The Local Ward When Tragedy Strikes | A Conversation with Dan Duckworth

Sep 20, 2025

Dan Duckworth, a speaker and writer on leadership, dives into navigating community tragedies within Latter-day Saint congregations. He emphasizes the need for leaders to recognize emotional climates and engage in vulnerable discussions to foster healing. Duckworth shares practical examples of facilitating emotional processing, stressing the importance of creating safe spaces for members. He advocates for a church that supports real-life suffering while framing community unity as an essential aspect of leadership. Together, they explore how genuine connections can rekindle faith in difficult times.

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INSIGHT

Read The Moment First

Leaders must read the moment and intuit what the community needs rather than defaulting to institutional scripts.
That intuition includes values, purpose, and unmet needs unique to each local context.

ANECDOTE

GroupText Revealed Shared Distract

Kurt noticed his distraction after a political assassination near his community and messaged his elders quorum group to gauge shared impact.
Multiple members confirmed similar distraction, validating his perception to act.

ANECDOTE

Walking Out To Be Present

Dan Duckworth discovered a neighbor's 13-year-old son had committed suicide and felt the dissonance of church continuing as usual.
He walked out during sacrament, went to the family's home, knocked, and offered presence and prayer.

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In this podcast episode, Kurt Francom and Dan Duckworth discuss the importance of addressing community tragedies within Latter-day Saint congregations. They explore how leaders can create spaces for healing and connection during difficult times, emphasizing the role of vulnerability and unity in fostering a supportive church environment.

Dan Duckworth speaks, teaches, and writes on leadership, power, and systemic change. His forthcoming book, The Leader in Chains (spring 2026), challenges conventional ideas and calls for a radical rethinking of leadership—and how it is developed.

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Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community

Overview

Perception of Community Needs: Leaders should be attuned to the emotional climate of their congregations, recognizing when community tragedies impact members. This awareness can guide appropriate responses.

Risk of Vulnerability: Addressing difficult topics in church settings can feel risky, but it is essential for fostering genuine connections and healing. Leaders should embrace this risk to create a supportive environment.

Purpose of Church: The church serves not only as a place for learning doctrine but also as a community for healing and support. Engaging in open discussions about current events can strengthen faith and unity.

Creating Safe Spaces: Leaders can facilitate discussions that allow members to express their feelings and experiences, promoting emotional processing and community bonding.

Driving the Hope Train: Leaders should focus on instilling hope and directing conversations toward Christ’s teachings, using scriptural stories to provide comfort and guidance during challenging times.

Leadership Applications

Fostering Open Dialogue: Leaders can initiate conversations about current events or tragedies, encouraging members to share their feelings and experiences. This can be done through structured discussions or informal check-ins.

Building Trust and Safety: By consistently creating a culture of vulnerability and support, leaders can ensure that members feel safe to express their emotions and seek help when needed.

Integrating Healing into Meetings: Leaders can incorporate discussions of community challenges into regular meetings, ensuring that spiritual teachings are connected to real-life experiences, thus reinforcing the church’s role as a healing community.

Highlights

06:16 – Institutional vs. Leadership Responses
08:13 – Personal Experience of Grief
10:10 – The Purpose of Church in Times of Crisis
12:32 – The Role of Perception in Leadership
14:01 – A Personal Story of Compassion
16:17 – The Risk of Addressing Difficult Topics
17:41 – The Importance of Community Healing
19:12 – Audience Engagement and Reactions
20:00 – Navigating Political Sensitivities
22:08 – Creating a Safe Space for Discussion
23:37 – The Role of Vulnerability in Unity
25:32 – Addressing the Fear of Group Therapy
27:30 – Driving the Hope Train
30:06 – Preparing the Elders Quorum for Discussion
31:15 – The Impact of Leadership Culture
33:11 – Fulfilling the Purpose of Elders Quorum
38:14 – The Value of Risk in Leadership
40:00 – Living Life Together in Church
42:43 – The Dangers of Hypocrisy in Worship

The award-winning 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. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. 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, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, 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, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, 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, and many more in over 800 episodes.

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