Didn’t See that Coming: New First Presidency’s Surprisingly Progressive First Moves

First the confessional:  I winced a wee bit when the new First Presidency was announced.  Swapping now-Elder Uchtdorf for now-President Oaks worried me a bit.  Let’s just say that if I had a serious sin to confess, I felt like Elder Uchtdorf might give me a hug, but President Oaks might smack me a good one.  In short, it seemed like we were in for some stern, perhaps even grumpy, years.

So reading the headlines this week came as a pleasant surprise and a reminder that the hand at the helm of this ship isn’t mortal.

The first two significant policy changes announced under President Nelson are well-considered, responsive to legitimate concerns expressed by members of the Church, and are at antipodes with the notion that the new First Presidency would represent some sort of throwback to a more patriarchal, conservative approach to Mormonism.

First, the Church announced revised standards as to how to handle claims of abuse.  I’ve previously written that I don’t think the Church has done a poor job of dealing with the issue of abuse, although there clearly has been room for reconsideration and improvement.  Honestly, I don’t think there are many organizations that can claim to have handled these issues perfectly.  But I think the new policy sends precisely the right message:  Complaints shouldn’t be dodged or minimized, and no one should be encouraged to stay in an abusive relationship.  As a dad to five daughters, I sustain that message with applause.  Victims of abuse need to know that they will be heard, taken seriously, and protected.  Abusers need to be reminded that the Church is not going to wink at their conduct.

Related to that is the announcement that kids and women in the Church can have another adult (of their choice) present in worthiness interviews.  No small amount of concern has been expressed by Church members over one-on-one interviews with Bishops and Stake Presidents that, even if innocent, take place under conditions that could be exploited.  While I would love to believe that no priesthood leader would take advantage of such circumstances, I am not that naive.  Sadly, I have known priesthood leaders who have broken their covenants and breached their trust.  This happens in spite of their callings, not because of them, but if the last twenty or so years have taught us anything, it is that monsters lurk everywhere.

As a consequence, we need to be vigilant not only of actual evil, but of the appearance of impropriety.  This new policy demonstrates that the Church is becoming increasingly vigilant in protecting its flock from wolves, and that they are willing to make members’ concerns the subject of prayerful reflection.  The policy protects members not only from possible misconduct by priesthood leaders, but it creates an environment where abuse or impropriety can be reported and not ignored or minimized.  Granted, an abusive husband or father (or wife or mother) might use the rule to force themselves into interviews in order to avoid accountability, but no system will ever be perfect, and perhaps increased training of local leaders will help them to identify when someone is exercising what we might euphemistically refer to as “unrighteous dominion.”

These changes remind us that our General Authorities are not a country club of geriatric men out of touch with the day-to-day realities faced by the Church.  Granted, in a Church with millions of active members spread across dozens of nations, change necessarily is incremental and comes more slowly than most naysayers would like.  But the Lord is aware of our condition, sympathetic to our needs, and He will help guide His servants to make decisions that increase the safety and well-being of members of the Church.

Leaning on my own wisdom, I called it wrong with this First Presidency.  Happy to be wrong, and to be reminded that I would do well to spend less time handicapping the personal leanings of our leaders.  Instead, I should be more trusting that the Lord heads this Church and He is not on holiday.