You lead the Young Men organization for every boy ages 11–17 in the ward. Your job isn't to run activities — it's to make sure every young man feels seen, has a relationship with a good adult, and keeps coming back. Activities are the vehicle. The young men are the point.
Day One
Do These Things First
Meet with the bishop.↗ text him
The bishop presides over all Aaronic Priesthood holders in the ward — including your young men. Ask him: Who are the boys he's most concerned about? What does he want the quorum culture to feel like? Any boys who've stopped coming?
Get the youth roster.
The ward clerk can pull it from LCR. Read every name. Know who's 11, who's 17, who just moved in, who you've never seen. The list tells you who exists; visiting tells you who they are.
Contact your stake YM president.↗ introduce yourself
He knows about upcoming stake activities, youth conference, camp, and any training. Get on his radar early.
Meet with your advisors this week. Who's already serving? What's been working? Where are the gaps? Don't reorganize anything yet — understand first.
Find out when activities are currently scheduled. Tuesday nights? Weekends? Is there a pattern? What's already on the ward calendar? Don't let something fall through the gap while you're getting oriented.
Your Role
What the YM President Actually Does
Note on current Church structure (updated 2020): The 2019–2020 General Handbook reorganization dissolved the standalone ward Young Men presidency as a standard calling. In most wards today, a bishopric counselor is directly assigned to oversee the Aaronic Priesthood quorums — there is no separate "Young Men President" in the General Handbook. If your bishop called you by this title, this guide still applies: the quorum structure, bishop relationship, and day-to-day work are unchanged. For the current official structure, see the Aaronic Priesthood quorums handbook resources ↗
The Young Men President leads the ward's Young Men organization — all boys ages 11–17. You oversee three quorums: Deacons (11–12), Teachers (13–14), and Priests (15–17). Each quorum has its own presidency (youth hold those presidencies), and you work through adult advisors assigned to each quorum.
The bishop presides over all Aaronic Priesthood — which means he is the president of the Priests quorum. You support him in that role rather than leading it directly.
Your role is relational first, programmatic second. A well-run activity that none of the struggling boys attended accomplished very little. A less-polished activity where every boy showed up and felt included accomplished everything. Start with names and faces, not schedules and budgets.
Practically, you: coordinate with advisors to plan and execute activities, ensure quorum presidencies are functioning and meeting, represent Young Men at Ward Council, coordinate with the YW President on joint activities and events, and keep the bishop informed about the young men he's responsible for.
Weekly Rhythm
Every Week
Sunday quorums
Deacons and Teachers meet in their quorums; Priests meet with the bishop. You make the rounds — presence signals that you care. Notice who's absent and follow up during the week, not the next Sunday.
Weeknight activity
Most wards have a Young Men activity night (often Tuesday). Advisors typically run these, but you set the culture and show up. The quality of an activity matters less than who showed up and how they were treated.
During the week
Text a boy who was absent on Sunday. Check in with an advisor. Know what's coming up this week and next. This doesn't have to be formal — a 30-second text is a relationship investment.
Monthly Rhythm
Every Month
Presidency meeting
You, your counselors, and advisors. Review upcoming activities, discuss specific young men who need attention, and make sure each quorum's presidency is getting support. Keep it focused and short.
Ward Council
You represent the young men in the ward. Come with names — boys who are struggling, boys who are excelling and need a next challenge, boys who've stopped coming. Other Ward Council members often have information about families that helps you understand what's happening with a young man.
Bishop check-in
Regular (at least monthly) touchpoint. Share what you're seeing; he shares what he needs the Young Men organization to do. He has context you don't — trust his direction.
YW coordination
Monthly coordination with the YW President. Joint activities require planning lead time. What's on the calendar that involves both organizations? Are there any youth who need coordinated support?
Quorum Structure
Who's in Each Quorum
Deacons
Ages 11–12. Ordained deacons at age 12 (or when deemed worthy and ready by the bishop). Their primary assignment is to pass the sacrament. They have a presidency — quorum president, 2 counselors, secretary — all young men. An adult advisor supports them.
Teachers
Ages 13–14. In addition to passing the sacrament, they prepare it. They also have a quorum presidency. An adult advisor supports them. The teacher's quorum is often the quietest — be intentional about them.
Priests
Ages 15–17. They bless the sacrament. The bishop is the president of the Priests Quorum — he leads them directly, not through you. Your role here is to support the bishop and make sure Priests-age young men are engaged. Don't let them feel like they've aged out of relevance.
The quorum presidencies are real leadership, not decoration. The deacon quorum president can decide how they'll organize sacrament assignments. The teacher quorum president can plan a quorum activity. Help them lead — don't just have adults lead everything while the boys watch.
Ward Council
Your Voice in the Room
At Ward Council you speak for every young man in the ward. Come prepared with names — not statistics, not activity counts. "Brother Smith's son hasn't been at quorum in six weeks and I'm not sure why — does anyone know what's happening?" is more valuable than "Deacon attendance was down this month."
Ward Council is also where you'll hear about family situations from the RS President, welfare concerns from the bishop, and missionary referrals from the WML — all of which affect your young men. Be a good listener, not just a reporter.
Coordinate with the YW President before Council so you're aligned on joint activities and any youth-level issues you're both tracking.
Key Contacts
Who You Work With Regularly
Bishop
↗ text
He presides over all Aaronic Priesthood in the ward, including your young men. He leads the Priests quorum personally. Keep him informed — especially about boys who are struggling or who've gone absent.
YW President
↗ text
Your closest program partner for youth activities and events. Joint activities, youth conferences, and camp coordination all go through both of you. Stay aligned — if one organization is struggling, it usually shows in both.
Quorum Advisors
↗ text
Your operational team. They're in the trenches with the boys every week. Know what they need, remove barriers, and recognize their work. A great advisor who feels unsupported won't stay great for long.
Stake YM President
↗ text
Training, stake activities, youth conference, camp. He coordinates across all the wards and is your resource for anything that goes beyond the ward level.
Ward Clerk
↗ text
LCR access for the youth roster, birthday and ordination records, membership moves. When you need data about who's on your roster or who just moved in, start here.
Primary President
↗ text
The boys who are aging up at 11 come from Primary. A relationship with the Primary President means a smoother transition for each boy moving into the Deacons quorum. Know who's coming before they arrive.
Quick Notes
Operational Notes
Log your meeting schedule, room numbers, key dates, or anything worth handing off when you're released.