You're the administrative backbone of the Relief Society presidency. Attendance records, communications, lesson scheduling, meeting minutes, and the coordination tasks that keep the organization actually running. A strong secretary makes every other RS leader more effective.
Day One
Do These Things First
Meet with the Relief Society President.↗ text her
Ask: How does she want to communicate? What does she need most from a secretary? Is there an outgoing secretary I should meet with? What are the most time-sensitive items right now?
Get the RS membership list from the ward clerk.
This is your baseline roster. You'll need it for attendance tracking, announcements, and coordination. LCR access is helpful — the ward clerk can set that up.
Meet with the outgoing secretary if possible. Get any records she's been keeping — attendance logs, lesson schedules, meeting notes, contact lists. Don't start from scratch if you don't have to.
Find out the RS meeting and presidency meeting schedule. When does the presidency meet? How often? Where? Is there a standing agenda template? Know the rhythm before you have to run your first meeting minutes.
Set up a system for records. Whether it's a binder, a shared doc, or a Notes app, decide where you'll keep attendance, lesson schedules, and meeting minutes — and stick to it. The system matters less than the consistency.
Your Role
What the RS Secretary Actually Does
The Relief Society Secretary supports the RS presidency by handling the administrative work that keeps the organization running. You take meeting minutes, track Sunday attendance, maintain the lesson schedule, coordinate communications to sisters, and handle any record-keeping the president needs.
You attend presidency meetings and Sunday Relief Society. You are not a program manager or a counselor — you're the person who makes sure things are documented, communicated, and followed up on so that no detail falls through the gap.
A president who trusts her secretary can delegate with confidence. Your job is to be reliable enough that the RS President doesn't have to wonder whether something got done — she already knows you handled it. That reliability is the whole value of the calling.
Depending on the ward, RS secretaries may also coordinate the compassionate service calendar, manage announcements, or assist with RS activities. Talk to the president about what she actually needs versus what the formal job description says.
Weekly Rhythm
Every Week
Sunday RS
Take attendance — or arrange a system for it (a sign-in sheet, a headcount, or a roll). Attendance data helps the presidency identify who's been absent and may need a ministering follow-up. Accuracy matters more than speed.
Announcements
Coordinate any weekly announcements with the RS President. If the ward uses a group text, app, or email list, you may manage it. Know what's going out and when — and make sure nothing goes out without the president's awareness.
Presidency meeting
Take minutes. Not transcriptions — action-item minutes. What was decided? Who is responsible for what, by when? A one-page summary with those elements is more useful than a three-page narrative of everything that was said.
Follow-up
After each presidency meeting, send a brief follow-up to anyone who was assigned a task. This is not micromanagement — it's a memory aid. "Hey, just a reminder from our meeting — you were going to reach out to Sister Davis this week" is appreciated, not annoying.
Monthly Rhythm
Every Month
Lesson schedule
Coordinate with the RS President to confirm the lesson schedule a month ahead — who's teaching, which week. Give the RS teacher enough advance notice to prepare. If someone can't teach their assigned Sunday, finding a substitute is often the secretary's task.
Attendance review
Review the month's attendance with the president. Who hasn't been coming? Are there sisters who were present last month but disappeared this month? The secretary's attendance record is often the first indicator that a sister needs a ministering follow-up.
Compassionate service
In many wards, the RS Secretary coordinates the compassionate service calendar — meal trains, service assignments, and follow-up for sisters who've had a baby, a surgery, a loss, or another significant need. If this is your responsibility, keep a simple running list of who's receiving service and for how long.
Record keeping
File your monthly minutes and attendance records somewhere organized. If you're released before the next secretary is called, a clean handoff depends entirely on the records you kept. Future presidencies will be grateful.
Key Contacts
Who You Work With Regularly
RS President
↗ text
Your direct leader and the person whose effectiveness your calling is designed to support. Communicate proactively — surface problems early, confirm instructions clearly, and never let something fall through the gap without flagging it. A president who trusts her secretary can do twice the work.
RS Counselors
↗ text
You'll coordinate with both counselors on activities, lesson scheduling, compassionate service, and any presidencies-level communication. Know what each counselor owns and route things to the right person.
RS Teacher
↗ text
You manage the lesson schedule and coordinate with the teacher on which Sundays they're assigned. Give them enough lead time to prepare, and handle substitute coordination if they need to miss a Sunday.
Ward Clerk
↗ text
Source of truth for membership records and LCR access. When a sister moves in or out, the clerk updates the records — you sync your RS roster accordingly. Keep a relationship here so records stay accurate.
Executive Secretary
↗ text
For anything that needs to go on the bishop's calendar or the ward calendar — RS activities, presidency meetings with the bishop, anything requiring bishopric coordination. Route requests here rather than going directly to the bishop.
Quick Notes
Operational Notes
Log your meeting schedule, room numbers, key dates, or anything worth handing off when you're released.