Close Topic Options

Church Leadership

Church Leadership

"For the television program 60 Minutes, [Mike Wallace] said, '[People will say] this is a church run by old men.' To this, President Hinckley replied, 'Isn't it wonderful to have a man of maturity at the head--a man of judgment who isn't blown about by every wind of doctrine?' (Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, Volume 1: 1995-1999 [2005], 509). . . . If any of you think the present leadership is too old to lead the Church, President Hinckley may need to give you some further counsel about the wisdom that
comes with age!"

(James E. Faust, "Called and Chosen," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 53)

Leadership Church

I understand the meaning behind this quote but I do not agree that age always brings wisdom with it. I know several old people who are not wise at all but all the opposite not to mention the stubbornness.

Church Leadership Studies Doctrine Mormon

I agree, If age did bring wisdom, then why isn't the oldest person in the world the wisest of all?

Wisdom is the application of knowledge, knowledge is gained by either books, others or self. The more knowledge one has doesn't necessarily make them the wisest.

A man can have all of the knowledge in the world, unless he knows how to use it not only to benefit himself but others as well, he is not wise.

Leadership Church

I once heard of a 13-14 year old boy who defied the wisdom of the entire world of old and learned men. I think he was younger than many of us and ran the church and various cities quite well!

Leadership Church

Generally age brings wisdom, but there are always exceptions. I am working hard to not be part of the exception group.

Church Leadership

In looking at the particular words that President Hinkley used, he emphasized Maturity and Judgement.

From my own experience age usually does grant these attributes to most people, compared to what they were in their youth.

But I do not think age has much to do with the ability of the leadership of the Church to do what is needed. I believe (and this is by personal observation) that those who are effective leaders are not there mainly because of their wisdom, but because they are willing to do that which the Lord expects them to do (humility). Age, experience, or whatever has ingrained in them the realization that they have to rely more on the Lord's Wisdom then their own, and sometimes with age and in some people this lesson eventually sinks in.

Others, as LDS has seen in some of the elderly she has known (I have seen this too), rely on their own strengths and they ultimately fall flat on their faces.

Church Leadership

Maturity and experience lend a lot to wisdom. With age, aome people will fail physically yet their minds are clear and quick. Others do not fare so well and suffer from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Those attributes LDS referred to including stubborness and lack of wisdome are symptoms of these ailments of aging. Age in itself is not a measure of wisdom. But when one is able to make it through this life learning from their mistakes, accumulating knowledge and experience, growing in humility - learning what really matters and what just doesn't matter in the scheme of things - then you have wisdom. According to the dictionary wisdom is knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems.

Age does not always bring wisdom but it often does. It is far more rare that youth has any wisdom at all.

Church Leadership Mormon Doctrine Studies

There are different levels of knowledge.
Pure knowledge- what you know
Wisdom- being able to apply that knowledge, the ability to teach your knowledge to someone else.
Experience- knowledge put to action. Sometimes you can only know something by doing it over, and over again.
I think that President Hinckley used the wrong word, instead of wisdom, he should have said experience, because like several posts have stated not everyone that is old is wise, but they have a lifetime of experience.