How do I set up an interview or meeting with a member of the bishopric?
- Interviews and meetings should be scheduled through the ward executive secretary. You can find his name and contact information in the online ward directory (login required) or in the Member Tools app, available through Google Play and the App Store.
- Appointments with the bishop can also be made through the online scheduler above.
All appointments must be scheduled in advance.
When can I make an appointment?
Interviews and meetings with the bishopric take place:
- 2nd and 4th Sundays, after 11.15am
- 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 6.00–8.00pm
No appointments will be scheduled during regular Sunday meetings, including during second-hour meetings.
In urgent situations, appointments can be scheduled on 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays, but these appointments will be scheduled after other meetings on these days (ward council and ward youth council meetings on 1st and 3rd Sundays and extended ward council meetings on 5th Sundays).
What are reasons for meeting with the bishop or a counselor?
The primary purposes for interviews and meetings with the bishop include:
- Temple recommend for a living ordinance (endowment and/or sealing)
- First-time temple recommend for new members of the church
- Ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood for new members of the church
- Ordination of a young man to the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood
- Getting to know someone being taught by the full-time missionaries who has set a firm date for baptism
- Needs for church food or financial assistance, after meeting with a member of the elders quorum or Relief Society presidency
Interviews for temple recommend renewals should normally be conducted by a counselor in the bishopric.
It is important to remember that many church-related matters can be resolved without speaking with a member of the bishopric. Ministering brothers and sisters and organization presidencies are important resources.
Non-church-related matters should be handled with community resources or the appropriate professional.
Ensuring safe, uplifting meetings
Every meeting or interview with a ward officer or other church leader should be an uplifting spiritual experience. With this goal in mind:
- Any person, male or female, can invite another adult to be present in an interview or meeting, regardless of the purpose of the meeting.
- Specifically, the church instructs leaders, “When meeting with a member of the opposite sex, a child, or a youth, ensure that a parent or another adult is present. He or she may join the meeting or wait outside the room, depending on the preferences of the member with whom you are meeting.” (General Handbook, 31.1.4)
- Private information discussed in the meeting should be kept confidential. “Do not share confidential information with anyone — including your spouse or other Church leaders — unless the member gives permission,” the church instructs. “Continue to keep such matters confidential even after you are released.” (General Handbook, 31.1.4)
- This instruction also applies to members who participate in interviews and meetings with the bishopric, especially meetings about church food and financial assistance. Members should not share or discuss the type or amount of church assistance they are receiving with other church members.
Additional information
More information about interviews and other meetings with church members can be found in chapter 31 of the church’s General Handbook.
