Learn more about your Mormon Ward
Your Ward
Families and individuals make up the membership of each ward. Most wards average around 200 to 300 members. If you live in an area where there are few Mormons, you will have a branch, which is similar to a ward, but usually has from 50 to 150 members. Branches have Branch Presidents instead of Bishops who perform very similar functions to that of a Bishop. For both wards and branches the following represents the basic leaders of the congregation and the various programs available.
Find your local Mormon Chapel.
Bishop (or Branch President):
Your Bishop is one of the busiest and most important men in the ward. He oversees the whole ward with the help of his two counselors and the presidents of the various other organizations like the Sunday School, the Relief Society, the Primary, and the Young Men/Young Women programs. His calling is to be a “common judge in Israel” (D&C 107:72, 74). He is also president of the Aaronic Priesthood in his ward and is to care for the needs, both spiritual and temporal of the members (D&C 107:68). He presides at weekly worship services and with the help of his counselors selects those who give the weekly sermons and generally assigns topics to them. He also counsels with members who need help and can help provide financial relief from the Bishop’s Storehouse which contains food and clothing for the poor. He also receives the confessions of the members if they have committed a serious sin such as sexual relations outside of marriage, addictions to drugs, alcohol, or pornography, and so on. Through the Mormon Church, the Bishop has resources to help members struggling with addictions or serious burdens. He also interviews people to make sure they are prepared to enter the Mormon Temple.
Get to know your Bishop as soon as you can. He is a very good man, but also a very busy man so if seems a little distracted sometimes, do not be upset. Your Bishop will also be the one who gives you your first calling, or assignment in the Mormon Church, so let him know what talents and experience you have so he can know how best to let you serve your fellow members. Remember that the Bishop will keep everything you tell him strictly confidential. He has been called by God to lead and guide your ward.
Priesthood:
In Mormonism, Priesthood does not usually refer to the people with authority, but to the authority itself. Priesthood represents the power and authority to act in God’s name when performing ordinances like baptism or when leading the Church. Through Priesthood which is delegated to men on earth, God brings to pass is great purpose which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39).
All worthy male members of the Mormon Church can share in the Priesthood power. Through it, they are authorized to preach the gospel, administer ordinances and lead the Church. Men are ordained to the Priesthood by the laying on of hands of worthy priesthood holders. There are various offices and positions within the priesthood and members holding the same priesthood office (for example, Priest, Elder, High Priest), gather in quorums. When a person receives the priesthood, we say that the priesthood was conferred upon him, and then he is ordained to a specific office in the Priesthood.
The scriptures teach us there are two divisions of the priesthood: Aaronic Priesthood and Melchizedek Priesthood. The Priesthood was held by ancient Apostles of Jesus’ time, but the authority was taken from the earth after the Church went into apostasy. On May 15, 1828, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith, the Prophet and to Oliver Cowdery. He gave them the Aaronic Priesthood. A month or so later, Peter, James, and John visited them and gave them the Melchizedek, or higher, Priesthood.
The Aaronic Priesthood contains four offices: Deacon, Teacher, Priest, and Bishop. This priesthood has authority to baptize, bless and pass the Sacrament (or Lord’s Supper), and oversee in Church meetings. Young men may be become deacons at age 12, teachers at 14, and priest at 16. Bishops oversee the priests’ quorum and the ward so Bishops are typically taken from Melchizedek Priesthood holders.
Men typically receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and are ordained Elders when they are 19 or 20 as they prepare to become Mormon Missionaries, though there is no set age. The major requirements are faith in Jesus Christ, worthiness, and a willingness to serve others. The offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood are Elder, High Priest, Seventy, Patriarch, Apostle, and President of the Church. There is no minimum age on any of these offices. The Melchizedek Priesthood oversees the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, spiritual leadership in the Church, missionary work, and the rituals in the Mormon Temple. In order to enter a Mormon temple, a man must be ordained to the Priesthood.
Auxiliaries:
Auxiliaries are those organizations that help the Mormon Church and its members in learning more about Christ and the Scriptures through classes and activities. The following are some of the most important organizations that most wards have.
Young Men/Young Women
Seminary and Institute