As much as we might react to the Elder Nelson story, I don’t think many in the Bloggernacle (or even extremely “orthodox” members in most wards and branches) would welcome the alternative.

He was told he wasn’t allowed yet he stood up, looked over the organist shoulder and played anyway… Right or wrong he shouldn’t have played when asked not to. Which brings me to my question. Why did he feel he could do as he pleased?

You misunderstand the situation. Read the post and comment 15 again. The violinist began to play (not knowing any “better”), and was then asked not to. He did not continue. Full stop.

actually they are average joes. they don’t have dominion over us, but rather Stewardship. and no it isn’t code to excuse a decision that we don’t understand or when a Bishop say’s or does something that maybe deemed inapropriate to some while others find it completely appropriate.

I am currently in a ward where the thought often crosses my mind “what is he saying?” or “did he really just say that?”. This is somewhat very real time for me. But I realise that I need to work out my negative feelings, I would love to lay the responibility at someones elses feet, but in the end all that happens is I end up with years full of bitterness.

Anne that is great advice- and I think something I didn’t even consider. In our jobs and in our callings were all on a learning curve and their will be casualties along the way! Its good to have people like you around who can remind us of that

Yup. And sometimes bishops screw up. And we can learn from it. Sometimes they’re just jerks and petty tyrants, but luckily that’s unusual. What they aren’t, though, is some kind of protected class. In fact, they are (justly!) subject to higher scrutiny than average Joes, because they hold some degree of dominion over the average Joes.

I’m thankful for this post because it renews my support for my Bishop, even when the going gets tough.

That sounds great, but what does it mean? Is “when the going gets tough” code for “when he makes a crap decision”? There is a difference between sustaining our leaders and “my bishop, right or wrong!”

When I was in college after my mission, many of my friends were evangelicals. I went to one of their Wednesday night meetings. They were singing along with a full band consisting of drums, guitars, saxophones, etc. The spirit was so strong during that moment because of the sincerity of faith of the participants, you could almost taste it.

I can’t wait for the day when we as a church throw off the dogmas traditions of the elders which have no basis in celestial law or purpose in salvation. If it brings the spirit, it’s not a bad thing. Decisions should be made along these lines.

What does this have to do with the story above? Elder Nelson waited until the man was done and the meeting was adjourned before PRIVATELY gently rebuking the new Stake President. A public rebuke–either mid-testimony or afterwards–would have destroyed the new Stake President’s credibility with those he was just called to lead, and Elder Nelson understood that.

In choosing to publicly rebuke a person–whether he was justified or not according to the rule book–likely destroyed any presence of the Spirit during that meeting. Whether the violin was distracting or not is not the point: the Bishop’s actions guaranteed that no one was thinking about the sacrament hymn anymore. Good policy? Maybe. Bad execution? Definitely.

I think it is a real shame that African Saints were told they couldn’t use drums in their meetings. They would have a lot to teach us about how to praise the Lord, I’ll bet.

bfwebster – I’ve also heard that this is church policy. I have attempted to verify this with several additional bishops throughout the years, and have received conflicting answers. Some say it is policy… others say it is not.

To clarify, although I struggle to forgive this bishop for that day, I should clarify that he was both a good man and a good bishop. I have never spoken with the bishop (or John) about what happened or asked him why he asked John to stop. Chances are, I’m the only one who still remembers this ever happened.

I also blogged about it once with a slightly different perspective here.

The most noteworthy part of my experience may very well be that such a small incident has had such a profound impact on my life and how I view the church.

Thanks for reading.

Maybe as similar to the Word of Wisdom–intended specifically for the least able to perform nicely.

I do remember in one ward, we had a non-member play for us once a month. We live in a small town and he wanted to use our organ to practice. He was a music teacher for the local high school. The bishop told him he could use it but hoped that he would share his musical talents with the ward (wink, wink) once a month. All agreed. He replaced the ward organist once a month. The first week, as the sacrament was being given to ward members, he started to play some accompanying music. That week, the bishop was out of town. The presiding counselor quietly went over to him and told him how things worked and he quit playing. Here, there was an existing relationship (he wasn’t just here for the first time, etc.), so there was no problem created.

One question to ask in a situation like this is “What is the worst that can happen?” Offending a non-member with whom there is no relationship or basis for understanding might be a bigger problem than a purist’s view that only the organ should be playing.

Umm… you react to un-Christlike behavior with… ?

I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for growing up a bishop who appreciated the incredible spiritual value of music. The first time a young man, whose life had gone off track for many years (incidentally, as a musician), came back for the first time when he played piano for a vocal duet in our ward. In the months to come it became clear as he cam back to church that he felt the spirit very strongly. The bishop let a young girl play a classical guitar number in a Christmas program, and it was a very powerful time. He has used music as a source of spirituality for the youth in a time when kids are surrounded by all sorts of degrading music.

I know that church regulations and standards are there for a reason, and great care should be taken if bending them, but I do firmly believe that bending some rules, guided by the spirit, can make a huge difference.

Is it okay to treat members this way?