I See... Why the Stake President Always Speaks Last

One valuable service the Mormon Third Eye strives to provides readers is cogent explanations of “The Unwritten Order of Things,” or as Boyd K. Packer was tempted to describe it, "The Ordinary Things about the Church Which Every Member Should Know." The collection of queries encompassing the Unwritten Order of Things ranges from the silly (green jello at ward parties?) to the sacred (temple symbolism?).

So... why does the Stake President speak last in church services?

The most obvious, but not the best answer, is because he can; he presides at all meetings within stake boundaries that he attends.

This strategy also gives the Stake President enough time to scan the congregational horizon for the next 60-90 minutes and seek appropriately tailored inspiration for the Saints in the vineyard that he labors in.

The real answer, however, is much more spiritually satisfying. When we first come to our sacrament meetings and stake conferences, our minds are immersed in mounds of mortal manna- what the kids did or did not eat last night, what the score of the game is right now, I wonder if Bro. And Sis. Jones know about the three piercings in their teenage daughter's right ear, isn't it a shame that the Smith family can't seem to roll out of bed early enough on Sunday morning to get to church on time, etc... It's not until the third or fourth speaker, after continual waves of inspirational scriptures, stories, and challenges emanating from the pulpit assaulting our hardened souls, that our hearts are finally in the right place to be receptive to Stake Presidential direction. The preceding speakers have prepared us for the most important instruction.

I hope that the next time my stake president speaks, my mind and heart are sufficiently soft enough to receive what he has to give.