Have you ever tried to small talk before extending a calling? I would not recommend it. When an individual receives a phone call from an executive secretary saying, “Would you be available to meet with the Bishop/Stake President on Sunday?”, suddenly that person gets tunnel vision. Nothing else matters in their life until they figure out what that priesthood authority wants. So when you start out an interview to extend a call with, “So how’s your family doing?” you may get a very, very short answer.
Step One: Get to the point
“Hello Sister Nucallin, thanks for coming in. I am excited to tell you we are releasing you as Door Greeter South and calling you as Door Greeter North. Before I give you more details is this a calling you feel like you can accept?”
Step Two: Give them details
“Thanks for accepting, Sister. This calling will require you to be at church 20 minutes early, bring your smile, and make sure everyone has a meeting program as they enter. If you have any further questions of what you will be responsible for, please talk to Sister Potluck since she is the Activities Committee Leader and is over this calling.”
Step Three: Tell them when change will happen
“Sacrament will start in an hour and we will be presenting your name for a sustaining vote. Do you have any other questions?”
Now let’s be honest, extending a calling doesn’t require a step-by-step guide but it seems every person I have received a calling from has their own style. Some work well but others keep you wondering. Please share what works best for you in the comments.
This talk about extending callings also opens up an opportunity to address the Law of Common Consent. During anyone’s time in the church they will find themselves in a sacrament meeting when a sustaining vote is called. People raise their hand in unison without giving thought to what they are actually doing. Read more about it HERE.
I would add that its always important to be prepared to answer questions about what the calling will require, time wise, and tasks. I agree you should empower them to make the calling fit who they are. But, In my opinion I know that when I have extended callings, giving the person an outline or overview of what is expected will help point them in the right direction. Nothing is worse then someone getting called to something and months later saying that they have no idea what they are doing and/or have never been trained. Use the opportunity to extend the call to do some brief training or make sure they get trained by the appropriate Stake or Ward Leader.
I am a recent returned missionary called as a counselor in the bishopric. I was asked to extend callings to single sisters. I still don’t feel comfortable stepping outside of mission rules and visiting them to extend the calls. I know a phone call is informal but we are in need of filling these callings this Sunday. My bishop and other counselor are at girls camp. Any suggestions?
This might be too late for today, but if you go to the Leading Saints Facebook page, you can join the Leading Saints Helpers group there. That’s a great place to ask for help with questions like this. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537462366465753/