Counsel in council | David A. Bednar

The power of counseling in council is revelation, said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“In worldly or secular organizations, much is made about participative decision-making. This is not a secular pattern,” he said. “Counseling in councils is about inviting, receiving and recognizing revelation.”

Elder Bednar — who was interviewed as part of the Church News Inside Church Headquarters series — is featured in a new Church News video titled “Counsel in Council.”

Whether a Church executive council, a ward council or a family council, it is “a revelatory experience” where “revelation is scattered among the various members.”

For Elder Bednar, participating in the presiding councils of the Church is “indescribable.”

“No one is trying to figure out, ‘Well, what’s the agenda here? What’s the hidden message?’” he said. “You can say what needs to be said for the benefit of the work. The only objective is to try to discern and apply the Lord’s will and His timing.”