Monday, May 05, 2008 9:26 am | 2 comments | 362 views

Tagged with: General Conference, Advice

Advice from General Conference 2008

by Mark Conard

There were several pieces of advice that I found helpful over the course of this year's General Conference. I realize that all such advice is now out of date, but I wanted to share it anway. It may still (!) be valid the next time that General Conference is held!

• Don't ever miss worship. The music is moving, and the preaching is powerful.
• Greet at least one international delegate every day. He or she is a long way from home.
• Always speak for yourself rather than against anyone else.
• Think before you speak if at all possible.
• Don't speak on the floor so often that there is an audible groan when you announce your name.
• Let the pain you experience be redemptive.
• Don't look at yourself on the video screen while speaking.
• Take naps on the conference floor as unobtrusively as possible.
• Use parliamentary procedure to move the process forward rather than to hold it up.
• Make eye contact with pages or marshalls and thank them for their work.
• Contribute something whenever an offering is received.
• Be in your place on time and ready to vote.
• Do your best to recognize your own biases, prejudices, and stereotypes.
• Pray for the bishop presiding, especially when he or she seems to be struggling.
• Give others the benefit of the doubt, even when you really don't want to.
• Listen to others even (and perhaps especially) when they sound repetitious, confused, or annoying.
• Remember that we are all in this together, even though we may (and do) disagree with one another in significant ways.
• Let the tedium, tension, and turmoil be part of your offering to God.
• Do all of this "church work" as faithfully as possible so that the entire denomination can more effectively do the "work of the church" by "making disciples of Jesus Christs for the transofmration of the world."