Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
We must prepare ourselves to assist the missionaries in finding those of our
Heavenly Father's children who will embrace the message of the Restoration.
Brothers
and sisters, Easter is a time when the Christian world focuses on and rejoices
in the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That one moment in
time changed everything forever. The Savior broke down every barrier that
stood in the way of our return to a loving Heavenly Father. In return He
asks that we "go . . . and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world"
(Matthew 28:19–20).
A more intimate version of the same message is
recorded in the Gospel of John. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus
asked Peter
three times, "Lovest thou me?" Each time Peter's reply was the same:
"Thou knowest that I love thee." And each time the Savior instructed
Peter: "Feed my lambs. . . . Feed my sheep. . . . Feed my sheep"
(John 21:15–17).
The Savior's impassioned charge to "feed [His] sheep" continues
in force today. Like Peter and his brethren of old, the Apostles of the
Lord Jesus Christ today have the charge to take the gospel to all the
world. This charge is seldom far from our minds. Every General Authority
has the responsibility to be a missionary.
But the Savior was not just talking to the Apostles.
He was also talking to every person who has been blessed to hear the gospel
and is
a member of His Church. In revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord
puts it in very simple terms: "It becometh every man who hath been warned
to warn his neighbor" (D&C 88:81).
During the last general conference we challenged
our young men to better prepare themselves to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
We asked
them to be worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries. With the
unsettled conditions that exist in the world today, they need to be "the
greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church." (See
M. Russell Ballard, "The
Greatest Generation of Missionaries," Ensign,
Nov. 2002, 46; Liahona, Nov. 2002, 46.) We don't expect them to be
perfect, but they need to be anxious, willing, and committed to serve so they
can reach new levels of spirituality as gospel teachers. They need to know
the message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach it
with power in their own words under the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the Church we are working hard to
help all of our missionaries to increase their spiritual maturity. This
worldwide effort has
been referred to as "raising the bar" or "raising the standard." We
thank you parents, bishops, and stake presidents for your support in this
effort. We also thank the faithful youth of the Church for your willingness
to live up to the Lord's standard. May our Heavenly Father continue to bless
you as you prepare to serve Him in this troubled world.
But as we raise the level of expectation for the performance
of our missionaries, we must also raise the level of expectation for the performance
of all of the members of the Church in fulfilling our missionary duties. We
need your help, brothers and sisters, to support and assist our missionaries
in finding and baptizing many more of our Heavenly Father's children. We need
you to watch over, protect, and inspire the missionaries, who are servants
of the Lord. If the standard is to be raised, it is raised for all of us.
We must be more faithful. We must be more spiritually in tune. We must prepare
ourselves to assist the missionaries in finding those of our Heavenly Father's
children who will embrace the message of the Restoration.
Remember, brothers and sisters, we're not marketing a product.
We're not selling anything. We're not trying to impress anyone with our numbers
or our growth. We are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, empowered
and sent forth by the Lord Himself to find, nourish, and bring safely into
His Church those who are seeking to know the truth.
Viewed from that eternal perspective, what we are to do seems
so simple and clear, but I know that member missionary work can be challenging
and sometimes frightening. Please allow me to suggest three simple things
that we can do to assist in this divinely commissioned responsibility.
First, we should exercise our faith and pray individually
and as families, asking for help in finding ways to share the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ. Ask the Lord to open the way. Prayerfully set a date with
your family to have someone in your home for the missionaries to teach. Remember,
brothers and sisters, this is the Lord's Church. Let Him guide you through
constant prayer. With a prayer in your heart, talk to everyone you can. Don't
prejudge. Don't withhold the good news from anyone. Talk to everyone, and
trust in the promised power of the Spirit to give you the words you should
say. Let them make the decision to accept or reject your invitation. Over
time, the Lord will put into your path those who are seeking the truth. He
is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep, and they will know His voice, spoken
through you, and they will follow Him (see John
10).
President Gordon B. Hinckley recently said, "It will
be a great day when our people not only pray for the missionaries throughout
the world, but ask the Lord to help them to assist the missionaries who are
laboring in their own ward" ("Missionary Service," First
Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 2003, 19).
Second, leaders must lead by example. The Spirit will prompt
and guide you in finding those interested in our message. Your personal worthiness
will give you the courage and the spiritual power to inspire your members
to actively help the missionaries.
Some years ago a faithful convert, Brother George
McLaughlin, was called to preside over a small branch of 20 members in
Farmingdale, Maine.
He was a humble man, driving a milk delivery truck for a living. Through
his fasting and earnest prayer, the Spirit taught him what he and the members
of his branch needed to do to help the Church grow in their area. Through
his great faith, constant prayer, and powerful example, he taught his members
how to share the gospel. It's a marvelous story, one of the great missionary
stories of this dispensation. In just one year, there were 450 convert baptisms
in the branch. The next year there were an additional 200 converts. President
McLaughlin indicated: “My job as branch president was to teach [the new converts]
how to be Mormons. I had to teach them how to give talks and lessons in church.
I had to teach them how to teach the gospel to their children. I trained the
new members to become strong members.” Pretty simple.
Just five years later, the Augusta Maine Stake was organized.
Much of the leadership of that new stake came from those converts in the Farmingdale
Branch. Now we might ask why there was such great success in those days, and
the answer may be because of the urgent need to strengthen the Church. Let
me assure you that that same urgency in all units of the Church is every bit
as critical today as it was then.
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles have made it clear that missionary work is to be centered in the
ward. Stake
presidents and bishops have the responsibility and accountability to help
members find the pure in heart and prepare them for baptism and for a life
of service within their wards and stakes. President Hinckley has also said, "I would like to suggest that every bishop in the Church give as a motto
to his people, 'Let's all work to grow the ward' " ("Find
the Lambs, Feed the Sheep," Ensign, May 1999, 106; Liahona, July 1999,
120).
One bishop in the state of Washington has prayerfully
followed that counsel. This is what he is doing. Through priesthood and
auxiliary leaders,
the ward council coordinates missionary work in the ward. Missionaries are
invited to ward council meetings to discuss their work. Members are assigned
to attend investigator visits with the missionaries. Members and missionaries
also visit less-active and part-member families together. Last year this
ward
baptized and confirmed 46 new members, and retention of those members is
very high. Those who come into the Church or who return to activity in
this ward
already have friends because the priesthood and auxiliaries are involved
in the conversion process by direction of the bishop through the ward council
(see "Ward Council Is Secret of Centralia Ward Success," Church
News, 1 Feb. 2003, 5).
Bishops, engage the whole ward in proclaiming the gospel.
You will see that the Lord will bless you and your members with many more
converts and many more who will return to full activity. Missionary work should
not only be on the ward council agendas but also on elders quorum; Relief
Society; and other quorum, group, and auxiliary agendas. Emphasis should be
placed on baptizing and retaining in activity fathers and mothers along with
their children. Thus the missionary work of priesthood and auxiliary leaders
should be coordinated by the ward mission leader and the bishop through the
ward council. And by doing so, converts will be fully active members in their
wards.
Right now, members have a special opportunity to share the
gospel by using the Finding Faith in Christ DVD that was enclosed with
your April 2003 Ensign magazine. Invite your neighbors and friends
to spend an evening with you during the Easter season, sharing together the
life, ministry, and glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It may
also be appropriate to have the missionaries attend with you and teach how
the Lord has restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Third, member missionary work does not require
the development of strategies or gimmicks. It does require faith—real faith and trust in
the Lord. It also requires genuine love. The first great commandment is to
"love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. . . . The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself" (Matthew
22:37, 39).
So let the power of love guide us in sharing the gospel with
family members, friends, neighbors, business associates, and any other people
we encounter as we go through life. Most everyone wants to enjoy peace and
happiness. That is a natural human desire. People want to find answers to
the problems they face. This is increasingly true in the world we now live
in.
Professional advancement, increased income, bigger homes,
or newer cars and recreational equipment do not bring lasting peace and happiness.
Happiness comes from understanding God and knowing that He has a plan for
our eternal joy and peace. Happiness comes from knowing and loving the Savior
and living our lives in accordance with His teachings. Happiness comes from
strong family and Church relationships based on gospel values.
Some members say, "I'm afraid to share the gospel because
I might offend someone." Experience has shown that people are not offended
when the sharing is motivated by the spirit of love and concern. How could
anyone be offended when we say something like this: "I love the way my
church helps me" and then add whatever the Spirit directs. It's when
we appear only to be fulfilling an assignment and we fail to express real
interest and love that we offend others. Don't ever forget, brothers and sisters,
that you and I have in our possession the very points of doctrine that will
bring people to the Lord. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ has within it
the power to bring deep and abiding happiness to the human soul—something
that will be valued and cherished for the rest of time and for all eternity.
We are not just trying to get people to join our Church; we are sharing with
them the fulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. But as powerful as
our message is, it cannot be imposed or forced upon people. It can only be
shared—heart to heart, soul to soul, spirit to spirit—by being
good neighbors and by caring and showing love. We need to be watchful for
one another and
reach out to one another. And as we do so, we will radiate the gospel in
our own lives, and it will radiate to the people the blessings the gospel
has
to offer.
Let us follow the admonition of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, "After all that has been said, [our] greatest and most important duty
is to preach the Gospel" (History of the Church, 2:478).
We can and we must do better, brothers and sisters. I pray
that the Lord will grant to each one of us the faith and courage to increase
our participation in supporting our full-time missionaries in sharing the
restored gospel with all of God's children throughout the world. In the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
Previous
