The Lord Chose the Bishop

In the spring of 2005, while I was serving in the stake presidency, we learned that the bishop of the Shawnee Ward would soon be moving to Texas. That meant we needed to identify someone to serve as the new bishop.

This was the third time our presidency had faced the responsibility of calling a new bishop since we were called. Stake President Robert (Bob) Keyes, First Counselor Robert Peterson, and I decided to travel to Shawnee together the next Sunday to attend the ward meetings and seek inspiration.

As I sat on the stand during sacrament meeting, which was the final meeting of the three-hour block, I quietly observed several men in the congregation whom I knew and respected. Each one was a possible candidate for the calling. While I thoughtfully considered a few of them, my mind kept returning to one particular individual. 

As was our practice when visiting a ward, President Keyes offered a few brief closing remarks to end the meeting. Afterward, each of us met with ward members individually to issue temple recommends. Then the three of us gathered in a classroom to discuss our impressions.

President Keyes invited President Peterson and me to share first. I spoke up and shared the name of the individual who had stayed on my mind throughout the meeting. President Peterson shared impressions about a different man. Then President Keyes added a third name to the list. Interestingly, we had each briefly considered the other two names, but none of us had felt strongly about the same man. We left Shawnee that afternoon with three different names and no clear consensus.

At our regular presidency meeting the following Tuesday, we still had not reached unity in our impressions. So we decided to take the matter to the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple. We planned a visit for that Saturday and agreed to attend an endowment session, fasting and praying for guidance.

At the temple, we attended an endowment session together and then remained in the Celestial Room until all other patrons had left. In the quiet reverence of that sacred space, President Keyes suggested we kneel together to pray before having any discussion. He directed each of us to voice a prayer in turn, specifically seeking guidance and confirmation regarding each of the three men.

When the final prayer ended, President Keyes quietly said, “I believe the next bishop should be Brother Z.” (I regret that I cannot remember his name today. He was young, in his late 20s, and had two small children.) In that moment, I felt a powerful, burning confirmation from the Spirit. I knew with complete certainty that he was the one. President Peterson nodded in agreement. There was no need for further discussion.

President Keyes then offered one final prayer, seeking confirmation of the decision we had reached together. When he finished, all three of us raised our hands in a sustaining vote.

We submitted the recommendation to Church headquarters the next day. President Keyes received the official approval to extend the calling from the First Presidency the following week. The new bishop accepted the calling with humility and faith.

What happened next still brings a smile to my face. When asked to recommend counselors, the new bishop named the other two men we had originally considered for the calling. It was a beautiful and tender confirmation that all three were worthy and prepared to serve and that the Lord knew and loved each one. All three men were called of God.

This experience remains one of the most impactful spiritual moments of my life. I had taken personal matters to the temple before, but this was my first time taking a matter of priesthood responsibility to the temple with a presidency. It is, in fact, the only time I have done so. What a joy it was to serve with such righteous men in the stake presidency. I will always feel privileged to have been part of that sacred revelatory experience.

Truly, the Lord chose the bishop.

I testify that God leads His Church. Jesus Christ lives and loves us. When men who are called to serve seek revelation and guidance with humility and faith, it is given. The Spirit speaks, often quietly, but unmistakably. I am grateful I was there to witness it.

I count this experience as one of the sacred privileges of my life. I hope my children and grandchildren will know that the Lord is involved in the details of His work and that He still speaks today.