1 Ne. 5:2-7; 7:19-21; 16:18-25; Acts 23:5,10-11; refer in this text to 1 Ne. 16:23
“So why should a Sunday School teacher who seems to us weak and simple and less experienced be called by inspiration to teach us? One reason is that it requires humility on our part. It requires a humble heart to believe that you can be taught by someone who apparently knows a good deal less than you do, and perhaps seems less likely to get revelation.” (Henry B. Eyring, BYU Devotional, Sept. 1988)
“The men under you will never be loyal to you if they see that you are disloyal to those who preside in authority over you.” (Harold B. Lee, BYU speech to CES, July 8, 1966)
“It is better to carry out a plan that is not so wise, if you are united on it. Speaking generally, a plan or a policy that may be inferior in some respects is more effective if men are united upon it than a better plan would be upon which they were divided… . When they carry that counsel out unitedly and in the same spirit, they will be blessed, and the Church will be blessed, and, as I have said, God will supplement our weakness by His strength and our want of knowledge by His infinite knowledge and His great power.” (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truths, pp. 163-164)
“God will not ennoble a person, man or woman, who refuses to uphold by faith, prayer, and works those whom God has called and ordained to preside over them.” (James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1998, p. 97)
“I have worked with seven Presidents of this Church. I have recognized that all have been human. But I have never been concerned over this. They may have had some weaknesses. But this has never troubled me. I know that the God of heaven has used mortal men throughout history to accomplish His divine purposes. They were the very best available to Him, and they were wonderful.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1992, p. 53)
“What is meant by sustaining a person? … For instance, if a man be a teacher, and I vote that I will sustain him in his position… . I will do everything I can to sustain him… . I would not say anything derogatory to his character… . And then if anybody in my presence were to whisper something about him disparaging to his reputation, I would say, Look here! are you a Saint? Yes. Did you not hold up your hand to sustain him? Yes. Then why do you not do it? … If any man make an attack upon his reputation—for all men’s reputations are of importance to them—I would defend him in some such way. When we vote for men in the solemn way in which we do, shall we abide by our covenants? or shall we violate them? If we violate them we become covenant-breakers.” (John Taylor, Journal of Discourses 21:207-208)
“Our critics at home and abroad are watching us. In an effort to find fault, they listen to every word we say, hoping to entrap us. We may stumble now and again. But the work will not be materially hindered. We will stand up where we fell and go forward. We have nothing to fear and everything to gain. God is at the helm. We [the leaders] will seek His direction. We will listen to the still, small voice of revelation. And we will go forward as He directs. His Church will not be misled. Never fear that. If there were any disposition on the part of its leaders to do so, he could remove them.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1997, p. 83)
“In my lifetime, there have been very few occasions when I questioned the wisdom and inspiration given by key priesthood leaders. I have always tried to follow their counsel, whether I agreed with it or not. I have come to know that most of the time they were in tune with the Spirit and I was not. The safe course is to sustain our priesthood leaders and let God judge their actions. In the early days of the Church, many fell away because they would not sustain Joseph Smith as the Lord’s anointed. In fact, the Prophet Joseph said of some of the leaders in Kirtland that ‘there have been but two but what have lifted their heel against me—namely Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball’ (History of the Church, 5:412). Because of their faithful loyalty, the Lord called Brigham Young to lead the Church west, and when the First Presidency was reorganized, Heber C. Kimball was called as First Counselor to Brigham Young. I do not speak of blind obedience, but rather the obedience of faith, which supports and sustains decisions with confidence that they are inspired. I advocate being more in tune with the Spirit so we may feel a confirming witness of the truthfulness of the direction we receive from our priesthood leaders. There is great safety and peace in supporting our priesthood leaders in their decisions.” (James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1997, p.42-43)
“People are not necessarily called to positions of responsibility because they are the most qualified, the most talented, or the best informed. Our challenge is to sustain, that is, give our full loyalty and support, to people who are often less than perfect, even people that we might feel to be less capable than ourselves.” (Robert L. Millet, CES Symposium, BYU, Aug. 1993)
“A few do’s and don’ts may be helpful: • Do learn to take counsel. Seek direction from file leaders and receive it willingly. • Don’t speak ill of Church leaders. • Don’t covet a calling or position. • Don’t second-guess who should or should not have been called. • Don’t refuse any opportunity to serve. • Don’t resign from a call. • Do inform leaders of changing circumstances in your life, knowing that leaders will weigh all factors when prayerfully considering the proper timing of your release.” (Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, May 1993, p. 39)
“One who rationalizes that he or she has a testimony of Jesus Christ but cannot accept direction and counsel from the leadership of His church is in a fundamentally unsound position and is in jeopardy of losing exaltation.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1982, p. 64)
“I remember years ago when I was a Bishop I had President [Heber J.] Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting I drove him home… . Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: ‘My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.’ Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, ‘But you don’t need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray.’” (Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Oct. 1960, p. 78)
“Rejection of or murmuring against the counsel of the Lord’s servants amounts to actions against the Lord himself. How could it be otherwise? The Lord acts through his servants… . His servants are not perfect… . But if we murmur against the Lord’s servants, we are working against the Lord and his cause and will soon find ourselves without the companionship of his Spirit. So what do we do when we feel that our Relief Society president or our bishop or another authority is transgressing or pursuing a policy of which we disapprove? … The question is not whether we have such differences, but how we manage them… . We should conduct ourselves in such a way that our thoughts and actions do not cause us to lose the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord. The first principle in the gospel procedure for managing differences is to keep our personal differences private… . We know that such differences are discussed, but not in public… . All of this is done quietly and loyally… . Why aren’t these differences discussed in public? Public debate—the means of resolving differences in a democratic government—is not appropriate in our Church government. We are all subject to the authority of the called and sustained servants of the Lord. They and we are all governed by the direction of the Spirit of the Lord, and that Spirit only functions in an atmosphere of unity. That is why personal differences about Church doctrine or procedure need to be worked out privately. There is nothing inappropriate about private communications concerning such differences, provided they are carried on in a spirit of love.” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Feb. 1987, p. 71)
“We have a stewardship for a season, then move on to other things and sustain someone else in his or her stewardship, with perhaps a different style for another season. It seems that is as it should be. In all of this shifting we should be loyal to one another and to ourselves. If we do not understand, or if we disagree with those who currently administer a program, let us do as the Lord directs and go to them privately and discuss the matter. To do otherwise seems out of harmony with gospel teachings, does not resolve the issues at hand, and does not bring peace. What I am asking for is that we help one another move individually and collectively to a higher level than we are now—that we strive for more meekness.” (Larry E. Dahl, address given to BYU Religious Educators, Aug. 27, 1992)