Brothers and sisters, the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve have asked that
I conduct this video conference tonight.
With me are the members of the Church Leadership and Training Committee, Elder James E. Faust,
its chairman, and Elder M. Russell Ballard.
We welcome you and express our appreciation for your attendance at this meeting.
You are gathered in hundreds of stake centers as we broadcast from the church office building
in Salt Lake City.
Though we are separated by vast distances, yet we are brought close by the spirit of
this great work.
This is an historic occasion.
Undoubtedly it is the largest and most dispersed gathering ever for a leadership training meeting
to say nothing of the videotapes of this occasion, which will now go to hundreds of stakes in
internationally, as you all move forward under the direction of your area presidencies.
Tonight we will be discussing the mission of the Church.
We will share with you important insights about that mission and about how to accomplish
it better.
Your present conscientiousness is so much appreciated.
Your frustrations and your challenges are probably much better understood than you realize.
In fact, we bring you help and hope.
We will suggest some ways in which you can use flexibility to greater advantage in carrying
out the mission of the Church in your local wards and stakes.
This meeting is not simply a one-way communication.
Later we will be hearing from a few of you via telephone.
Let us begin by uniting in prayer.
We have invited President Samuel K. Baker of the Toronto-Ontario Stake to offer the
invocation, President Baker.
Our dear Father in Heaven, we are deeply grateful for all the circumstances which permit us
to present ourselves before thee at this time as priesthood and auxiliary leaders in thy
Church and Kingdom, assembled in a multitude of gathering places across the face of the
earth to receive instructions and training from those whom thou hast appointed to lead
and instruct us.
Bless us, we humbly pray, that our minds may be open and our spirits quickened to receive
and comprehend all those things which will be taught to us.
Help us to appreciate the privilege which is ours to act in thy name and perform works
designed to bring to pass thy will upon the earth among thy children.
May we do so with diligence and wisdom, with our minds and hearts ever fixed upon thy glory.
Help us to understand the mission of the Church as it has been taught to us by thy holy prophets
and as it will be more fully explained in this meeting.
Heavenly Father, we pray for thy choicest blessings to attend all those who are or have
been in any way instrumental in preparing or delivering the instructions which we are
about to receive.
Thank you to inspire and guide them in all they do.
Especially do we remember our beloved prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, and pray that
thou wilt continue to strengthen and sustain him as we devote ourselves to thy service
under his leadership.
And now, dear Father, we pray that thou wilt temper the elements and provide every necessary
thing that we may receive these messages without interference or interruption.
May thy spirit be with us as we render this meeting into thy kind care and keeping, in
the sacred name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.
Thank you, President Baker.
Brothers and sisters, what we present tonight is designed to help more members come unto
Christ.
It will first be our privilege to hear from President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor
in the First Presidency.
My beloved brothers and sisters, what a significant and glorious event this is to be linked together
in a leadership training meeting with priesthood and auxiliary leaders across the world.
We love you and appreciate the devoted service you render in the kingdom.
In December of 1985, the First Presidency issued a special statement, an invitation
to come unto Christ.
Tonight, we re-echo those thoughts.
We rejoice in the blessings that have come from membership and activity in the Church,
whose head is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In deep sincerity, we express our love and gratitude for our brethren and sisters everywhere.
To those who have ceased activity and to those who have become critical, we say, come back,
come back and feast at the table of the Lord and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits
of fellowship with the Saints.
The purpose of the Lord's Church is to bear these glad tidings to all of God's children,
member and non-member alike, active and less active, living as well as those who have passed
beyond the veil.
And this is the Gospel, the glad tidings, that He came into the world, even Jesus, to
be crucified for the world and to bear the sins of the world and to sanctify the world
and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness, that through Him all might be saved.
The First Presidency and the Twelve have frequently stated that the mission of the Church is to
assist our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ in their grand and glorious mission
to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
This mission consists of, one, proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every
nation, kindred, tongue and people.
Two, perfecting the Saints by preparing them to receive the ordinances of the Gospel and
by instruction and discipline to gain exaltation.
Three, redeeming the dead by performing vicarious ordinances of the Gospel for those who have
lived on the earth.
The mission is expressed in a revelation given on the day the Church was organized in 1830.
I refer to verse 59 of the 20th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
They are, however, to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.
To invite all to come unto Christ is our united purpose.
Our hope is that this united purpose may permeate all we do.
The mission of the Church is appropriately described by overarching objectives.
These are given to us through revelation and scripture.
The accomplishment of these objectives, however, involves the wise implementation of programs.
For instance, we come unto Christ through conversion and baptism, hence our missionary
effort.
We cannot qualify to enter the Lord's house without adequate preparation.
Additionally, we will not be successful in perfecting the Saints if we are neglecting
the poor, hence the doctrines and principles which underlie the welfare program.
We cannot be good under shepherds to the perfect shepherd, the Lord, if, as the Book of Mormon
warns, we permit others in need to pass and notice them not.
A young man should first be an effective and honorable holder of the Aaronic Priesthood
to prepare him later to go proclaim the gospel.
We must keep these grand goals ever before us, while at the same time not neglecting
the means provided to reach them more expeditiously.
Tonight, you will receive additional instruction on these responsibilities and how to report
your accomplishments.
We earnestly hope you will give the mission of the Church continuous emphasis in all that
you do in your wards, branches, stakes, and missions.
Ponder these words of Jacob, wherefore we labor diligently among our people that we
might persuade them to come unto Christ and partake of the goodness of God.
Our Lord and Savior, extended to us the gentle invitation, come unto me with joy and thanksgiving.
May one and all do so, is my earnest and humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We surely realize that you faithful priesthood and auxiliary leaders have much to do in your
sacred callings as you seek to move the Church forward under the direction of your respective
area presences.
We present this training tonight as a source of help.
The insights you will gain from this instruction should help you to focus on those things which
matter most and to use the flexibility which is already available to you in carrying them
out.
Let us begin with some vital information that will help you understand this flexibility
which when properly used can truly build the kingdom spiritually and numerically.
First, we do not need new programs, new organizations, or new meetings.
We do need new attitudes and a new focus on the mission of the Church.
President Harold B. Lee said, there is no new organization necessary to take care of
the needs of this people, all that is necessary is to put the priesthood of God to work.
Two, bishops should utilize much more effectively all Melchizedek priesthood manpower in the
ward and in particular should assign much of the work with prospective elders and their
families to high priests, including home teaching.
This can be done where wards have available high priests.
Utilizing high priests is proper because they have been given a scriptural assignment in
qualifying those who shall be appointed to leadership callings.
Third, more attention is to be paid to advancing adult male converts so that they can become
active members of elders quorums and do not remain prospective elders.
Then they can become home teachers and not another family to be taught by an already
too small supply of home teachers.
We surely should have learned by now that the failure to ordain usually means the failure
to retain.
Number four, full-time missionaries are to continue with new converts for several weeks,
overlapping stake missionaries to see that these individuals are fully in the Church,
receive appropriate Church callings and that adult males receive the Aaronic priesthood
very soon.
Five, stake missionaries are to assist with the friendshiping and fellowshipping of prospective
converts and of new converts.
Especially skilled, mature couples should be called as stake missionaries.
Six, on a selective basis, the wife of a high priest or the mature, active Melchizedek priesthood
holder may accompany him when he makes his home teaching visits to those who need special
attention such as single sisters.
This may be counted as a home teaching visit.
Do not, however, generalize this practice so that young parents are taken away from
their families.
Seven, home teaching efforts should be concentrated on those who need them most.
The more active and fully participating families may not require the same attention as those
with special needs.
Eight, stake presidents may request their area presidency, who in turn may receive approval
from the Council of the Twelve, to utilize full-time missionaries in a limited way to
teach for conversion, carefully selected, less active brothers and sisters.
All of this in order to establish a more adequate leadership base in a unit.
Nine, greater flexibility is now being given to stake presidents to use the three stake
priesthood leadership meetings as needed in accomplishing the mission of the church.
For instance, by training bishops more effectively as presiding high priests.
Ten, ward training meetings may also be held as needed during the regular priesthood meeting
time following opening exercises.
This is the bishop's opportunity to train the priesthood of the ward in their duties.
Eleven, the ward priesthood executive committee should meet weekly.
This represents a change in policy.
This vital committee cannot oversee the purposes of proclaiming the gospel, strengthening the
less active, and increasing temple activity without meeting every week.
Please preserve confidentiality in this meeting.
Commissions can be made and reports received and privacy can still be preserved.
This confidentiality is needed in ward councils too.
The measure of our success is how many have really come unto Christ.
The adverse indicators are how many are unbaptized, unordained, unendowed, unsealed, unnourished,
uninvolved, and unrighteous.
There is plenty for us to do together.
In fact, we cannot do the Lord's work effectively unless we do it together.
Who else but the strong can succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen
the feeble knees?
Those who are converted are those who should then strengthen their brothers and sisters.
We must start from where we are because conditions differ around the world, yet the process will
always be the same as we work together in unity to carry out the mission of the Church.
Let us now further clarify that mission.
The Book of Mormon clarified gospel doctrine when it defined life as a probation, a time
for men to prepare to meet God.
In the Book of Moses, the Lord declared, Behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
The mission of the Church states that we are to assist our Father in heaven and his Son
Jesus Christ to accomplish this work.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then has one mission with three dimensions.
In the past, we may have thought of these dimensions as separate responsibilities.
Perhaps we have tried to assign them to different organizations.
We diagram these organizations as boxes separated from one another with lines running back and
forth to connect them.
But in very subtle ways, the spaces between boxes emphasize separation, and the lines
connecting them do not really unite them.
Sometimes we diagram councils and committees as circles.
This unfortunately suggests that each is a world to itself.
Circles are hard to connect to circles.
Even when they touch, the contact is merely a point.
There is the tendency to manage organizations separately.
When we bring them together in ward or state councils, it has been, for the most part,
to correlate their programs and procedures and budgets.
Members and families are not served well if organizations are managed as separate units.
The organizations see themselves as having a mission of their own, separate from the
mission of the Church.
Then organizations expect an inordinate portion of the time and means from families and individuals
without regard to how much others may have requisitioned from them.
Then unfortunately we may make it difficult, sometimes prevent members and families from
maintaining a balance between activities and actually living the gospel.
The announcement of the mission of the Church with its three dimensions moved us toward
another kind of correlation beyond the correlation of programs and procedures.
It has more to do with implementation than with planning.
This is a correlation of spirit, of attitude.
This correlation is in the mind, in the heart, in the very soul.
To diagram the three-part mission of the Church properly, each part must be shaped to show
that each is incomplete without the others.
They must be placed into proper relationship with one another.
They must come together.
Even after that, they must become one.
It is this spirit of correlation and unity that we now pray that you will adopt.
We urge you now to concentrate on the mission of the Church rather than to merely manage
organizations and programs.
You may wonder how to proceed to implement the mission of the Church and the lives of
your members.
Where should you focus your attention and energy?
You may not have noticed that the statement of the mission tells us how to do it.
We are to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people to prepare them to receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation as
members of the Church.
We are to perfect the Saints by preparing them to receive the ordinances of the gospel
and by instruction and discipline to gain exaltation.
We are to redeem the dead by performing vicarious ordinances of the gospel for those who have
lived on the earth.
We are to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man by concentrating on ordinances
and on the covenants associated with them.
That is written there in the mission statement of the Church.
A good and useful and true test of every major decision made by a leader of the Church is
whether a given course leads toward or away from the making and keeping of covenants.
Considering our minds on ordinances and covenants gives purpose to all the many things we do
in preaching the gospel and perfecting the Saints.
We would do well to see that in administering the organizations of the Church, all roads
lead to the temple, for it is there that we are prepared in all things to qualify us to
enter the presence of the Lord.
God grant that we can see, as He saw, that all we do to convert and baptize and activate
and perfect them has its fulfillment through the consummate, supernal work of the house
of the Lord.
The Priesthood Executive Committee should meet weekly.
This represents a change in the policy found in the general handbook of instructions.
It is felt that the Priesthood Executive Committee cannot fulfill the purposes of proclaiming
the gospel, strengthening the less active, and increasing temple activity without meeting
every week.
In carrying out the mission of the Church, the presiding High Priest calls upon the full
strength of the ward.
Mission leaders present plans, review progress, and report on results achieved in fulfilling
their assigned responsibilities.
The mission of the Church should be the major emphasis of every committee meeting.
Truly, this is where praying, pondering, assigning, and reporting occur, but mostly reporting.
The Bishop, as the presiding High Priest, is responsible for the accomplishment of the
mission of the Church and the ward, working through the Ward Priesthood Executive Committee.
The Bishop now may assign to the High Priest much of the responsibility for the activation
of prospective elders and other less active members.
This arrangement will make wise and more effective use of the great High Priest quorums and groups
in the Church, of which many have been underused.
The High Priest will still be called upon for assistance in temple and genealogy work,
but this additional effort in activation will further vitalize them as they use their experience
and abilities in behalf of their brothers and sisters in perfecting the Saints.
The Bishop and the High Priest group leader will want to ensure that members of the High
Priest group are given specific assignments to teach the less active families, and that
other guidelines for home teaching found in the Melchizedek Priesthood Handbook are followed.
For example, home teaching efforts should be concentrated on those who need them most.
More active and fully participating families may not require the same attention and effort
as those with special needs.
The Bishop will invite the High Priest group leader to report to the Priesthood Executive
Committee on what he has done in connection with activation, home teaching, and other duties.
The ward mission leader will report on member involvement in missionary work, preparing
young men for missions, and so forth.
The elders quorum president will want to discuss the activation of elders or the involvement
of quorum members in temple attendance and genealogical research.
In other words, the Bishop is not the only one who will take initiative in this meeting.
Initiative should also be taken by priesthood leaders.
It is the Bishop's role, however, to see that all efforts are coordinated for the blessing
of the lives of ward members.
When the Bishop, that is, the presiding High Priest, is trained to use the Priesthood Executive
Committee effectively, he will be in a better position to call on Melchizedek Priesthood
resources to assist him in working with quorum and group members who need attention, but
who do not really require an interview with the Bishop.
This will give the Bishop greater flexibility in working with members who truly need his
counsel.
Through his committee, High Priest group leaders and elders quorum presidencies can call on
quorum or group members in strengthening the less active, friendshiping new converts, and
encouraging temple activity.
If we are to implement the mission of the Church and the First Presidency's invitation
to come back, we must train priesthood leaders more effectively than ever before.
To do this, we are announcing modifications in content of two regularly scheduled meetings,
one in the stakes and one in the wards.
The first modification involves the quarterly stake priesthood leadership meeting.
Now, each stake president is to use this meeting as his personal opportunity and his responsibility
to teach and train priesthood leaders in the stake.
Stake presidents may hold the usual departments or, on occasion, invite only the bishops to
attend one of the meetings, or only the High Priest or all of the Melchizedek priesthood
leaders and have them assemble together in one group for the entire meeting.
Through this training, sights should be lifted beyond present programs and practices to focus
sharply on our real mission, to save souls.
That will happen when each president of the stake truly becomes its spiritual shepherd.
The second change is that the regular ward weekly priesthood meeting following opening
exercises may now be used by the bishop for training purposes.
How frequently is this to be done?
As often as needed to provide effective training of the priesthood in the ward.
The schedule and substance should be flexible enough to allow for diverse needs which vary
greatly throughout the world.
What would be the curriculum and content for training in these two meetings?
Stake presidents and bishops will prepare lessons primarily from the scriptures, the
general handbook of instructions, the Melchizedek priesthood handbook, focusing on the mission
of the church, conference addresses of the brethren, and other relevant material would
also be utilized to give current instruction as needed by priesthood bearers.
The stake president and bishop may invite help from counselors, quorum leaders, high
counselors, or others who could assist in helping to reach specific training objectives.
Let priesthood leaders experience the stake president and the bishop as they minister
to the flock, not solely as administrators.
The work in which we are engaged is to save souls, people, real people are our purpose
and our prize.
We have talked of a number of ways in which priesthood leaders can use greater flexibility
in accomplishing the mission of the church.
Let us now see how these suggestions can actually be applied.
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy
One of Israel, and partake of his salvation and the power of his redemption.
And yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.
The Lord has said, Behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man.
Every member of the church has a sacred responsibility to assist our Father in heaven and his Son
Jesus Christ to accomplish this great work.
We are to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people.
Perfect the saints by preparing them to receive the ordinances of the gospel, and by instruction
and discipline to gain exaltation.
And redeem the dead by performing vicarious ordinances of the gospel for those who have
lived on the earth.
All three are part of one work, the work of inviting all to come unto Christ.
These kinds of results happen when priesthood and auxiliary leaders focus on the mission
of the church and minister to individuals.
The Ward Priesthood Executive Committee has an important role in this regard.
Let us consider what one ward did to bring all this about.
The mission of the church should be part of every agenda.
Focusing on the mission of the church helps members of the committee to organize themselves
to spend less time and effort administering programs, activities, and meetings, and to
place more emphasis on ministering to the needs of people.
Brethren, I would like to change the format of this meeting a little bit, if you don't
mind.
I think we need to use this time to get organized so that we can really do the things we need
to be doing rather than just talking about them.
I mean, obviously, the real work, the people work, starts as soon as this meeting is over.
Now, you'll notice that we've listed the three parts of the mission of the church right
on the agenda, and we'll be discussing each of these responsibilities every week, and
we'll be doing the same thing in the ward council and the bishop's youth committee.
Brethren, what we need to do is spend less time focusing on activities and meetings and
more time on helping the people that actually live in the ward boundaries, and that includes
the nonmembers as well as the members.
And one of the basic ways to get this done is that we all have to work together.
The high priests alone are not responsible for temple work and genealogy, and the elders
alone are not responsible for working with prospective elders.
Brother Thompson and the stake missionaries cannot do all the missionary work.
In fact, I've asked Brother Thompson if he'd lead us in a discussion on the first item
on the agenda, proclaiming the gospel, if you would.
Thank you, Bishop.
Brethren, we need to do better at friendshiping investigators and fellowshiping new converts.
The bishop and I have discussed this, and to help us, we're going to use these forms.
Convert baptism checklist.
I've filled out one of these for each of our investigators.
It's a way to make sure that we're doing all that we need to do to help these brothers
and sisters make the transition into the church.
One of our investigators, Mike Sosa, has had a couple of discussions, but he still hasn't
attended church.
Does he know anybody in the ward?
Oh, just me and the stake missionaries.
What he really needs is some friends his own age, someone he can identify with.
Could the elders quorum get him involved in some way?
Well, we have a quorum social next weekend.
We can invite him to that.
Why don't we try to get him involved with some brethren that we could assign as home
teachers later on?
I think that might help make the transition a little easier.
How are you tonight?
Scott McMillan, from the church.
How are you doing?
Listen, I wanted to draw more eye contact with the church members this weekend.
I'm glad you showed up.
I was wondering if you heard that Mike was getting baptized.
Mike Sosa.
That's exactly right.
Bishop.
As the presiding high priest, the bishop is responsible for accomplishing the mission
of the church in the ward.
He does this by delegating responsibility to the priesthood leaders.
Through effective delegation, the bishop becomes the driving force, putting the wheels in motion
to carry the mission of the church forward within the ward.
Brother Edwards, would you conduct the next part of our discussion, please?
Thank you, bishop.
Brother Richards and I met together during the week and went over the ward list.
We feel that there are several families that could be reactivated with little effort.
As members of the priesthood executive committee function to carry out the mission of the church,
a unity of effort is essential.
By working together under the direction of the bishop, quorums and organizations can
benefit from one another's strengths.
In this example, the bishop has assigned the high priest to work with the perspective elders
as well as with other less active members of the ward.
Thank you, bishop.
Brethren, I feel very strongly that we really need to concentrate on these families we've
discussed today.
I know the Lord is going to help us find a way to reach them.
Brother Edwards, the high priests have a spiritual maturity that I know can really bless the
lives of these families, and I'd like you to take the lead in working with them.
That way the elders quorum can spend more time concentrating on the active members that
need a little strengthening.
Will you accept this responsibility?
I'd be glad to.
I'll get with my assistants and we'll see what we can come up with.
I appreciate that, thank you.
Brethren, all of us need to make this a matter of prayer.
I was reading in the Book of Mormon last night, and one passage in particular really touched
me.
It was Alma 31, verses 34 and 35, and in these verses, Alma is preaching to the Zoramites
who have fallen away from the church, and he's praying for them.
O Lord, will Thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto Thee
in Christ.
Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren.
Therefore give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren,
again unto Thee.
Well, that's what we need, power and wisdom from the Lord.
Would you all please take the time to really think and pray about these individuals we've
discussed today?
Talk about them with your counselors, visit them during the coming week.
This next week is Fast Sunday, I'd like us all to fast together and come prepared to
discuss how we can really reach and help these families.
And I know the Lord is going to help us find a way to do this.
Thank you.
Brothers and sisters, as I mentioned earlier, we won't be spending a lot of time in the
ward council meetings going over the calendar.
If you could just please get those announcements about activities early on to the executive
secretary, he'll just put them right on the agenda for us.
That way we won't have to spend much time discussing them here.
What we want to do, what we need to do, is focus on the mission of the church, basically
helping people.
I've listed the three areas of responsibility right on your agendas there.
I'd like to start out by discussing perfecting the saints.
Brother Edwards, could you conduct this part of the meeting for us, please?
Thank you, bishop.
Brothers and sisters, the bishop has assigned the high priest group the responsibility of
working with some of our less active families.
We've selected five families to work with initially.
I'll share the names with you, but remember we need to keep this very confidential.
We're going to reorganize home teaching and put some of our strongest home teachers with
these families.
We're also going to call a special teaching team to go to the homes of some of these families
and teach them basic gospel lessons.
We plan on using the gospel principles manual for now, at least as a guide.
As you consider the individuals that we've discussed, how could each of your organizations
become involved?
You know, you mentioned the Roberts family.
As a presidency, we've talked to Sister Roberts.
We've talked about asking her to teach a mini class in Relief Society.
I'll ask the homemaking leader today to get with her and make a visit and try to involve
her in doing that.
Craig and children are already attending primary, but I'll ask their teachers to make a special
effort in working with them individually.
Jim Roberts is about 15, I think.
He never comes out to church, but maybe we could find a way to get him interested in
one of the youth activities.
We can discuss that in Bishopric Youth Committee meeting.
How do you do?
We've been settled on a bishop.
I'd like to introduce you to a couple of other members of this little assignment.
The Priesthood Executive Committee, the Ward Council, and the Bishopric Youth Committee
should all include discussion on the mission of the church.
Okay, then.
Well, I guess that takes care of our plans for next month.
Bishop, do you have anything?
Just one item.
Thanks, Brad.
Do you all remember the discussion we had last month regarding the mission of the church,
proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the saints, and redeeming the dead?
Well, we challenged all of the adults in the ward to get involved in redeeming the dead
by finding the name of at least one ancestor that hasn't had the temple work done.
They'll do the research and then submit the name so they can take that ancestor to the
temple sometime this month.
Now, what I'd like to do is challenge the youth to do the same thing.
The ward genealogy specialist can help you do the basic research so you can find at least
one ancestor, and then we'll arrange a special trip to the temple so you can do baptisms
for the dead.
Send it.
Could we be baptized for the person that we find?
Uh-huh, sure.
That's the whole point.
So, what do you think?
That's the goal, that is to do with Zhan and Francis.
Focusing on the mission of the church in council and committee meetings helps leaders place
less emphasis on programs and more emphasis on people. Then as ward leaders are invited
to account for their assignments, the mission of the church, what they are doing to bring
individuals unto Christ, will become the focus of the discussion. Bishop, I see from your
report that three less active members of your ward started attending meetings this quarter.
Tell me about them. Well, I'm pleased to say we're seeing some success, President. The
high priest had been working with the Bradley family, and they've started attending church
regularly. As a matter of fact, they're preparing to go to the temple. The Relief Society has
involved Sister Roberts in the homemaking classes. Of course, a lot of the credit goes
to other... State presidents will want to review what is happening to help individuals
in their spiritual progress. They will want to look beyond the report and discuss the
needs of people. In this way, the work will go forward. As leaders and then individual
church members understand the significance of inviting all to come unto Christ, then
great things will happen. Bishop Briggs will have a clear and singular purpose to accomplish
the mission of the church in order to bless every member, both active and less active.
They will carry their sense of purpose into their meetings with the Priesthood Executive
Committee. Their correlated efforts will be united to see that the gospel is preached,
that all receive an invitation to be baptized unto repentance, that members, active and
less active, are nourished by the good word of God to keep them in the right way, and
that ordinances for the living and the dead are performed in the temples. The ward council
will have as a chief purpose the watch care and conversion of individuals who are investigating
the church, those who are being fellowshiped, and those who are less active, not just considering
calendaring activities. Priesthood leaders and home teachers will unite to see that every
member, active and less active, will come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. Priesthood
and auxiliary leaders will use council and committee meetings to focus on the redemption
of individuals, rather than focusing overly much on statistics, procedures, and programs.
High priests and elders will unite their efforts to nourish those over whom they have responsibility.
Their emphasis will be on seeing that all members receive the ordinances of the temple.
Members without sufficient priesthood strength will use the full-time missionaries to build
their Melchizedek priesthood base. We will see sacrament services, priesthood meetings,
and auxiliary classes where the gospel is preached and taught by the power of the Holy
Ghost. An increasing number of parents in Zion will teach their children faith in Christ
and prepare them to receive the ordinances and covenants of the gospel. More young men
and older couples will prepare to serve missions. There will be more quiet Christian service.
More families and individuals will become involved in the work of redeeming their kindred
dead. Leaders in the church will come to understand that in ministering to the needs of people,
all roads lead to the temple, for it is there that we are prepared in all things to qualify
us to enter the presence of the Lord. This must be the ultimate vision of every priesthood
leader, for it is his primary duty to invite all to come unto Christ and his holy house
and to partake of his power and blessings.
The mission of the church has three dimensions as we have seen. Let us now consider some
of our specific responsibilities in relation to each of these.
Some years ago my wife and I were living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and had some responsibility
for the work in South America. At that time we were raising the money for the local share
of the first temple in South America, which was scheduled to be built in Sao Paulo. It
was a great sacrifice for the members of the church. It involved doing without many things,
even necessities. Some of the faithful Saints who had nothing else to give would donate
their jewelry, including their wedding bands. There was great commitment to the building
of the temple. The Saints made all of the break. From that experience we learned firsthand
how much the Saints cherished the temple buildings and how willingly they sacrificed for their
construction. All of our temples are very beautiful. They make us proud. We do cherish
our temple buildings, but the buildings alone do not bless. It is what takes place inside
of the building through the keys, the covenants, the ordinances, and the Spirit of Elijah working
under the Spirit of the Lord that blesses the Saints. It is easier to be armed with
the righteousness and with the power of God in great glory, as Nephi said, by viewing
the beauty of the temple from the inside rather than the outside.
We recommend to you the name of Brother John Shrimp to be ordained to the office of elder.
All those in favor, please manifest it.
We become the covenant people of the Lord by partaking of the higher covenants inside
of the temple, and so our efforts will be to have each member come to an understanding
of the doctrine and be worthy to go inside of the temple and thereafter to take his or
her family to the temple. We will also be asking each member to find one ancestor and
take that ancestor to the temple. We are trying to simplify and demystify the seeking and
finding of our ancestors. We are also hoping to make it easier for everyone with little
training to find their own forefathers and receive the temple ordinances in their behalf.
The Book of Mormon records Moroni's inspired counsel, Come unto Christ and be perfected
in him. The Lord provided for members to come into Christ through the temple ordinances
and covenants and the genealogical work that supports them. We know that there is extensive
missionary work in progress on the other side of the veil. Many, many more members will
be motivated to receive the ordinances for these individuals as they understand the doctrine
and are moved by the Spirit. Our efforts to come into Christ through temple and genealogical
service concentrate on two objectives. Teach the doctrine and inspire members to receive
the endowment and sealing for themselves and their ancestors, and enable members, even
those with no training, to identify their ancestors.
This emphasis on doctrine is made so that temple and genealogical activity will not
be perceived as a detached and optional segment of the gospel but a necessary part of the
whole. Our efforts in genealogy should not concentrate on preparing forms and records
but in taking an ancestor with us to the temple. May we so teach the Latter-day Saints that
they will all come to realize that the temple, with its companion service in genealogy, is
the heart and soul of the doctrine of Christ by which all men may receive redemption, both
the living and the dead.
My brothers and sisters, I wish to say a few words about what I regard as the greatest
tragedy in the Church. It is the loss of those who join the Church and then fall away. With
very few exceptions, it need not happen. I am convinced that, almost universally, those
who are baptized by the missionaries have been taught sufficiently to have received
knowledge and testimony enough to warrant their baptism. But it is not an easy thing
to make the transition incident to joining the Church. It means cutting old ties. It
means leaving friends. It may mean setting aside cherished beliefs. It may require a
change of habits and suppression of appetites. In so many cases, it means loneliness and
even fear of the unknown. There must be nurturing and strengthening during this difficult season
of a convert's life. A tremendous price has been paid for his presence in the Church.
The long efforts of the missionaries and the cost of their service, the separation from
old relationships and the trauma associated with this make it imperative that these precious
souls be welcomed, reassured, helped in their times of weakness, praised for what they do,
given responsibility under which they may grow strong, and encouraged and thanked for
all they do. Declared the Savior, what shall it profit a man though he gain the whole world
and lose his own soul? Likewise, what shall it profit us if we baptize large numbers and
lose many of them? I am satisfied out of long experience and observation that these losses
need not occur. I pray that we shall do all we can to avoid them, and that we shall thereby
bless the lives not only of the convert, but of all the generations who come after him.
Improved and revitalized stake missions are vital to meeting the challenges before us.
Well-trained stake missionaries play an important role in, one, finding investigators so that
our full-time missionaries are productively using their time in teaching, and, two, helping
to curb the dropout rate of investigators during the discussions and of new converts
after baptism. We can meet both these challenges through the efforts of members. With stake
missionaries taking the lead in fellowshipping, they are to nourish the new converts and help
them become fully established in the Church. When new members are baptized, stake missionaries
should personally fellowship the new member and teach the fellowshipping lessons. Full-time
missionaries will assist the stake missionaries in two or three of these transition meetings
with the new members. Full-time missionaries will continue with the new members for a few
weeks after baptism until the converts have become acquainted with the bishop and the
ward leaders, received Church assignments, have been ordained to the priesthood, and
begin to participate in the ward. The stake missionaries' nurturing responsibility does
not end with the new member until the new member is fully integrated into the Church.
The ward mission leader ensures that the home teachers are involved in this process of fellowshipping
new converts. He works with the bishop and priesthood leaders to see that the home teachers
are assigned. This process may be likened to a three-link chain. The full-time missionary
teaches. The stake missionary assists in the conversion process, and the home teacher sees
that the new member becomes fully and firmly established in the faith. The stake missionary
is the gold link in that chain. As we catch the vision and exercise faith in the Lord,
we will see many more thousands, tens of thousands, come into the Church and into the full fellowship
with the Saints. It can be done and is being done.
Our focus in the future and our intensified effort will be to bring the gospel with all
its principles and ordinances, its blessings, more fully into the lives of Church members.
For that purpose, we must look to a wider participation of high priests who are presently,
where there are many in an area, sometimes underutilized. The Scriptures teach us that
the high priest and elder are to administer in spiritual things agreeable to the covenants
and commandments of the Church. And we must rely more upon full-time missionaries who
are authorized under established guidelines to help where they are needed in teaching
those who are less active. And upon stake missionaries and home teachers and visiting
teachers, all of whom fill the role of shepherds, upon those who lead the young and upon single
adults who in many cases need more active involvement in service and leadership.
When we speak to each other of our joy in some instance of activation or restoration
or sharing, we're always talking one-on-one experiences. Isn't that so? And isn't this
the key? How did the Savior go about helping people? He taught and blessed and forgave
and healed individuals according to their specific needs. He was, it is true, followed
by great multitudes and he preached and taught and even fed large numbers of them. But the
memorable ministrations of forgiving, blessing, healing were with individuals one by one.
And this he sought to do quietly, often saying to those whom he had blessed, tell no man.
Good leaders and other leaders must work through the Spirit. There is no other power in God's
program, no other way than this, through which sincere concern and energy may be channeled
to meet the needs of individuals. Prayer, fasting, counseling together, consultation,
genuine concern, and again prayer, these are the elements of true creative flexibility.
These are the way we must meet, prepare to meet individual needs. Recently in a meeting
a bishop shared an experience that had occurred the previous Sabbath day. He'd been in his
office all day long meeting the needs of people in meetings between times and generally doing
what a good bishop does so much of his time. As he locked the building and wearily headed
home to his own family near ten o'clock that night, he felt an inclination to drop in on
a family on the way home who'd had a lot of problems and difficulties in their lives.
Inside the home there was graciousness and appreciation and then on the part of the family
who'd had the problems a real expression of appreciation and gratitude to neighbors and
friends who had been so kind to them in their time of need. They were especially of warm
in their report of a family across the street who had been consistently kind and very generous
in helping them when they were especially in need of help. As the bishop left that home
and he crossed the street to the other home, a little trepidation perhaps because in that
home there had been the terrible sorrow of excommunication. Inside the home greeted warmly,
he simply repeated what he'd heard across the street and then expressed his admiration
and deep respect for good people who in Christ-like service were so kind to their neighbors. That's
all. There were tears all around and he then went on his way home feeling very different
than he had felt when he came. He said, Brother Hanks, when I think of coming unto Christ,
I think of a full day of attempting to administer the complex problems of my holy office and
then in that few minutes at the end of a day ministering to the needs and expressing the
love of my heart for my people, I enjoyed the fullness of what that great invitation
means, come unto Christ.
The purpose of the Lord's Church is to further the progress of every son and daughter of
God toward the ultimate blessings of eternal life. This includes many less active members
who may be indifferent and noncaring. To all such, we as priesthood leaders must extend
and renew our love and heartfelt invitation to come back. Come back and feast at the table
of the Lord and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the saints.
The challenge before us is great. It will require us to put the Melchizedek Priesthood
to work. We must exercise great faith, energy, and commitment if we are to reach these brothers
and sisters. But we must do it. The Lord expects us to do it, and we will.
Now is the time to apply the Savior's teaching of the Good Shepherd to the challenge before
us of retrieving lost sheep and wayward lambs. The sheep need to be led by watchful shepherds.
Too many are wandering. Some are being enticed away by momentary distractions. Others have
become completely lost. With the shepherd's care, our new members, those newly born into
the gospel, must be nurtured by attentive friendshipping as they increase in gospel
knowledge and begin living new standards. With the shepherd's loving care, our young
lambs will not be inclined to wander, and if they do, the crook of the shepherd's staff,
the loving arm, and an understanding heart will help to retrieve them.
With the shepherd's care, many of those who are now independent of the flock can still
be reclaimed. Let us be united in our efforts to bring the less active back into full activity
in the church. In doing so, we will all be more fitly joined together in accomplishing
the mission of the church to bring the gospel with all its blessings and ordinances more
fully into the lives of all church members. The charge Jesus gave to Peter, which he emphasized
by repeating it three times, is the proven solution. Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Feed
my sheep.
Brothers and sisters, we hope that the things you have heard have awakened in your hearts
an awareness of the great work in which we're involved, and also a vision of what can be
done to bring it to greater fruition. These ideas and principles were introduced in April
conference, and since the time that we made that training possible, we have had many reports
from the field regarding these suggestions. We would like to share just a few of them
with you. We'll first hear from President Cedric Evans, stake president of the Maidstone
England Stake. President Evans, please.
Well we've been for some while in our stake very concerned about the high level of less
active prospective elders. And when President A.C., the area president, came to our stake
conference in March, he suggested that we as a stake presidency become more directly
involved with the less active. And it was suggested that we split, as a stake presidency,
three ways with the bishoprics of each of our wards, and we asked them prior to this
that they might carefully and pressily consider nine families who would in all probability
receive a stake presidency, who would respond to a visit from the stake presidency, to set
up the interviews, the visits, and then we would visit with them. And I was very impressed
with what President A.C. had to say. I could see instantly that it probably would work,
but I was also a little anxious as to whether these families would receive a stake presidency.
I was worried that I might feel a bit overpowered, or there might be some resentment. I really
wasn't too sure. However, we followed this through, and we met with the first unit, and
we split into three teams, and went to see a potential of nine families that night. And
I went with the bishop to visit three that had been selected, my counselors with his
counselors, and it was quite remarkable. I mean, we were received in such a humble way.
I mean, one has to understand that most of these families, if not all of them, had never
had a member of the stake presidency in their homes before. We expressed to them our love,
the fact that we missed them, the fact that we needed them. We used President Benson's
message about an invitation to come back. In my own way, I expressed to them that we
considered ourselves to be shepherds of the flock, and that they were sheep that had been
lost or had gone astray, and that we had come for no other reason to express to them that
we needed them, that the chief needed them. And the response was quite remarkable. We
found in many instances that people were less active over very slight misunderstandings
of the possible 81 families that we could have seen in the nine units we have in our
home. 71 received and 49 are now in various states of activity. I mean, they're coming
out. It has been a remarkable testimony to me. I suppose in a way I hadn't realized just
what an effect a priest could be that can have by being in the homes of these families.
It's been a humbling experience to me and to my counselors and to do the amazed that
I should have well. We have proved that if we will allow ourselves to be an instrument
in the Lord's hands, he will work for us.
Thank you very much, President Evans. Elder Faust, a comment please on what that president
has said to all of us.
Thank you, Elder Maxwell. I think a very important beginning point is for the local leaders to
have concern for the individuals. The results of what this state president has done under
inspiration, I think, is quite remarkable. Didn't he say that out of the 71 that were
contacted, some 49 had some kind of a response? I think the local leaders don't fully appreciate
the power and authority which they have when they become involved.
Thank you. Let us now hear from President J. David Biliter of the Oakland, California
state. President Biliter, please.
Well, when we talk about individuals rather than statistics, which we've done for some
time with our bishops, we try to make sure that they keep in mind that it's the individual
that's important. We had a brother who was a member and had not been active for approximately
50 years married to a lady that was not a member. And during this period of time, once
in a while they would have a yard conversation with the home teacher or maybe a semi, what
might be termed pleasant conversation at the door. When the home teacher took his wife
and they were invited in for the first time and this nonmember wife felt that she had
someone to relate to and to talk to. It's been interesting how she's just now joined
the church and they're looking forward to going to the temple. So it's broken down a
lot of barriers. It seems that when the wife goes, people don't get quite as uptight as
it might be. And it's been a good reflection, particularly with widows, for the neighborhood
that they see a husband and wife visiting a widow rather than just men going to sisters.
And a lot of our people have said that they feel very good about husband and wife coming
as they feel the church really cares and it's for both husband and wife rather than the
wife only having a relationship with say visiting teachers or a women's organization, something
of that nature. In our personal priesthood interviews with our bishops and branch presidents,
we talk about what are you doing for and then talk about various families in their wards
and we keep these on our agenda so that we know what progress is being made with families.
And what we find is the end result is that we end up working with people and using programs
for people and the elders quorum indicated that they were just going to get together
and get better acquainted and by thinking about people, they ended up focusing on one
particular individual and looked into what his background was and that he liked tennis
and that's where his involvement was. So they ended up having a party that was built
around the tennis activity and then this brother felt comfortable about coming and they've
been able to fellowship him around that and get those that are interested in tennis to
get close to him and now he's able to come and feel comfortable with other people because
he now starts to come to church meetings because he knows somebody but then because we have
the individual in mind rather than it being a shotgun approach of having a party and hoping
that we involved him by a general invitation and things of that nature.
Thank you very much President Biliter.
Filler Ballard please.
Well I think the exciting thing that we've just listened to is the fact that the stake
president has inspired his bishops to use all of the resources that they have at hand
and to look at the value of the worth of one soul. I was interested that they found about
the interest in tennis. I think that what we're trying to say here tonight to our priesthood
leaders and to the dear sisters is to get to know the people that live within the ward
and reach out and touch their lives using all the resources that are available.
Thank you. Next we'll hear from Bishop Steven Neesmith of the Montgomery Alabama Third Ward.
Bishop Neesmith please.
What we first did after the address a year or so ago to welcome back and bring back the
inactive, we sat down as a PEC and we identified all the families in the ward that were inactive
and we set goals and we targeted certain families and selected certain home teachers to go with
them. That was the administrative part. What we then had is the number of families that
jumped in and went out and got to know these inactive brothers and sisters and got to be
their friends, do things with them and got them to church. Whatever we had going on we
made sure that these brothers and sisters were aware of it and that they were invited
to it. As soon as they started coming to church on a semi-regular basis, sat down with them
and talked to the brothers about the priesthood, talked to the parents about having their
children baptized. We did whatever we could to involve them in what was going on. The
main thing we wanted them to have new friends and new associations. So we've been blessed
by the members listening to the Spirit and loving these people unconditionally, not criticizing.
I just sat down and quickly calculated in the last six months, I'd say the last year
we've reactivated one, two, three, four, five, six families, totaling about 20 to 22 people
including three brethren, two of which have been made elders in the last six months and
are preparing to go to the temple within the next month.
Thank you, Bishop Neesmith. Elder Faust, you were once Bishop Faust. Any comments on what
the good bishop has just shared with us?
Thank you. Bishop Neesmith makes some very good points. He talked about identifying and
targeting on certain individuals and certain families. And then he also talked about assigning
special home teachers to visit them. He also makes an excellent point about keeping the
people that they are working with involved and advised about what's going on in the ward
and in the local church units. And then that very special point that he makes that it has
to be done in unreserved love and without any criticisms whatsoever.
Thank you very much. As you've heard, brethren and sisters, in several presentations this
evening, high priests are now to have an expanded role in working with prospective elders and
less active members. We now like to invite James C. Johnston, high priest group leader
in the Union 30th Ward in the Midvale Fourth Union South Stake to share the insights and
experiences he's gained. Please.
I've thought a lot about the invitation of the First Presidency to members of the church
everywhere, regardless of their positions spiritually, to return to the church. And
I believe that that was not only a letter of invitation. I have felt, and I've been
more and more aware of it, but I have felt that that has literally been a blessing from
the Lord through the presence of the church upon the church. And I think there's a spirit
that's gone out into the wards and to the stakes as a result of that blessing from the
Lord that's beginning a period of reawakening, not only a period of reawakening in the lives
of people who are less active, but a blessing in the lives of those of us who are in a
position to help, a blessing to high priests to give them some meaningful challenges in
their life. In the past we've done a lot of things about, talked about visiting. And
I think now, and maybe this is the third area, I think we're saying more about now how can
we teach? How can we lift? We've got some home teachers that we have talked to that
are out in the lives of people saying, we love you, we appreciate you, can we teach
you the gospel? And we're seeing some families say yes.
Thank you, Brother Johnson. Elder Ballard, please.
You know, brethren, as we watch this program tonight, I wish we could all go back and be
bishops again. To think of the flexibility that has now opened up to a bishop as a presiding
high priest, that he can take his ward executive committee and he can now use his high priests,
he can team them up on some occasions with their wives, he can team up the elders, all
to accomplish the mission of the church is really exciting. I think it's a great blessing.
I hope the bishops and stake presidents have the vision that we have widened and opened
up flexibility to accomplish the purpose of the Lord.
I've had the same feeling that it might not make it easier, but will be more effective,
and that should be the test. Finally, let us hear from a Ward Relief Society president,
Sister Rose Adamson of the Chesapeake Ward, Baltimore, Maryland State. Sister Adamson,
please.
I feel like there's a lot of good people who just really need friendship and need to
feel cared about. From a Relief Society point of view, I wish my visiting teachers could
understand how needed they are, and so I see the visiting teaching program as the means
to touch lives through all of the sisters. I've learned this from my own experience
with the less active sisters, and we just began to be friendly, and then we began talking
about the church a little bit, and I asked her how she felt about the church. Her husband
is not a member and how he felt, and she was not encouraging about her husband joining,
but I kept inviting her to go to church or to home making and encouraging her to do
that, and she kept saying to me, no, I can't go this time, but ask me again. So I continued
to invite her to church activities, and then just one afternoon we sat and talked for
maybe two and a half hours in my living room, and I asked her a lot of things about the
church and how she felt, and she just was very often said she always had the desire
to go to church. She just kind of felt out of place because they had had so much involvement
with the missionaries, but once the missionaries ended, then they just weren't fellowshiped
that much after they had joined the church, and she just felt kind of out of place, and
then she began to come out to church with her family, and we called her first as secretary
in the Relay Society, and so she is now working as counselor. The visiting teachers are so
important. They have as much power to touch the lives of a sister as a president has.
They've got all that power. We all have it.
Thank you, Sister Adamson, for that special example of a special sister who's now your
counselor. Elder Ballard, what about full-time missionaries dropping converts too soon?
Well, we have a great new dispensation, I think, Elder Maxwell, that's been authorized
by the First Presidency, and that is that the full-time missionary will be instructed
by his mission president that after he has baptized, that's not the end, that he stays
right with those converts and is involved with them and works with the stake missionaries
as the stake missionaries and the full-time missionaries come together to teach the transition
lessons.
The golden link.
The golden link with the objective that the full-time missionary is part of the lives
of his converts until the men have received the priesthood, until the bishop has given
them assignments in the ward, and then that full-time missionary can go on actively about
his proselyting and find others and have the comfort in his own heart of knowing his converts
have been fully fellowshiped into the kingdom.
Thank you. As you can see, brothers and sisters, there is so much that can be done already.
The flexibility is already available. Now we must act. Let us operate under the direction
of the Spirit, of course, but seek to accomplish the mission of the Church in our own wards
and stakes and branches and missions. In order to help you apply these principles, we're
introducing a special supplemental activity reporting form. Elder Ballard will elaborate
on its implementation, which commences now. Elder Ballard.
We are engaged in a tremendous work, one which requires concerted and effective effort.
As leaders, we must be concerned about the progress of individuals, nurturing them and
providing them with opportunities to receive the ordinances of the temple. In order to
help us be more aware of the spiritual progress of individuals, we are introducing a supplemental
information form as part of the ward branch activity report and another as part of the
stake district activity report. The information will be used at Church headquarters to monitor
the progress of the Church in accomplishing its mission. But the supplement's primary
purpose is to help local leaders focus their attention and effort on key events in the
lives of individuals, events which indicate that they are making progress in becoming
worthy of the blessings of the temple. For example, it asks for the number of convert
baptisms during the quarter. It asks you to report the number of adults and youth who
started attending meetings. It asks you to report the number of members who have not
been endowed. Providing this kind of information will cause you to look carefully at what
is happening in the lives of individuals. The supplement is an evaluation and planning
tool for bishops and stake presidents. It will help these leaders understand where they
have been and where they need to go. They should prayerfully consider the information
in the report and take appropriate action. It will be important to know the names and
circumstances of the individuals represented by the statistics. The purpose of this information
is to draw attention to the needs and circumstances of individuals. Three sections of the supplement
reflect the mission of the Church. One helps leaders evaluate their leadership focus. Most
of the information for the supplement can be compiled from the current Church records
and reports. It may be necessary to develop sources for the remaining information. Local
leaders should meet with clerks and secretaries as soon as possible to determine how this
information will be collected and reported. Generally, the clerk can complete the top
section of the supplement. The presiding priesthood leader should complete the bottom
section. The supplement should be compiled at the end of each quarter and submitted with
the activity report. The bishop will want to review this information carefully and discuss
it with members of the priesthood executive committee and the ward council. Naturally,
leaders must be sensitive to matters of privacy. Information should be shared only with those
in a position to help. An understanding of the meaning behind the numbers can help leaders
focus their efforts on the greatest needs. For example, the information requested about
home teaching to households where no Melchizedek priesthood holders reside can help leaders
focus home teaching efforts where they are needed most. Of course, the guidance of the
Spirit should be the major consideration in such decisions. During personal priesthood
interviews, the supplement can help priesthood leaders focus on the mission of the Church,
express appreciation for progress being made, and give direction to better serve individuals.
The supplements to the ward branch and state district activity reports are tools to be
used by priesthood leaders as they focus on accomplishing the mission of the Church, helping
individual members to come unto Christ. As you use the supplement, try to remember these
key points. One, information from the supplement can help you evaluate your unit's success
in accomplishing the mission of the Church. Two, you should know the names and circumstances
of individuals representing the statistical information. Three, you should use the information
to help you plan and correlate resources to help the individuals represented by the numbers.
Remember, the Lord said, behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man. This report is designed to help accomplish the Lord's work.
Brothers and sisters, all that you have heard tonight is presented as a source of help.
It is not intended to give you more things to do, but to help you focus your energy on
those things that matter most and to increase your effectiveness. This presentation has
been taped for your use in providing future training. We encourage you to use it, share
the insights you've gained with other priesthood and auxiliary leaders.
The Church is on the edge of a new era, and we can give you no better counsel than Jethro,
Moses' father-in-law, gave to him as ancient Israel entered into a new era at that time.
And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must
walk, and the work that they must do.
We will close this meeting by hearing from Elder James E. Faust.
During Elder Faust, the benediction will be offered by Elder Faust.
By emphasizing the mission of the Church in a three-fold manner, we are leading toward
one objective for each individual member of the Church. That is, for all to receive the
ordinances of the Gospel and make covenants with our Heavenly Father so they may return
to his presence. That is our grand objective. The ordinances and covenants are the means
to achieving that divine nature that will return us into his presence again.
The leadership in the Church must lead each member to that goal.
Keep in mind the purpose to invite all to come unto Christ.
There is no other name given, nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto
the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ the Lord Omnipotent.
I testify, my brethren and sisters, to his divinity and power to save those who will
come to him with broken hearts and contrite spirits, through the covenants and ordinances
and his Holy Spirit, each individual, through the process of repentance, may become clean.
That is our hope and our great leadership challenge. May the Spirit of the Lord be in
each of us here today to do what we need to do to have his Spirit with us constantly
so that we can persuasively influence through righteous means the saving of souls
in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our Heavenly Father, we very humbly bow our heads at the close of this training and leadership
session, and we express unto Thee, Holy Father, our deep appreciation for the technology that
makes it possible for Thy sons and daughters to assemble in stake centers and ward buildings
throughout the earth and to receive the instructions from the First Presidency and the Council
of the Twelve and others of the General Authorities.
We pray now as we close this meeting that Thy Spirit might reach out and touch the minds
and the hearts of every priesthood leader, every sister that has a leadership responsibility,
that they will catch the vision of the importance of the mission of the Church.
That their hearts might be touched, Heavenly Father, that they will realize how precious
every living soul, every one of Thy children, is unto Thee.
That in this new and renewed desire to reach out and to touch and to bless the lives of
Thy sons and daughters, that we might be inspired one and all, Heavenly Father, that we might
use this experience tonight and the tape when it arrives out to the stake centers and the
ward units that the members of the Church might gather together on occasion, Heavenly
Father, and re-watch and listen and discuss, ponder and pray over the contents therein,
and place the principles into practice, all for the blessing of Thy sons and daughters.
We thank Thee for all we have and enjoy, and thank Thee for Thy Spirit that has been with
us through this meeting, and invoke Thy benediction and do so very humbly, all in the sacred and
the beloved name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Amen.