You lead the men of the ward. Ministering, welfare, fellowship, and priesthood service — it all flows through you. Start with the roster. Read every name. The men nobody's been watching are often the ones who need the most.
Day One
Do These Things First
Meet with the bishop.↗ text him
Ask: who are the men he's most concerned about? What does he want the quorum to feel like? Any welfare or service situations already in motion? What does he need the EQ to do that isn't happening yet?
Get LCR access if you don't have it.
Your secretary may already have access. You need it: ministering assignments, quorum roster, contact history. The clerk sets it up.
Pull the full quorum roster. Read every name. Not to assess — to know. Some of these men you'll recognize; some you won't. The ones you don't know are often the ones who need the most from the quorum.
Contact your stake EQ president.↗ introduce yourself
He'll have expectations for reporting, training schedules, and how ward quorums interface with stake programs. Get connected early.
Meet with your counselors and secretary this week.
Don't wait for Sunday. Align on roles, review existing ministering assignments, and identify any immediate welfare or fellowship needs that are already on the radar.
Your Role
What the EQ President Actually Does
The Elders Quorum President leads all Melchizedek priesthood holders in the ward — elders and high priests together (since 2018, they're in the same quorum). Your scope: ministering, welfare, fellowship, and priesthood service.
You are one of two auxiliary presidents who report directly to the bishop — the other is the RS President. This is not a program-manager role. It is a pastoral role. The quorum exists to bless men's lives and the lives of their families. Programs and committees are tools. The people are the point.
What you don't do: run Sunday quorum instruction (that's the quorum instructor, called separately), manage every welfare case personally (the bishop has final authority on welfare — you support), or do all the ministering yourself. Your job is to lead and coordinate, not to carry the entire load.
Weekly Rhythm
Every Week
Sunday quorum
You preside. The instructor teaches; you open, close, and set the tone. After the meeting, be present — Sunday is when welfare needs and interpersonal situations often surface if you're paying attention.
During the week
Follow up on needs that surfaced Sunday. Contact men who've been absent. A text takes 30 seconds; what it communicates about their belonging in the quorum takes much longer to replicate through any other means.
Welfare response
When a welfare need comes through the bishop, be ready to mobilize quickly. Meals, moving, physical labor, financial coordination — the window of need is often short. Know who in the quorum will show up on short notice.
Monthly Rhythm
Every Month
Presidency meeting
Review ministering assignments. Who hasn't been contacted? Who's been contacted but is still struggling? Where are the companionship gaps? This meeting drives your month — don't let it become a scheduling call.
Bishop meeting
Monthly 1:1 with the bishop. He gives direction and counsel; you share what the quorum needs and what you're seeing among the men. He has context you won't get any other way.
Ward Council
You represent the men of the ward. Bring names and specifics — not statistics. Coordinate with the RS President before Council so you're aligned. You're managing the same program from two sides.
Ministering interviews
Each quarter, you and your counselors interview each ministering companionship: "How are your families? What do they need that we haven't figured out yet?" This is not a check-the-box exercise. It's the feedback loop the whole system depends on.
Ministering
The Core of the Work
What it is
Ministering is the priesthood's name for genuine, relationship-based care. Every household in the ward is assigned to a companionship of ministering brothers. Their job: know the family, care for them, be a consistent presence in their lives — not a formal monthly visit.
How to track it
LCR holds all assignments and contact history. Review it monthly. Gaps and patterns surface quickly — a family with no contact logged in four months is worth a phone call to the companionship assigned to them.
EQ and RS alignment
Some households are assigned to both a brother and sister companionship. Stay in sync with the RS President on who's covering what. When you're both watching the same family, overlap is fine. When neither of you is, that's the problem.
The measure of ministering is not whether assignments were completed. It's whether people feel known and cared for. A companionship that texts regularly, shows up for hard things, and knows the family's names is doing more good than one that makes a formal visit every month and rushes out.
When someone falls through
It will happen. The point isn't a perfect system — it's a responsive one. When you discover someone's been missed, act the same day. Then fix the assignment so it doesn't happen again.
Welfare & Service
Mobilizing the Quorum
Welfare cases come through the bishop. He decides what assistance to provide; your job is to mobilize the quorum to deliver it. The EQ is typically the primary mobilizer for physical service in the ward:
Moving assistance — EQ leads this in most wards
Home and yard work
Meals (coordinate with RS, who usually manages the meal calendar)
Hospital and medical support
Financial: bishop handles welfare funds; he may ask you to help assess need or follow up
Know ahead of time who in the quorum will show up when called. Don't discover who's reliable only after you need them.
Ward Council
Your Voice in the Room
At Ward Council you represent every man in the ward — the ones who come regularly, the ones who've drifted, and the ones who've disappeared. Come with names. "Brother Carter hasn't been at quorum in two months and I don't know why — does anyone have context?" is worth ten percentage-point attendance reports.
Your partnership with the RS President at Ward Council matters more than almost any other dynamic in the room. You're coordinating the same program from two sides — ministering, welfare, family welfare, compassionate service. Get aligned before you walk in, not in the middle of the meeting.
Key Contacts
Who You Work With Regularly
Bishop
↗ text
Your primary reporting relationship — monthly 1:1. He has final authority on welfare decisions and sets direction for the quorum's work in the ward. Keep him informed and trust his direction.
RS President
↗ text
Your closest organizational partner. Ministering, welfare, Ward Council — you're coordinating the same program from two sides. Stay aligned. When you're working well together, the whole ward benefits.
EQ 1st Counselor
↗ text
Share the load deliberately. Know what he owns and let him own it fully. Don't carry everything yourself.
EQ 2nd Counselor
↗ text
Same as first counselor — divide responsibilities clearly. A presidency where only the president is actually working is a presidency headed toward burnout.
EQ Secretary
↗ text
LCR access, minutes, ministering records. A strong secretary makes the presidency significantly more effective. Treat him as essential — because he is.
Stake EQ President
↗ text
Training, stake programs, expectations. He coordinates across all wards and provides guidance on how ward quorums interface with stake leadership. Stay connected.
Ward Clerk
↗ text
LCR access coordination. If you or your secretary need access or have records questions, start here.
Quick Notes
Operational Notes
Log your meeting schedule, room numbers, key dates, or anything worth handing off when you're released.