When President M. Russell Ballard was a teenager, he “enjoyed the mentoring friendship of a great Aaronic Priesthood adviser: G. Homer Durham.”
In his biography “Anxiously Engaged,” President Ballard recalls, “Homer came into my life at a very critical and important time.” It’s not that President Ballard was experiencing major difficulties. He was just dealing with the ups and downs all teenagers go through. He said, “It was a time in my life that I needed a special friend.” Elder Durham was later called as a General Authority Seventy and served in the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1981 until his death in 1985.
All young people need to find a special friend in their class and quorum advisers. Advisers play their essential role as they focus on relationships, shepherd the shepherds, and take responsibility.
Focus on relationships
Not only can advisers learn names and show interest in the youth, but they can help young people build relationships with the bishop and each other. Advisers must notice when a young person is being left out by peers and look for ways to include everyone in lessons and activities. The ultimate goal is to connect young people to God and Christ, but it is easier to reach that goal as young people connect with leaders and friends along the way.
Shepherd the shepherds
The adviser’s job is leadership development. Assist quorum and class presidencies as they lead out in helping their quorums live the gospel, care for those in need, invite others to receive the gospel, and unite families for eternity. Support young presidencies as they hold regular — even weekly — presidency meetings. These meetings should not be long, but they must be consistent. Give youth the skills they need to succeed by using the resources for presidencies including leadership lessons that cover conducting meetings, counseling together, planning and ministering.
Take responsibility
One bishop was frustrated when a young man approached him minutes before sacrament meeting and reported there was no bread for the sacrament. The bishop sent a counselor to remedy the immediate problem, but later pulled quorum presidencies and advisers together to address a bigger problem: people not taking responsibility.
The bishop said, “It’s easy to assume others will pick up the slack when there are no specific assignments made.” He listed tasks that needed to be done on the board and put sacrament bread right at the top. He then divided the tasks among the quorum presidents and advisers. Before the meeting was over, everyone knew who was responsible for the next overnight campout, quorum instruction, attending presidency meetings and bringing the bread. After that, things ran more smoothly.
An adviser’s influence
Where would the Church be today without President M. Russell Ballard? Where would President Ballard be without G. Homer Durham? Not only was Brother Durham’s influence felt in the life of young President Ballard, but also in the lives of other young men when President Ballard was later called to serve as an adviser himself.
“There were thirty-two young men in the quorum, and many of them were not attending worship services or Church activities,” President Ballard said in his biography.
President Ballard was determined to have a full quorum, and he tackled the problem head-on. He built relationships, taught leadership and took responsibility. His calling took time and his best efforts, but it was not long before many of the young men in the ward were active and preparing for missions.
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