What
If Church Leaders Aren’t Perfect?
Perhaps some are hesitant to
testify of the truth of the Church because they sense that the Church and its
leaders may not be perfect. Indeed, neither the Church nor its leaders are
perfect, nor have they claimed to be! It is noteworthy that nowhere in the
scriptures or the teachings of Church leaders is it stated that the purpose of
the Lord was to perfect the Church. Rather, the Apostle Paul wrote:
“And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
“For the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–13;
emphasis added).
So the purpose of the Lord is
the perfecting of the Saints, not the perfecting of the Church. We can take
real comfort from that principle because it implies that there is room in the
Lord’s Church for all of us imperfect people!
In fact, in the October 2013
general conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then Second Counselor in the
First Presidency, said:
“To be perfectly frank, there
have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made
mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with
our values, principles, or doctrine.
“I suppose the Church would
be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His
doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect
people make mistakes. …
“It is unfortunate that some
have stumbled because of mistakes made by men. But in spite of this, the
eternal truth of the restored gospel found in The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is not tarnished, diminished, or destroyed.
“As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and as one
who has seen firsthand the councils and workings of this Church, I bear solemn
witness that no decision of significance affecting this Church or its members
is ever made without earnestly seeking the inspiration, guidance, and
approbation of our Eternal Father. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. God will
not allow His Church to drift from its appointed course or fail to fulfill its
divine destiny.”
Sometimes we defend a concept about the way the Lord
deals with the leaders and members of His Church that does not serve us well.
We might expect that the Lord should control everything that leaders and
administrators in the Church do so that no mistakes of any kind can be made. It
may be better to recognize that the Lord gives guidance to those servants as they prayerfully do
their best in their respective charges to direct His work. That is how loving
parents teach their children.
The Lord gives us guidance but does not generally exercise control, except in
matters that bear directly on our salvation. Once again, it is not His purpose
to perfect the Church but rather to perfect His children, including Church
leaders and administrators. This pattern of inspired operations at Church
headquarters is not substantially different from that used in stakes and wards
and homes.
While the Lord does give direct revelation at times,
especially to those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators, He also
expects us to study things out in our minds (see Doctrine and Covenants 9:8–9)
and to “bring to pass much righteousness” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27)
without being “command[ed] in all things” (verse 26).
We can trust that the Lord will guide us along the
path of our salvation as we follow the apostolic leaders of His Church. And we
can take great comfort from the Lord’s promise that He will confirm to each of
us the truth of all things as we individually seek it (see Moroni 10:5). (J. Devn
Cornish, "What Do We Mean
When We Say the Church Is True?," Liahona [June 2024], 18-20)
