I was recently baptized. When I was baptized, I had the idea that the church was like a big family, but I'm getting discouraged. The church is perfect, but some members are unfair. I know brethren who, because of their callings, have become prideful. The missionaries told me that the church is perfect but that the members are imperfect, but even so, I'm sad to see some major defects in some members. Why don't they change? Why are people like that called to be leaders? I need advice urgently. Thank you.

Mary, 11/17/2009

Share/Save/Bookmark

Webmaster from La Jolla, California:




Hi Mary. First of all, congratulations on your recent baptism! I think we can both agree that most members of the church are good people who want to do the right thing. They are not perfect, but they are sincerely trying to follow Christ.

Unfortunately, no human society is perfect because no human being is perfect. Any church, whether Mormon, Protestant, or Catholic, is made up mostly of good people, with a few who are selfish and prideful. It would be wonderful if everyone would follow the example of Jesus Christ, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Because we can't always know other peoples' hearts, it is best not to judge others but rather to concern ourselves more with our own personal development.

Even in the time of Christ, members of the church, including church leaders, were not perfect. Peter, the chief apostle, denied Christ three times (Luke 22:61). James and John pridefully tried to convince Jesus that they should be the most important of the apostles (Matthew 20:21-24). Judas Iscariot, one of Christ's apostles, even betrayed him to the Roman executioners (Luke 22:47-48). The miracle of Christ's church is not that God finds a way to fill the church with perfect people. The miracle is that God's work goes forward despite the imperfect people who come to His church looking for spiritual healing.

Because the people in the church are not perfect, we should not join or attend the church because we like the people in our ward or branch. We should join and attend the church because we love Jesus Christ and we want to worship and serve Him. Find people in your ward or branch who are friendly, and ignore the few who aren't. Focus more on the feelings of spiritual peace you receive from God as you attend church, not on social factors that may or may not be accurately perceived.

I remember when I was on my mission. I lived with an elder who was probably well intentioned, but who was also socially awkward, fairly incompetent, and unnecessarily prideful. Some time later, this elder was called to be a zone leader in the mission. I pondered for a time why he would be called to any position of leadership. After some thought, it occurred to me that perhaps God called him to that position not because of his leadership skills, but for his own personal growth. Sometimes people are called to be leaders in the church because they themselves need to grow. We should support them because, even though they are not perfect, we love them and want them to become the best person that they can be.

I hope this answer helps. I know that if we make Christ the center of our faith, any mortal concern becomes less important. I sincerely hope you find many friends in your ward or branch, but even more important, I hope that you find the same peace in Christ that I have found, a peace that comes through dedicated, selfless worship. Best of luck to you.

Would you like a free copy of the Holy Bible?

Pamela Dean from Clarenville:



The best advice I can give you is this: be the member you want other members to be. It is easy to be discouraged with the faults we see in others. We just need to remember that we are not here to judge others, but to edify them, to treat them as Christ himself would treat him. Mosiah 2:17: And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. Remember, we are all at different stages of our spiritual development. We can only do the best we can with what we know, strive to change as we learn more, and encourage others by our own example.
Return to the "Question and Answer" Page