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Justin Sorensen was recently released as bishop of his ward in Indiana and is now serving as stake Young Men camp director and youth Sunday School teacher. He has previously served as ward executive secretary, Young Men president, elders quorum president, and counselor in a bishopric. Justin grew up in Northern Indiana, served a mission in South Korea, and graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering. He has been an insurance agency owner for the last 14 years, married to Angela for 23 years, and they are the parents of five children.
Highlights
02:30 Introduction and background of Justin Sorenson
05:00 Transitioning from being bishop and having a large role in the ward to having a much smaller role
06:30 The dynamic that the bishop has with the youth and the ward. It can be exhausting to be everything for everyone.
11:00 Justin talks about his experience as a bishop helping the youth. Things that they did.
16:30 Young men’s advisors
17:20 Principle one – Be with them (the youth). Always be communicating.
20:40 Interviews with the youth
21:30 Principle two – Let them lead. How Justin went about helping the youth lead.
23:50 Justin’s ward created a planning conference for the youth. The youth were able to plan activities for the next six months plus they got to have fun.
30:30 Trust the youth. Let them lead to unleash their power. Be willing to let the young men fulfill their responsibilities. Let them fail once or twice instead of jumping in right away to fix everything.
31:45 As a leader you need to be willing to sit back and listen and let the youth do their thing. We try to jump in way too soon and release them from that responsibility.
34:10 Principle three – Connect them with heaven.
- Connect them with the importance of the sacrament
- Talk about covenants and the temple. Prepare them for the future.
- Always being open to inspiration and what the youth need
39:40 Helping the youth plan activities. You can help give them a framework but within the framework the youth can do what they want.
40:15 Ward council is the board for the ward with a unified objective
42:50 Principles of the ward council: Principle one – As a bishop, you should be with them
- One meeting a month with the full agenda
- All other weekly meetings were about people. Only 10 minutes long.
45:20 Ward council principle two – Let them lead
- Everyone had very clear responsibilities
- Let them manage their own organization
- Allowing them to lead helps them have their own spiritual experiences
51:30 Justin’s final thoughts and what he has learned from being a leader
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