Come, Follow Me
How can I become a better ministering brother?

How can I become a better ministering brother?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

As in all things, Jesus Christ is our perfect example of ministering. During His ministry, He reached out to individuals, met temporal and spiritual needs, and expressed sincere love for everyone. As followers of Jesus Christ and holders of His priesthood, we are invited to minister as He did, especially to those we are asked to serve as ministering brothers. We can love, watch over, and strengthen these individuals as Christ did. Aaronic Priesthood holders, in particular, have the duty to “invite all to come unto Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:59). Priests and teachers have the additional duties to “visit the house of each member” and “watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:47, 53). As the young men of the Church, we have an important role to play in bringing to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What have you done to follow the Savior’s example as you have served as a ministering brother? How has this ministering blessed your life and the lives of those you have served? What experiences could you share with the young men?

How do the young men feel about being ministering brothers? What experiences could they share with each other?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this topic.

Note: In preparation for this lesson, you might consider asking the quorum members who serve as ministering brothers to invite their ministering companions to attend this quorum meeting and participate in the discussion on becoming better ministering brothers.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

In every setting, the Savior was the perfect example and mentor to those He taught. How can the young men learn from your example—and the examples of other Melchizedek Priesthood holders—as they strive to fulfill their duties as Christlike ministering brothers?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

  • What does the word ministering mean to the young men you teach? To find out, you could write Ministering on the board and invite the young men to write words around it that they associate with ministering. They could find words or phrases to add to the list from scriptures like the following: Matthew 25:34–40; Luke 10:25–37; 2 Nephi 25:26; Mosiah 18:8–9; 3 Nephi 18:25; and Doctrine and Covenants 81:5. What do they learn from these verses about ministering? You could ask the young men to share examples they have seen of people ministering to others. What can the young men do to help people come closer to Christ?

  • Ask the young men to divide into pairs and read 3 Nephi 17, looking for what they learn from the Savior that can help them as they serve as ministering brothers. Invite them each pair to share something they found. For example, how did the Savior minister “one by one”? What needs did He minister to?

  • Read together Doctrine and Covenants 20:53, and invite the young men to make a list (or draw a picture) of ways they can “watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them.” What are some ways in which the young men can minister to other Church members? Consider inviting the bishop or the elders quorum president to talk to the quorum about how to follow Christ’s example in ministering to members of the ward. The young men could think of questions in advance that they could ask these leaders about ministering. Invite the young men to make plans to improve their efforts to minister to others in the ward.

  • Ask each young man to read one of the stories from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s message “Be With and Strengthen Them” or Sister Jean B. Bingham’s message “Ministering as the Savior Does.” Ask each young men to come to the front of the room, retell the story in his own words, and share what it teaches about how he can be a better ministering brother. What else impresses the young men in these messages?

  • Divide the quorum into two groups, and ask each group to make a list of ways they can improve as ministering brothers. After a few minutes, invite one group to add ideas to their list from President Russell M. Nelson’s message “Ministering with the Power and Authority of God.” Invite the other group to add ideas to their list from President Henry B. Eyring’s message “Inspired Ministering.” Ask the groups to share their lists, and encourage each young man to select one thing from the lists that he will work on.

  • During the week before the quorum meeting, invite the young men to go to ministering.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and find something that inspires them to be more Christlike as ministering brothers and come prepared to share what they found. What experiences can the young men share when they have seen ministering brothers bless the lives of others?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.