The council system is a fundamental element of God’s work, both in the Church and in families.

“Councils assist in Church governance at every level. In councils, assigned members meet to discuss individual, family and organizational needs and work together to determine how to respond to those needs effectively. Full expression from all participants is invited in council settings, unifying the efforts of both male and female council members.”

The roles of councils continues to expand and adapt as the Church’s work grows. With the recent influx of young missionaries (many of them young women), the need for more training for sister missionaries has increased. Yesterday, the Church announced that mission leadership will now include a new role called the sister training leader, in a council called the Mission Leadership Council.

Sister training leaders will be responsible for the training and welfare of female missionaries assigned to them, and will be members of, and participate in, the new mission leadership council. Assistants to the president and zone leaders will also participate in the council, and those roles will remain unchanged. Missions will continue to be organized by zones and districts, with district leaders being responsible for baptismal interviews, but the Mission Leadership Council will replace the Zone Leader Council.

Sister training leaders will continue to proselytise and will also spend time each week training and evaluating the needs of female missionaries. They will report directly to the mission president on the needs of sister missionaries. Additionally, the wives of mission presidents are now being asked to play an enhanced role in training and caring for sister missionaries, subject to their individual and family circumstances.

**The photo above is not of an actual Mission Leadership Council. It was just meant to represent that men and women will be working together in the Mission Leadership Council in each mission. The article doesn’t indicate how many of each type of leader there will be in the new council.

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