2007 World Conference  | |
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Letter of Counsel Regarding
the Presiding Quorums
One of the particular responsibilities of the prophet-president of the
church is to constantly engage in discerning the divinity and timeliness of
calls to World Church leadership roles. This is a responsibility that I take
very seriously because of the obvious significant impact in the lives of
persons and in the life of the church. Calls to the presiding quorums of the
church begin to emerge from the consideration of many factors, perspectives,
needs, and opportunities that must be carefully weighed, including the
awareness that more than one person may be qualified to serve in a
particular role. Ultimately, however, such calls are presented in faithful
response to the spirit of wisdom and revelation that emanates God, which
always exceeds the reasoning of humankind. Therefore, after much listening,
prayer, and reflection, it is with deeply felt humility and profuse
gratitude to God that I present the following counsel regarding the
presiding quorums of the church.
To the Councils, Quorums, and Orders, to the World Conference, and to the
Church:
1. Kenneth N. Robinson has served for thirty years as a World Church
minister, including sixteen years in the Council of Twelve and eleven years
in the Quorum of the First Presidency. Brother Robinson has fulfilled his
calling as a counselor to two presidents of the church in an exceptional
manner. In 2005 Ken played an indispensable role in guiding the process of
presidential transition as a member of the interim First Presidency. Ken
shall now be released from the Quorum of the First Presidency and afforded
the honor of retirement at an appropriate date. Ken’s outstanding
contributions to the evangelistic, intercultural, leadership development,
strategic planning, and community formation ministries of the church have
been a genuine blessing in the fields he served as an apostle and during his
tenure in the Presidency. His visionary work regarding the relationship
between the ministries of the Temple and global church mission has laid a
foundation for creative endeavor that will shape the church for many
generations. Freed from the arduous burdens of administrative responsibility
in the Presidency, Ken is called to serve in the office of evangelist. As an
evangelist, his ministerial gifts and spiritual insights will be further
magnified to bless the worldwide church as it seeks to truly become a
prophetic community that authentically represents the healing, reconciling,
and redemptive ministries of Jesus Christ.
2. As previously communicated to the church, the First Presidency approved
Danny A. Belrose’s request to be released from his role as the Presiding
Evangelist and to retire from church appointment on his planned retirement
date of April 30, 2006. Brother Belrose served for twenty-five years as a
field appointee, member of the Council of Twelve, and as the Presiding
Evangelist. His ministry was marked by his evangelistic zeal, invigorating
humor, and his unsurpassed ability to help the church accept its imperfect
humanity along with its great potential to be a vessel of divine blessing in
creation. Danny’s creative genius for crafting sermons, hymn texts, and
poetic expressions that proclaim spiritual truths has helped the church to
see the essence of the gospel with new eyes. The church looks forward with
great anticipation to Danny’s continued service as an evangelist, author,
pastoral minister, and educator during his years of retirement.
3. Larry R. Norris has served as an appointee minister for twenty-seven
years, including fifteen years in the Presiding Bishopric. He was called to
serve as Presiding Bishop in 1996. Brother Norris shall be released from his
role as Presiding Bishop and afforded the honor of retirement from
appointment. The church is grateful for Larry’s devoted service in the
Presiding Bishopric. Concepts and principles of stewardship rooted in the
call to respond to God’s lavish grace through growing generosity were
birthed under Larry’s leadership. He has also skillfully guided processes
whereby the tangible assets and investments of the church have been managed
in such a way as to provide increasing funds to support the World Ministries
budget, which has been especially important during recent times. Larry is
now called to serve in the office of evangelist. As an evangelist, he will
function as a minister of spiritual blessing for those who need uplift on
the wings of hope in the midst of life’s darkness and despair. As he
embraces this call, he will discover new dimensions of ministry that will
not only confirm, but deepen his testimony of the healing movement of God’s
Spirit in creation.
4. John P. Kirkpatrick has served as an appointee minister since 1976 and as
a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles since 1988. Brother Kirkpatrick
shall be released from the Council of Twelve and afforded the honor of
retirement. Upon retirement, he will serve as a high priest under the
supervision of the Director of Field Ministries, with the expectation that
he will work on strategic projects that will enrich the mission of the
church. As an apostle, Jac led the church’s development in a variety of
international settings including nations in Africa and Asia. He also helped
the church embrace the realities and blessings of cultural diversity more
completely through initiatives such as designing more culturally respectful
policies and procedures. Additionally, the highly successful WorldService
Corps emerged from Jac’s passion for opening additional opportunities for
volunteers to serve in ministerial roles throughout the church. Jac may now
lay aside the rigors of apostolic ministry with the assurance that his
contributions not only have, but will continue to enrich the lives of many
people all over the world.
In order to fill the vacancies thus created, the following counsel is
given in response to the persistent promptings of the Spirit:
5. Becky L. Savage is called to serve as a member of the First Presidency
and as a counselor to the president of the church. Sister Savage is
exceptionally prepared for church leadership through her family heritage,
professional training, theological education, and distinguished service as a
high priest and World Church appointee minister. Her calm and reasoned
manner, coupled with her astute awareness of the movements of the Holy
Spirit, will serve her and her colleagues well in the years ahead. As a
member of the Presidency, Becky will continue to provide overall direction
to evolving comprehensive leadership and priesthood formation initiatives
that are indispensable to the church’s vitality and forward movement. In
addition, she will prove to be instrumental in accelerating the church’s
proactive response to gender and cultural biases and inequalities resident
in church life as she gives voice to the insights and sensitivities that
have been given her in divine anticipation of this call. While this call may
seem daunting at times, Becky may respond with confidence to the sure
witness of the Spirit that she is called to the Presidency according to her
gifts for such a time as this.
6. Awareness of David R. Brock’s call to serve as the Presiding Evangelist
of the church has been emerging for some time and has recently been
reiterated by the Spirit’s clear direction. Brother Brock’s compassion,
spiritual perception, language ability, and years of service as an apostle
upon the isles and continents of the world, have fully prepared him for this
call. He has the spiritual insights and gifts that will help the church
experience the unifying, reviving, and sending breath of God’s Spirit in
ways that are especially needed at this time. Through his leadership, the
Order of Evangelists will gain additional understanding of its role as
ministers of blessing and builders of sacred community grounded in the peace
of Christ. He is also called to help the youth and young adults of the
church discover transformative encounter with God’s Spirit as the
foundational reality of responsible life and healthy relationships. If the
church will truly heed David’s written and spoken guidance, it will begin to
understand more precisely the spiritual language, attitudes, and behaviors
that engender abundant life in the peaceable Kingdom of God as revealed by
Jesus Christ.
7. Stephen M. Jones is called to serve as the Presiding Bishop of the
church. Brother Jones’s prior experience in industry and, more recently, as
a counselor to the Presiding Bishop, coupled with his vibrant witness of the
essential relationships between God’s grace, faithful discipleship, and
generous stewardship, equip him well for this new responsibility. As Steve
embraces this calling in faith and confidence, he will discover new
opportunities for teaching the principles of A Disciple’s Generous Response
among diverse groups of people throughout the world, including younger
generations of disciples and disciples-to-be. As Presiding Bishop, Steve is
also called to continue to focus the efforts of the bishops on their primary
calling: to inspire church members to share generously through local and
world ministries tithes and the offering of surplus so that the ministries
of the church may increase. He is also called to continue exploration of how
the church’s assets can be developed and better aligned in support of
mission priorities.
Counsel is also given through the impress of the Spirit regarding the
subsequent vacancies in the Council of Twelve and the Presiding Bishopric:
8. J. Andrew Bolton is called from his current roles as a seventy and in
peace and justice ministries to serve as an apostle and member of the
Council of Twelve Apostles. During a time when the Council of Twelve is
clarifying the nature and scope of its witness, Brother Bolton will
contribute vital perspective, knowledge, and vision. A native of the United
Kingdom, Andrew’s educational and work experience in England, Wales, the
United States, Germany, Spain, and Japan, plus his commitment to living in
just and compassionate Christ-centered community, shall be given greater
opportunity for expression through his apostolic ministry. Andrew’s humble
yet eager willingness to answer the call to share the blessings of the
gospel with the poor and oppressed of the world will bring desperately
needed hope and opportunity to many who suffer under heavy burdens of
humiliation and despair. Also, his knowledge of the world’s major faith
traditions will enable him to build bridges of understanding in the spirit
of Christ’s message of love of neighbor and peacemaking in a world of
religious conflict.
9. Carlos Enrique Mejia is called from his current ministry as a seventy in
Central America to serve as an apostle and as a member of the Council of
Twelve Apostles. Brother Mejia’s passionate witness of the gospel, including
his own conversion, linked with his church leadership experience in Latin
America, position him to make a significant contribution to the growth of
the church, especially among, but not limited to, Spanish-speaking people.
Carlos’s boundless desire to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ in any
circumstance of life distinguishes him as one who knows the heart and
essence of the gospel message. His unique insight and testimony will bless
the church with a better understanding of God’s will for creation, including
God’s unwavering, passionate concern for earth’s multitudes who do not yet
have access to the economic, political, and educational opportunities
enjoyed by others. Carlos should accept the call to be an apostle with full
assurance that his witness and leadership are needed and will be greatly
valued.
10. R. Paul Davis is called to continue as a counselor to the Presiding
Bishop and as a member of the Presiding Bishopric. Since the last World
Conference, Brother Davis has demonstrated an unusual capacity to master the
complexities of church financial operations and organizational processes. He
has freely offered his expertise during organizational redesign in the face
of serious budget constraints, including taking on additional heavy
responsibilities as needed. Paul should now be afforded greater opportunity
in the Presiding Bishopric to apply his spiritual insights, theological
knowledge, and communication skills to help the church more fully practice
faithful stewardship principles. He is called to be persistent and creative
in response to the challenge of expanding the numbers of faithful stewards,
especially younger members, who support the local and world ministries of
the church.
11. David J. Brown has worked closely with various Presiding Bishoprics
during his thirty-three years of executive minister service. He is now
called to serve as a counselor to the Presiding Bishop and as a member of
the Presiding Bishopric. Dave has an unwavering commitment to the
stewardship vision, principles, and practices of the church as they have
been defined and honed over the generations. His professional expertise in
financial accounting practices, investment strategies, and budget management
processes clearly qualify him for this role. In addition, David carries a
spirit of unassuming servant ministry that draws attention away from himself
and toward the Christ, who comes among us as one who serves. The weaving of
Dave’s gifts with those of his colleagues in the quorum will form a
Presiding Bishopric that has the capacity to wisely manage the church’s
temporal resources and effectively promote the liberating truths of A
Disciple’s Generous Response while maximizing the funding available to
support the expanding ministries of the church.
I also wish to give the following guidance regarding the leadership of
the Quorum of High Priests:
12. William M. Barnhard, who will soon retire from more than thirty-two
years of church appointment, has served in a number of World Church
leadership roles. Most recently, Brother Barnhard has functioned as Director
of Human Resource Ministries and as President of the Quorum of High Priests.
During his tenure as president of the quorum, Bill guided a visionary
educational process that clarified the ministries of the high priest in
today’s church. In light of his approaching retirement, Bill shall be
honorably released from his role as President of the Quorum of High Priests.
This action comes with great appreciation for his willing and capable
service as a quorum presiding officer while carrying other major
responsibilities in the church.
13. To fill the need for quorum leadership, Jane M. Gardner is called to
serve as president of the Quorum of High Priests. Sister Gardner has been a
member of the quorum leadership team during a pivotal time of exploration
and renewed emphasis on the ministry of the high priest. Jane is prepared
through experience, spiritual maturity, and inherent giftedness to provide
leadership to the quorum. She is called to work with the quorum leadership
team to continue to envision and implement ways to motivate and equip high
priests around the world to function to their fullest capacity according to
the needs and opportunities before the church. In conjunction with this
calling, Jane is to provide leadership to the continued unfolding of the
ministries of the Temple for the blessing of the church, with adjustment to
her duties at international headquarters to allow sufficient time to fulfill
her quorum and Temple ministries responsibilities.
With sincere appreciation for the sacrificial service of those being
released from their respective roles, may the World Conference now
prayerfully consider the approval of the calls of the persons named in this
letter, who have indicated their willingness to bear leadership
responsibilities on behalf of the church as a witness of their devotion to
the cause of Christ.
In the peace of Christ,
Stephen M. Veazey, president
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