Language Groups

The Church is pushing for stakes to add language units (Groups) to better recover and gather scattered Israel. This is causing system concerns. The system does not allow us to add positions for a group and a group leader for these language groups in a ward or branch or mission. In some areas that tested these groups they have added a third counselor to that ward's bishopric, to the EQ presidency, and the RS presidency. Is the church's technology team working on this so we can added these positions and groups? If there is going to be a group that leader needs to have access to the membership information on his flock in order for him to aide the members of this group and missionaries in reactivating members and other things the groups are designed to do.

Is there a plan for these additions?

The positions available match what's in the Handbook. It's not the "technology team" that creates them. They act under the direction of the Brethren.

There is no authorization to create a 3rd councilor in any organization. You'll quickly find that they can't get the rights available to a councilor.

You can find authorization for groups in Handbook 1: 9.1.4. Note that groups leaders do not have priesthood keys. As for recording the callings, I think the best course of action would be to inquire with support on how group leaders (as authorized by section 9.1.4) are to be recorded. It's possible they're to be recorded as a custom calling.

I already read and new all that. The area authority gave them permission and they had or have a third counselor in their bishopric. I just figured since it had happened and has been tested for several years now that this forum might already know about it and would know if technology was already being updated. I’ve already emailed support and sent something up to the presiding bishopric. I’ll just wait until I hear back from them.

It will be interesting to see what they have to say. A prior post indicated that once news about the third councilor got to the area authority, the word came back down to release them.

Handbook 2: 17 covers adaption. It does call for the stake to confer with their presiding authority in "a major or unusual adaptation."

justusmitchells wrote:I just figured since it had happened and has been tested for several years now that this forum might already know about it and would know if technology was already being updated.

This is just a user-to-user forum. But this user happened recently to hear an apostle discuss this developing program of language groups in a regional devotional that was open to any member who wished to attend. Since the program is still developing, the Handbook has not caught up, and the direction to developers probably is not yet clearly defined.

You have taken the correct steps in sending your questions through Feedback, and also to the Presiding Bishopric who are very aware of the initiative.

There was no discussion of how the program would work, whether there would be additional counselors or group leaders, or any other specific details. But this is a developing program under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve, and we were told that instructions will soon be forthcoming to priesthood leaders.

The two non-English-speaking branches in our stake began just this way a number of years ago.

lajackson wrote:the direction to developers probably is not yet clearly defined.

We have not received instructions to make any changes related to this. When the Brethren reach a point that they are ready for software changes, they won't hesitate to let us know!