MyWardFamilyWhat the executive secretary does
The executive secretary helps the bishopric by scheduling appointments, helping prepare agendas, and attending bishopric meetings and councils. Scheduling is the part that takes the most time, and the part that most needs a system.
Keep one list of who needs to be seen
Interview requests come from everywhere: the bishop in the hallway, a counselor in bishopric meeting, a youth birthday, a recommend about to expire. Put them all in one list with three things:
- Who needs to be seen
- Which member of the bishopric should see them
- By when
Keep the reason private. Only the people who need to know should see why someone is coming in.
A weekly routine
- Early in the week: check the list and each leader’s calendar. Note open times for the bishop and each counselor.
- Reach out: contact each member personally, by call or text from your own phone. Offer two times.
- Book it: put the appointment on the leader’s calendar right away, so two people don’t get the same slot.
- Bishopric meeting: review this week’s appointments and anything still unscheduled.
- Sunday: keep a simple list of the day’s appointments for each leader, and a few minutes of buffer.
Recurring interviews to plan ahead
- Youth interviews, tied to birthdays and the bishopric’s pattern for meeting with youth.
- Class and quorum advancements as youth reach new ages.
- Temple recommend renewals, ideally before they expire.
- Callings, as soon as the bishopric approves a name.
- Graduating seniors and members preparing for missions.
Protecting privacy
- Don’t put the purpose of an interview in a text or a shared calendar title.
- Share phone numbers only with the people who schedule.
- If an assistant helps, they need names and times, not reasons.
Using Google Calendar
Many bishoprics give each member their own Google Calendar. Booking straight onto it means leaders see their Sunday on their phones, and you can see open times at a glance.
MyWardFamily’s Scheduler is a board for exactly this: who needs to be seen, open times by leader, and appointments synced to the bishopric’s Google Calendars. An assistant sees names and times, never the reason. See the Scheduler.
This guide is written by MyWardFamily, an independent tool. It isn’t official Church guidance and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Always follow the General Handbook and your stake leaders.