This week’s commentary on Doctrine and Covenants 71-75 consists of a look at the doctrines of agency, delegation, and accountability.
I read and reread the lesson material, and one thing kept coming into my head, and that is agency, delegation, and accountability. The lesson is specifically talking about how priesthood holders such as Bishops bless our lives through accountability, but I’m thinking more globally that accountability is a basic component of delegation and having agency. Without the need to be accountable for what we do, having agency in our lives wouldn’t do us any good. Let’s spend a few moments looking at the importance of being accountable for what we do, or are supposed to do. I hope that after you read what I have written below then go back and look at this week’s sections you’ll see how the Lord is using the principles of agency, delegation, and accountability to govern the Church.
Agency, delegation, and accountability
God, our Father, directed the work of creation from beginning to end. Jesus went and did the work, but he got his directions from our Father. At no time has our Father in Heaven ever abdicated His responsibilities for His family. No matter what was done by someone other than Him, He has always remained in charge of everything having to do with His own family. The work of creation was done through delegation.
Modern revelation beautifully demonstrates God’s process for getting things done. He commanded what must come next in preparing for the work of salvation, and those responsible for doing the work (those delegated or given the responsibility of completing the task) went and did it then returned to report on their work to God. Once God saw that the work was done satisfactorily, He proclaimed it to be good then moved on to the next item on the list. Each time something was done, those who did the work returned to Him and reported on what they did. That made them accountable for what they did and how they did it.
At no time are we aware that anyone ever just went did what they wanted, because they wanted to do something different. They did whatever was necessary to fulfill the Father’s will using their own judgment and abilities. They didn’t return to report on their work until they could see that all things had obeyed them and done what was directed by them. We’re talking about the elements of the universe obeying the commands of those holding the priesthood.
The priesthood relies on these three things, agency, delegation, and accountability. In our premortal life God made sure we were given the ability to choose for ourselves. We were given moral agency. This is the kind of agency that lets us choose freely between good and evil. It is not an unlimited kind of agency, but one that is limited to choosing between these two choices. For a more complete discussion on the laws of agency please refer to The Five Laws of Agency.
Delegation is an important part of God’s priesthood use. Through the power of delegation responsibility for governing and creating is given to someone else who learns through experience how to do what is needed to get that work accomplished. Delegation is a wonderful tool by which God can show us what needs to be done, but we are left to go and try our hand at the task so we learn the important lessons associated with it.
Take parenting, for example. We are given basic commandments by the Lord as to what He expects from us when we become parents, but it is up to us to learn how to raise another person from a helpless babe in arms to a responsible and covenant-keeping adult. Along the way, in the process of our learning, commandments are given for which we are accountable. For example, the Lord tells us that if we don’t teach our children to repent and be baptized and keep the commandments by the time they are at the age of accountability then their sins will be on our heads (Doctrine and Covenants 68:25). The Lord demonstrated an example of this in the subsequent verses of section 68. This is also demonstrated scripturally in the Book of Mormon with the parenting results of Laman and Lemuel and those who followed them. They didn’t teach their children as the Lord commanded, so throughout the Book of Mormon we are told over and over again that God will hold those parents responsible for the evil they taught their children. He never held the children responsible for what their parents didn’t teach them.
Delegation, as a teaching tool, is of little use if we don’t accompany it with instructions then hold the student accountable for their follow through. The moral agency comes into play with how we choose to obey the instructions we are given. Intention and desire also play a big part in our accountability. These are attributes God has the ability to measure, like Jesus can tell you how much faith you have, and whether it is sufficient to accomplish what needs to be done. God calls our desire and intentions the “desires of the heart.” This part of the judging equation we can only see in part in hindsight. God can read our desires in real time.
As you read these sections and see how the Lord deals with the Saints, notice how He is giving instructions, delegating authority and responsibilities to those who hold His priesthood then requires that they be held accountable for what He has commanded them to do.
Priesthood delegation
The Prophet is called by Christ to represent him in all things to the people on earth. The Prophet is God’s mouthpiece and is told what he needs to do during his tenure as God’s mouthpiece. He has to answer to God for the way salvation is offered and implemented to the world, a big responsibility. The prophet then delegates the responsibilities of the priesthood to the Apostles and members of the quorum of the Seventy. Each are given specific responsibilities to accomplish until they have a change in their assignment. And change always comes, for none of us ever serve forever in just one calling in this life.
Delegation continues on down the priesthood chain to Stake Presidents then Bishops, and finally to quorum presidents and organization presidents, and to individuals within the membership of the church. But once we have all received our callings and assignments there must be accountability for the assignments and callings we have received. This is why we answer to our Bishop. He is the leader of our local unit in God’s kingdom. The ward or branch is about as “grass roots” as it gets in administering the salvation God has designed for all of us. It is the Bishop’s responsibility to make sure the work of salvation takes place among the people over whom he has been called to preside. The one who presides is the one who directs the work and is held responsible by God for the decisions made for the time that person is fulfilling that calling.
We use our agency in our callings to determine if we magnify that calling or ignore what we have been called to do. How we use our agency in the fulfilling of our callings is how we demonstrate the desires of our heart. I don’t think it is a coincidence that we refer to the Bishop as the “father of the ward.” The Bishop, like those above him in the priesthood line of authority serve in a limited capacity like our Father in Heaven. They direct the work we are all called to assist with. We answer to the Bishop, because it is he who has called us to our current responsibilities. Those who are called by the Stake President answer to him for the fulfillment of their responsibilities.
How can the Lord bless me through the Bishop’s ministry?
The organization of the priesthood is how God saves His children. This is a family affair where we each strive to assist each other in all that is required for us to become like our Father in Heaven and like our Savior. God uses us to support one another, teach each other, and be held accountable to each other for what we have been called to do. We are not perfect, so mistakes happen. Problems naturally arise, and we are expected to use the Holy Ghost to navigate the most Christlike way to solve the problem and demonstrate God’s love for each other. Obviously some are better at this than others, but that is to be expected.
Let’s look at the ministry of the bishop for a moment. He is called as an administrator over a local area and is responsible for the work of salvation that takes place within his geographic boundaries. As my wife and I discussed how we might be blessed by the Bishop’s ministry it occurred to me that we don’t often have direct involvement with the Bishop, because we are more involved with people who do answer directly to the Bishop. So if we are all so busy answering to and working with our Relief Society, Primary, EQ, YM, and YW Presidents, how are we being blessed by the Bishop’s ministry?
When the Bishop calls a person to a position in the ward a couple of things can happen, and sometimes they happen at the same time. The Bishop may be inspired to specifically call a person to a position through the promptings of the Spirit. He may need to fill a position, but doesn’t receive any special direction for the call, so he has to look at the needs of the ward and try to figure out who will be the best person to fill that need. He might also feel the need to consider a specific person and look for the position he feels will best help that person. There is a huge juggling act going on all the time in his efforts to move God’s work forward among the several hundred who are under his care.
It is important to remember that God is aware of the Bishop’s limitations, strengths, and the needs of every individual within the ward, member or not. The Spirit works tirelessly with individuals, as well as with the Bishop to honor each person’s agency, as well as push each person to learn and grow by tackling new assignments that will teach them more about what it means to be Christlike and godlike. Are awkward situations inevitable? Of course. But through our weakness God creates strength. Through our efforts God performs miracles in people’s lives. And that is all in spite of our often bumbling efforts. Remember that none of this is new to God. He has known the end from the beginning and still is able to move forward knowing that He will be able to save as many of His children as are willing to be saved.
The Bishop may not be perfect, as we are not perfect. But God uses each of us and the ministries we are assigned to fulfill to bless the lives of those around us. The more we cooperate with each other the greater the wonders the Lord is able to show us and help us experience as we learn and grow in His gospel. God is responsible for delegating responsibilities through the priesthood. It is up to us to use our agency to do our best so when God holds us accountable for what we have done we will see that we have grown and matured in the process of accepting and fulfilling to the best of our ability those responsibilities.
No weapon …
Just a note on the title of this week’s lessons. God’s priesthood power is unstoppable. When He proclaims that something needs to happen then it will happen. Nothing in the universe can stand in its way and succeed. We may be temporarily frustrated, because someone has lied to us, short changed us, cheated us, slandered us, or whatever else people can do to us, but in the end, when we follow God’s counsel we will always be vindicated. God’s will just always has a way of working out, despite the efforts of man to subvert or destroy His efforts. We can place absolute confidence in the Lord’s agenda, for in the end it will always triumph. There is no other outcome possible.
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