Policies and Announcements

New Guidelines for Missionaries with Additional Assignments. The First Presidency has released a set of guidelines for missionary couples and lady missionaries who receive assignments in addition to proselyting. A letter to all priesthood leaders accompanied the document.

The letter reads: “We are pleased with the ever-increasing numbers of stable and sound converts who are joining the Church, and we commend you and all who labor with you in the missionary program of the Church.

“We have approved changes in policies concerning missionary couples and lady missionaries. Under the new guidelines couples and lady missionaries will be assigned to proselyte and may be given additional assignments: leadership/member work, welfare services, visitors’ centers, public relations, mission office staff, genealogy, education, temple, International Mission.

“The guidelines for this expanded program accompany this letter. We trust that you will familiarize yourselves with the guidelines so that the skills and experience of couples and lady missionaries will be used in establishing the kingdom and perfecting the Saints.

“We encourage all priesthood leaders to give specific consideration to couples who could serve in the missionary effort and be blessed through that service. By effectively implementing this program you can help us spread the gospel throughout the world and meet the pressing needs of Church growth.”

The letter was signed by the First Presidency.

The guidelines which accompanied the letter state that “all missionaries are engaged in sharing the gospel with nonmembers so that they might repent and be baptized. In addition to this basic proselyting assignment, missionary couples and lady missionaries may be assigned to perform a variety of additional functions that contribute to establishing the Church and perfecting the Saints (see Alma 1:26–30).”

The following missionary activities were then listed:

1. Finding and teaching. All missionary couples and lady missionaries are responsible for seeking out interested nonmembers and teaching them either the standard proselyting discussions or support material in the missionaries’ area of expertise that may assist in the conversion process.

2. Leadership and member work. Missionary couples may serve as leadership trainers in member districts and branches or, with the approval of the Executive Administrator, in stakes and wards. In missions where qualified leadership is not available, they may serve temporarily as officers in member districts and branches. …

3. Welfare services. Missionary couples and lady missionaries may be assigned to work with ecclesiastical or temporal officers to help them analyze and solve temporal problems affecting Church members. They may also work with government and other officials to improve local living standards and make friends for the Church.

4. Visitors’ centers. Missionary couples may be assigned to serve at a visitors’ center, information center, or historical site within the mission area. …

5. Public relations. Missionary couples may be involved in the public relations effort of the mission, working in close harmony with the local public communications council.

6. Mission office staff. Missionary couples may serve in the mission office by working with or in place of the mission secretary, the mission recorder, the mission financial secretary, or the mission supply manager.

7. Genealogy. Missionary couples and lady missionaries may be involved (when specifically assigned) in contacting officials of governments, genealogical and historical societies, and other churches to locate genealogical records, negotiate for acquisition, microfilm records (in selected situations), and cultivate friends for the Church. They may also teach genealogical skills to members in districts and branches or, with the approval of the Executive Administrator, in stakes and wards.

8. Education. Missionary couples and lady missionaries may be involved in a specific assignment, under the supervision of the local Church Educational System director, relating to a Church school or other educational opportunities to benefit members in areas of need.

9. Temple. Missionary couples and lady missionaries may serve in a temple under the direction of the temple president.

10. International Mission. Missionary couples may serve in opening the work in international areas outside the boundaries of existing missions.

“All lady missionaries and missionary couples, regardless of their additional missionary assignments, are referred to as missionaries. In some instances outside a Church setting, they may be referred to, when necessary, as representatives of the Church. Such previous titles as welfare services missionaries or visitors’ center missionaries are no longer used.”

The guidelines also requested that priesthood leaders “encourage all qualified couples … to prepare for missionary service when they retire or are otherwise available.

“Couples who are recommended should be willing to accept any kind of missionary assignment. Although every effort is made to make use of the candidate’s interests and abilities, priesthood leaders should make no commitments concerning specific types of assignments. The assignment will be based on inspiration, the missionaries’ interests and abilities, and the needs of the missions. …

“When they attend a missionary training center, these missionaries with additional assignments will receive training in proselyting and in their specific additional assignments. Except for those serving in temple assignments, all missionaries will become familiar with the regular proselyting discussions. Couples and older lady missionaries will not be required to memorize the discussions word-for-word, but they will become familiar with the concepts in each discussion so that they can teach the standard discussions in their own words.”

Instructions were also provided in the document regarding requests for missionaries, supervision and in-field training of missionaries, and attending to the special needs of missionary couples. Mission presidents were told, for example, that “missionary couples should not be required to compete with younger missionaries in proselyting hours, memorization requirements, or other missionary activities. Rather, they should be encouraged to set moderate and meaningful goals relating to their missionary assignments. They should not be required to memorize the missionary discussions, since they are authorized to teach the discussions in their own words from an outline.”

New Curriculum Year and Interim Lesson Materials. The First Presidency announced in a letter dated 30 September 1980 that the Church curriculum year would be unified worldwide to coincide with the calendar year beginning 1 January 1982. This change has prompted the following questions.

1. Who will be affected by this change? Wards and branches whose present curriculum year ends 31 August 1981.

2. What materials will be used during the interim period from 1 September to 31 December 1981 and how can they be ordered? Primaries will continue to use the lesson materials outlined for the Sunday meeting schedule. No adjustments are necessary now. Instructions for lessons to be taught during the interim period will be listed on the distribution center preprinted order forms that will be sent to all wards and branches in February and March 1981. All Sunday School classes, both adult and youth, will use Gospel Essentials (PCMP36C7) as the teacher’s manual and Gospel Principles (PBIC0245) as the student manual. Class members will use Gospel Principles extensively to supplement the Gospel Essentials lessons. This instructional approach will provide an excellent opportunity for parents and children to study the basic gospel principles together at home and at Sunday School. These materials will be listed on the distribution center preprinted order forms. During the interim period, Aaronic Priesthood quorums will use Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood, Part A (PBIC0256). Advisors will select the lessons to be discussed according to local needs and the interests of quorum members. This excellent manual, which deals with basic priesthood duties and blessings, will be listed on the distribution center preprinted order forms. Young Women will continue to use lessons selected from the Young Women manuals and from The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A (PBIC0278). A new booklet is being prepared to give examples and to help teachers prepare lessons from these resources. These manuals and this booklet will be included on the distribution center preprinted order forms. Melchizedek Priesthood quorums will study lessons from Temple Preparation Seminar Discussions (PBMP0101). These lessons should enhance member activation efforts. They will provide an especially appropriate time to invite inactive members to attend quorum meetings. This manual will be listed on the distribution center preprinted order forms. Relief Society lessons during the interim period will be based upon selected general conference talks and talks from the general Relief Society meeting. The theme for these lessons will be “To Develop the Bond of Charity.” A basic teacher outline is being prepared to assist the teachers. This outline will be included on the distribution center preprinted order forms.

The Four-Generation Program. As part of the four-generation program, all families in the Church have been asked to submit an accurate pedigree chart and corresponding family group record forms to the Church’s Ancestral File. Adult brothers and sisters, together with their parents, should compile and submit one set of records for the family.

It is important that families work together on this assignment, that all family members agree that their records are accurate, and that they submit just one set of records for the family.

Before submitting their four-generation records, each family must decide to what extent they need to verify and document these records. In deciding this, families should be guided by these suggestions:

1. Be thorough but reasonable. If in spot-checking previous research you find that it is accurate, you do not have to redo all the work.

2. Be cautious of evidence based solely on memory. Whenever possible, try to cite an official record, such as a birth or marriage certificate, but avoid undue expense to obtain copies of such records unnecessarily.

3. List your sources of information in the space provided on the form, using the back if necessary.

4. When listing sources, give enough information that someone else seeing the form could find the original source of information.

5. You may use footnotes to indicate which item came from which source, as is done in the manual From You to Your Ancestors, but you do not have to use this method of documentation.

Monthly Home Teaching Messages. Under date of 1 December 1980, President Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve issued the following message to all General Authorities; Regional Representatives; stake, mission, and district presidents; bishops; and branch presidents in English-speaking areas:

“Effective January 1, 1981, we suggest that the First Presidency Message carried in the Ensign magazine be considered for use as a monthly home teaching message. These messages enable the First Presidency to communicate regularly with Church members on important subjects. To assist home teachers in using the message more effectively with the families they visit, each message will be accompanied by some suggestions entitled ‘Ideas for Home Teachers.’

“Because the May and November issues of the Ensign contain the addresses given at general conferences, no special First Presidency Message will appear in those issues. One of the conference addresses would be appropriate to discuss in those months.

“We suggest that instructions be given to the home teachers by their priesthood leaders on the use of the monthly message in the Ensign. We encourage home teachers to have access to the Ensign magazine in their homes.

“We appreciate your effort to put into effect this valuable aid to the home teaching program.”

Relief Society Visiting Teaching. Visiting teaching is not a social or an activity, but is a fundamental part of the Relief Society program. A visiting teacher is called to her position, assigned to a visiting district, and required to submit a report following her visits. Visiting teachers may, and in some cases should, visit sisters more than once a month.

Advancement of Young Women. There have been questions about whether young women should advance to the next class on their fourteenth and sixteenth birthdays the way young men do. Their names stay on the attendance roll with their class, even though their age changes during the year.