Church Ministering Program - Helpful Links & Information

Church Ministering Program – Helpful Links and Information

As Latter-day Saints, members of the LDS Church covenant to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort,” “watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them” (Mosiah 18:9, Doctrine and Covenants 20:51, 53). Put another way, we promise to love and care for each other in the same way that Jesus does (John 13:34). When President Russell M. Nelson announced the retirement of visiting teaching and home teaching and the implementation of ministering, he described ministering as a holier approach to caring for and ministering to others” (“Ministering,” April 2018 general conference). By truly ministering to each other, we will discover that we are becoming more like our Savior (3 Nephi 27:27).

“As we accept the opportunity to wholeheartedly minister to our sisters and brothers,” explained Sister Jean B. Bingham, former General President of the Relief Society, “we are blessed to become more spiritually refined, more in tune with the will of God, and more able to understand His plan to help each one return to Him” (“Ministering as the Savior Does,” April 2018 general conference).

To facilitate ensuring every member has a ministering brother or ministering sister, there are three valuable resources that the Church provides. The first is the Ministering Assignments feature found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the Member Tools app. The other two resources are reports found in the Leader and Clerk Resources available to leaders, including presidencies of ward elders quorums and Relief Societies.

Ministering Assignments

Having a ministering assignment is an opportunity to represent Jesus Christ and to act as His agent to watch over, lift, and strengthen His children. There are many ways that you can successfully minister to one another, but all of that starts by knowing who your assigned individuals and families are. The Ministering Assignments feature provides that information.

Ministering Assignments can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. To view your assignment, open the Ward Map and Directory in your member account. After logging in, use the search box to find yourself. Click on your name; make sure to open your individual file and not your family’s. At the individual level, you will see an option for Ministering below your contact information. Click on the link and you will be shown a list of your ministering assignment.

You can also find your ministering assignment in Member Tools found on your mobile device. Much like the online version, you’ll start by searching for yourself in the search bar at the top of the directory page. After selecting yourself, either scroll down (on iOS devices) or swipe over (on Android devices) to find the Ministering tab. There you will find your assignment.

Once you know who your assigned families or individuals are, remember that “ministering can be done in a great variety of individualized ways.” Ministering doesn’t have to be “something grand or heroic,” explained Sister Bingham. It can be simple acts of service. When deciding how best to serve individuals or families you are assigned to, Sister Bingham counsels, “As you have the privilege to represent the Savior in your ministering efforts, ask yourself, ‘How can I share the light of the gospel with this individual or family? What is the Spirit inspiring me to do?’” (“Ministering as the Savior Does”). Great blessings are in store for you as you seek to minister to your brothers and sisters.

Managing Ministering Sisters and Brothers Assignments

“Working together under the direction of the bishop,” stated Sister Bingham, “elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies can be inspired as they seek the best ways to watch over and care for each individual and family” (“Ministering as the Savior Does,”). Using the Ministering Sisters and Ministering Brothers reports, elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies can manage ministering assignments as well as track ministering interviews.

Relief Society and elders quorum presidency members can make and change ministering assignments. Counsel together as you work on assignments, but also rely on impressions from the Holy Ghost when deciding on ministering assignments. Changes made to the report are immediately visible to all members of the presidency. If you want to work on changes without publishing them, select Proposed Assignments from the Ministering menu. In this report you can also view individuals who have not been assigned a ministering brother or sister or who do not have an assignment as a ministering brother or sister.

In this same report, presidency members can track the completion of ministering interview. Ministering interviews should be conducted at least once during the quarter and should be done with ministering companionships. As a Relief Society leader or an elders quorum leader, do not underestimate the value of conducting ministering interviews. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, “It’s vital that ministering brothers and sisters have an opportunity to give an accounting of their service, howe are they watching over, loving, teaching, comforting, and assisting in the Savior’s way. And vital for priesthood and Relief Society leaders to become informed and then understand the circumstances and needs for those over whom they preside. But the ministering interview is more than a report” (“Purposes of Ministering Interviews,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org/ministering). Elder Christofferson also stated that ministering interviews “will be the key to the quality and success of our ministering for generations to come” (“Elder Christofferson Testifies of the Power of Ministering Interviews,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org/ministering). Ministering interviews are an opportunity for teaching how to minister to and care for families and individuals.

Ministering in the Lord’s Church

Ministering is a vital part of Relief Society efforts and elders quorum efforts to bring individuals and families unto Christ. President Nelson taught, “A hallmark of the Lord’s true and living Church will always be an organized, directed effort to minister to individual children of God and their families. Because it is His Church, we as His servants will minister to the one, just as He did. We will minister in His name, with His power and authority, and with His loving-kindness” (“Ministering with the Power and Authority of God,” April 2018 general conference).