widow of Zarephath (see 1 Kings 17:8–16) or Naaman (2 Kings 5:8–14). Ask them to share their stories and explain what they teach about the consequences of rejecting or honoring Church leaders.

  • Invite the young men to read President Henry B. Eyring’s article “Called of God and Sustained by the People,” looking for examples of ways we sustain our Church leaders. Bring copies of Church magazines, and ask the young men to find and share pictures in the magazines that represent ways to sustain Church leaders. What do the young men do to sustain their leaders, including their quorum presidency? What could they say if they hear someone criticizing one of their leaders?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.