Callings? What's that?

Mormons are often heard to mention their callings. 
What are they talking about? 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is very large, and growing.  We are divided into groups according to the region in which we live.  The 2 most common groups are wards and stakes.  A ward is a group of the membership living within a particular boundary.  A group of wards within the boundaries of a larger area are called a stake.  We attend a ward based on the boundary (invisible lines on a map) in which we live.  My ward is called the Cannon Creek Ward.  My stake is the Lake City FL Stake.  This division creates the need for leadership in each ward and stake.  We have no paid clergy, instead the members give voluntary service under the direction of the Bishop of each ward, who works under the direction of the Stake President of each stake.   

These wards and stakes have need of people to fulfill responsibilities in many different areas.  We are organized into a number of priesthood quorums and auxiliary programs.  The basic organization of each ward is: Bishop, 1st and 2nd counselors, and executive secretary. Under the direction of this group, which we call a bishopric are the following priesthood quorums: High Priests, Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons groups. And the following womens' groups are: Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary.  Each group has a president, a 1st and 2nd counselor and a secretary.  Each of these has various teaching positions within the organization.  These groups are not usually comprised of just the presidency.  The teachers serving within an organization does so under the direction of that organizations presidency and each presidency serves under the direction of the bishopric.  The members are "called" to different organizations according to the will of God and through authority given to the bishop and his counselors.  The names of those to call to the various positions are sought through prayer.  In this way, we are called by God through His servants, and asked to give voluntary service in a given position for a period of time.  These are not lifetime callings.  Nor do they have any specific time limitations.  Through prayer, we will be asked to do many different things and are free at any time to say no.  Most members will accept callings because we believe they come from the Lord and we have a desire to serve Him in whatever capacity He chooses. 

At this time, I serve in the position of Young Women President of the Cannon Creek Ward of the Lake City Fl Stake.  I have a counterpart in each ward in my stake and we serve under the direction of a Stake Young Women President.  She serves under the direction of the Stake President. 

In Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 (a modern book of scripture) we read, 'Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.' (Bold Italics are mine).  With a membership as large as ours, it would be quite easy to become disorganized and chaotic.  Through prayer and revelation, we have been given the perfect organization through which to run the programs of the church.  Each presidency serves under the direction of another (and each of a larger and larger group in a given area) until we reach the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  And this First Presidency serves under the direction of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  At this time the First Presidency is comprised of the following members: President Thomas S. Monson (president); President Henry B. Eyring (1st counselor); and President Deiter F. Uchtdorf (2nd counselor). 

In this way the members have been given the opportunity to develop leadership skills in various situations and circumstances.  We learn and grow in ways we may not have otherwise.  We certainly feel our inadequacies when faced with something new and foreign to our experience, but when we choose to serve, and do our very best, we feel ourselves lifted by God to become equal to the responsibility we've been given.  This has certainly been true for me.  I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been given to serve.  I often fall short and feel myself weak, but have been made strong through these opportunities.  It is definitely work!  These callings can take up tremendous amounts of our time.  There have been times when a particular has seemed a little overwhelming, but I have been blessed in so many ways and have always felt God's love when I do my very best.