Behind the Scenes at Church HQ: Handbooks, Ministering, & Area Presidencies | An Interview with Larry Richman

Leading Saints Podcast

Larry Richman retired in 2022 after working as a Church employee for 45 years. He was a project and product manager for many of the Church’s programs, such as Sunday and weekday programs for adults, youth, and children as well as leader training and tools. He was the director of LDS.org and the Church’s social media efforts from 2003–2008.

Larry has authored over a dozen books and thousands of articles in magazines and websites. As an entrepreneur, he has started several businesses and provided leadership training and consulting for several companies. He has also served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for non-profit organizations. From 2022–2023, Larry served a full-time mission as the executive secretary for the Africa South Area Presidency.

Links

LDS365.com
Senior Missionary Opportunities
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Highlights

Larry shares insights into his career working behind the scenes at the Church and collaborating with general authorities. He discusses the balance between following the handbook and allowing for flexibility in leadership roles. Larry also highlights the importance of utilizing resources like the Life Help section, Gospel Topics, and My Calling in the Gospel Library app. He emphasizes the principle-based approach in the current handbook and the For the Strength of Youth guide, focusing on teaching doctrine and letting individuals govern themselves. Larry also touches on his experience running the LDS 365 blog and the importance of staying updated on handbook revisions. He shares his recent mission experience in South Africa and working with the area presidency. Larry’s insights provide valuable perspectives on leadership and resources within church structure.

2:20 Larry Richman’s career in the church. He has worked in the materials management, translation, and curriculum departments.

5:50 Larry retired and went on a mission to South Africa with his wife. Now he is a church service missionary.

6:20 There are so many more opportunities for senior missionaries and service missionaries than people know. There are so many different ways to serve and you can do it before you retire. You can serve from home in hundreds of different ways.

8:05 When Larry was in graduate school for instructional science, he was offered a full time position with the church. He helped the church implement different projects.

9:00 Behind the scenes of the church’s programs and the curriculum that comes out. Working with General Authorities.

12:30 Reworking programs that have gone stale. Employees study it out and come up with recommendations and take them to the brethren, who discuss and pray about it.

17:00 Working with general authorities and all the different councils in the church.

21:00 Meetings with general authorities. Balancing and structuring a meeting so that the spirit can speak and you address what you need to address.

24:00 How they implement Church Initiatives.

26:50 Implementation of new technology: blogs, websites, social media. The Lord moves his work forward with technology.

30:31 Larry has a blog called LDS 365. He updates people on things the church is implementing and more of the details on the apps and resources that the church has.

33:45 Resources that Larry wished more people knew about:
Life Help
Gospel topics
My calling

40:30 Understanding and using the handbook. How strictly does it need to be followed?
45:20 Updates and changes in the handbook.

46:20 Larry’s experiences serving a mission in South Africa.

48:40 How an area presidency works in South Africa.

52:00 Leaders can not truly lead if they aren’t willing to do the things themselves that they are asking others to do. We go back and forth between being a leader and follower. Both are important.

The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, Kirby Heyborne, and many more in over 700 episodes.

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