Geoff Thatcher grew up in Farmington, Utah in an LDS home. He is a descendant of the apostle, Moses Thatcher. He served his mission in the Kentucky Louisville Mission. He graduated from BYU in Journalism and now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio where he works with large corporations to help them create attractions and museums to advertise their brands.
Geoff Thatcher’s calling involves working with all stake public affairs directors in a coordinating council (group of stakes). In the interview Geoff talks about the shift that is happening in the direction we are receiving from the general authorities to use social media and technology more activity to spread the message of the gospel.
When someone dies in a local ward many families turn to the bishop and or Relief Society president for direction and organization. In this episode I interview Greg Ballard, who is a former bishop and has had 20+ years of experience as a funeral director in Salt Lake City, Utah. We discuss some best practices of conducting and facilitating funerals.
In this episode I interview Scott Newman who has had over 25 years of leadership experience in Corporate American and now shares of that experience by teaching business courses at LDS Business College. One class inparticular that he teaches is called Leadership for Life where he focuses on 5 pillars of leadership. We take time to discuss some of these principles and how they relate to leadership in the LDS Church.
As a newly called bishop in the inner city of Salt Lake, there were a lot of things I didn’t know, but this was one of the questions that worried me the most. I felt that if I gave a member a Bishop’s Order for Commodities (food and supplies, clothing, household goods or an authorization for services) that I should be able to let them know what happens when they go to redeem it. I found that some members were well versed with the Church’s Welfare Resource program, while others had no i
In this episode I am pleased to introduce you to the voice of Leading Saints Italia, Marco Ferrini. Marco is a bishop in Florence, Italy and got turned on to the Leading Saints podcast last year by another bishop who recommended it to him. He loved the resource so much that he contacted me about doing a similar podcast in Italian. I am excited to extend the Leading Saints brand over to Italy and continue the work of enhancing leadership in the Church.
Bishop Ferrini also talks to us about his Italian pioneer heritage. His mother was one of the first members in Italy. He has served in most leadership callings available in the Church and now has had the opportunity to serve as bishop for the last couple of years.
Christine Shaw is no doubt an individual on a mission of service. Though she has completed a formal mission with her late husband in Malaysia, she has been on a mission all her life. In this episode she tells of her experience as a Relief Society president and Primary president in a branch that was started with the help of herself and her husband. She tells interesting stories of helping invite Australian aborigines to church and some of the stories of faith that they showed in joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One of my favorite gospel stories is about the father who brings his possessed son unto the Savior to be healed (Mark 9). After pleading with the Savior’s disciples “that they should cast him out; and they could not,” the Savior quickly rebuked His disciples. He then turns to the father and says, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The father’s response has lead me to hours of pondering, the father says, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
In the same sentence it seem that the father proclaims his faith in the Savior and then has a crisis of faith. In the beginning I can hear the conviction in his voice stating an unwavering testimony as he says, “Lord, I believe!” Then doubt snatches that conviction and turns the tone into a plead, “help thou mine unbelief.”
Chris Kittle lives in Leesville, Louisiana and works as an oral maxillofacial surgeon (a really awesome dentist). He has been bishop for 2+ years for a military ward. In this episode he shares with us his Catholic background, joining the LDS Church at 19 and then serving a mission in Brazil at the age of 22.
Bishop Kittle’s 5 Leadership Principles
Be Flexible
Use Your Counselors
Communication, Communication, COMMUNICATION
Follow the Spirit
Listen to Leading Saints
Warwick & Samantha Allen live on the east coast of Australia in beautiful city of Brisbane. Warwick is currently serving as the bishop or his ward and his wife Samantha is a great support and has many years of leadership service herself. In this episode we learn about their unique background of gaining a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ while dealing with growing up in a home impacted by divorce. We talked with Samantha about how her single-parent family was supported by her ward. Warwick talks about his awkward experience in the youth program and how it lead him to go inactive in the church for more than 14 years. His story of returning to the gospel will inspire all who listen to it and then how he has developed his leadership ability to lead his ward for the past six years.
The Allen’s 6 Principles of Leadership:
Lead from Behind
Love Your Counselors
Embrace Your Sisters
Show the Members Your Heart
Impart Confidence and Optimism
Tomorrow is Another Day
From time to time church leaders will counsel with someone in their flock that has concerns and confusion related to how science relates to the Book of Mormon; more specifically how DNA relates to the people talked about in the Book of Mormon.
It would be beneficial for all leaders to listen to this podcast interview and also review the links below. This will help leaders to have more confidence when counseling with someone that is having a faith struggle because of a scientific perspectives.
Dr. Ugo Perego is currently Director of the Rome Italy LDS Institute. He is a Population Geneticist and has consulted with the LDS Church related to the Book of Mormon and DNA. He contributed to the research mentioned in the Church’s Essay about this topic. Dr. Perego is also a bishop in Rome, Italy.
