Committees

Of all the creations of man, the committee is possibly the worst on every level.

In government, it has a paralyzing effect on the deliberative bodies. When our elected leaders desire to promote a personal agenda in public, they establish an investigative committee. The only thing which is usually accomplished is defamation of character and posturing before the media searching for a sound bite.

In the bureaucracy of departments it provides yet another opportunity to waste time and money (yours) that would be much better spent on the projects they are assigned to accomplish. The national education establishment from the secretary on down to the most minor minions of the local school is hamstrung by one committee after another. I am not saying that this is the exclusive reason for the declining accomplishment of students at all levels but it obviously doesn’t help.

In the military years ago, I don’t seem to remember busy little bodies of men meeting over coffee and little cakes “dialoging.” As I recall, we really didn’t have time for it. In our branch, each man had an assigned, specific duty and he was expected to carry it out. If our mission failed there were no committee members to blame it on. We knew all to well who was responsible. Come to think of it, those two words, committee and responsible, really don’t fit well in a sentence.

I was selected to head the building committee at our church. We have not had a meeting all year. Nor will we. Each member has an assigned responsibility. One is responsible for inside cleaning, one for grounds maintenance, one for finance, and on and on. When a decision is to be made in general terms, I call three of the seven members, varying, depending on the issue, outline a solution to our problem, gain their acquiescence and “get ‘er done.” I scrupulously record the input for a record of consent. Even the damage from the ice storm, which was considerable, probably didn’t take more than an hour in total consultation time and, most of it on the phone. I claim no special talent in this area. Our congregation confirmed a committee of responsible adults who each understand the basics of getting temporal matters under control. We even managed to do all of this without bickering. God is good.

All this prompted me to wonder just how God feels about committees. I went to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to find some scripture that would guide me to the answer I sought. Not one reference to the word is in that wonderful reference book. I checked the “Good News” Concordance which includes the Inspired Version. There was nothing there either. Since I also have the one for the Book of Mormon, I checked it as well. Nothing. My last hope lay in the Doctrine and Covenants.

On May 6, 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio, in instruction given through Joseph Smith we have the first use of the word. In Section 91:4b Reynolds Cahoon and Jared Carter were tasked to be a committee to build specific buildings, including the temple on various lots in Kirtland. The balance of the references exists in sections consigned to the appendix or disavowed by the World Conference.

Given this history, how has today’s church become so enamored of committees? You can’t open a door in Independence without disturbing a committee. We have “our” committees, they have “their” committees, and if that isn’t enough, they have “joint” committees for the full ecumenical flavor. I would be easily convinced that there is a committee for the exclusive purpose of assigning people to committees. It’s not just the hierarchy, there are dual gender committees for women, music, church school materials, missions, and every aspect of Restoration life.

Can’t anyone make a decision? Isn’t anybody responsible? When the prophets and leaders of old required counsel, they went to the Lord in mighty prayer. These avenues are just as open for today’s leaders as they were in the days of Moses, Isaiah, Nephi, and Moroni. Granted their peoples had a bad case of attention deficit disorder and couldn’t wait for God to get out of sight to build yet one more idol, but would a committee have lessened that problem?

Imagine if you will, a fireman entering a burning building and glancing over his shoulder only to discover his buddies holding a committee meeting to figure out how to get the “wet stuff on the red stuff.” He would be as terrified as I am as I figuratively see our church burning down around our ears. We have pressure from the adversary and we have commandments from God. To effectively deal with both, strong righteous men are required and they must be capable of independent thought and action.

Years ago a comedian named Fred Allen (he died in ’56) made the following comment: “Committee – a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group conclude nothing can be done”. Like most of the wisdom from humorists, it would be funnier if it were not true.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon