You support the RS President and own a specific piece of the work she assigns you — ministering, compassionate service, activities, or another portfolio. The presidency leads together; your piece matters as much as hers.
Day One
Do These Things First
Meet with the RS President.↗ text her
Ask: What's my specific assignment within the presidency? What's most urgent right now? What does she need from me in the first month?
Get the ward women's roster.
Ask the RS Secretary for the current list of women — all adult women in the ward, active or not. Read through every name. Know who exists before you start making a difference.
Meet with the outgoing counselor if possible. Get any handoff on projects in progress, relationships in progress, and anything that can't wait.
Attend your first presidency meeting. Know when and where it meets. Come ready to listen first.
Know your ministering assignment area. If you're assigned to oversee ministering, get the current ministering companionship list and understand which sisters are currently unassigned or underserved.
Your Role
What the RS Counselor Actually Does
The RS President assigns you a specific area of the work — commonly ministering coordination, compassionate service, activities and meetings, or a specific group of sisters to oversee. You own that assignment fully, not just assist with it. You also stand in for the RS President in her absence, attending Ward Council and representing the full organization when needed.
Within your assignment: you plan, execute, and follow up. You bring what you learn back to the presidency. You take direction from the president and counsel together with her and the other counselor on decisions that affect the whole organization.
You lead your assignment; the president leads the organization. The best counselors don't wait to be told what to do within their area — they take initiative, report proactively, and bring solutions, not just problems. You were called because the president needed someone she could trust to own something.
Weekly Rhythm
Every Week
Presidency meeting
Attend every week or at the frequency your presidency has established. Bring updates on your assignment. The meeting is where the three of you align and make decisions together.
Your assignment
Do the actual work. If your assignment is compassionate service, you're the one receiving calls, coordinating meals, and following up. If it's ministering, you're tracking companionships and flagging needs. If activities, you're planning and executing.
Ward Council (when covering)
When the RS President can't attend, you attend in her place. Come prepared to speak for the full RS organization — not just your piece of it.
Sunday RS
Attend. Be present with the sisters. Visible leadership matters more than many counselors realize.
Key Contacts
Who You Work With Regularly
RS President
↗ text
Your direct leader and the president of your presidency. Keep her informed; counsel together; support her direction.
RS Secretary
↗ text
Records, attendance, scheduling, budget. Your administrative partner for anything that needs tracking or coordination.
RS Teacher
↗ text
The person preparing and delivering lessons. Know who they are and how they're doing. A teacher who feels supported teaches better.
Ministering Sisters
↗ text
The sisters in your ministering oversight area — their situations change, and you're the one who needs to notice.
Bishop / Counselor
↗ text
The bishopric is your connection to ward-level decisions. Know which bishopric counselor is assigned to Relief Society.
Quick Notes
Operational Notes
Log your meeting schedule, room numbers, key dates, or anything worth handing off when you're released.