missionaries – Page 2 – What Do Mormons Believe?

Mormon Missionaries

This past week my family had a unique experience: On Wednesday we saw my little sister off to be a missionary in Chile, and then on Thursday we met my husband’s little brother at the airport as he returned from his mission in Brazil. To see the metamorphosis that these young men and women go through was incredible and I thought it might be interesting for some of our readers to know a bit more about these young people they see on bikes and street corners.

Elders (the young men) and Sisters (the young women) are addressed by their title and their last name. Mormons don’t all have the same first name.
Elders are generally between 19-21 years old. Sisters have to be at least 21. There are also “couple missionaries” who are married and already retired. They probably won’t tell you how old they are.
Elders serve for 2 years and Sisters serve for 18 months. Couples serve for 18 months as well.
Nearly all missionaries first go to the Missionary Training Center In Provo, Utah for a few weeks before they embark on their mission. There are 16 other MTCs throughout the world. They teach the basics of language and teaching techniques. Their language programs are so successful that several government organizations have approached the Mormon church to ask them what their secret is. Unfortunately, the secret is the Spirit and a very real manifestation of the gift of tongues. The State Department just can’t replicate that.
Missionaries don’t choose where they want to go. Otherwise, they would all end up in Venice, probably. They are called by members of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles who receive their direction from the Spirit.
Missionaries pay for themselves. They aren’t church sponsored and they aren’t paid for their service. They are very literally serving.
There were 54,494 missionaries serving in 348 missions throughout the world as of April 2009.
Missionaries always work in a companionship. There are usually two, sometimes three, missionaries who live together, eat together, work together and teach together. Nothing weird going on there, it is an extension of having two or more witnesses when they teach and testify.
Missionaries don’t date. If you want to talk to them because you are hoping they will ask you out, you are wasting your time.
The missionaries’ purpose is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who is interested. They talk about the restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith, the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it applies to us directly, why we are here on the earth and what our purpose is eternally, and how to live a life in harmony with God. When you meet with the missionaries they will likely present a series of four to six lessons introducing gospel concepts.
When missionaries go home, they resume their normal lives. Then they date, go to school, get married, reminisce about their missions, and stop wearing ugly ties. In fact, if you have Mormon friends, ask them if they went on a mission. They might have some entertaining stories for you.

So next time you see a set of missionaries walking around, get to know them. (If they are wearing ugly ties, forgive them. They are only 19). They could be from anywhere in the world, and perhaps they were called to that mission just so that they could meet you.

Missions of the Church

christ As a teenager, one of the things we were taught over and over was that the Church had a three-fold mission: Perfect the Saints, Proclaim the Gospel, Redeem the Dead. This is the basis of all of the programs, lessons, ordinances, callings and everythingness of the Church.

As I taught the gospel in Russia, however, I understood better that these weren’t three separate entities that we were supposed to divide our time and attention between. These are all part of the main mission of the church:
Bringing people to Christ. This is the ultimate goal of Christ’s church, and it applies to every person on the face of the earth.

Perfecting the Saints is the broad label given to all of the ordinances and activities of the Church. It comes from Christ’s directive both in Matthew and in the Book of Mormon to “Be ye therefore perfect, [even as I] or your Father in Heaven is perfect.” In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believers and members of the Church are called “Saints”. Yes, just everyday people in the grocery store are Saints. In this context, Saints are those who are following Christ’s teachings and trying very hard to live as He has asked them to live. Perfecting the Saints is no easy task, and here are some of the ways that Saints cooperate with Christ in perfecting themselves:

Sincerely praying and studying the word of God.
Attending the temple to make covenants with God.
Attending weekly church meetings
Volunteering to serve in any number of “callings” in their congregation. From the leader of the congregation right down to the person collecting lesson manuals after class, everyone is donating their time, energy and talents to serve the Lord and each other. We don’t have a paid clergy.
Striving to have strong families through Family Home Evening, family prayer, family vacations, family meals, family reunions, and just generally supporting and loving each other in the family.
Living the commandments as found here, here and here.

We truly believe that in doing what Christ has asked us to do, we draw nearer to Him and as we are closer to Him, we are more perfect. That’s what this life is all about.

Proclaim the Gospel addresses the next group of people who need to come to Christ–those who aren’t already members of His church. The LDS Church has thousands of missionaries all over the world, teaching Christ’s doctrines to cossacks, Buddhists, ninjas and pygmies, and everyone else in between. Every single person on this earth is invited to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. This aspect of Church activities is very much tied in with the first mission of perfecting the saints, because when a person is baptized into the church, they are one step closer to Christ.

Redeeming the Dead strikes people as one of the most bizarre of our doctrines. We do temple work for our deceased ancestors so that they can choose to accept the ordinances in the spirit world (if they wish to–our ordinances are not binding on them if they don’t want them). But in the context of bringing every single person to Christ, this practice fits perfectly. The church was restored on the earth in 1830, 1750 years after Christ’s Church and its authority disappeared from the earth. There were a lot of people in those 1750 years, and they are each, individually important to Christ. He atoned for them too, and if they are to benefit from His sacrifice, they need to do what He’s asked them to do to be admitted into His church (baptism by immersion, followed by higher ordinances and covenants). He asks members of His church to reach out to those who have passed on as well as to the living.

So that sums up all of the Church’s activities and programs. Christ wants us all to come unto Him and be perfected in Him. For members of the church, that involves living His commandments and serving others. Some of that service is directed at helping other people join His church also to come unto Him and be perfected in Him–living and dead.

The Abrahamic Covenant

Covenant: A two-way promise, a conditional agreement.

About 4,000 years ago, the Lord made a covenant with a shepherd named Abram. He promised Abram that he would have a particular land to live on, that he would have posterity as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, and that through him the nations of the earth would be blessed. In order to get these great blessings, Abram had to carry the gospel to the earth through bearing the priesthood of God, and live righteously.

abraham_stars721x597

So Abram agreed to this covenant (of course), and his name was changed to Abraham. Eventually he had a son named Isaac and the Lord renewed this same covenant with Isaac—he would inherit the land promised to his father, he would have children as numerous as the sands of the sea and through him would come salvation for the earth. Isaac also received the Priesthood and the commission to preach the gospel. He had twin sons, Esau and Jacob, and the covenant was renewed with Jacob. Finally, with Jacob we see some major posterity. He had 12 sons and one daughter. His sons were Reuben, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Simeon, Levi, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Joseph and Benjamin. Each of these sons bore lots of children, and they had children and they had children (as it always happens) and eventually they were so numerous that the Egyptians enslaved them to keep them from taking control of the kingdom. So this is where Moses comes in, and he leads them out of Egypt to “the promised land”, as in the land promised to their fathers.

Eventually, the children of Israel were separated, and then scattered. They drifted into anonymity through intermarriages, and abandonment of their traditions and religion. The house of Judah stayed pretty cohesive and defined by their covenant, which is why the Jews are known as a chosen people. But Judah was only one of the 12 brothers—the people of Joseph, of Dan, Levi, Asher, etc. are all “chosen” as well. (When we talk of being “chosen” we are talking of their great potential because of the covenant made with their ancestors–not that they are automatically saved).

This covenant really drives the Old Testament narrative. God promised this group of people some special blessings if they remain faithful to Him. He followed through with His promise throughout the generations. We believe that He continues to seek out the children of the House of Israel. Even if they don’t know who they are, He does, and His promise is just as valid with them as it was with the descendants of Israel in Moses’ time. The earth is literally swarming with Israelites, and they have the promise of eternal blessings – land, posterity and priesthood power.

We don’t all need to move to the land of Canaan to claim our blessings, of course (there are enough people claiming it right now anyway, so stay put). This covenant extends into the next life. We are promised a place in heaven (land), an eternal increase of spiritual children (posterity), and priesthood power to act in God’s name. We are promised Eternal Life, or life like God and with God. What we have to do in return is live righteously and spread the gospel throughout the world.

So how does the LDS church figure in to this narrative? We’re the last chapter. Our missionaries are working all over the world sharing the gospel, teaching and baptizing people who are inheritors of this covenant. This is the spiritual gathering of Israel—they reconnect with God through the covenants of baptism and the ordinances of the temple. God knows who they are and where they are, and even if a person isn’t a direct descendant of Israel, if they accept the covenant, they are adopted into the house of Israel as if they had been born there.

So, are you a member of the house of Israel? You probably are. God has some special blessings ready for you if you want them. To find out about making covenants with God, contact your local LDS missionaries (or let them in the door when they come around…)

Repentance Before Baptism

Q. I am a non member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but looking into it. What is the belief Mormons have on becoming a member of the church: do you have to repent before you are baptized?

Yes, you do. The fourth article of faith states, “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Note that repentance is listed before baptism, although repentance must also be an ongoing, life-long process. Baptism itself is a sign that we have repented. It is a covenant that signifies that we have turned our lives around to become disciples of Christ.

dietaufe Individuals investigating the Church are taught by full-time missionaries the commandments God sets forth for his people. With that knowledge, they can begin a life of obedience to these commandments, which begins with repentance. When investigators repent and make changes to their lives, they show that they are ready to enter into the baptismal covenant with the Lord.

In Doctrine & Covenants 20:37 we read,

“And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.”

For further reference, see also the conversion of people in the Book of Mormon as described in Moroni 6.

The missionaries play a very important role in this entire process. Not only are they teachers, but they are guides in helping people to repent. Repentance involves more than changing one’s actions: an individual must plead with God in prayer for forgiveness and strength. The missionaries help with that as well: by directing, encouraging and supporting.

I would like to encourage anyone who needs help with repentance to contact the missionaries serving in your area.