The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no paid clergy, and all the teachers and auxiliary leaders are volunteers. But they aren’t volunteers in the traditional sense – there was no gathering in which someone said, “We need a bishop!” and four hands went up. No, rather, people are chosen for their callings in a process of prayer, and through the guidance of the Spirit, they are assigned to various positions by the authorities of the Church. When you are extended a calling, you can be sure that much thought and prayer went into that assignment, and, even if it sounds like it could be out of your comfort zone, great blessings will come as you seek to serve in that capacity.
However, not every calling will last forever. Some feel like they’ll last forever, and others, you wish could last forever. One of the great things about the Church is the way in which everyone has a chance to serve in various callings. This not only gives more people the chance to have new experiences, but it also allows them to have rests, as there are some callings that are more labor intensive or emotionally involved than others.
When it becomes your time to be released, there is no need to feel you are being punished or “fired.” There are a few rare occasions when someone must be released for reasons of improper conduct, but by and large, when an individual is released from their calling, it is for one of three reasons: they are no longer able to do the calling for reasons of schedule or physical impairment, they have been in that calling for a long period of time, or there is another calling in store and they must be released so they can have that other call extended to them.
Sometimes a release will bring about a feeling of relief and joy, depending on the situation. Most of the time, however, you will feel a sense of loss. This is normal. When we work hard to serve the Church and make our calling part of ourselves, it’s only natural that we should feel sad when it’s no longer our job. But you will receive another call soon, and you’ll find that as you move from calling to calling, your experiences will be broader and you’ll learn more than you would, had you stayed in the same calling your entire life.
A couple of years ago, I was serving as the Instructor for Enrichment. I had only been in the calling for maybe three months when I was called into the office and told that I would be released. I expressed my regret – I was really enjoying my calling – but I was asked to become the Enrichment Leader. I did as I was asked, and ended up working closely with the Relief Society President and the Enrichment counselor, two of the most wonderful women on earth. I would not have missed that opportunity for anything, and I might have, if I had let my sorrow over my release keep me from accepting the new calling.
The Lord is at the helm of this church and He knows who should serve in what capacity. As long as we trust our leaders to do as the Lord has directed, we can rest assured that no matter what callings we are given and what callings we are released from, it will all work to our good and we’ll be exactly where we need to be.
Related Blogs:
Ward Bulletin and Ward Newsletter Specialists