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missioneccles012817 (January 2017 ** )

Ecclesiastical Training — Provo Missionary Training Center — January 28, 2017

World-wide Missionary Training Center Ecclesiastical Training


World-wide Ecclesiastical Training, January 28, 2017

1/ Training

  • Teach repentance and baptize converts.    
  • Repent and come unto me = the doctrine of Christ.
  • Do I know the doctrine of Christ?  1) proper sequence 2) focusing on the basics  3) understanding the doctrine is not that difficult  4) missionaries who understand the doctrine of Christ exhibit it in their behavior.
  • What is the best way to teach? 1) Live it themselves and experience repentance every day in their own lives.  2) Don’t skip any steps. 3) Make changes in behavior and in life. 4) Say nothing but repentance because new strength comes with repentance  5) Help the morally weak become the spiritually strong.
  • Repentance is not a cookbook checklist.  Repentance is a continuing effort that requires dependence on the Lord.  Repentance requires committing and acting! The sacrament is the great symbol of repentance.  Faith leads unto repentance.
  • How can a missionary know if an investigator is repenting?  By following up on commitments given.
  • Conversion is not an event that occurs at some defined point after baptism.  It is an ongoing process. The process must include prayer, tithes and offerings, church attendance, etc.  All things must be gathered together in one. Baptism must be put in its proper context.
  • What if an investigator says no?  1) Testify 2) Know that timelines differ from person to person  3) Find out what they don’t understand and teach them again, perhaps in a better way.
  • Establishing the church includes retaining, reactivating.  
  • Remaining faithful and true AFTER your missions should be your primary goal.
  • Converts should and must be closely aligned and affiliated with local church members.
  • Notice the words ‘give’ and ‘given’ in Alma 26.
  • The Holy Ghost carries the message UNTO the heart, the investigator must take it INTO the heart.  We don’t control the outcome — the Holy Ghost is the teacher.
  • How can we be more persuasive teachers?  1) Partake of the sacrament with a desire to become CLEAN  2) Always have the Spirit 3) Be aware that the success of your day starts at 6:30 am!  4) Create an environment of obedience 5) Pray as you teach, look for the “unseen” 6) Put aside self-centered reasons for teaching  7) Be as good as you can be 8) Let the Holy Ghost be your senior companion 9) Testify of the Father and the Son 10) We always need INTENSE preparation
  • Faith is a principle of action and power.  Never miss an opportunity to invite to ACT.
  • How do we overcome the fear to invite?  1) Forget about yourself and think of the person  2) Nothing worthwhile happens without ACTION and invitations lead to ACTION  3) Give personal experiences 4) Look to Christ in every thought, Doctrine and Covenants  6   5) Fear leads to inaction  6) Do what you know is required.
  • Don’t tell people “What you are feeling is the Holy Ghost!”  Let the investigators tell you what they are feeling and how it is influencing them.  Talk less and listen more. Don’t worry about silence — don’t break into silence. The witness of the Holy Ghost comes to those who desire it!  Ask and it will be given.
  • Don’t bypass repentance.  Teach why and how repentance is necessary.  Faith leads to a desire to be free from sin.  Real intent means I am not just curious, I really want to CHANGE my life.  I want to become a disciple of Christ. Teach them how to pray with real intent.
  • How do missionaries teach what ‘real intent’ is? Use Book of Mormon scriptures to teach what it is.  It is full purpose of heart. Joseph Smith went into the grove with ‘real intent’. He intended to join and be active in the church which he would be instructed to join!
  • The baptismal challenge must be in the context of the plan of salvation, not an isolated event.  The challenge must be under the direction of the Spirit. The power of Godliness is manifest in the ordinances.
  • Elder Anderson instructed us to look for people in their late teens and twenties.  These are people willing to listen and make commitments.
  • If ever you are unsure what to say, testify of Jesus!  We, in this church, know more about Jesus than any other persons or religions.  Missionaries hallow every home they visit, every street they walk.
  • The new changes to the missionary schedule: 1) Missionaries will be more productive, more healthy, will set more goals  2) Mission presidents can customize the schedules to meet local needs 3) Exercise 30 minutes, plan 30 minutes, personal study 60 minutes, companion study 30 to 60 minutes
  • Four important key indicators 1) New investigators  2) Baptisms 3) Those attending sacrament meeting 4) ______________.  Focusing on these four items should affect the behavior of every missionary.
  • Isn’t it great to part of a church where continuing revelation allows us to refine and perfect our programs and emphasis?

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