For Ward Mission Plans
Organizations Might Contribute to their Ward Mission Plans
This document contains some ideas for “building blocks” that the priesthood and auxiliary organizations in a typical ward might adopt as their contributions to their ward mission plan. Insofar as possible, these conform to the characteristics of a good building block in that they:
Transform something we already are doing into a missionary activity, rather than entailing the creation of new programs, events or initiatives;
Occur repeatedly rather than one time, so that these methods of sharing the gospel with others become habitual and part of our ward’s culture; and
Are the responsibility of specific people and organizations, rather than being a diffused, general intention for a large group.
In general, each quorum or auxiliary organization would undertake one or two of initiatives such as these as their role in the plan.
Building Blocks that the Ward Missionaries Might Contribute
to the Ward Mission Plan
We will teach an ongoing, 3-week Sunday School class on the principles and methods of member missionary work. The bishop will invite by letter all ward members aged 12 and over to take this class, in groups of ten. (Note: with rare exceptions, this should be a part of every unit’s mission plan. Lessons for this class can be obtained through cmc@hbs.edu.)
Our ward missionaries will commit to serve at one or more regular, specified times each week. This will make them predictably available to help the missionaries teach. They will also use this time to serve as weekly home teachers to new members for 3-4 months after baptism.
One ward missionary will ask each less-active family in the ward to host the missionaries for dinner at least twice each year.
Ward missionaries will visit each home in the ward three times during the year to teach them how to share the gospel, and invite them to set a date.
Within two months of baptism, we will have taught the five new member lessons to each new convert by asking five families in the ward to invite the new member to their homes on five successive Monday evenings. As part of their home evening, they will teach the new member these lessons.
One ward missionary will be assigned as “New Member Pit Crew Chairman.” During the first two weeks after each new member’s baptism, he or she will coordinate all actions so that the first home teaching visit is made, the first new member lesson is taught, a calling extended, the new member has referred a friend or family member to begin studying with the missionaries, men are ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, and a date to visit the temple for baptisms is established.
We will convene “made-to-order firesides” whenever a ward member who has a friend with a particular interest, asks us to hold a fireside on that topic. We will find a speaker or organize the activity. In addition to generally inviting members of the ward, we will specifically invite to the fireside any members who share that interest with the friend.
(Note: these initiatives would be incorporated in the plan over and above the required administrative responsibilities of the ward mission – to hold weekly coordination meetings, lead baptism services, and so on.)
Building Blocks that the Bishopric Might Contribute
to the Ward Mission Plan
We’ll inspire the ward members by our examples. Each month in fast meeting, at least two ward council members or ward missionaries will bear testimony about an inspiring missionary experience they’ve had.
Each Sunday the ward clerk will
List each occasionally-attending member and progressing investigator who did not come to church that day; and
Convene a 5-minute meeting at which the missionaries and a counselor from each auxiliary and priesthood organization attends. They will make assignments to contact each person on that day to express how much they were missed, see if anything is wrong, and invite them to attend the next week.
When we ask members to speak in sacrament meeting, we will ask them to bring at least three non-member friends to that meeting.
We will ask every person who prays in every meeting in the ward to ask God to bless us to find more people with whom we can share the gospel.
Each year we will release one capable counselor from the presidency of each priesthood and auxiliary organization; call him or her to serve as a ward missionary; and find a less-active member to take that person’s place in the presidency.
With the assistance of the ward mission leader, we will custom-formulate an ideal responsibility for each new member prior to his or her baptism, and the bishop will issue that calling at the time of baptism. Each of these callings will have these five characteristics:
Helps the new member feel important and needed in the ward;
Requires attendance on Sunday
Is straightforward and not ambiguous or open-ended;
Entails serving with another member, not serving alone; and
Helps the convert learn the gospel while fulfilling this calling.
The members of the bishopric will each find at least one person during the year for the missionaries to teach, so that we can speak in present-tense verbs and first-person pronouns about the blessings that stem from sharing the gospel.
We will ask the missionaries to visit five less active members as if they were their home teachers. They will work to invite and inspire them to take the missionary lessons, and treat them as their progressing investigators. If they become active, or if they stop progressing, the missionaries will record the result in their area book; and the bishopric will give them the name of another less-active family to begin teaching. We will seek at all times for the missionaries’ progressing investigator list to include five less-active families.
Every fifth Sunday we will return and report to the entire ward on our progress with the ward mission plan.
During the year we will find five non-member spouses of members who will accept a calling or responsibility in the church.
Building Blocks that the Young Men & Young Women
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
(Note: Several of these are written with male or female pronouns only for brevity. Most are directly applicable to the opposite sex as well.)
Our advisers will invite a non-member acquaintance to lead one activity night each month.
We will transform our Boy Scout troop into a community troop that meets in our church. It will be led by a ward member but will seek to draw at least 50% of the boys from non-member families.
When young men are ordained, we will ask their families to invite the families of non-member friends to the ordination service. The young man being ordained will give a talk about the priesthood. Missionaries will attend; greet guests; deliver thank-you notes from the family several days later; and ask the guests if they have any questions that they might answer.
We will inspire each teacher, priest, Mia-Maid and Laurel to find a friend that regularly attends activity nights with them.
The last Tuesday activity of every month will be “friends’ night,” when each young woman will be invited to bring a friend for a special activity.
We’ll have a “missionary moment” during YW opening exercises each Sunday.
Once each quarter we’ll engage in a service activity that requires the unique skill of a less-active young woman.
Building Blocks that the Primary
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
Each year we’ll sponsor a “Teacher Appreciation Night” at the church where each primary child can bring his or her favorite school teacher. Through talks, media and presentations, the children will express their thanks to their school teachers.
We will ask families of children being baptized to invite the families of 8-10 of the child’s friends to attend the baptismal service. Missionaries will deliver invitations and welcome people at the baptismal service, and the child will give a talk on the meaning of baptism. Missionaries will then deliver thank-you notes written by child’s parents to families that attended, and ask, “Do you have any questions about what you saw there that we could answer for you?
We will invite the community cub scout pack to merge with our ward pack. We will hold pack meetings in the church, and involve a mix of members and non-members as pack and den leaders.
Each year we will inspire at least 2 members who are not now active to accept callings to serve in the Primary.
We will structure one of our quarterly activities each year as a missionary activity – focusing on missionaries from our ward serving in the field; focusing on the missionaries serving in our ward, or organized for Primary children to bring friends of other faiths.
At least monthly we’ll get articles published in the town newspaper about activities and achievements of our Primary children, as a means of helping townspeople understand what a great program we have for children.
We’ll help the Primary children prepare and mail invitations to their friends of other faiths, to attend our annual Primary sacrament meeting.
Building Blocks that the Relief Society
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
We’ll invite a non-member friend to teach a lesson at each Enrichment Night.
We will involve at least one non-member neighbor or friend to serve with us in every compassionate service activity.
We will conduct a monthly mothering class at the church, with a goal that at least half of those attending will be non-members
We’ll make and place in every sister’s home a “Missionary Kit” that contains videos, pamphlets, and copies of the Book of Mormon, so that we each are prepared to respond to opportunities to share the gospel.
At least ten of our sisters will become officers in community organizations this year, so that they can develop a broader range of friends of other faiths. These organizations might include girl scouts, committees in town government, the PTO, political organizations, and so on.
Building Blocks that the High Priests and/or Elders Quorum
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
We will take each new member to the temple to be baptized for deceased family members within two months of baptism.
Four times each year we will find an opportunity to help a member of the ward who is in need that requires the skill of a less-active member or a non-member friend. We will ask him or her to organize and lead a project to solve that problem.
Each year we will help twelve inactive members to research their family history, and take at least six of them to the temple to be baptized for their ancestors.
We will ask members of an ethnic community in our ward boundaries (Italian, Hispanic, Chinese, Armenian, etc.) to join with us in a name extraction project using records from their native land.
Every quarter we will hold a fireside focused on helping us become better husbands and fathers, to which our members will be proud to bring friends of other faiths.
When ward members ask members to ask us to help them move to have at least one non-member friend there to work with us.
Building Blocks that the Ward Missionaries for Public Affairs
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
We will cause one article about the church or one of our members to be published in one of our local newspapers each month.
We will create a “family of the year” award whose criteria are those in the Proclamation on the Family. Once each year we will identify a family in our ward area to receive this award at a ceremony held in the church.
We will make it easier for people to learn of our church by
Installing call-forwarding on the telephone at the church so that a member can answer calls during the week.
Ensuring that copies of the Book of Mormon and other essential materials are on the shelves at each public and school library in our communities.
We will hold a family / emergency preparedness fair for our community
Building Blocks that the Activities Committee
Might Contribute to the Ward Mission Plan
On Good Friday of each year we will sponsor a devotional service for members of our community that focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We will hold an Easter egg hunt on the church grounds every year for children in our community.
We will involve at least one less-active or non-member in the planning and work associated with each ward activity – we won’t just invite them to come, we’ll ask for their help in putting it on.