Who did you bring with you?

"Best Friends" by Max Ruckman is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

About two years ago, I assisted our local missionaries with teaching and befriending the husband of one of our ward’s devoted sisters. I will call him Jim. Jim and I have become extremely close. Due to an age difference, it is unlikely we would have become friends in any other way. He has progressed through the lessons on to baptism and is now sealed to his wife.  It has been my pleasure to become acquainted with and love this brother.

Each week I found it strange that he had to attend with the high priests while I attended with the elders.  I would always tell myself it was great that he was associating with others, which was true, but something that I was used to doing all my life now seemed odd. I guess the idea of two separate groups, supposedly working toward the same goal, started to feel unproductive.
As you are probably aware, there have been quite a few changes to how we do things in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since 2018. A change to how the quorums or groups are organized was announced at the April 2018 Priesthood Session of general conference. The High Priests Quorum would now meet only at the stake level, and all priesthood holders would be combined into an Elders Quorum in each ward.

The different offices of the priesthood have different responsibilities and functions.  Advancing from one office to another can be a great motivator as we progress. However, I have often noticed that sometimes we as priesthood holders become attached to incorrect ideas about advancing from one office to another. I have felt the pull myself. Following my release as an elders quorum president, and feeling my progress was stunted, I started to desire ordination to the office of high priest. I was incorrectly relating my priesthood office to my progression in the gospel.

“Sometimes, one office is spoken of as being ‘higher than’ or ‘lower than’ another office. Rather than ‘higher’ or ‘lower,’ offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood represent different areas of service.” (Boyd K. Packer)

I welcome the adjustments made, including the additional modifications made to the home and visiting teaching and the Sunday schedule. I’m not sure I am qualified to answer why at one time in church history we attended church on Sunday at multiple times throughout the day, why it then changed to a three-hour block schedule and most recently has shifted to two hours.
Scripturally speaking, there is ample evidence of similar changes. At the time of Christ’s ministry, many of the traditions of the Jewish people had become more important than their original intent.  Christ clarified many misinterpretations, from sabbath observance to paying taxes.

When Peter was concerned about whether he should baptize Cornelius, a gentile, he went and prayed. He was told, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:11-15)
I teach in elders quorum.  My tenure has stretched from before the change to now. I have noticed a difference, even though it may be hard to perceive. There are different perspectives shared by the more experienced high priests currently attending elders quorum.  Not better, just different. I hesitate to look back at the former activities as wrong, but I’d like to say it is now more open.

“These modifications have been under study for many months. We have felt a pressing need to improve the way we care for our members… To do that better, we need to strengthen our priesthood quorums to provide further direction to the ministering of love and support that the Lord intends for His Saints.” (President Russell M. Nelson)

It is no coincidence that in the same conference announcing the combining of quorums, we were also asked to adjust the way in which we report and think about what was formerly called home and visiting teaching. We now refer to that program as ministering.
I think understanding the difference between the previous programs and organization and the new has a lot to do with how we engage with each other.  Are we just doing our duty, or are we involved with our religion and those around us?

Growing up, I remember home teachers coming by.  Some of the many home teachers seemed very canned and formal. My father was in a wheelchair, and from time to time needed extra assistance beyond what my brothers and I could give. It seemed as if the elders who showed up when my father needed help were not the same type who came every month. This disconnect between those who visited often and those who served my father confused and concerned me.
In my own time as a home teacher, I have varied from the formal “I’ve got to check the box” visits to other times when I felt I was becoming close friends with those whom I visited.
While serving as the Elders Quorum president in Ogden, Utah, I received a familiar call. One of the new elders in our ward needed assistance.  This elder’s car had stalled and needed to be towed to his house. I knew I could take care of this immediately. My neighbor had a truck, and I had a chain. He and I had jumped in to help with his truck for several other service opportunities. I saw his truck parked out in front of his house and began walking down to request his assistance.

I only made it about halfway when I felt an urging whisper from the spirit. I felt I should look for another option. I couldn’t understand why. “His house is right there,” I thought. It would have been nothing to get him to jump in and go. I walked a little further, and the same thing—the spirit wasn’t just whispering, but talking now. I felt that I should allow the assigned home teacher to help, so I looked up whose responsibility it was. I became concerned because I knew that this elder worked late, had children, and likely would not be available to assist. But I had turned around already, so I followed the prompts I had received and engaged the assigned home teacher.

Just as I thought, he was working late, but he agreed to assist after work. I drove over and picked up the elder in need so that he did not have to wait in his car. I couldn’t stop wondering why this had to be so hard, but then the two men seemed to hit it off as they worked to get the car home. There was gratitude on both sides for the service rendered and the service opportunity.

As the months progressed, I noticed them interacting at church, and it was apparent they had become fast friends. Later I was made aware of the support each of them gave the other during some significant trials, and I finally understood the promptings not to take the easy way to solve the problem.

Angels visit this mortal existence, but I’m sure that mortals can and do act as messengers.  I have had messages delivered by others that I know came only from God. Sometimes it is in what they say, and other times in what they do, but these messengers were angels to me.  From my parents and family to friends and strangers, one of God’s greatest miracles is that he often does his work through his children.

We are just a mortal form of an angel when we serve each other, and in my opinion, that is why some of the recent changes have taken place—to remove any barriers to a unified membership.  We cannot hide behind our checked boxes. We must engage and serve and love each other.
Why did the priesthood quorums come together? What does ministering mean?  Why were the other changes put in place? To enable us to more effectively follow Christ, to say and do what he would.  It’s not an easy path. Nothing worth doing is easy—loving, engaging, serving, forgiving, or repenting—but it is worthwhile. I don’t think we stand at the judgment bar and account for only ourselves. I believe the Savior will ask us something like, “Who did you bring with you?”


Here is a link to a video about my friend Troy Russell who has a unique perspective on this subject:

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/one-on-one