Asking for a calling

[mynameisnottom]

Is it proper, appropriate, effective to ask your bishop to give you a calling, in particular, Gospel Doctrine teacher?

[Brent]

Bishop: Why? Do you have an agenda or has the spirit moved you to ask?

[2bizE]

Bishops receive training to be suspicious of people who request callings, particularly those that work with children and youth. It is a red flag they may be a sexual predator. GD teacher is probably different. I want to ask if I can be second counselor in the stake Sunday school presidency.

[Corsair]

Bishops don't want people demanding particular callings, especially since they can't satisfy all requests. Experienced bishops know that having half the ward annoyed at you is a common, and healthy, situation.

However I actually asked my bishop to leave me on the scout committee. It helps deflect other callings even though I did not mention that. In my experience, most bishops don't mind when people suggest callings they would prefer and where they would function well. Many bishops don't mind ward members making a few suggestions. Often this will be interpreted as inspiration through other means.

[oliver_denom]

You never ask the Bishop directly unless you're close personal friends. What you do instead is go to someone who sits in Bishopric meeting: a counselor, clerk, or executive secretary. If you don't have a relationship with any of them, then try to sit next to one of them in Sunday School and strike up friendly conversation.

After a relationship of trust is established, casually say something like this: "I really love Brother Smith's Gospel Doctrine lessons. I've been struggling with my gospel study lately and I bet a calling like that really helps a person stay on track." Then all you have to do is wait. That's how its usually done.

When they choose new callings, people in the room will just call out names and discuss them. If someone drops your name and they have a personal story to add as reason for why it would be good, then that's all you need.

[Enough]

I want to ask if I can be second counselor in the stake Sunday school presidency.

Me, too. But, one of us won't even have a shot at getting it. (Me).

I asked my current Bishop if I could be the Assistant Girls Camp Director. And, that was before I even moved into the Ward & before he had ever met me. My membership records were transferred and I had the Calling within 3 days. (I think it's hard to fill callings these days. My Bishop will take whatever he can get).

[Linked]

You never ask the Bishop directly unless you're close personal friends. What you do instead is go to someone who sits in Bishopric meeting: a counselor, clerk, or executive secretary. If you don't have a relationship with any of them, then try to sit next to one of them in Sunday School and strike up friendly conversation.

After a relationship of trust is established, casually say something like this: "I really love Brother Smith's Gospel Doctrine lessons. I've been struggling with my gospel study lately and I bet a calling like that really helps a person stay on track." Then all you have to do is wait. That's how its usually done.

When they choose new callings, people in the room will just call out names and discuss them. If someone drops your name and they have a personal story to add as reason for why it would be good, then that's all you need.

Is this the church calling version of Inception?

If you know the bishop personally I think you could bring it up in conversation that it is a calling you would like without raising any flags. Don't demand, that will get shot down fast.

[Random]

In a ward I was in, the librarian had no assistant. The bishop said he would get her one, but never did. So I decided to start helping her. After several weeks, the bishop called me in to give me a calling and chastised me for working in the library. He said we don't call ourselves to callings in the Church. (I didn't think I was doing that. I was simply helping someone who was overwhelmed. And by the time the bishop called me on it, I was bored with it.) She was given a new (officially called) assistant soon after.
Note: the bishop was a really good man. I wouldn't diss him; I just posted this because this experience sort of answers the op question.

[Give It Time]

I suggested a calling I'd like to have to a bishop. He thanked me, because sometimes he wracked his brains trying to figure out well to put where. I got the calling.

Of course, this was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.