Orem Utah Mission - Semi-Annual Local Unit Leadership Training Meeting

The Orem Utah Mission has scheduled the mission wide semi-annual local unit leadership-training meeting.  A member of the Area Seventy Coordinating Council will preside.  The training will discuss the direction being given to the full time missionaries as well as train Stake and Ward Mission Leaders on building the Kingdom through missionary work.

President Killpack has asked we extend an invite to you.  The members of the High Council will be personally inviting all of the Ward Mission Leaders.

Time: Thursday, February 23  7:00 PM

Location: Alpine Tabernacle  110 East Main, American Fork

Duration: Just over an hour

Orem Utah Mission - Semi-Annual Local Unit Leadership Training Meeting

The Orem Utah Mission has scheduled the mission wide semi-annual local unit leadership training meeting.  A member of the Area Seventy Coordinating Council will preside.  The training will discuss the direction being given to the full time missionaries as well as train Stake and Ward Mission Leaders on building the Kingdom through missionary work.  

President Killpack has asked we extend an invite to you.  The members of the High Council will be personally inviting all of the Ward Mission Leaders (HC Missionary Committee - will you also ensure all ward mission leaders have been invited to attend, along with reminding them as it gets closer).

Here are the details:

Time: Thursday, February 23, 2017  7:00pm

Location: Alpine Tabernacle  110 East Main, American Fork

Duration:  Just over an hour

Thank you for your service!

Process For Convert Baptism Ordinances

Hi Ward Mission Leaders,

The purpose of this post is to explain the process for convert baptism ordinances.

A Call To Be A Missionary Minded Family

In the last two years, I have come to understand as never before how close the Savior is to His work and to His servants who are called by Him to lead and to preside. I am also learning how much our Father in Heaven loves each of His children. He is our Father. We are His work and His glory. His greatest hope is for each of us to come home and to live forever with Him as families. I know these things to be true.

With this understanding, it’s clear that our Father and Savior are inviting us to assist them in inviting others to receive the blessings of the gospel. The need is more urgent because time is running out. The Lord has spoken through His servants the prophets to tell us that He is hastening His work, and to invite us to participate.

A Model For 'Hastening The Work'

President Scott Livingston

As I have pondered preparations for a upcoming meeting with our Bishop's and Ward Mission Leaders, I've been reminded of this article and its impact on my thoughts and feelings about our opportunity to participate in the hastening of the work. I invite all to read or to read again with a focus on how you feel the principles it teaches can be likened to your roles and responsibilities.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865599941/Maryland-ward-becomes-model-for-hastening-the-work.html?pg=all

Deseret News article published by Jason F. Wright, Tuesday, April 1, 2014 12:10 PM MDT

On June 23, 2013, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were treated to a historic Worldwide Leadership Broadcast on "Hastening the Work of Salvation."

Among other things, the meeting unveiled how full-time missionaries would soon be invited to use technology, including social media, to share the gospel and interact with members, less-active members and investigators. Members were also counseled to better understand their roles in this great work, and as the meeting marched on, it was clear this wasn’t some flashy new program or trendy, short-term initiative.

The Work of Salvation in Your Wards - Weekly Report By Email

By J. Weston Lunsford - Stake High Council, Missionary Committee (Zone Leader)

As most of you may already know, last Sunday in our Stake Missionary Correlation Meeting, we had a great discussion regarding the work of salvation in the stake.  We are so grateful for your faithful service in leading this work in your wards.  We can see that the Lord is hastening His work and trusting each of you to invite as more and more individuals are returning and making covenants with the Lord.  Thank you!  We pray that this spirit of missionary work you personally have will spread to the members of your ward and throughout the stake.  You are doing an amazing work with the Lord.  Please keep up the hard and rewarding ministry.  

Ward Missionary Training - Sunday, July 19, 2015 6:30 PM Stake Center RS Room

Dear Ward Mission Leaders,

We invite you and your ward missionaries to a 90 minute ward missionary training this Sunday, July 19, 2015 at 6:30 PM in the Relief Society room of the Stake Center.  Please put the date on your calendars and please plan to attend.  This meeting is for all Ward Mission Leaders and Ward Missionaries in the Stake.

In preparation for the training, please prayerfully review the attached document, WML See yourself in the work, and the hastening the work material found here. https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/members-and-missionaries?lang=eng

We are thankful for your service and look forward to spending time with you this Sunday.

With Love,

Brother Taylor

Brother Lunsford

Brother Weaver

Brother Pratt

"Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified.  When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes.  The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others." --Thomas S. Monson, "Do your Duty-That is Best", Ensign, Nov 2005, 56

Ward Mission Plan - Introduce

2014 PG UT Manila Stake Mission Plan

Our Vision: We will achieve real growth in the Pleasant Grove Utah Manila Stake by inviting all to come unto Christ through conversion, retention, and activation.

Our Goals: The Lord requires our faith to assist Him in hastening the work of salvation.  Therefore, we bind ourselves as stake and ward leaders to do the following as we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ.

Member Invitation Visit Outline

• Introduction (build a relationship of trust)
• Request permission to share a message on missionary work
• Share video - "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" or other missionary message.

Other Resources

These are other resources that may be useful for study:

1. "And Nothing Shall Offend Them", October 2006, Elder David A. Bednar
   • http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/and-nothing-shall-offend-them?lang=eng
   • great for less-active members that have left because of offense
   • contains wonderful counsel for members on how to help those who have been offended
2. "Same-Sex Attraction", LDS.org
   • https://www.lds.org/topics/same-gender-attraction?lang=eng
   • great for those with concerns on the church's stance on same-gender attraction
3. "Lord, Is It I?", October 2014, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
   • https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/lord-is-it-i?lang=eng
   • great for settling ones own pride in preparation for visiting a less-active members
4. "Come and See", October 2014, Elder David A. Bednar
   • https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng
   • great for helping non-members understand why we do missionary work
5. "Lord, I Believe", April 2013, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
   • https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng
   • great for those with doctrinal doubts
6. "My Words... Never Cease", April 2008, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
   • https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/my-words-never-cease?lang=eng
   • Directly addresses the assertion that there can be no more scripture other than the Bible (Revelation 22:18)

Inspiration Quotes

The importance of missionary work has been made clear in the scriptures and by our modern-day prophets. Please prayerfully read and ponder these quotes and apply them to yourselves and your resolve to be a missionary. And please always remember, 1 Nephi 3:5

1. After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel

   Joseph Smith

2. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

   Ezekiel 34:11-12

3. Peter said for the third time, “Lord, … thou knowest that I love thee.” To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples--and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyallyuntil the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”

   Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
   
   
   

Missionary Important Roles: Bishop, High Councilors, Stake President

Bishops

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Have a vital and important role

Please read this PDF on your role: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/wwlt/hasten/hastening-the-work-bishop-eng.pdf?lang=eng

High Councilors (over missionary work)

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Responsibilities are primarily over the training of Ward Mission Leaders and holding them accountable for their efforts

Please read this PDF on your role: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/wwlt/hasten/hastening-the-work-high-councilor-eng.pdf?lang=eng

Stake President

Please read this PDF on your role: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/wwlt/hasten/hastening-the-work-stake-president-eng.pdf?lang=eng

Miscellaneous Things to Know

• When being released, please let the full-time missionaries know, and please send them the name and cell phone number of the new WML.
• The full-time missionaries need to know if those who are being worked with (investigator or less-active) are at sacrament meeting each Sunday. Please report this in the coordination email thread each Sunday evening before 8pm.

Splits with Full-Time Missionaries

Splits is when each of the full-time missionaries goes with a ward member to different appointments at the same time. During these times, they need someone who:

• Is of the same gender as the missionaries
• Is over 18 years old
• Holds the Melchizedek priesthood (if the missionaries are Elders. Sister missionaries do not need this)

There are also times the full-time missionaries may need to do splits for special circumstances, such as one of them being sick. For these occasions when they must spontaneously do splits, it is very helpful to have a "splits calendar". This consists of:

• A list of at least 5 strong members that we could do splits with, including:
  • their names
  • their cell phone number
• A list of people that the young full-time missionaries can stay with when one of is sick. People who typically work are:
  • those who work from home
  • older couples
  • those who are retired

Try to get a diversity of schedules so there is the highest chance of someone being available.

Fellowshipping

There should be a fellowshipper at every teaching appointment. It is almost always better to have one. After full-time missionaries make appointments in your ward, they will email (or text) you about it. You would then find a ward missionary (or other ward member) that is best suited for the person and commit them to going with the full-time missionaries. 

Once you have found someone and committed them to coming, make sure that the full-time missionaries know who it is and their contact info.

Note: Full-time missionaries need someone who is of the same sex and over 18 present.

Coordination - Email Thread

Ward Mission Leaders (WML) should keep good communication (coordinating at least weekly) with the full-time missionaries. This is done best via email. Some notes:

• The subject of the email thread should be consistent. This makes it possible to easily search for and find these emails. Here is the suggested format. Please follow it exactly
  • Format: "[your ward in caps and abbreviated] WML [month] [year]"
  • Examples:
    • Manila Stake: "MA7 WML June 2015"
    • Cedar Hills Stake: "CH17 WML June 2015"
    • Cedar Hills West Stake: "CHW4 WML June 2015"
• A new email thread should be started every month by the WML, and the old thread disregarded
• As coordination continues, keep all emails in the same thread (by simply responding in the thread every time you email us. Ask us more about this if needed)
• Star, flag, or otherwise mark the email thread so that you can return to it quickly

Note: Correct formatting of the subject for coordination emails is important, and makes these emails searchable.

While email is the primary source of communication, texting or calling is useful for urgent matters. The WML should also have a weekly phone call with the full-time missionaries.

Convert Baptisms

• Complete the program (often by coordinating with full-time missionaries and those being baptized). This includes (generally in this order):
  • Who is conducting (the WML)
  • Who is presiding (a member of the bishopric)
  • Pianist
  • Opening hymn
  • Opening prayer
  • Talk on baptism
  • The baptism (including the name of the person performing the ordinance)
  • Message on the restoration (this is specific to convert baptisms, and is done by the full-time missionaries)
  • Talk on the Holy Ghost
  • Closing hymn
  • closing prayer
  • when/where/who will be performing the confirmation
  Note: The confirmation for convert baptisms is at the next sacrament meeting and never directly after the baptism
• Fill the font (which usually takes 2 hours)
• Schedule the baptism time with the building coordinator
• Conduct at the baptism
• Coordinate with the bishop to have a member on the bishopric preside

Note: You can delegate to your ward missionaries.

Dinner Appointments For Young Full-Time Missionaries

The senior missionaries are typically in charge of assigning weeks for each ward in the stake they cover. Dinner appointments:

• are from Tuesday from Sunday for your ward's week
• must be from 5pm to 6pm
• are a finding opportunity, and should be assigned to families that could use a visit from the missionaries, such as:
  • part-member families
  • less-active homes
• should be emailed to the young full-time missionaries with the families name (including their first names just in case there are other families with the same last name), anything the young full-time missionaries should know about them, and their phone number and address if it is not correctly in LDS tools

Ward Missionary Training

Training is extremely important, and will increase your effectiveness as a ward missionary. Here are some of the things that you should do to train yourself and your ward missionaries:

• read and study from PMG (Preach My Gospel), especially chapters 2-6, and 9-13.
• study the scriptures cited in PMG and think of how to apply them to those you teach
• read chapter 5 in Handbook 2: Administering the Church
• read this PDF here: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/wwlt/hasten/hastening-the-work-ward-mission-leader-eng.pdf?lang=eng
• watch the videos on being a WML:
  • find in faith: http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/size/1287983392001/1920/1080/8145000.mp4
  • being a WML: http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/size/1287983381001/1920/1080/7190000.mp4
  • ward mission plan: http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/size/1287991390001/1920/1080/6989000.mp4
  • member retention: http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/size/1287991392001/1920/1080/7428000.mp4
  • to the rescue: http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/size/1287990991001/1920/1080/7982000.mp4