Bishoprics are responsible for Church members who are assigned to military installations within the boundaries of their ward. A member of the bishopric should fulfill the following responsibilities.

Interviews ward members before they leave for military service.

• Counsels them to obey the commandments of God and participate actively in the Church wherever they are stationed.
• Gives them a Military Scripture Set and an LDS identification tag.
• If appropriate, invites them to speak in sacrament meeting.

Encourages worthy members to receive their patriarchal blessing before reporting for active duty.

• If this is not possible, see the Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1: Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics (1998), 35, for further guidance.

Coordinates Pre-Military Service Church Orientation with stake.

• Encourages each member who is entering military service to attend a Pre-Military Service Church Orientation meeting. This can be coordinated through the stake executive secretary and the orientation instructor. If a ward has its own instructor, the instructor will need to coordinate with the stake to obtain the resource materials for use in the orientation.

Helps military members identify the Church unit nearest to their duty station.

• When a member enters the military or is transferred to a new location, a member of the bishopric helps him or her identify the Church unit nearest the new duty station. The Church's Directory of General Authorities and Officers lists the Church unit that is responsible for members at United States military installations throughout the world.

Assists with correspondence, Church publications, and membership records.

• Corresponds frequently with each ward member who is attending basic and advanced training and asks the family's home teachers to do the same.
• Encourages families to ensure that their family members in the military receive the Ensign and Church News.
• Once military members complete their training and are assigned to a permanent base, their membership records should be forwarded to their new ward.

Provides the chaplain information about the ward meeting schedule.

• Because each bishop is responsible for Church members who are assigned to military installations within the boundaries of his ward, a member of the bishopric should notify the senior chaplain of the ward's meeting schedule, meeting locations, and contact person so the chaplain can give this information to Church members at the installation.

Oversees service member groups meeting on military installations.