In the past, we’ve talked about being stuck in a calling, and asked if you were over or under-utilized. I thought it might be interesting to find out what are your most and least favorite callings. What say you?
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LDS, Mormon, Mormon Discussion
Most/Least Favorite Callings
I spent a five-year period in my 20s as visiting teaching coordinator. Over several wards in several stakes in several different parts of my state–every time I moved, I got called to be visiting teaching coordinator. I finally lost my patience, and in the next ward I moved to, told the bishop I’d do anything except VT coordinator.
I (happily) did five years of primary music callings in my early 30s. Best calling ever.
It isn’t listed separately, but Primary music is the best calling. I have more good memories of playing the piano in Primary in one month than the rest of my life in Elders Quorum combined. And you get treats in Primary, too.
My dream callings are:
Green Team leader
LBGT ally
Social Justice Committee member
Bible Study Leader
Prayer Team leader
I am one of the odd guys that loves nursery.
i also put scouts as my fav and worst callings. i loved working with the boys, but the time commitments were terrible. Probably a big part of my current marriage issues as between work and scouts, I was physically and emotionally drained.
Faves:
Gospel Doctrine
Genealogy
Membership Clerk
Hated:
Scouts
Primary
Ward Mission
Quorum presidencies
Doesn’t primary pianist count in the Ward music category?
Faves:
gospel doctrine
Primary chorister
YW advisor (teaches the weekly classes)
Not faves:
Primary presidency
Anything scouts
Anything RS
Favorites: Gospel Doctrine, Primary Chorister, Gingerbread Specialist (it’s a thing in Omaha, NE), Family History Consultant.
Least Favorites: Nursery, Scouts, Anything overseeing VT, Food Storage Specialist.
My absolute favorite calling was Nursery. I did it for 6 years in one ward, with at least four co-leaders over the years. Some days it sucked, and I came home tired or frustrated (usually frustrated with the parents), but as a whole it was great.
Oh, most/least favorite doing? All I could think of is most/least favorite you see someone else doing, especially if they choose to involve you somehow.
As a man my lifelong ambition is to serve in the Relief Society, perhaps as a member of a ward RS presidency. RS is great because the focus is on taking care of people, and you don’t have as much hierarchy/rank like the men do. In RS, people use the Priesthood to do their callings, but it’s this kind of nebulous force that flows through the organization without the need for ordinations and formality. Kind of like in other Christian churches. And the LDS men/hierarch/authority kind of give the RS autonomy to organize groups and service projects. I think of RS as a kind of like a Methodist church embedded in the Mormon church. How cool! I wish we had that option for men!
Primary music leader is the best calling! I can’t believe it isn’t listed 🙂 I feel like it’s the most memorable part of Primary
Throw me in the SS teacher briar patch. I think that the bloggernacle screens for people who enjoy being SS teachers. My other favorite was not listed. I liked being one of the ward clerks. You are involved with a lot, but work behind the scenes for the most part.
I have known many people who love being primary pianist or music leader. I have not had that opportunity and probably will not ever.
best ever calling early morning seminary and relief society TFOT teacher
Best: Exec Sec in a YSA ward/gospel doctrine teacher
Worst: Family history specialist in a BYU ward. So, so useless.
Joe’s #10 might be the most positive framing for RS ever!
I have only ever served in primary since I married 15 y ears ago. I have been without a calling for months and I love it. I will always agree to sub for one of my kids classes but I prefer to be calling free on Sunday.
In case anyone thinks I am a total slacker I do VT. I also bring people meals, watch people’s kids, help people pack and clean etc.
Favorite calling: early morning seminary teacher
Worst calling: early morning seminary teacher.
The calling I expected to enjoy the most was ward music chair, sadly it proved to be the single most frustrating experience with a calling ever.
I am currently enjoying being primary pianist, and accompanying on guitar for the nursery music time (now that the wards are combined it’s possible to be primary pianist separately, whereas when I did so previously it was part of my role on the primary presidency).
In the past I’ve enjoyed teaching RS, and primary presidency (with responsibility for teachers & music, not the kids!).
I dislike anything that involves planning activities be they for the ward, RS, primary or youth… and I don’t like nursery at all (well except for the 10 minutes currently spent doing music in there each week).
Favorite Calling: High Priest Group Leader. Total freedom to move a wonderful group of men towards doing much service in the ward in many different areas.
Worst Calling: Ward Mission Leader. Pressure, pressure, pressure.
“RS is great because the focus is on taking care of people…How cool! I wish we had that option for men!”
Joe, that option is there, it’s just often ignored.
Favorite calling: Relief Society teacher.
Least favorite calling: Primary teacher. Some of the lessons I have to teach feel like pure indoctrination. I understand that 4 year olds don’t understand nuance, but it’s hard teaching impressionable kids things I don’t believe myself.
One of my favorite callings was doing the printed program. Sounds weird, but I think I loved it because I work in design and layout and I totally revamped it, recruited photos taken by ward members to go on the front of it every week and put fun, interesting information in there. I spent way too much time on that every week but I absolutely LOVED it.
does activities committee still exist? its been eliminated in the last two wards/stakes i’ve been in
Laura, I have thought about asking to be Ward Newsletter specialist for the same reason. I think layout is fun, but I don’t have a background in it. I’m sure I could do better than what we get. I did recently volunteer for Family History specialist, and was pleased that they accepted my suggestion. In our last ward, someone came in and said, “you mean we get to play on our laptops for the whole hour???? Why don’t more people come??? It is the BEST CLASS EVER!!!”
I believe Ward Activities Committee was phased out church wide about 5 years ago. Now all activities are supposed to go to the Ward Council. I enjoyed Activities Committee when I was in a few singles wards, but after a while, there was burnout. We scheduled a fun (annual) trip on the Snake River in Idaho, but I didn’t want to plan it again.
When I was first married, our bishop suggested we go to Fort Bridger, Wyoming near a KOA campground. I discovered a few small cabins when we scouted the area, and rented one while the rest of the ward slept in tents. (I hate camping!) We had a newborn, and even in the cabin, he was horrible that night. It would have been unbearable in a tent.
EBK, you teach 4 year olds? If you don’t like a lesson, don’t teach it. If you like another lesson, teach it multiple times. Just let them see there’s a kind adult who shows up and cares about them. That’s more than enough.
primary chorister ftw
I’ve only seen 2 men called to this (but there’s no restriction on gender) and from what I can tell they used nerf guns in their games at a higher rate than the ladies . . .
Kristine A: I believe that the Armies of Helaman also used nerf guns and became quite skilled because of their training in primary, so I’m guessing that the mothers at that time fully supported this.
Marsha,
I love that idea. My biggest problem is that because I have such a large class, I often have a member of the primary presidency come in and help me out, but it feels more like I’m being watched (yes I’m sure that is complete paranoia on my part. :))
Everyone knows Primary music leader is the best calling n the church.
I miss the Activities Committee. It was great because it was one of the few callings that wasn’t gender specific, so you’d sometimes have a female committee chair presiding over a mixed gender committee. (Yes, I’m probably spelling that word wrong.) Also, it was nice that it didn’t automatically become the Relief Society’s job to plan all the ward activities.