Callings

One beautiful and true thing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that sets it apart from all other denominations and faiths in the world is that the entire membership can be given tasks to aid in the perpetuation of programs, activities, and christian practices. Not only this, but that these responsibilities can, and most often are, actually callings. This means that God inspires his faithful priesthood leaders at all levels of the Church to choose specific people for specific responsibilities within a unit of the Church.

I know that this happens. The prophets and apostles call certain people, like mission presidents and missionaries, and temple presidents. Members of the seventy call stake presidencies, Members of stake presidencies call bishoprics, who in turn call leaders in all organizations within a ward or branch, and these are only a fraction of examples of callings done in the church.

I recently was called as an executive secretary to my ward. That means I get to coordinate appointments between the members and the bishopric, and help the congregation run as it should, helping dozens of people to fulfill their respective responsibilities. Such coordination and unity, and volunteerism in the church is why many leaders have tied the word deseret, from a Jaredite (civilization chronicled in the Book of Mormon) word for beehive or honey bees. Everyone in the Church works together for mutual benefit and perfection through Christ.

Many callings are accompanied by ordinations, a bestowal or transferring of keys and powers from one priesthood holder to another. Joseph Smith was called by God, and was directed by revelation to call and ordain twelve apostles in these modern times. Subsequent reorganizations of the Twelve, and the Seventy (also mentioned in the Old and New Testaments) were always done by revelation, as recorded in D&C 102:1 - "This day a general council of twenty-four high priests assembled at the house of Joseph Smith, Jun., by revelation, and proceeded to organize the high council of the church of Christ, which was to consist of twelve high priests, and one or three presidents as the case might require." [emphasis added]

God's church is living. All others are like pictures in frames, that lack a dimension to be vivid and effective without living and constant revelation that permeates God's church from the top-down at every level and location.