missionary coordination meeting

My Calling as a Ward Mission Leader

Fulfilling Your Leadership Role

Work with ward leaders and missionaries.

As ward mission leader, you coordinate the work of salvation in your ward under the direction of the bishop. In addition to the bishopric, you work with:

• The ward council

• Ward members

• Full-time missionaries

• Ward missionaries

• The high councilor assigned to missionary work

Attend ward council meetings.

“The Lord’s Church is governed through councils” (Handbook 2, 4.1). As the ward mission leader, you are a member of the ward council. You bring items before the council for discussion and offer input on items presented by other ward leaders. You also report progress on goals from the ward mission plan.

The ward council meets regularly to discuss and plan how to support members in:

• Building testimonies.

• Receiving saving ordinances.

• Keeping covenants.

• Becoming consecrated followers of Jesus Christ.

The ward council should be a revelatory experience. Elder David A. Bednar taught:

“We have not been talking about a ward council meeting. We’ve been talking about a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council. And if members of councils, if members of families, as they come together, would think in terms of ‘I’m preparing to participate in a revelatory experience with my family’ instead of going to a meeting—a revelatory experience with the members of the ward council—I think we would prepare and act much differently” (“Panel Discussion” [worldwide leadership training meeting, Nov. 13, 2010], broadcasts.lds.org).

If you are unable to attend a ward council meeting, invite the assistant ward mission leader, if one has been called, or a ward missionary to attend in your place.

Hold regular missionary coordination meetings.

You conduct missionary coordination meetings with the ward missionaries and, when possible, the full-time missionaries. In these meetings you:

• Coordinate the ward’s efforts in teaching and fellowshipping individuals, families, new converts, and less-active members.

• Review the progress of individuals and families the missionaries are working with, including plans for teaching and fellowshipping them and how ward members can help.

• Plan how to help members engage in sharing the gospel with family and friends.

• Work with the full-time and ward missionaries to update the Progress Record and the New and Returning Member Progress form.

For more information about missionary coordination meetings, see Handbook 2, 5.1.5.

Update or create a ward mission plan.

A ward mission plan guides the missionary efforts in the ward. Through prayer and under the direction of the bishop, you work with the ward council to update the existing ward mission plan or to create a plan. As you update or create the plan:

• Counsel with the bishop about missionary work in the ward and how to help members engage in missionary work.

• Seek the Spirit through prayer, scripture study, fasting, and, if possible, temple attendance to help you know the will of the Lord regarding missionary work in the ward.

• Discuss missionary work with the ward council to understand the plans each organization has in place or wants to implement.

• Meet with the previous ward mission leader, when possible, to discuss the individuals and families the ward and full-time missionaries are working with and their progress.

• Meet with the full-time missionaries to discuss the individuals and families they are teaching, new converts, and less-active members.

For more information about the ward mission plan, see Handbook 2, 5.1.8.