Home Teaching Doctrines to Consider Salem Utah Stake June 2011

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1 Home Teaching Doctrines to Consider Salem Utah Stake June 2011 True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Boyd K. Packer April 2004 General Conference So many times we are taught how important home teaching is, but we are rarely taught how to do home teaching. We understand that there is no greater calling than home teaching, but no one is teaching us how to magnify our callings. Ironically, who is really teaching home teachers how to be home teachers? We know that there is great power in this sacred priesthood stewardship, why then do we live far beneath our privileges to this power? A priesthood bearer is not a ready-made home teacher simply as a result of priesthood ordination. He must be taught how to be an effective home teacher. Elder L. Tom Perry Increasing Our Effectiveness in Home Teaching July 1981 Ensign Questions to emphasize the Doctrines we are about to consider; 1. When your priesthood leader gave you your assigned families, how many of you were taught the proper doctrines in how to approach your families to home teaching? 2. When you visited your families for the first time, how many of you contacted the father first and had a personal visit with him one-on-one to ask him how he would like you to visit their home and what He would like you to teach? 3. How many of you ask the father privately after each visit what he would like you to prepare for and teach on the next visit to meet their family needs? 4. How many of your present families you home teach have your home phone, cell phone and/or address or have your contact information in a place they could easily find? 5. How many of you have a set time each month you have previously discussed with the presiding authority of the home to visit their family? 6. How many of you know the top 2-3 concerns that is weighing heavily upon the mind of the presiding authority (father/mother) of the families you home teach? 7. When your priesthood leader gave you your assigned families to home teach, how many of you received the invitation to Pray for your families by name each night? From these questions, some of you may have already had impressions come to your mind. The purpose of this document is to cause us to reflect more deeply upon one of the most sacred stewardships we hold in the Priesthood. A stewardship we may take too lightly, but a stewardship we will be held accountable for. What are the full purposes of the Quorum? Why did the Lord institute Home Teaching as one of the central functions of the Quorum? Why is Home Teaching a constant struggle for so many? How can we improve and magnify this sacred stewardship to the

2 level our Father in Heaven needs for the last days? To understand the importance of Home Teaching, we must first understand the importance and purposes of the Quorum and Stewardship. As we contemplate these doctrines, my prayer is that we are all touched by the doctrines that God intends us to discover in this sacred trust of priesthood stewardship. Doctrine #1: The Purpose of Quorums and Stewardship Purposes of Quorums One of the most important purposes of priesthood quorums is to encourage quorum members to serve one another. All priesthood quorums are commanded [by the Lord] to marshal their forces and, under the spirit and power of the Priesthood, to see to it that every person who is in distress is assisted by his quorum to become self-sustaining (Harold B. Lee, The Place of the Priesthood Quorum in the Church Security Program, Improvement Era, Oct. 1937, 634). The quorum should be so united that we can help one another, not only spiritually but also financially and in every other way. If we can get the spirit of unity in our quorums, then we are beginning to understand the full meaning of our priesthood organization in the Church (David O. McKay, The Fundamental Basis for Home Teaching, Improvement Era, July 1963, 615). Elder Boyd K. Packer said: A man who becomes inactive does not lose his membership in the quorum. He may lose interest in the quorum, but the quorum must never lose interest in him. The quorum is responsible always and continually for each of its members. To ignore an inactive member, to withdraw interest in and contact with him is [to do away with] his rights as a holder of the priesthood. If his priesthood quorum functions properly, a man [or boy] sustained by the brethren of his quorum, almost could not fail in any phase of life s responsibility (A Royal Priesthood [1975], 134). Each Sunday, to help quorum members meet their obligations to help each other and teach each other their responsibilities, quorum meetings are held. The purposes of these meetings are to teach the gospel, teach priesthood responsibilities, conduct quorum business, discuss the needs of the quorum or ward, share testimonies, and build unity. Doctrine and Covenants 107: We expect to see the day, if we live long enough when every council of the Priesthood will understand its duty; will assume its own responsibility, will magnify its calling, and fill its place in the Church, to the uttermost, according to the intelligence and ability possessed by it. When that day shall come, there will not be so much necessity for work that is now being done by the auxiliary organizations, because it will be done by the regular quorums of the Priesthood. The Lord designed and comprehended it from the beginning, and he has made provision in the Church whereby every need may be met and satisfied through the regular organizations of the Priesthood. (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 159.) President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: Never before in the history of the Church has the responsibility which has been given to the priesthood been more necessary of fulfillment than today. Never before have we been under greater obligation to serve the Lord, and keep his commandments, and magnify the callings which have been assigned to us (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [ ], 3:117).

3 What is a Quorum? A quorum is a collection of families organized by priesthood authority to watch over, bless, protect, serve, teach, and uplift each other in their most sacred roles as fathers and husbands. Another way to view a quorum, in relation to home teaching, is Priesthood Fathers helping other Priesthood Fathers in their most important stewardships of building Priesthood homes. If we begin to approach our quorum and stewardships in this way, it would seem natural and appropriate for members of the quorum to first contact the priesthood steward over the home (father) of which they have been assigned and counsel with him in what HE wants us to do to SUPPORT HIM! NOT just show up to give him a lesson once a month! A family is usually headed by a father who is often a member of some priesthood group. He, with his wife, has the responsibility to teach the Gospel to the children of the family. First Presidency - Original Priesthood Manual for Priesthood Home Teaching 1967 Home Teachers have an obligation and responsibility to assist parents in the teaching of their families. It was never intended to replace that responsibility. President Harold B. Lee Elder L. Tom Perry Who ultimately determines if Home Teaching is successful in the quorum? a. The Stake President? b. The Bishop? c. The Quorum Leaders? d. The Home Teacher? The answer is none of these. To understand to purpose and ultimate success of home teaching, we must understand one of the most important doctrines associated with home teaching stewardship! Who is ultimately responsible for teaching in the home? Who are the ultimate home teachers? So many times we forget that the primary steward over home teaching is the FATHER, not the priesthood members assigned to the family. Ultimately Home Teaching is only successful, meaningful, and effective to the degree the Father of the home invites the Priesthood into his stewardship (his home and family)! Even though priesthood keys call and assign home teachers to go visit, it is ultimately up to the fathers to let them in and not just listen, but draw upon the priesthood power that comes through this divine program. Sometimes so much emphasis has been placed on the top down process of go do your home teaching. Maybe we need to focus on the end results of effective home teaching the Fathers and focus on how we invite, receive, and magnify our priesthood by drawing upon the power and strength of those priesthood members assigned to support us. The Ultimate Priesthood Stewardships in the Quorum the Family ALL teaching in the HOME is UNDER THE DIRECTION of the presiding authority of the home - the Father and Mother. Even if the Father (or Mother if single) does not hold the Priesthood, THEY STILL PRESIDE. It is their stewardship. All teaching and all instruction and all stewardship of the family must flow THROUGH THEM. It is inappropriate to go around the father/mother and teach the children without proper approval and permission.

4 A story is often quoted about the Prophet Joseph Smith to teach the principles of Home Teaching. Many times is it inaccurately quoted and misunderstood as to the role of the visiting priesthood holder s stewardship in relation to the presiding steward of the home. Let s explore this story in relation to the doctrines discussed. Elder William Cahoon, who joined the Church October 16, 1830, just six and a half months after the revelation that set forth the home teaching responsibility was received. I was called and ordained to act as a teacher to visit the families of the Saints. I got along very well till I found that I was obliged to call and pay a visit to the Prophet. Being young, only about seventeen years of age, I felt my weakness in visiting the Prophet and his family in the capacity of a teacher. I almost felt like shrinking from duty. [To a degree I can appreciate the feelings of this young man, for in my youth I was once assigned as a teacher to the home of President Joseph F. Smith.] Finally I went to his door and knocked, and in a minute the Prophet came to the door. I stood there trembling, and said to him: Brother Joseph, I have come to visit you in the capacity of a teacher, if it is convenient for you. He said, Brother William, come right in, I am glad to see you; sit down in that chair there and I will go and call my family in. They soon came in and took seats. He then said, Brother William, I submit myself and family into your hands, and then took his seat. Now Brother William, said he, ask all the questions you feel like. By this time all my fears and trembling had ceased, and I said, Brother Joseph, are you trying to live your religion? He answered, Yes. Then I said, Do you pray in your family? He said, Yes. Do you teach your family the principles of the gospel? He replied, Yes, I am trying to do it. Do you ask a blessing on your food? He answered, Yes. Are you trying to live in peace and harmony with all your family? He said that he was. I turned to Sister Emma, his wife, and said, Sister Emma, are you trying to live your religion? Do you teach your children to obey their parents? Do you try to teach them to pray? To all these questions, she answered, Yes, I am trying to do so.

5 I then turned to Joseph and said, I am now through with my questions as a teacher; and now if you have any instructions to give, I shall be happy to receive them. He said, God bless you, Brother William; and if you are humble and faithful, you shall have power to settle all difficulties that may come before you in the capacity of a teacher. I then left my parting blessing upon him and his family, as a teacher, and took my departure. (Juvenile Instructor, vol. 27, pp ) Now this is a beautiful story with a teaching moment. Obviously home teaching would get pretty boring if every visit each month the same questions were asked in this order. Maybe it was a teaching moment the Prophet wanted to give this new Teacher in the Priesthood. Regardless, the MOST important point in this whole story and which is always misunderstood, is the Home Teacher has NO authority to ask those questions! Unless the Priesthood Authority of the home delegates it to him. NOTICE the statement by the Prophet Brother William, I submit myself and family into your hands. Now ask all the questions you feel like. That is the key! It is ONLY when the presiding authority invites us and allows us to teach, to exhort, to preach, or to fulfill our stewardship that we have any right to proceed under HIS stewardship in the home. How many home teachers walk into the homes of quorum members and think THEY PRESIDE! Perhaps the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith have new meaning, We have too many teachers and not enough Fathers. Working with the Presiding Authority of the Home With the above principles discussed and understood, what then becomes a proper way we might approach our home teaching assignments? Imagine if these were taught and emphasized when calls and assignments are given. 1. Contact/Visit the Father (presiding authority of the home) before any visits to the family to introduce yourself (preferably one-on-one) and recognize him as responsible for teaching in the home. That you are HIS 1 st line of Priesthood support and that you are asking him HOW HE WOULD LIKE YOU TO SUPPORT HIM in his family priesthood stewardship. DO NOT teach, preach, expound, or exhort (unless he invites you or the spirit prompts you to). just ask him, empower him, and strengthen him within his role! Build a relationship of trust first! I do not barge in and give a lesson! Let him know you are seeking to act under the direction of the Savior through is servants (Stake President, Bishop, Quorum Leaders) to support him in his role over his home. 2. As you meet personally with the Father of the Home, establish the proper role of teaching, preaching, expounding, exhorting by asking HIM what He would like you to prepare in support his family. Would he like you to come prepared to give the 1 st Presidency Message or a special topic his family needs or give a lesson at all? Establish an agreement that your visits will be sensitive to his families needs they may only be minutes, unless he requests you to stay longer. Establish a regular monthly time that you can prepare for and be sensitive to their schedules so that you do not call him at the last minute every month! Indicate you will contact him 1-2 days before your visit to confirm the scheduled visit and adapt whenever necessary. Establish a pattern that after every visit, you will ask him privately if there

6 is anything he would like you to teach or prepare for in the next visit. Share your desires to be there for his family at a moments notice. Come prepared to give him your contact information (home phone, cell phone, , etc.) Ask his permission to get his contact information so that you can stay in touch with him. 3. Periodically check in via , phone, or stop by visits to just see how things are going. Build a true relationship of trust and friendship. You may even call him to go golfing, go on a horse ride, or anything the spirit directs to establish common interests or build the relationship. Heaven forbid we actually do something with the father as a fellow priesthood holder besides just show up once a month to give a lesson! If every priesthood holder were given these simple steps of how to work within their stewardships of the quorum what would the effect be? To put a capstone to this doctrine, this is what Elder Russell M. Nelson shared in a talk entitled, Shepherds, Lambs, and Home Teachers ; *Note: I have underlined the principles He was trying to teach! Wherever we have lived through the years, we have appreciated home teachers who have observed four hallmarks of effective home teaching. Our home teachers have Faithfully kept appointments scheduled in advance; Come prepared with brief messages relevant to contemporary need, determined previously in counsel with us as parents; Honored our time constraints with visits that were appropriately concise; Invoked the Spirit of the Lord upon our family with prayer.

7 Doctrine #2: Spiritually Home Teach before you Temporally Home Teach All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given you a law which was temporal but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; D&C 29:31-35 How do we spiritually home teach! 1. Receive the names of fellow quorum members as a sacred trust. It is NOT a casual assignment with the Lord! You are the 1 st line of priesthood defense to support, sustain, and strengthen the family. Receive this assignment spiritually before temporally. a. Go to your Father in Heaven with a commitment in prayer. To covenant with him that you will be willing to do whatever he would ask you for these families. Make this a personal assignment from Him. b. Begin prayerful pondering about the father of the family. Let the spirit help you prepare for your one-on-one visit and be prayerful for the spirit of discernment in listening to his needs. c. Read the Parable of the Talents. The Lord will hold us accountable for burying our talents we need to share them. 2. Utilize the Power of Prayer in behalf of your families. Prayerfully petition the Father to protect and watch over each family a. Pray for each family each night by name. Call upon powers of heaven to protect, bless, and comfort. b. Ask for any guidance in discerning needs and then listen for whispering direction. c. Counsel with the Lord in what the Father needs. You are to support the priesthood of the home, not be the priesthood of the home. Everything needs to strengthen the presiding authority that is responsible for teaching in the home (home teaching). Pray especially for him in his role and as a fellow quorum member. d. If we show our Father in Heaven that we are serious in fulfilling our role as supporting the families entrusted to our watch care through our prayers, He will grant unto us revelation as He trusts us and as He needs us. 3. If you are to love them, then you must pray over them. a. Love is a gift from Heavenly Father. It only comes when we seek for it. As we seek it and receive it, we feel the spirit whisper how to share it and give it We are to pray with all the energy of heart to be filled with this love (Moroni 7:46). If you are truly petitioning the Father in behalf of your families, the Father will trust you with revelation in what your families need. b. A few scriptures to put Love/Charity in context to Home Teaching J i. Though I give an awesome lesson and speak with the tongue of angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Oh how true this is!!!!!

8 ii. And though I have the gift of a prophecy in sharing the 1 st Presidency message, and understand all b mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. Back to the question before, How many of you received the invitation to Pray for your families by name each night when you were called and assign families to watch over? I am not sure why this is not more intuitive, but think of the power that could exist, the powers of heaven that could be drawn upon, and the principle of revelation that could flow if we show the Lord that we genuinely care, we genuinely pray for, and seek his help in watching over our families. Doctrine #3: BE WITH THEM AND STRENGTHEN THEM (D&C 20 For this doctrinal principle I will use two stories first and then ask some questions; Story #1: Elder L. Tom Perry Increasing Our Effectiveness in Home Teaching July 1981 Ensign It should be obvious that a very close relationship must exist between the home teacher and the head of the household. In addition to carrying messages from the stake and ward leadership, the home teacher is to consult with the father to determine how he can support the parents in the training of their children. I came across a stake home teaching program not so long ago wherein it seemed they had analyzed their home teaching ineffectiveness very well. Their problems were found to be social, unplanned, often purposeless visits; not helping, not using the ward s resources to help; routine visits rather than rational; and being percent-oriented rather than resultsoriented. It was determined that specific objectives should be established for the home teaching program centered on assisting the father to improve his capability as the priesthood leader in his home. In looking for a beginning point they determined to use the Welfare Services six areas of personal and family preparedness. Each home teacher was given one of the welfare services wheels calling attention to six areas in which a family should be concerned in order to become self-sufficient: career development, literacy and education, financial and resource management, home production and storage, physical health, social-emotional and spiritual strength. In a discussion between the home teacher and the father, a selection would be made of one of the six areas in which the family was in most urgent need of assistance. The home teacher and the father would decide on an approach in which the home teacher could assist the family in becoming more proficient in this particular area. For example, the father might select the area of social, emotional and spiritual strength. Obviously, the home teacher by himself could not be an expert in all areas. His quorum had developed a support system to back him up. Thus, if he found an area in which he needed

9 additional support, the quorum had a model or a system and some expertise to give him that assistance. In using this approach, the stake made it possible for people to ask for help in a face-saving way, and the home teachers delivered help by utilizing ward resources. Thus, a well-organized home teaching approach made a tremendous contribution in assisting families in that particular stake on the road to self-sufficiency. Story #2: President Thomas S. Monson As the Savior declared to us, I will call you friends, for you are my friends (D&C 93:45). A friend makes more than a dutiful visit each month. A friend is more concerned about helping people than getting credit. A friend cares. A friend loves. A friend listens. And a friend reaches out. I share with you first a letter written to the Farmer family by their home teachers, which the family found taped to their garage door when they returned home. It begins: We hope you had a great family reunion. While you were gone, we and about 50 of our friends had a great party at your house. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the years of unselfish service you both have given to us. You have been Christ-like examples of untiring service to others. We can never repay you for that but just thought we d like to say thanks. Signed, your home teachers. I quote now from Sister Mori Farmer s letter to me: [After reading the note from our home teachers] we entered the house with great anticipation. What we found shocked us so much we were at a loss for words. I stayed up all night crying over the generosity of the people in our ward. Our home teachers had decided that they would fix our carpet while we were away. They had moved the furniture out into the front yard so the carpet could get stretched and finished. One man in the ward stopped and asked what was going on. He returned later with several hundred dollars worth of paint and said, We might as well paint the house while everything is out. Others saw the cars out front and stopped to see what was going on, and by week s end 50 people were busy repairing, painting, cleaning, and sewing. Our friends and fellow ward members had fixed our poorly laid carpet, painted the entire house, repaired holes in the drywall, oiled and varnished our kitchen cabinets, put curtains on three windows in the kitchen and family room, did all the laundry, cleaned every room in the house, had the carpets cleaned, fixed broken door latches, and on and on. In trying to make a list of all the wonderful things they did for us, we filled three pages. All of this had been accomplished between Wednesday and our return on Sunday. Almost everyone we talked to told us, with tears in their eyes, what a spiritual experience it had been to participate. We have been truly humbled by this experience. As we look around our home, we are reminded of their kindness and of the great sacrifice of time, talents, and money they made for our family. Our home teachers have truly been angels in our lives, and we will never forget them and the wonderful things they have done for us.

10 A few Thoughts and Questions: 1. Sometimes the greatest lessons are taught with our hands serving. 2. I had an experience with the second story. It was very similar. It was not my home teaching family, it was the scoutmaster and I was the assistant. They were very humble and a very large family. One of the greatest experiences of my life was seeing the power of the priesthood go to work, mobilize, and the pure joy of seeing their faces and feeling the spirit of love so strong. I surely testify that it is true! 3. If you ever want to make an impression with your home teaching families especially the father to let them know you really do care about them and are genuinely interested in them, follow the spirit in listening carefully for a hint of a project they are doing and then just show up to help. Pure Joy! 4. If we carefully listen and follow the spirit, there is ALWAYS an opportunity to help our families at another time than just on Sunday giving them a lesson. The story of the Good Samaritan comes to mind. We are ALL busy how many of us would really take the time? 5. Finally; Sometimes we emphasize teaching too much and the role of Teacher. Joseph Smith made a comment once that said, There are many teachers, but, perhaps not many fathers. In the scriptures it tells us that we are to Teach, Preach, Expound and Exhort. My only question is sometimes the Savior (the greatest teacher in the world), did not multiply many words. His was a life of action and doing. If we really do feel impressed to Teach, Preach, Expound, and Exhort going through the father will still have the greatest results! Doctrine #4: Breathing in the Priesthood In the home teaching program the line of communication to members goes from the bishop to the priesthood leader to the home teacher, and then to the family. Thus, the home teacher becomes the representative of the bishop to the member. This is the mainline channel of communication. We would encourage stake presidencies and bishops to use this channel to send messages from the leadership to the members. The more information and direction the home teacher receives, the more effective will be his visit. Do not be reluctant to encourage priesthood leaders to send messages and instructions to the members through the home teaching line. This will also help families to turn to their home teachers as a source of reliable information, which will help to strengthen their relationship. Elder L. Tom Perry Increasing Our Effectiveness in Home Teaching July 1981 Ensign Maybe one of the reasons our Home Teaching is so mediocre is that fact that we have very mediocre (or non-existent) monthly communication from the Bishopric or Stake President to the families of the quorums. Remember Story #1 under Doctrine #3. There is great power that comes when we bring families into our Ward councils and PEC. So how do you do this? It is easily done by breathing. Breathing requires exhaling and inhaling so many times we are just exhaling in our priesthood quorums.why? Because the Bishopric or Quourm leaders never gives anything of meaning to the quorum members to feel like they are participating in building something Zion always requires building something physically and spiritually! There is tremendous power in this principle Perhaps a story is best to illustrate;

11 As a bishop, I was constantly amazed in how home teaching always seemed to struggle. One night in struggling with some concerns surrounding pornography and the youth, the spirit whispered to me, Why don t you use the Priesthood? At first I was confused in thinking I needed to exercise the priesthood more in my interviews, bless the youth more, and even cast out satan if needed. But then the dew started to distill and the full understanding was, involve the fathers use the Priesthood in the Homes. What came to me was a very simple process. I wrote down 3 questions and 1 assignment that I was to ask the Elders Quorum and HP Quorum leaders to assign their HT to ask each Father in behalf of the Bishop. The three questions were worded in a way that two things were accomplished. I specifically felt impressed to give this assignment to the quorum leaders with the instructions, Please tell each HT that I need them to pull the father aside and personally ask him these questions in confidence and under the direction of the Bishop. They were to say, The Bishop as asked me to ask you these three questions. The questions were; 1. How many computers do you have in your home that have internet access and how many of them have filter software installed? 2. Are your computers located in an open area? Or do you have computers in bedrooms with internet access? 3. Do you know how to check your computers history to review past web sites or determine if pornographic sites can get past your filter software? The assignment was: 1. Would you please visit with and interviewed your children individually to ask them when they saw pornography last? And to let me know what you find where satan is tempting them the most in this area.i.e. at school, cell phones, friends, etc. During the next PEC, I spend the appropriate time training the HP and EQ presidents of the urgency, the vision and the NEED for this information. They left the meeting feeling the weight of urgency that accompanied this assignment. I ask them to return and report to me next month at this time to review results and for them to offer me suggestions in the answers they gathered from their quorum members. The breathing started. The following month, HT was 95% in both quorums.they came prepared with knowing every families answers to the questions. We reviewed and discussed the results. They came with suggestions. The information was invaluable to me. It revealed the exact problems I was struggling with. Not only were Quorum leaders how fully involved in the problem, but through this breathing exercise, the Fathers of each home were now involved in the problem. Both were made aware of and invited to help me solve the problem instead of me trying to solve all the problems. The next month, we had follow up questions and assignments that came from the PEC & Bishopric that expanded upon our first questions. We organized solutions based upon the feedback from fathers. We had fathers interviewing their sons more actively. It was exciting and humbling for me to see the problems start to disappear. We had more on the watch towers looking and aware of the problems. It was marvelous to behold how this simple thought, Use the priesthood gave me a pattern in how breathing can happen. To the degree that I utilized this divine communication channel of the priesthood was the degree that HT felt needed, fathers were involved, and everyone was actively helping and lifting each other. What would happen if every month the Bishopric in PEC would engage the priesthood quorums in this manner? Notice that the questions were not trivial or just to keep the quorum busy, they were critical needs. And also notice that the follow up questions were built upon the previous. How do fathers feel when the receive special assignments from the Stake President or Bishop? How do HT

12 feel in making sure they contact their families to ensure they pass on the questions or assignments. The power of priesthood quorums are only to the degree we put weight on their shoulders and let them work together. Doctrine #5: The Salvation of Souls Bringing them to Christ Brethren, home teaching is not just another program. It is the priesthood way of watching over the Saints and accomplishing the mission of the Church. Home teaching is not just an assignment. It is a sacred calling. Home teaching is not to be undertaken casually. A home teaching call is to be accepted as if extended to you personally by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior Himself was a teacher. The only perfect man to walk the face of the earth was a humble, dedicated, inspired teacher who brought to His followers salvation and exaltation. Oh, that all the brethren of the Church would catch that vision of home teaching! There is no greater Church calling than that of a home teacher. There is no greater Church service rendered to our Father in Heaven s children than the service rendered by a humble, dedicated, committed home teacher. President Ezra Taft Benson - May 1987 To the Home Teachers of the Church We urge home teachers and visiting teachers to look after their families in a spirit of charity. Home teaching and visiting teaching are vehicles for saving souls when they are done the right way with the right intent. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin May 1989 Seeds of Renewal When home teachers serve their few families as faithfully and as continuously as their bishops do their many families; when home teachers live the commandments near perfection; when they enter into every phase of the life of their charges; then will Satan be bound.... Blessed will be the day when all home teachers, those working on the missionary, genealogical, and the welfare and all programs, become home teachers in every sense of the word, looking after every facet of the lives of their families-spiritual, temporal, financial, moral, marital. That will be the happy day The great umbrella is available. It will protect no one from the storm, the tempest, the danger unless it is spread. The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 524 Home teachers are priesthood representatives, and home teaching is the priesthood way of watching over the Church. Through it, priesthood quorums guide and strengthen their members so they in turn can perfect their families. Through it, fathers, families, and individuals are so guided that they do their duty, keep the commandments, and gain salvation. Properly performed, home teaching is the Lord s way of making all of the blessings of the gospel available to all the members of his kingdom. Elder Bruce R. McConkie Let Every Man Learn His Duty, p. 23 TLDP:518

13 God called us [as Home Teachers] to watch over and help people in all their struggles for physical and spiritual well-being. He called us to help by the Spirit. He called us to teach by the Spirit. He called us to live what we teach. He called us to bear testimony. He called us to love. Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 1988, p. 39. We do not visit the active just to visit, or the less active just to get them out to church, although that may be part of what happens. In essence, we visit to help the heads of those homes, male or female, to become the spiritual leaders in their homes, to lead their families to Christ, to pray, to fast, and to read the scriptures together. If that happens in our visits, all else will take care of itself. Elder Gene R. Cook - Ensign, November 1988, pp. 37, 38.