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

How can I become a better ministering sister?

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, we are invited to minister as He did, especially to those we are asked to serve as ministering sisters. We can love, watch over, and strengthen these individuals as Christ did. We have unique talents that can help us in our service. As the young women 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 sister? How has this ministering blessed your life and the lives of those you have served? What experiences could you share with the young women?

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

What can the young women 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 class members who serve as ministering sisters to invite their ministering companions to attend this class meeting and participate in the discussion on becoming better ministering sisters.

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 women learn from your example—and the examples of other sisters—as they strive to fulfill their duties as Christlike ministering sisters?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

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

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: 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 responsibilities: 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 class 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 class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; 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 class members understand the doctrine.

  • What does the word ministering mean to the young women you teach? To find out, you could write Ministering on the board and invite the young women 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 young women to share examples of ministering they have seen. What can the young women do to help people come closer to Christ?

  • Ask the young women 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 sisters. Then invite each pair to share something they found. For example, how did the Savior minister “one by one”? What needs did He minister to?

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

  • Ask the young women to read Mosiah 18:8–9 and discuss what it teaches about our responsibility to minister to those around us. Consider inviting the bishop or a member of the Relief Society presidency to talk to the class about how to follow Christ’s example in ministering to members of the ward. The young women could think of questions in advance that they could ask these leaders about ministering. Invite the young women to make plans to improve their efforts to minister to others in the ward.

  • Ask each young woman 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 woman to come to the front of the room, retell the story in her own words, and share what it teaches about how she can be a better ministering sister. What else impresses the young women in these messages?

  • Divide the class into two groups, and ask each group to make a list of ways they can improve as ministering sisters. 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 Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson’s message “Young Women in the Work.” Ask the groups to share their lists, and encourage each young woman to select one thing from the lists that she will work on.

3. Plan to Act

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

  • Ask the young women 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 class to apply what they have learned?

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