About

My Journey in Church Service

I love serving in the Church of Jesus Christ. Right now, I’m a bishop, but I’ve also been a full-time missionary, various flavors of ward and stake clerk, bishopric counselor, ward mission leader, young men’s president, and held quite a few other callings that were amazing for me but might dry your eyes out reading about them. (After all, I got to do the fun part, and you’re just reading about it after the fact.)

I listed all of that for two reasons: to establish some bona fides as someone who has served in a number of capacities over the years, and to give you a frame of reference for what I haven’t done. (No temple callings, no mission-level callings outside of being a young full-time elder—mostly ward callings, but some stake.) I know I have blind spots, and you’ll probably find them in the things I share.

Bridging the Gap with Technology

One of the hardest parts of Church service for me has been the lack of good technical tools. The Church’s systems have improved over time, no doubt, but if all you use are the official ChurchofJesusChrist.org systems, you will experience some pain at the gaps between what those systems cover and what you actually need.

Now, outside of Church service, in my “day job,” I’m a tech guy. I work for a software company and love exploring new tools and technologies. Receiving the Church’s guidelines on AI was almost as exciting for me as the announcements of new temples. I’m a nerd, no doubt.

This all came to a head when I was called as a bishop about a year ago. After just two days in the calling, I was overwhelmed by the gaps between Church systems and what we actually needed to fully staff a ward and track all the activities of a bishopric. So, I started searching for tools to help fill the gap.

Sharing What I've Learned

Have I arrived at the right combination of tools that do all the things and make life perfect? Absolutely not. But I’ve learned a lot and have a few things to share. Maybe some of this will be useful to you.

More importantly, I hope you will start to think about your callings and the tools you need, and share what you find. We all get better when we learn from each other. What I need right now and what you need might be different, but someday our situations may be reversed, and your solutions will be just what I need!

A Thought on Tools and Techniques

Oliver Burkeman once wisely said, "Productivity techniques are just tools, nothing more, and you’re free to use as many as you like, as consistently or inconsistently as you wish, whenever they seem useful. They’re no big deal. They’re certainly not the silver bullet for anything. And when you see them this way, they’re both much more effective, and usually more fun."

I feel the same way about tech tools. Try some things out! See if they help. Keep the ones that do, throw away the ones that don't. There's no perfect toolset, and anything that helps make your life better is something worth using.

~ Wise Squid