Sometimes it may seem that there is no missionary work to do in your ward, but there always is, as long as you can identify it. The following method has proved to be successful:
- assign a portion of the houses in the ward to each member of the ward council
- go to every home in the ward and find out who lives there (you may already think you know who lives there, but things change, and someone may be renting their basement unnoticed. Be thorough with this search)
- identify:
- non-members
- less-active members
- members without their records in the ward
- anyone else who could benefit from being taught by missionaries
- make sure to report on your findings and coordinate your work
This will help the Bishop identify:
- men who haven't received the priesthood (or need to be advanced in the priesthood)
- un-endowed members
- those who could be sealed
- those with expired temple recommends
- those without a patriarchal blessing
Once you have a list of those who you could potentially work with, prayerfully select those that you feel inspired to begin working with, and act.
note: These audits should occur every six months
How to contact
When looking for the people above, it is important not to be probing or intrusive. There are ways to find out who is in your ward without offending. Here are some ideas, but, as always, go by the spirit:
- talk with active ward members who live nearby to find out who may be there
- be neighborly and friendly. Have a genuine interest in those who live there and fellowship them
- in preparation for an emergency, ask everyone to share how many children, elderly, and those who require daily life-saving medicines live in each home
