“Making the Most of Councils and Classes,” Liahona, Feb. 2026, United States and Canada Section.
Making the Most of Councils and Classes
Our Sabbath meetings and classes can be gatherings of inspiration and unity—if we approach them in the right way and participate with purpose.
Illustration by David Green
Whether in a class or council meeting, engaged participation matters. Participation builds unity, increases faith, and promotes belonging. Participation is more than talking. It includes listening, observing, note-taking, pondering, praying, and being invested in a lesson or meeting.
When I was serving as bishop, our ward council meetings had good discussions. Members tried to listen to one another’s ideas, but some struggled to fully listen before sharing their own ideas. This tended to discourage further comments from others.
Privately, I asked each ward council member about how to improve participation. A retired brother, serving as Sunday School president, quoted this Old Testament scripture that describes how an important contribution can sometimes be overlooked:
“There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
“Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
“Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard” (Ecclesiastes 9:14–16).
This leader noted that people will feel encouraged to speak up if they know that their comments are recognized and valued by others—not just by the leader.
He suggested that I could occasionally ask for written input in advance of a meeting through a text or an email. This would help more introverted or inexperienced members share their thoughts. He said that following up privately with these members could encourage them to speak up more in future meetings.
I realized that sometimes modifying the format of a council or class, including the way input is encouraged, could make a significant difference in participation and engagement. I learned that I needed to do more than offer encouragement. I needed to discern different ways to promote engaged participation.
Encouraging Participation
What happens after a meeting can influence the dynamics of future meetings. Years ago, following a regional training meeting, Elder A. Theodore Tuttle (1919–86) of the Seventy stopped me in the hallway and asked an additional question regarding a comment I had made. A week later, he sent a letter with both an observation and another question. I felt validated, listened to, and special because he had followed up with me.
Since then, I’ve tried to follow Elder Tuttle’s example by sending texts to members who offer something insightful in a class or quorum discussion, as well as sharing my own thoughts. Or sometimes after church I’ll ask a sacrament speaker a follow-up question or visit with someone who gave a comment in a council or class, especially those who may not speak up very often.
Such genuine follow-up changed me. It has similarly promoted fellowship and friendship whenever I have followed Elder Tuttle’s example.
Participating in Councils
President M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023), Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “Lives are blessed when leaders make wise use of committees and councils. They move the work of the Lord forward much faster and farther, like a fine automobile operating at peak efficiency.”
Councils are the most effective when members not only listen but also avoid pushing a predetermined agenda. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has noted that among the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, no one tries to force a certain point of view. Instead, decisions are reached with “modesty and meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
The General Handbook reminds council members that they not only represent their particular ward organization but also offer their perspectives as ward leaders eager to bless all ward members. For example, the Relief Society president can have great insights into youth programs, just as an elders quorum or Sunday School president could describe what their own children might benefit from in Primary.
Participating in Classes
Latter-day scripture gives divine direction on the subject of class participation: “Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:122).
This allows members to understand each other’s situations better and to offer lessons learned from experience. As the psalmist noted, “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” (Psalm 71:18).
In one of my favorite examples from an elders quorum, the instructor frequently divided members into mixed discussion groups with relevant case studies and interesting questions and topics to discuss. This enabled crucial conversations on challenging topics such as family finances, relationships, and children who struggle to live the gospel.
Conversion: Our Ultimate Goal
Brother Chad H Webb, First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, has taught that in gospel instruction, class participation itself is not the goal; rather, the goal is to have people “participate in a way that their conversion is deepened.”
As we work toward conversion by yielding “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” and becoming “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love” (Mosiah 3:19), we are better able to relate to each other’s experiences and to fulfill the Lord’s instruction: “When ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other” (Doctrine and Covenants 43:8). When this happens, obstacles are removed, gospel principles are reinforced, and the Holy Ghost changes our hearts to be more connected to each other and to Christ.
The author lives in Utah.