In this solo episode, Kurt talks about how to transform the culture in elders quorum and the entire ward by focusing on the heart of the men.
Links
Research about men and suicide
Is Elders Quorum Working?
Warrior Heart Retreats
Cwic Show: The Problem with Men and Masculinity in the Church - feat. Kurt Francom
Thoughtful Faith: Are We as a Church Failing Men? (With Kurt Francom)
When the Bishop is Too Nice | An Interview with Dr. Robert Glover
How I Lead with Priesthood Blessings | An Interview With Mike Novakovich
One Couple’s Journey Through Sexual Addiction | An Interview with Chris & Autumn Bennett
Former Bishop, Recovering Addict | An Interview with Evan Hathaway
Wild at Heart
Waking the Dead: The Secret to a Heart Fully Alive
No More Mr. Nice Guy
The Alter Ego Effect
The Heart of Man (streaming)
Questions? Want to discuss this further with Kurt? Contact him here.
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Highlights
2:40 Introduction to the episode’s topic: men at church

7:15 If we could crack the code with men to help them and strengthen them so that they can strengthen their own families. Turning to porn and other things for coping. 

9:30 The media and social platforms attack masculinity and call it toxic. What does healthy masculinity look like? Does society know what to do with men? Does the Church know what to do with men?

11:50 When we unknowingly send the wrong message at church. Men hiding behind the perfect ironed suit and the huge smile. Unfortunately someone in the elders quorum is the most at risk of suicide. 

14:00 How can we help men find brotherhood and connection at church?

Men in Elders Quorum

Helping Latter-day Saints be Better Prepared to Lead

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

Scharman Grimmer serves as a member of the Young Women General Advisory Council for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has served as stake and ward Primary president; ward Young Women president, Primary and Relief Society counselor, stake Young Women camp director, Sunday School teacher, Seminary teacher, and in Primary as a music leader, teacher, and Nursery leader. 

Scharman and her husband, Matt, have five children and live in Alpine, Utah. Scharman earned a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Child and Teen Development from Syracuse University. She currently works as a child and teen development specialist, consulting parents on best developmental and relationship practices and healthy habits in families. 

Scharman is proud to be from Humble, Texas! Growing up in an area with few members of the Church, she learned valuable lessons as she watched her parents faithfully lead in their ward and stake. Her own experiences as an adult in Texas and New York have given her an appreciation that every member can contribute and is needed.


Links

Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience
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Scriptures referenced in this podcast: Acts 8, Acts 3, Doctrine & Covenants 104
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Highlights
3:00 Getting called to be a part of the young women's general advisory council. 

5:20 What does Scharman’s calling entail? 

* Council meetings
* Working groups

7:30 Scharman has a masters degree in child and teen development and has been able to use her degree not only professionally but in her calling and personal life. She works a lot with parents and helps them find holy, healthy habits as a family.

8:50 Her experience in Young Women started as a young woman herself and callings in Young Women in her early twenties. She learned to mentor. 

12:00 How can you become a mentor for youth? Scharman shares scriptural examples. 

15:45 Leading youth to have covenant relationships. The focus of the Young Men and Young Women programs is to build a foundation on Christ. Gathering to Christ.

17:20 Do what works for the youth. Sometimes you have to switch it up for the group you have. 

21:40 Build on Christ as your foundation, gather to Christ, and covenant with Christ. The focus of the youth programs are based on these three things. 

22:45 What is an AOA? Area Organization Advisors. Women around the world that are trained by the general presidencies and then take those teachings and minister to the people in their areas. 

24:00 How can we get the Young Women and Young Men groups to work together...

Being a Young Women Mentor | An Interview with Scharman Grimmer

Bryan Murray was born and raised in Long Beach, California, served in the Japan Sendai mission, and met his future wife, Kristine Clawson, while attending Brigham Young University when they went skiing together with their home evening group. Bryan attended medical school at the University of Kentucky then completed an internal medicine residency with the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program. He worked with a small group practice in Payson, Utah, before moving the family to Anacortes, Washington, where he joined a small internal medicine group and helped start a hospitalist program at Island Hospital in Anacortes.  

Bryan has served in five bishoprics and as bishop of the Anacortes Ward. He retired from medicine in February 2022 and two short months later he and Kristine began a full-time mission as Area Medical Advisor to the North America Northeast Area. They also filled a mission assignment as support to a Young Single Adult branch in the Hingham, Massachusetts Stake. Bryan currently serves as the ward music chairman and Kristine serves as the Relief Society president in the newly-created Fidalgo Island Ward in Anacortes. 

Bryan and Kristine enjoy spending time with their six children, five in-laws, and 15 grandchildren. As a family they enjoy skiing, kayaking, biking, hiking, sailing, and camping.


Links

Why Your Ward Needs a Podcast
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Highlights
3:10 Kurt introduces the guest, Bryan Murray. He served as Area Medical Missionary Advisor in Boston, Massachusetts.

5:30 Bryan explains his mission as Area Medical Advisor and some of his responsibilities. 

7:40 What led up to Bryan serving a mission with his wife. 

11:00 Bryan shares a behind-the-scenes view of what it's like to be a medical advisor for missionaries. What kinds of issues he dealt with.

15:15 When does a missionary need to go home? Can they stay if they have a medical problem?

16:15 Who helps with the missionaries’ mental health? 

18:30 A service mission is great for missionaries that are struggling with mental health or medical problems. 

19:40 Advice to bishops and stake presidents sending out missionaries that have medical issues. Helping them prepare missionaries for the field.

21:40 Some of Bryan’s wife responsibilities. They had an area assignment as medical advisors but they also had a mission assignment in the Boston mission in a Young Single Adult ward. 

23:30 Bryan encourages other medical professionals to do a medical mission. You will have a lot of other experiences beyond medical. 

25:30 What Bryan is doing now

26:30 Bryan has created a podcast for his ward. Even though we go to church with each other we really don’t know each other. A ward podcast can help ward members share their lives and stories. 

31:00 How leading has brought Bryan to Christ

The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

How I Lead as Area Mission Medical Advisor | An Interview with Bryan Murray

Brett and Kristin Walker are a dynamic couple, each thriving in their professional and personal lives while deeply committed to their family and community. Brett is a seasoned marketing consultant specializing in professional development and deep technology sectors. He currently serves as a Young Single Adult bishop and is deeply committed to helping others grow. He’s an award-winning writer and loves the outdoors.

Kristin is a professional interior designer known for her innovative designs and attention to detail. She currently serves as a YSA Institute teacher, where she passionately teaches and shares her deep faith in Jesus. Kristin finds joy in traveling, reading, and spending time outside, cherishing every moment with her family and friends.

Together, Brett and Kristin embody a life full of adventure, faith, and continuous growth, always eager to explore new places and help others achieve their potential.


Links

Healing through the Savior: The Addiction Recovery Program 12-Step Recovery Guide
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Scriptures referenced in this podcast: Philippians 4:13, 2 Nephi 25:23
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Highlights
3:45 Introduction to Brett and Kristin. Working with the young single adults and using the 12-step program in an Institute class. This program is not just for addiction but it applies to everyone. 

7:10 How Brett and Kristin got involved in the 12-step program. Making it applicable to everyone through their curriculum. Helping people understand and use the Atonement in their lives.

12:15 If you are called to facilitate 12-step meetings then you need to start using the steps in your own life. The steps can bring you to Christ, improve your relationships and any problem you might have. 

15:10 The program isn’t just for addiction but can help you with unrealized hopes or something you are struggling with. 

16:10 The enabling power of Jesus Christ gives us power to do things we can’t do by ourselves. 

17:15 Some leaders think that they are good and don’t need help because they don’t have any big problems. They are not truly using Christ’s Atonement in their lives to heal every part of them. 

20:50 Does the 12-step program have to happen in a group setting? If you do things alone then you feel alone. When you do things together, it creates connection. 

23:50 How Brett and Kristin run their class. It’s very tight-knit. 

26:50 A summarized application of the steps

28:45 Why can’t God part your personal Red Sea?

30:00 Be careful not to adopt a label, like "I’m an addict." It might be something that you are currently struggling with, it's not who you are. 

31:30 2 Nephi 25:23.

Helping People Overcome Struggle, Sin, & Mortality in 12 Steps | An Interview with Brett and Kristin Walker

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in February 2020.

Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg is a professor of Organizational Science, Management, and Psychology at UNC Charlotte. The author of The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance, he is a distinguished scholar addressing issues such as team effectiveness, leadership, engagement, health and employee well-being, meetings at work, and organizational research methods.

The book is a culmination of 15 years of research and thousands of surveys and interviews. It’s a collection of evidence-based insights and represents a strategic approach that leaders and organizations can take that’s highly practical and accessible, but also strongly based in science. In this interview, Steve talks with Kurt about applying the insights from his book to improving meetings in the Church environment. This presentation of this episode was originally included in the Meetings With Saints Virtual Conference, which is now part of the Core Leader Library.


Links
The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance
StevenRogelberg.com
There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts. 
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Highlights
5:00 We know one thing but tend to do a different thing, but there is no formula for meeting success. Instead the key is making good choices, which is more empowering.7:00 Steve’s experience with members of the Church8:15 The cost of meetings is underestimated11:00 Being self-aware as a meeting leader: stewardship and making changes13:40 Things to reflect on that are signs that there needs to be improvement14:30 Start with a quick survey, then work on the little things and assess later17:00 Talking as the leader vs. leading the discussion20:00 Transparency and honesty allows you to lead from the back or the front in a genuine way21:10 Three phases of the meeting: planning/designing, facilitating, and post-meeting activity21:50 Planning a meeting is not time consuming and has a high return on investment23:45 Taking a “pre-mortem” moment before the meeting25:00 Agendas are a hollow crutch: what matters most is what is on that agenda and how it is facilitated

* Frame the agenda as a set of questions to be answered
* Allow other people to different agenda items
* Put the most important/compelling issues first

30:10 Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill whatever time is allotted

* How much time should it take? Dial it back a bit and create time pressure
* Volunteer time is a precious gift: build trust by respecting it

35:00 Combating minutiae in meetings by making meeting time incredibly purposeful38:00 Councils and update meetings

* What is a good update? Decide and then put people on the clock
* Silent updates via a shared document

41:20 Silence in a meeting is a way of engaging people44:25 Technology in a meeting: multitasking is a symptom of a bad meeting

* Keep meeting minutes in real time on the screen instead of a powerpoint

The Science of Church Meetings (including Ward Council) | An Interview with Steven Rogelberg

Josh Coates studied computer science at UC Berkeley and is the executive director of the B.H. Roberts Foundation. 
Links

The Unique Opportunity Local Leaders Have to Encourage Faith Among Latter-day Saint Millennials | An Interview with Jana Riess
Josh Coates articles at Deseret News
Stephen Cranney articles at Deseret News
BH Roberts Foundation
Mormonr.org
LDSBot
There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts here. 
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Highlights
3:20 Introduction to Josh Coates, one of the founders of the B.H. Roberts Foundation and Mormoner. They write short articles on controversial topics.

5:45 Who is B.H. Roberts? Why is the foundation named after him?

9:20 Josh and his foundation began a research project surveying Latter Day Saints.

16:00 Creating the survey in order to have useful data. You have to be very careful when formulating questions.

18:15 What were they looking to find out in the survey?

21:30 It seems like people are leaving the Church in droves. Is that really true?

23:30 They have found that there are two types of Latter-day Saints according to their analysis. 

* Cluster 1 - 80% are pretty orthodox. Follow closely to the commandments and are very active in the Church.
* Cluster 2 - 20% are scattered in their beliefs even if they identify as Latter-day Saints.

29:40 Millennials are dramatically represented in the 20% of members that have scattered beliefs. We worry about Gen-Z a lot but maybe we are overlooking the millennials. 

33:30 The cultural evolution of the Church has improved over the last 20 to 30 years but there have also been things that have eroded the foundation of people’s faith.

34:00 The difference between the different generations in the Church. Why are millennials struggling so much compared to other generations?

35:15 How can leaders better approach or talk to millennials? Separating policy and doctrine.

39:30 The data that Josh found on marriage and divorce in the Church. They found that temple marriages are a big deal.

42:00 Research on moral foundation theory. The five foundational values that go into making a decision:

* Will it hurt someone?
* Is it fair?
* Loyalty
* Authority
* Purity

52:00 The survey data on LGBTQ members of The Church of those that have left The Church and their view on marriage

54:30 Resources and places to go to find out more about Josh’s work.


Men in Elders Quorum

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