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Toby Eborn was called as an Elder’s Quorum President in July 2016 in his Midvale, Utah-area ward. He was born and raised in Montpelier, Idaho, and was called to serve in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission. Upon his return, he attended Utah State University for a time as well as culinary school before heading east and meeting his future-wife while living in Ohio. He has served as a primary and Sunday school teacher, a counselor in the Young Men’s presidency, ward executive secretary, co-ward mission leader, and most recently as a counselor in the Elders Quorum presidency. His approach as an Elders Quorum President is centered on helping people to get to know one another better (32:00). He looks for ways to get people together in a fun and relaxing atmosphere and has seen success in his quorum growing in their relationships with one another through these activities (46:00). In this podcast, he discusses five principles of leadership that he follows in his callings, as well as his approach to home teaching and quorum lessons.

Principles of Leadership:

1. Love (35:00)

• It is easier to do things for people you love. By cultivating that type of brotherhood in the quorum, brethren understand that they are not alone in their struggles.
• President Eborn tries to have personal contact with each member of his quorum prior to the quorum meeting in the third hour block by greeting them with a handshake as they arrive for sacrament meeting.

2. Stewardship (37:30)

• Everyone has a stewardship, even if it is in our own family or even our own life. We can’t neglect the responsibility we’ve taken upon ourselves as priesthood holders to be the Savior’s representatives.
• We must make ourselves available to our stewardship and build that relationship with them.
• If we are good stewards it strengthens our priesthood power.

3. Faith (38:45)

• Are we remembering to encourage those experiencing a crisis of faith to do the “primary answers” – studying the scriptures daily, regular personal and family prayer, attending church – as a means of watering and nourishing the seed of testimony?
• Are we constantly working on our own faith? If we are, and we are conscious of the struggles of those in our stewardship, we are more equipped to assist them.

4. Accountability (40:55)

• We have agreed to and accepted callings to serve our stewardship and have made covenants to serve and follow through.
• Work to change our mindset from “it’s easier to not do the right thing” to “I really need to hold myself accountable to what I’ve committed to do.”

5. Discipline (42:15)

• How many days in a week are we “on the plan?” individually and as a family?
• Failure to be consistent in doing these things leads to lasting results and consequences.

Turning Lessons into conversations (51:00)

• Improved quorum meeting attendance and participation has been a direct correlation to the brethren becoming friends and getting to know each other better.

Approach to Home Teaching (52:00)

• Did not intend to talk about home teaching every week, but finds himself doing so.
• Avoids taking the “hey everyone, it’s the last week of the month, everybody get out and do your home teaching…” approach and then not saying anything for another month.
• Doesn’t talk about it because of a concern for numbers, but because he knows there are individuals and families in his quorum that need to be home taught.
• Focuses on the individual and helping the brethren to understand that people have struggles and need to be home taught – and that the home teachers can provide that strength.
• Just because someone is at church every week doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling. We don’t know and can’t help until we get to know each other and are able to open up safely to one another.
• Returning and reporting is important but ultimately President Eborn just wants them to be aware of how their home teaching families (their stewardship) are doing.
• Regarding our stewardship, whoever that may be, “Do we love each other enough to worry about them and look for ways to strengthen them?”

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