The Mid-Singles (35-50) Church Experience | An Interview with Robert Cornilles
Leading Saints PodcastShow Notes
Robert Cornilles is an executive, author, and educator with a background in business leadership and community engagement. He serves as the Founder and CEO of Game Face, Inc., an executive training firm that has advised over 400 global brands, including more than 200 professional sports franchises. A bestselling author, he published The Sales Game Changer: How to Become the Salesperson People Love and Preparing Tomorrow’s Missionaries Today. He also shares his expertise as an adjunct professor teaching MBA candidates at the BYU Marriott School of Business.
Rob served as a full-time missionary in Japan and has extensive experience in church leadership, having served in high councils, bishoprics, and various ward council roles. He currently serves as the bishop of the Lake Mountain Single Adult 5th Ward in the Saratoga Springs Utah Stake—a mid-singles unit he has led since it began in May 2023. In this role, he oversees a rapidly growing congregation drawn from multiple stakes, focusing on supporting mid-singles through their unique personal and spiritual journeys.
Rob and his wife, Allison, oversaw the training of more than 40,000 volunteers for the 12-week long Saratoga Springs Utah Temple open house and dedication, the longest temple open house in Church history. They are the parents of three sons who have blessed them with three daughters-in-law and three granddaughters.
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Highlights
The conversation focuses on the unique challenges and cultural dynamics faced by mid-singles in the Latter-day Saint community, particularly in Utah, and how leaders can better support this demographic.
Key Insights
Cultural Dynamics: Mid-singles often feel disconnected in family wards due to the predominance of married members in leadership roles, leading to feelings of exclusion and instability.
Out-of-Unit Members: Many mid-singles attend their neighborhood wards while also participating in mid-singles wards, creating a challenge for leaders to maintain engagement and consistency.
Family Influence: Family obligations can pull mid-singles away from ward activities, making it difficult for them to build connections within their ward family.
Spiritual Focus: Rob emphasizes that the primary role of leaders is to connect members with Christ, rather than solely focusing on helping them get married.
Meaningful Activities: Activities should be Christ-centered and relevant to the members’ lives, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
Leadership Applications
Encourage Engagement: Leaders should create an environment where mid-singles feel valued and included, recognizing their unique challenges and encouraging them to participate in ward activities.
Foster Connections: Leaders can facilitate opportunities for mid-singles to connect with each other and with Christ through intentional, spiritually uplifting activities that focus on attributes of Jesus Christ.
Communicate with Families: Leaders should engage with the families of mid-singles to help them understand the importance of allowing their loved ones the space to build their own lives and relationships within the ward community.
00:02:30 – Cultural Dynamics in Mid-Singles Wards
00:04:00 – Understanding the Mid-Singles Experience
00:04:30 – Interview with Bishop Robert Cornilles Begins
00:05:00 – Bishop Cornilles’s Calling Story
00:07:00 – Formation of the New Mid-Singles Ward
00:08:30 – Challenges of Serving a Mid-Singles Ward
00:10:00 – Selecting Counselors for the Bishopric
00:12:00 – Current Responsibilities as a Bishop
00:13:00 – Mid-Singles Bishops Councils in Utah
00:15:00 – The Need for Mid-Singles Wards
00:16:00 – Cultural Challenges for Mid-Singles
00:20:00 – Navigating Family Dynamics and Church Involvement
00:22:00 – The Dilemma of Out-of-Unit Members
00:25:00 – Building a Strong Ward Culture
00:28:00 –
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