I just recently learned that the Church hires Behavioral/Cognitive Scientists in the correlation department. While this is not surprising in the least, I wonder how apologists would square this with a Prophet Seer and Revelator that can get answers directly from God. Putting on my apologist hat, I would say that the Prophet should study it out in his mind (use science as needed), then take those recommendations to God for his confirmation.

Back in 1967 two faithful Behavioral Scientists (Kendal Price and Kent Lloyd) held a very interesting training class for Stake Presidents in the Los Angeles area. You can read the full story in a 1967 volume of “Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought” Even the name of the article was interesting; “New Approaches to Church Executive Leadership: Behavioral Science Perspectives“

There were some really interesting things that stood out about the class, and would never happen in todays correlated Church. The seminar was held on consecutive Saturdays spread over 6 weeks, for a total of 48 hours. The cost was $175 ($1700 in 2026 dollars), and ” had to come from personal funds, or very limited local Church resources”. So right away is was limited to very successful Stake Presidents. I really can’t imagine any current stake presidents forking over $1700 to spend six Saturdays in a classroom.

Price and Lloyd said that as the Church becomes more sophisticated, it will need trained leaders. They said that most Bishops and Stake Presidents are already successful in their business or profession, but needed further training in a rapidly evolving culture. They said: “to meet the expanding needs of a dynamic Church organization most leadership positions will continue to require people with both demonstrated commitment to Latter-day Saint values and an increasingly high level of technical skills. Thus the focus of the seminar reported here is on improving organizational effectiveness through executive leadership development involving behavioral science approaches to L.D.S. Church administration”

The objective of the seminar was:

(1) to obtain knowledge about administrative behavior and procedures and the applications of behavioral science to management problems facing Church executives; 

(2) to acquire greater skills in interpersonal relations, creative use of executive time, reading, learning techniques, and scientific research;

(3) to build better Church and personal relationships with other L.D.S. stake officials, community leaders, and behavioral scientists;

(4) to participate in developing and authoring part of a seminar report analyzing administrative problems facing local Church executives.

The part that really blew me away was the below

Midway through the seminar a special field exercise called “Operation Empathy” was conducted to allow the participants to gain new insights into how others feel by acting out another’s role. This field exercise began about 4:30 P.M. on Saturday afternoon, when members of the seminar visited the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles, where they purchased $3.50 worth of used clothing from local merchants. After returning to the University of Southern California’s Civic Center Campus, they changed their clothes and took on the appearance of lower class residents. 

On this occasion, a special guest, Father Llewellyn Williams, a Negro Episcopalian minister from the Watts-Compton district, reviewed the history of the Negro poverty area before the 1965 riot in Los Angeles. During the discussion that followed, Father Williams complimented the Church on its activities, criticized its stand on the Negro question, and challenged its members to demonstrate community leadership by getting involved in two of the most critical social issues of our time—poverty and race relations. A number of participants took issue with his stimulating comments and observations in the exciting interchange which followed. 

After the presentation by Father William the participants returned to the Skid Row area to mingle with people on the street for a short time and to visit one of the “Rescue Missions” in the area, where they participated in a religious service—singing gospel songs and listening to a fiery sermon. After the service participants joined about two hundred others in the simple meal that was offered. In discussions following this experience, many of the participants agreed that “Operation Empathy” had challenged their beliefs about the poor and the culture of crime and poverty.

Can you imagine any current SP doing the above?  The conversation with the “Negro Episcopalian minister”, this being pre 1978 Blacks and the Priesthood revelation, must have been a something to be seen. I don’t think the comment that “a number of the participants (SPs) took issue with his stimulating comments” does justification on what really happened.

At six months after the seminar, in a follow up survey, one of the participants listed the following steps he had made to better manage his stake

(1) he has successfully completed the Evelyn Wood’s Reading Dynamics Program and now reads over one thousand words per minute with high comprehension; 

(2) he has appointed a special committee of women to study L.D.S. girls and their marriages to non-members in the area, using certain techniques of survey research; 

(3) he has appointed a behavioral scientist as his special assistant for executive training of stake high councilmen and ward executives; and 

(4) he has sponsored and financed an overnight two-day executive leadership seminar for all six ward bishops and Melchizedek Priesthood leaders at an educational conference center. Subject matter dealt with behavioral science management techniques and methods of improving performance in Church correlation programs and activities at the ward and stake level. 

Wow! It looks like the seminar may have worked for some of the participants. A special committee in the stake to study “girls” that marry non-members? Calling a behavioral scientist as a special assistant for training stake high councilmen and ward Bishoprics? Its too bad this could not happen today. They all sound like positive steps in making the Stake President a better leader, more sympathetic to the needs of his members.

What are your thoughts on the Church using behavioral scientist in the development of the curriculum of the Church, like the Come Follow Me manual?

What do you think of the seminar that was conducted for these Stake leaders almost 60 years ago? Should we bring back training like this for our leaders?