Session 1: Doing the Lord’s Work in the Lord’s way
(note: the times are only suggestive. They should be adapted to fit the unit schedule)
10:00-10:05 Introduction
In this session we discuss classic pitfalls in sharing the Gospel, and contrast them with the Lord’s Way to do the Lord’s Work. (The Conference talks by Elders Oaks and Ballard lay out the elements of the Lord’s Way.) The missionary skill we practice in this session is: Engaging in Gospel Conversations.
Readings: Conference talks by Elder Oaks (October 2001) and Elder Ballard (October 1984) – talks are available on www.lds.org
10:05-10:20 Discussion: Classic Pitfalls
Make a copy of the table and pass it out.
TABLE 1: Classic Pitfalls and the Counsel of the Prophets
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Classic Questions |
Classic Pitfalls |
Counsel of the Prophets |
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With whom shall we work? |
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What shall we say? |
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Share your feelings about:
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When should we get started? |
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Ask class members what they think of the entries under classic pitfalls. Take each bullet-point and ask: do you think this is a pitfall? Why? What are the problems with working this way? Have any of you ever had any experiences with these pitfalls?
After a discussion along these lines, summarize the class’s conclusions and then ask: What do you think of the entries under “Counsel of the Prophets”?
List on the Board:
After a few minutes of discussion, ask: What do you have to be good at to follow the counsel of the Prophets? This will generate a good list of skills and habits that class members should find useful. It will lead quite naturally into the skill practice session.
10:20-10:30 Review the Lord’s Way
The Lord’s Way to do missionary work is best summarized in a talk given by Elder Oaks in the October 2001 General Conference. (The talk is available online through the Church’s website—www.lds.org. One aspect of the Lord’s Way that requires work on our part is engaging in Gospel conversations with people. Ask class members to share any recent experiences they may have had with Gospel conversations. We now turn to the segment of the lesson where we practice that skill.
10:30-10:45 Missionary Skill: Engaging in Gospel Conversations
In this segment of the lesson we practice engaging people in gospel conversations. The key idea is to use words and phrases in our discussions with people to “Open the Door”, so that those who are interested may walk in and learn about the Gospel. Sometimes this will involve us asking them a question, sometimes a very direct question. But often if we open the door, the people we talk with will ask us questions about the Church, and thus will give us a chance to share the Gospel with them. We will practice this skill using a role-playing exercise.
Divide the class into pairs. In the pair, one person plays the role of the member, while the other plays the role of the contact. (Class members will switch roles after each play of the exercise.) To begin, the contact comes up with a sentence (any sentence about anything) that initiates the conversation. The person playing the member tries to respond in a way that eventually brings the Church into the conversation. This may take more than one exchange of statements. Here’s an example (you may want to illustrate using this example in the class):
Contact: We were in Montana on vacation. We just got back yesterday.
Member: How was the flight? Did you go through Denver?
Contact: No, we flew to Minneapolis and then to Missoula. The flights were really crowded.
Member: I know what you mean. We just got back from taking our son Chris out west to college, and the flight out was really packed.
Contact: Where is he going to school?
Member: Brigham Young University………….
10:45-10:50 Testimony
Bear testimony of the importance of “opening the door”; share personal experiences in sharing the Gospel.
Class Assignment: Have a conversation about the Church with someone who is not a member of the Church (open the door, follow through)