The responsibility of extending a calling is huge, no matter what the calling is. A lot of prayer, thought, and energy goes into finding members who are willing to serve in any calling, especially leadership roles.
So how do we tackle the enormous undertaking of discerning the talents and abilities of every member?
In aLeading Saints podcast, Jessica Johnson, who works in leadership development with the RBL Group, shares insights into how to prepare to receive revelation to find people to fill a leadership calling.
To start, Johnson recommends looking at those who would be served instead of looking at those who would be serving.
"Think about the calling itself," Johnson says, "and not just what are the skills and talents needed to be able to fill that calling, but who are the stakeholders of that calling? Who are the individuals that that person is serving? Who do they have stewardship over? . . . And I think we need to think really broadly about that."
To look at the needs of people a leader would be serving, Johnson suggested asking the person currently called to a leadership position like a Relief Society president, Elders Quorum president, or Primary president what the needs are of the members they serve.
"If we are having trouble in a certain area, maybe we need someone who is a fantastic listener, and that's what we are going to look for when we think about filling," Johnson says.
However, unlike in the business world, the people needed to fill a calling have to live within certain boundaries.
When this challenge arises, Johnson recommends waiting before picking the "Swiss Army knives," or members who would do well in any calling, and thinking about the person who would do well in one specific calling.
"I do believe that will trumps skill in just about any of these situations if someone has a desire to serve," Johnson says. "And sometimes we have to ferret it out a little bit."
Referring to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk "Learn from Alma and Amulek," Johnson shares that sometimes the people who are willing and ready to serve are "Amuleks" or people who are "unseen" or "hidden."
"But as you step in and as you start talking about what you would like them to do, that [will to serve] may come out, but you got to have those conversations."
One thing Johnson recommends to help find these "Amuleks" is to pray for the spiritual gift of discernment, especially when it comes to seeing the best qualities in others.
Another is to always be training and cultivating leadership qualities in others, something Johnson says she's seen help prepare many for leadership callings within the Church
For more insights, listen to the full podcast below:
Lead image from Getty Images
