How I Lead as a Mission President | An Interview With Larry Gelwix

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Larry Gelwix is widely known as the Head Coach of the Highland High School rugby team where he lead his team for 36 years with an overall record of 419–10 and 19 national championships. The movie Forever Strong is based on his experience as the coach of that team. Larry and wife Cathy have also served in numerous callings in the church and recently returned from serving as mission presidents of the California Fresno Mission from 2011 to 2014. They live in the Salt Lake area and are the parents of 5 children.

President Gelwix Leadership Principles

Consecration and Teamwork

Deciding what team you play for Joshua 24:15
As depicted in the movie Forever Strong he had past players write letters to current players. He carried this practice over to the mission field having departing leaders and missionaries write letters to their replacements.

Effective Stewardship Interviews (Some call them PPI’s or Personal Priesthood Interviews)

The interviews were never focused on numbers, they were focused on how they were feeling.
Favorite question he learned from Elder Ronald A. Rasband was to ask, “why are you here?”
- You take people where they are and then you have a plan
- For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? – Luke 14:28

FIO (Figure it Out)

When we ask the Lord a question and it is the the realm of our ability to figure out he will kindly allow us that learning opportunity
the Lord will do the things only a God can do – he will ask us to do just about everything else
- Examples:
  - The Brother of Jared asking the Lords help to provide air and light Ether 2: 18–25
  - When raising Lazarus from the dead Jesus allowed others to roll away the stone and remove the burial clothing. Jesus only did what a God could do. John 11: 38–44

Go watch Forever Strong Netflix / Amazon Also check out the post I wrote after returning from my visit to the California Fresno Mission called 8 Things I Learned from (Coach) President Larry Gelwix.