If you were an elders quorum president—or a high priest group leader for that matter—what would you do to increase the amount of home teaching in your quorum or group? Why do you think those measures would increase home teaching?
How would you increase home teaching?
Concurring with JM, I find HT an uninspired anachronism of correlation long overdue for an overhaul. Remember, it came from HBL before he was church pres! One reform would be openingly letting active members opt out who don’t wish to be HTed, like about half your ward. The suggestion of declining TR to less than diligent HTers is just another way to accelerate the decline of the church. A few times upon receiving a HT assignment to less actives, I said I’d only do it if proper introduction is made by someone who knows the family. No one has ever followed through on that, even after repeated requests, and yet, I’m probably counted among the slothful HTers.
I work with a man who belongs to another faith and he visits 6 families from his church every month and studies from the Bible with them. He does it because he was asked to and because he loves the families he visits and he loves his version of GOd.
Why do you visit or not visit? Do you love them and want to share the gospel with them?
I am attending a new ward and I over heard a brother complaining that he lives 20 miles in one direction, his companion lives 20 mies in another direction and the families they have been assigned to lived all over everywhere. Do you think distance plays a role in effective HT’ing? The church pictures show the dad and son walking to HT.
Or at least walking up to the door.
Has Elder Ballard been reading this thread?
Do you have a link for Ballard’s comments, Kim?
Not yet. Streaming audio should be available tomorrow or Monday. The text won’t be available until the end of next week.
Yeah, it’d be a whole lot easier if I’d just go down there and catch the live feed, huh? =)
Without a doubt. :)
If you were in Lethbridge and had cable, you could catch it on Channel 12 as well.
Steve, re: #51, if you’ll open up your Doctrine & Covenants to section 20, you’ll find that Home Teaching is neither a creation of President Lee nor an anachronism of correlation. It’s a mandate given by revelation from God.
D&C 20 says nothing about home teaching. One could argue that home teaching is based on principles within D&C 20 though.
Kim Siever said: Has Elder Ballard been reading this thread?
All the GA’s read these threads to receive inspiration for new church programs and doctrines.
“Steve, re: #51, if you’ll open up your Doctrine & Covenants to section 20, you’ll find that Home Teaching is neither a creation of President Lee nor an anachronism of correlation. It’s a mandate given by revelation from God.”
Funny, I don’t see any mention of home teaching there. Maybe you have different scriptures than what I have.
The only thing I see remotely connected is something regarding “watching over, being with, and strengthining”, an aaronic priesthood duty. I imagine there are many ways to accomplish this. The home teaching PROGRAM attempts to do this, but fails.
Perhaps we should teach people the correct PRINCIPLE and let them decide how to best accomplish their priesthood duty?
(sorry, one last post. I couldn’t resist)
JM,
You mentioned in your first comment that you had easy to use reporting methods for your quorum members. I would love to know what those methods were.
You can find my email in my profile.
Thanks.
If you merely want percentage to go up, to show a good number to someone, unassign the bad home teachers. Your percentage goes way up.
I don’t see how, Hubert. You still have the same number of families, but fewer people to visit them
JM: I like the way you think. Out of the box. This is the only way anything ever gets done. Thanks for your comments.
I am a formed baptist preacher and now LDS. As a baptist I visited a number of people as well as a vas number of us n our church as well. Now it is my responsibility to increase home teaching in our ward. Here is what we are going to do.. For starters a lesson on Home teaching is not in the plans. We all know why we do not and all know why we should so we are going to start by giving every one one name. A name they know.. Then we are going to give testomonies how it went. After that we will increase it to two and so forth. It is easy to visit some one we know so that is how we will start. After the first month of doing this we Weill try some one we don’t know well and the to some one we dont. The names will be given on a 3×5 card with some info. I may even put there picture on it if I have the meens. Where I feel we have been going wrong is by making it hard.. We need to make it easy at first. I also feel that we are going after the ones who are not there and we need to but first we must build up they who are. When we build ore core group of elders first then we will have a small army to go after the others… I will let you know how it works but I know it will being I have done this my whole life.
Sorry for all the typos.. I am on a i pad.