Criticism

Critics charge that the Church teaches members to put service in the Church (e.g. in Church callings) over the needs of their families.).

Said President Gordon B. Hinckley to bishops:

I know that the work is hard at times. There are never enough hours to get it done. The calls are numerous and frequent. You have other things to do. That is true. You must not rob your employer of the time and energy that are rightfully his. You must not rob your family of time which belongs to them. But as most of you have come to know, as you seek for divine guidance, you are blessed with wisdom beyond your own and strength and capacity you did not know you had. It is possible to budget your time so that you neglect neither your employer, your family, nor your flock.

Note that family is emphatically not to be neglected or “impoverished,” and that one is not expected to do more than is healthy for the family.

Church leaders have consistently taught that family duties are the primary Church duties. To neglect one's family needs is to fail in the most important Church assignment:

• “Your responsibility as a father and a husband transcends any other interest in life.”
• "A man who holds the priesthood regards the family as ordained of God. Your leadership of the family is your most important and sacred responsibility. The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every other interest in life."
• “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”
• “I have repeatedly said to our priesthood leaders that the most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home.”
• "If you will make your first concern the comfort, the well-being, and the happiness of your companion, sublimating any personal concern to that loftier goal, you will be happy.

Conclusion

Church doctrine places the family at the center of one's life. In cases of conflict, family needs take precedence over Church responsibilies.