Young Men
At the age of twelve, a boy receives the Aaronic Priesthood. This is the lower of two priesthoods in the Mormon Church (the other is the Melchizedek, which young men receive at 18). There are three divisions in the Young Men’s program: Deacon, Teacher, and Priest.
These are also priesthood offices, though—you have to be ordained to them. In Mormons’ beliefs, the priesthood is the authority to act in God’s name and it requires special ordination to hold. Different offices have different responsibilities.
Deacons (12 and 13) pass the sacrament (holy bread and water that represent the body and blood of Christ) and collect fast offerings, among other things. They are supposed to be concerned about the poor and needy particularly—thus collecting those fast offerings (which do go to the poor). Teachers (14 and 15) prepare the sacrament and “watch over the church.” They’re supposed to discourage such things as back-biting and sin, in love. They can also be home teachers—visit members in their home and leave them with a gospel message. Priests (16 and 17) can bless the sacrament and baptize new members. They can also ordain new deacons, teachers, and priests. |
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Young Mormon men are encouraged to participate in Scouting, but there’s a program beyond that. It’s the Duty to God program, meant to promote spiritual and physical development, as well as other important development opportunities—education, good citizenship, and social skills, among others.
Requirements are split up by deacons, teachers, and priests—you can receive three Duty to God certificates by the end.
There are four main categories—in each category, the young man needs to complete eight or more tasks. (He has different tasks as a deacon than a teacher.) They are as follows:
Spiritual Development—In a Church program, a section on spiritual development can only be expected, but this is very important. You might do things such as preparing and teaching lessons on Mormon doctrine, or reading and responding to scripture.
Physical Development—Keeping yourself healthy and strong is also important. Eat well and exercise. Some of the tasks here involve things like running some distance within a certain amount of time, teaching or learning a sport, or learning life-saving skills.
Educational, Personal, and Career Development—Learn all you can. Explore interests. See if you can’t turn your interests into a job. Some of the tasks here involve things like reading a certain amount, concentrating on improving certain school-based skills, or seeking out what you might like to work in one day.
Citizenship and Social Development—We aren’t islands unto ourselves. We’re part of a country and we interact with other people. We need the skills to do it. Some of the tasks you might deal with here is how to make yourself presentable, interacting with girls, and attending city council meetings.