Leading Saints is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormon) be better prepared to lead.
Here are 4 ways Leading Saints accomplishes the above mission statement:
1. Connect Latter-day Saint Leaders
2. Enhance Leadership Ability
3. Present Leadership Scholarship & Research
4. Celebrate Divine Guidance
Brandon Comstock has been teaching seminary for the past fourteen years in Southern Utah, and has also taught religion courses online for BYU-Idaho and Pathways International for five years. He has a bachelors degree in Business Management from BYU-Idaho, a masters in Instructional Technology from Utah State, and a doctorate in Educational Technology from Boise State, where his research focused on using smartphones in religious classrooms.
Darren Bush is a husband, father, and paddler who advocates outdoor activities to feel the Spirit. Darren served a mission to southern Italy, met his wife, Stephanie, at Brigham Young University, and completed degrees in Italian and Psychology at University of Wisconsin–Madison after discovering it was the best place in the world. After completing a master's degree at the University of Rochester the family moved back to Wisconsin where he eventually bought Rutabaga Paddlesports. He has previously served as a Primary teacher and nursery leader, elders quorum and Young Men president, ward missionary, high councilor, in a young single adult bishopric, and as an executive secretary and financial clerk. He currently serves as Bishop Darren and loves every individual he meets.
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Kirk Weisler is a leadership coach and trainer focused on team building and culture training. He is currently Chief Morale Officer for companies and organizations around the globe, offering coaching, keynote addresses, and workshops. A past leader of the National Speakers Association, Kirk is a master team builder and a professional storyteller, and has been a part of seven start-ups. He previously served in the 19th Special Forces and as a US Army Ranger. Kirk and his wife have been married over 30 years, have six children, and reside in Gilbert, Arizona.
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Nick Greer has been interested in all kinds of business and helping others his entire life. After serving a mission in Romania, Nick finished a degree in Finance at Brigham Young University and later shared his business-building passion as an adjunct professor. He has started multiple businesses, including Skipio–a customer-messaging platform—and Built Bar—low-calorie, high-protein bars that taste like candy. Nick and his wife, Deborah, also created the Five12 Foundation that provides a weekend meal backpack that feeds thousands of children in his community every week. Over 50,000 bags of food will be provided to kids this school year. Nick and Deborah have seven children, who Nick loves to travel and spend time with. He is currently serving as a bishop.
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Evan Fitzpatrick is the founder of the Come Follow Me App. He is a husband and father of four girls, and for the past ten years has served in several bishoprics and with the young men. Professionally, Evan works for Bain Capital helping to lead the firm's efforts to drive growth and transformation in their portfolio companies.
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Elder J. Devn Cornish is an Emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 2, 2011, and granted emeritus status on October 2, 2021. A newborn intensive care physician, he was a professor, chairman, and later vice chairman in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. He was also president and chief executive officer of the pediatric practice plan at Emory Healthcare. In the Church, Elder Cornish has served in numerous callings, including full-time missionary in the Guatemala–El Salvador Mission, bishop, stake president, area seventy, and president of the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission. During his tenure as a general authority, Elder Cornish served as a counselor and as president of the Caribbean Area, headquartered in the Dominican Republic, as a counselor in the North America Southwest area presidency, and as an assistant executive director of the Church History Department and of the Correlation Department, among other assignments at Church headquarters. Elder Cornish and his wife Elaine are the parents of six children and 32 grandchildren. Elaine Cornish passed away from cancer in June of 2019. Elder Cornish married Rosanne Brown in May of 2021 and they live in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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There are many reasons to start a ward podcast. It allows individuals to hear the real stories of those they worship with. This naturally creates a deeper level of unity in the ward which stimulates success on many levels. In this episode, Kurt Francom gives you a rough outline of how a ward could develop a ward podcast at no cost.
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Kerry Muhlestein is a professor and director of research in the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, and also the director of the BYU Egypt Excavation Project. He has taught in the history department of three universities and has been part of award-winning history publications. He received his BS in psychology with a Hebrew minor from BYU, his MA in Ancient Near Eastern studies from BYU, and his PhD from UCLA in Egyptology. He and his wife, Julianne, are the parents of six children. His latest book, Let's Talk about the Book of Abraham, is for people who have sincere questions and are seeking answers.
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Please consider contributing to Leading Saints to help us in the coming year. See details HERE. What are the most popular podcast episodes from Leading Saints? Listen to this short episode for clips from 2021's ten most-downloaded podcasts from Leading Saints.
Please consider contributing to Leading Saints to help us in the coming year. See details HERE. I am often asked where people can find a list of books that all Latter-day Saint leaders should read. So, I’ve gone back to my library and looked at all the books I have read and made a list of recommendations. I created a page at LeadingSaints.org that lists all these books and I hope to keep it updated. I’ve organized the list into specific categories and ranked them in the order I would recommend people read them in that category. One book on this list is not better than another. They are brilliant in their own way. Some books are mentioned in multiple categories. And, of course, it goes without saying that canonized scriptures and words from living prophets are always recommended resources even though they are not listed here. Personal Development - These are books I would recommend to leaders who are simply trying to become more well-rounded in their approach to life which would naturally lead to them improving their leadership capacity. Leading an Organization - These are books I would recommend for leaders who are striving to improve their ability to lead a group or organization. Some are more helpful for specific leadership roles. Repentance & Engaging in the Gospel - These are books I would recommend to anyone who is looking to engage more deeply in the gospel of Jesus Christ (that’s just another way of saying repentance). All leaders should read these books but they should also consider recommending them to individuals they lead who are struggling to engage in the gospel (or, in other words, who are struggling to repent). Their focus is diverse; some are focused on helping people overcome pornography, while others are focused on helping individuals who are questioning their faith. I am forgetting some books, so let me know what books you would add to the list. See the full book list at LeadingSaints.org/books [Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast]
