Ministering in your Ward?

[Dusty52]

We've had this program for a while now
How has it played out in your ward?
Do you get interviewed about what you do by ward leaders? or have you been left to your own devises?
Are you visiting your families every month and giving them a message?
Can you ascertain the reasons why this new initiative was introduced?
It is supposed to be a better way, what has been your experience?

[Lexew1899]

Total failure in my opinion. Nobody does it. Leaders haven't once asked how it's going.

[Dusty52]

Total failure in my opinion. Nobody does it. Leaders haven't once asked how it's going.

That's my experience
I was trying to create a positive spin on it!
Why was it introduced?
A higher law I was told!

[Matchmaker]

To me, it's sort of like Visiting Teaching, but without having to give a specific message each month or visit someone exclusively in their home. I interact with my 3 women in different ways depending on their specific situations. This new program seems to be more flexible in that regard.

One woman likes to go shopping with me each week. Another likes a traditional visit in her home every couple of months. The third woman wants only text messages between us about what's happening in our lives.

[ElizaRSkousen]

It’s been going well in my ward for me and my husband at least. We were doin fine before the change too though.

I can tell my ministers are visiting me a lot less which I miss !

[EmmaLee]

Before this 'change', I had not had any visiting teachers in I don't know how many years. That is not a complaint, however - as I do not want women assigned to be my 'friend' - so I am perfectly fine with being ignored in this regard. If/when I need something or need help, I have and will continue to call on my actual, true friends, who never let me down.

Our family has not had any home teachers make any contact whatsoever in almost 4 years now. After it was changed to 'ministering', no changes have occurred in either regard as toward me/our family. In other words, we are completely ignored in our ward; it's almost as if we don't exist (and we've always been fully active, do our callings, etc.). As toward the people on my list and my husband's, our contacts/visits with them have remained about the same since the change to 'ministering' - some still want a home visit every month - others are happy with texts, letters and occasional visits. We try to comply with what they want, need, and ask for.

As for reporting - I have had one interview (almost 4 months ago) since the change to 'ministering' - which was a full-on waste of time, as I made some rather pertinent suggestions during the interview, all of which have been 100% ignored. My husband has never had any kind of interview with anyone in regards to 'ministering'.

[Teancum]

In my ward, it has just recently been fully organized (last month). I have been interviewed once when the changes were announced so the Leadership could prayerfully consider all input, and once last month to initiate the changes that have been prayed about.

After receiving my assignments, within the week, one of the people I was assigned became seriously ill, in the hospital. I felt the Love of God for and in behalf of them. I know the changes CAN be a higher holier way, if we treat it that way.

[kittycat51]

As a family we have been assigned one family. Several wards in our Stake have done this. (with stake president's approval) So it's varied on the visits. My husband can take one of our son's and do a home-teaching type visit. Or my husband and I can go together. Or sometimes me and my 'sister' just need a one on one women visit. So far it's just been checking in and a couple of visits. It's been hard to know how to "serve" them. They have been out of work, but we have as well. I would like to be able to take them dinner sometime but that's not possible when we just barely get by feeding ourselves

I believe it's supposed to be a better system, it's just a matter of the members not fully taking advantage of it as it was meant to be. LOT'S of learning still to do if you ask me.

[JK4Woods]

Our current EQP keeps pounding the round peg into a square hole. Monthly contacts : required, monthly reporting: required, monthly visit: required, family assignments of people who are not known to anyone in the ward.

All about going thru the same rote motions of Home Teaching, with none of the actual intent of “ministering” like the Savior taught.

It’s even worse than before because no one knows what to say during a visit.

Also, assignments change on LDS tools, and without any kind of heads up.

A complete and utter disaster. (So are the regurgitated conference talks given as lessons on Sunday....).

Sigh... I guess having Come Follow Me as the basis of every class, lesson, discussion, High Council talk, and Stake Conference theme will pound it thru our heads that we are only supposed to have a primary level understanding of the gospel.

The boredom with church is growing...

[Col. Flagg]

Very few are doing it in our ward and our Elder's quorum presidency has only contacted me once about how my families are doing since we made the switch over to ministering. Our regular home teacher who was faithful in coming every 3rd week of the month has only been to see us twice since the change. It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

[Dusty52]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

[Durzan]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Col. Flagg has this tendency to post overblown statements that are best taken and understood with a grain of salt. I'd not put too much stock in the truthfulness of this particular statement, as it is likely based on speculation.

[Dusty52]

If statements are blatantly not true they should not be allowed to be posted on this forum without back-up evidence?
Surely if this is not done it questions the integrity of this site?

[ElizaRSkousen]

If statements are blatantly not true they should not be allowed to be posted on this forum without back-up evidence?
Surely if this is not done it questions the integrity of this site?

Well the whole internet is like that, in general, Don’t believe things unless you can find a source.

[brianj]

In 50 weeks I have been visited once, and he came alone.

My ward is comprised of a neighborhood and part of an apartment complex. Railroad tracks pass between the apartments and neighborhood so I am quite literally on the other side of the tracks from the rest of the ward, and there is no direct route from one side to the other; we have to drive around a mile south, cross the tracks, then drive a mile north. My ministering companion and all of our families are in the neighborhood, he takes walks daily with his wife, and he stops and visits those families without me. He has explicitly said that I am not needed.

Why was this new approach implemented? Because it is a better way to do things, if members will participate, in that we have greater flexibility to minister in the ways that are best for our families. I really don't need someone to come regurgitate an article I already read; what would be really meaningful to me is not being alone for a little while. Invite me to do something. Join your family for dinner. Go to a movie, a park, or anything else.

Unfortunately there's no way of getting past the fact that most people just do not care. They have their family, they have their friends, then they have this obligation that they will ignore because they don't give a damn. This problem is so bad that some people don't even want HT/VT/ministering contacts because they don't care so strongly that they are unwilling to allow you the blessings of visiting them.

[mirkwood]

My experience with Home Teaching: I have always made friend with my families. I visit them monthly and in some cases more often. They know I care about their lives. It has been nothing but positive. Ministering is the same, except with my move to working days I have a couple more families. Our interviews are quarterly and pretty much consist of "how are your families doing?"

I have no idea what the ward statistics are like. I just know what mine are.

[Col. Flagg]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Most of the policy decisions emanating from Salt Lake right now are the result of church Attorney recommendations or to reduce costs, especially with regard to lawsuits. Durzan is correct in that I don't have verifiable evidence, but given what I do know in terms of how the church operates financially, let's just say there is a very high probability of my remarks being accurate.

[Durzan]

If statements are blatantly not true they should not be allowed to be posted on this forum without back-up evidence?
Surely if this is not done it questions the integrity of this site?

Well the whole internet is like that, in general, Don’t believe things unless you can find a source.

And even then, take it with a grain of salt. The source isn't always reliable either.

[Dusty52]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Most of the policy decisions emanating from Salt Lake right now are the result of church Attorney recommendations or to reduce costs, especially with regard to lawsuits. Durzan is correct in that I don't have verifiable evidence, but given what I do know in terms of how the church operates financially, let's just say there is a very high probability of my remarks being accurate.

I find it difficult to reconcile these remarks from what I've been told about where these changes have come from, I thought the source was the prophets notebook in the "wee" small hours! but I haven't got evidence to prove that, Faith has to play a part in this but you do need proof don't you?

[LadyT]

I have never been assigned anyone in this. I don't know if it's cause I have never been in relief society or my little ones. We have not had home teachers or anything like that assigned to us either. We have been here 2 years. It's okay. We have amazing family here if we need help.

I will say we had an amazing home teacher in our last ward. He dropped everything to come to the hospital when our daughter was stillborn. He gave us blessings. He took our younger children so I could go to drs appointments. He came to her funeral. He was a great help in our darkest time. I will forever be thankful to him.

[Older/wiser?]

I’m glad I stopped in, I find the greatest change is in me, no more pressure to give a formal lesson, I just get to go and love these people. I don’t really care if I have any or not, I’m good. The change for whatever reason could be a deviding line, can we just love each other, that truly is the Saviors way. I don’t really care if I have ministers (no expectations no disappointments) I care that I make this more of my nature. By the way my patriarchal blessing uses this word is discussing the winding up scenario and the passing of the destroying angel.

[ElizaRSkousen]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Most of the policy decisions emanating from Salt Lake right now are the result of church Attorney recommendations or to reduce costs, especially with regard to lawsuits. Durzan is correct in that I don't have verifiable evidence, but given what I do know in terms of how the church operates financially, let's just say there is a very high probability of my remarks being accurate.

I find it difficult to reconcile these remarks from what I've been told about where these changes have come from, I thought the source was the prophets notebook in the "wee" small hours! but I haven't got evidence to prove that, Faith has to play a part in this but you do need proof don't you?

Well it depends on if this is something that you aren’t willing to believe in wothout proof.

Personally, this particular way in which we minister and serve others isn’t really something that I think is so important, so we shouldn’t get too worried about it.

The thing that matters is that we serve and minister.

Hopefully the changes that the prophet made with inspiration, will help more people find time to minister.

[Col. Flagg]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Most of the policy decisions emanating from Salt Lake right now are the result of church Attorney recommendations or to reduce costs, especially with regard to lawsuits. Durzan is correct in that I don't have verifiable evidence, but given what I do know in terms of how the church operates financially, let's just say there is a very high probability of my remarks being accurate.

I find it difficult to reconcile these remarks from what I've been told about where these changes have come from, I thought the source was the prophets notebook in the "wee" small hours! but I haven't got evidence to prove that, Faith has to play a part in this but you do need proof don't you?

The church's corporate arm is wholly responsible for and dictates what happens with its religious arm and their Attorneys are #2.

[natasha]

It was done to mitigate risk and minimize potential litigation for the church involving abuse and sexual abuse claims and was the result of advice from church lawyers.

Are you staying this was the real reason for the church discontinuing the h/t & v/t programs and the introduction of the ministering concept and program? I was not aware of this!

Most of the policy decisions emanating from Salt Lake right now are the result of church Attorney recommendations or to reduce costs, especially with regard to lawsuits. Durzan is correct in that I don't have verifiable evidence, but given what I do know in terms of how the church operates financially, let's just say there is a very high probability of my remarks being accurate.

I find it difficult to reconcile these remarks from what I've been told about where these changes have come from, I thought the source was the prophets notebook in the "wee" small hours! but I haven't got evidence to prove that, Faith has to play a part in this but you do need proof don't you?

Dusty: Faith NEVER demands an answer to every question....if so, it ceases to be faith, which is the first principle of the Gospel. Moving forward in faith while you prayerfully seek answers to questions will not only strengthen your faith but will eventually give you the knowledge you need to progress spiritually in this life.

[oneClimbs]

I think that what we did by putting to bed "home teaching" and what we are trying to do with "ministering" is the right move. I think it will take some time for us to adjust, it is a big change in some ways.

The key change is the removal of a monthly mandated visit. That isn't the answer for everyone and while it did provide a nice platform for getting the family together, I think that for many it was more of a burden than a blessing.

For instance, I moved back to Texas to be near family. For my wife and I, we have both sides of our family within 2 hours of us. A good portion of hers and some of mine are within minutes. If we needed anything, we would go right to them. They minister to us and us to them.

In that scenario, we don't really require additional ward ministers. My wife and I have no problem ministering to others though and gladly accept those assignments because not everyone has an ideal situation as we do in this respect.

We do have ministering brothers and sisters assigned to us and I haven't asked that they be unassigned (I'm in the elders quorum presidency so I could easily make that happen). What I'm trying to do is simply build friendships with our ministering brothers and sisters because friendships are always a welcome thing in my mind. Also, there may be situations where I might prefer assistance from someone other than family.

I think it is nice to know that there are willing people I can call if I ever needed help, even as a backup.

As I have done ministering interviews, it has been wonderful to see the brethren making sincere and effective contact with their families and in some cases being a wonderful blessing in their lives. The word "minister" inspires within me the kind of action that I think the Savior would have me take to my assigned families, to my family and to anyone around me.

I feel like we are oriented in the right direction, but we are going to need to step up and focus on prayerfully considering the needs of our families whether those needs are seldom required and minor or more frequent and significant. We are being trusted to let the Spirit guide us. The church has done quite a bit recently to lessen the burdens on the members and I have appreciated that.

I've seen many over the years who have been critical of manuals, handbooks, and procedures and then people equally critical because they don't know what to do. There's no need to be critical either way if one believes in God and wants to be led by his Spirit in blessing others, they can do that right now.