Brethren,
I am sending this out today, to remind you of the authentic significance of what we are to be doing in our calling as home teachers. Indeed, this talk is going to be what our lesson on Sunday is. I admonish you to take it upon yourself to study the words of this great prophet as he spells out for us in detail, how we are to be progressing as home teachers. The very fact that our Stake is growing in these inspirational times is awesome, yet another segment of this three vine vision is right along with what President Monson has taught from the pulpit at conferences both old and new, as well as the message of rescue from our Stake President. Please, prayerfully study this so that we can edify each other in the discussion of this great duty- home teaching.
To the Home Teachers of the Church
President Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson, "To the Home Teachers of the Church", Ensign, May 1987, 48
03213_000_020
My
beloved brethren of the priesthood, it has been a joy to be with you
this evening and to be instructed by these choice men of God. I have
felt of your power and faith, and I commend you for your attendance here
tonight.
I
rejoice in this opportunity to say a few words to you tonight. I feel
impressed to speak to you about a priesthood program that has been
inspired from its inception—a program that touches hearts, that changes
lives, and that saves souls; a program that has the stamp of approval of
our Father in Heaven; a program so vital that, if faithfully followed,
it will help to spiritually renew the Church and exalt its individual
members and families.
I
am speaking about priesthood home teaching. With all my heart, I pray
that you will understand, by the Spirit, exactly my feelings about home
teaching.
Brethren,
home teaching is not just another program. It is the priesthood way of
watching over the Saints and accomplishing the mission of the Church.
Home teaching is not just an assignment. It is a sacred calling.
Home
teaching is not to be undertaken casually. A home teaching call is to be
accepted as if extended to you personally by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Savior Himself was a teacher. The only perfect man to walk the face of
the earth was a humble, dedicated, inspired teacher who brought to His
followers salvation and exaltation.
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Oh, that all the brethren of the Church would catch that vision of home teaching!
Tonight
I am not teaching new doctrine, but I am reaffirming old doctrine.
Quoting from section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants, revealed to the
Prophet Joseph in April of 1830, the Lord declared to the priesthood:
“Watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them;
“And see that there is no iniquity in the church. …
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“And see that the church meet together often, and also see that all the members do their duty” (
D&C 20:53–55).
“And visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties” (
D&C 20:51).
Brethren, that is priesthood home teaching.
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This
kind of teaching was done in Christ’s time by His early disciples. It
was practiced in Book of Mormon times. In the first chapter of Jacob, we
read:
“For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
“And
we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the
responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if
we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence” (
Jacob 1:18–19).
From
the beginning of this inspired program in our day, leaders of the Church
have emphasized over and over again the importance of home teaching.
President Marion G. Romney, in general conference, declared:
“Home
teaching, properly functioning, brings to ‘the house of each member’
two priesthood bearers divinely commissioned and authoritatively called
into the service by their priesthood leader and bishop. These Home
Teachers—priesthood bearers—carry the heavy and glorious responsibility
of representing the Lord Jesus Christ in looking after the welfare of
each Church member. They are to encourage and inspire every member to
discharge his duty, both family and Church” (address given at general
conference home teaching meeting, 8 Apr. 1966, p. 3).
President
David O. McKay stated: “Home teaching is one of our most urgent and
most rewarding opportunities to nurture and inspire, to counsel and
direct our Father’s children. … It is a divine service, a divine call.
It is our duty as Home Teachers to carry the divine spirit into every
home and heart. To love the work and do our best will bring unbounded
peace, joy, and satisfaction to a noble, dedicated teacher of God’s
children” (quoted by Marion G. Romney, in address at general conference
home teaching meeting, 8 Apr. 1966, p. 7).
My good brethren of the Melchizedek Priesthood and the Aaronic Priesthood, home teaching is an inspired program.
It is the heart of caring, of loving, of reaching out to the one—both the active and the less active.
It is priesthood compassionate service.
It is how we express our faith in practical works.
It is one of the tests of true discipleship.
It is the heart of the activation effort of the Church.
It is a calling that helps to fulfill the scriptural injunction: “Out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (
D&C 64:33).
There
is no greater Church calling than that of a home teacher. There is no
greater Church service rendered to our Father in Heaven’s children than
the service rendered by a humble, dedicated, committed home teacher.
There are three fundamentals that are essential to effective home teaching. May I discuss these briefly.
First,
know well those you are to home teach.
Really know them! You can’t serve well those you don’t know well. President Marion G. Romney emphasized this:
“Each
pair of home teachers should become [personally] acquainted with every
child, youth and adult in the family to whom they are assigned. …
“To
perform fully our duty as a Home Teacher we should be continually aware
of the attitudes, the activities and interests, the problems, the
employment, the health, the happiness, the plans and purposes, the
physical, temporal, and spiritual needs and circumstances of everyone—of
every child, every youth, and every adult in the homes and families who
have been placed in our trust and care as a bearer of the priesthood,
and as a representative of the bishop” (priesthood home teaching
seminar, 9 Aug. 1963, pp. 3, 4).
And
the key to effectively working with the family is to be close to the
father. Know his righteous desires for his family and help him to
realize them. And I would urge you to do the little things, the small
things that mean so much to a family. For example, know the names of all
the family members. Be aware of birthdays, blessings, baptisms, and
marriages. On occasion, write an appropriate note of commendation or
make a phone call congratulating a member of the family on a special
achievement or accomplishment.
With your home teaching companion, regularly review pages 8 and 9 of the
Melchizedek Priesthood Handbook for some excellent suggestions on how to be helpful to those you home teach.
Above
all, be a genuine friend to the individuals and families you teach. As
the Savior declared to us, “I will call you friends, for you are my
friends” (
D&C 93:45).
A friend makes more than a dutiful visit each month. A friend is more
concerned about helping people than getting credit. A friend cares. A
friend loves. A friend listens, and a friend reaches out.
We
remember the story President Romney used to tell about the so-called
home teacher who once called at the Romney home on a cold night. He kept
his hat in his hand and shifted nervously when invited to sit down and
give his message. “Well, I’ll tell you, Brother Romney,” he responded,
“it’s cold outside, and I left my car engine running so it wouldn’t
stop. I just stopped in so I could tell the bishop I made my calls.”
We can do better than that, brethren—much better.
The second fundamental to effective home teaching is to
know well the message you are to deliver in each home.
And know that it is the particular message the Lord would have you give
to the families and individuals you have been asked to serve.
Home
teachers should have a purpose or goal in mind and should plan each
visit to help meet that purpose. Before making their visits, home
teaching partners should meet together to pray, to review instructions
from their leaders, to go over the message they will take to the
families, and to discuss any special needs.
Home
teachers should present an important message that they have prepared or
that they bring from priesthood leaders. We strongly recommend that the
home teachers use the monthly message from the First Presidency printed
in the
Ensign and the Church’s international magazines. The head of the family may also request a special message for family members.
And,
as a vital part of that message, whenever possible, read together the
scriptures with the families you home teach. Make this a regular part of
your visit. Especially read together verses from the Book of Mormon
that will fortify your message, always remembering the words of the
Prophet Joseph, that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by [the]
precepts [of the Book of Mormon], than by any other book” (Book of
Mormon Introduction). Your families need the continual strength of the
Book of Mormon.
May
our message be like Alma instructed the teachers of his day: “He
commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things
which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy
prophets” (
Mosiah 18:19).
Carry
the right message, and then teach with the Spirit. The Spirit is the
single most important ingredient in this work. Through the Spirit, the
individuals and families you teach will know of your love and concern
for them and will also know of the truthfulness of your message and will
have a desire to follow it.
As
home teachers, live the kind of lives yourselves that will invite the
Spirit. Live the gospel so you can effectively teach it.
Alma instructs us:
“Trust
no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God,
walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. …
“Therefore [Alma] consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.
“Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness” (
Mosiah 23:14, 17–18).
Also
remember that, whenever possible, praying in the home should be a part
of every home teaching visit. As you may be called upon to pray, pray
with the Spirit, pray with real intent, and invoke the Lord’s blessings
upon the individuals and families you are teaching.
Yes,
the second fundamental to effective home teaching is to know well your
message, teach it by the Spirit, and make praying and reading the
scriptures an integral part of that message.
May I now suggest the third and final ingredient to effective home teaching—and that is to
truly magnify your calling as a home teacher.
Do
not settle for mediocrity in this great priesthood program of home
teaching. Be an excellent home teacher in every facet of the work. Be a
real shepherd of your flock. Make your home teaching visit early in the
month, allowing enough time for additional follow-up contacts as
necessary.
Whenever
possible, make a definite appointment for each visit. Let your families
know when you are coming, and respect their time.
Melchizedek
Priesthood bearers, when you have an Aaronic Priesthood young man as
your companion, train him well. Use him effectively in working with your
families and in teaching them. Have these young men feel of your love
of home teaching so that when they become senior companions they will
love their callings and magnify them as you have.
Remember,
both the quality and quantity of home teaching are essential in being
an effective home teacher. You should have quality visits, but you
should also make contact with each of your families each month. As
shepherds to all of your families, both active and less active, you
should not be content with only reaching the ninety and nine. Your goal
should be 100 percent home teaching every month.
So
that this can be quality home teaching, we urge priesthood leaders not
to assign more than three to five families or individuals to a pair of
home teachers. This may be a challenge in some cases, but we would
invite you to give prayerful consideration to these assignments.
Keeping
faithful track of each member you are called to home teach is
essential. The Book of Mormon beautifully teaches this principle. In the
sixth chapter of Moroni we read:
“And
after they had been received unto baptism, … they were numbered among
the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that
they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep
them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer,
relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the
finisher of their faith” (
Moro. 6:4).
Brethren,
may we remember all of our individuals and families and “number” them
each month and nourish them by the good word of God to keep them in the
right way.
We
call upon quorum leaders to conduct spiritual monthly home teaching
interviews, receive a report on the home teachers’ activities, evaluate
current needs, make assignments for the coming month, and teach,
strengthen, and inspire the home teachers in their sacred callings. Such
interviews with home teachers provide a setting for leaders to measure
progress and better serve the individuals and members they have been
called to serve.
May I
close by bearing you my personal testimony regarding home teaching. I
can remember, as if it were yesterday, growing up as a young boy in
Whitney, Idaho. We were a farm family, and when we boys were out working
in the field, I remember Father calling to us in a shrill voice from
the barnyard: “Tie up your teams, boys, and come on in. The ward
teachers are here.” Regardless of what we were doing, that was the
signal to assemble in the sitting room to hear the ward teachers.
These
two faithful priesthood bearers would come each month either by foot or
by horseback. We always knew they would come. I can’t remember one
miss. And we would have a great visit. They would stand behind a chair
and talk to the family. They would go around the circle and ask each
child how he or she was doing and if we were doing our duty. Sometimes
Mother and Father would prime us before the ward teachers came so we
would have the right answers. But it was an important time for us as a
family. They always had a message, and it was always a good one.
We
have refined home teaching a lot since those early days in Whitney. But
it is still basically the same. The same principles are involved:
caring, reaching out, teaching by the Spirit, leaving an important
message each month, and having a concern and love for each member of the
family.
God
bless the home teachers of this Church. You are in the front line of
defense to watch over and strengthen the individual and the family unit.
Understand the sacredness of your calling and the divine nature of your responsibility.
Know
well those you are to home teach. Know well your message, and deliver it
with the Spirit. And finally, truly magnify your calling as a home
teacher.
As
you do this, I promise you the blessings of heaven and the
indescribable joy that comes from helping to touch hearts, change lives,
and save souls. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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Lubbock Texas Announcements:
Sunday November 7th Daylight saving ends. Clocks back by one hour.
Sunday November 7th @ 8:30am Branch Welfare
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Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
11-7-10 : "To The Home Teachers Of The Church" By President Ezra Taft Benson - April 1987 -
11-14-10 : Chapter 21 Gospel Principles Manual "The Gift Of The Holy Ghost"
11-21-10 : Chapter 22 Gospel Principles Manual "The Gifts Of The Spirit"
11-28-10 : "That Our Children Might See The Face Of Our Savior" - By Cheryl C. Lant - April 2010
12-5-10 : "Only An Elder" - by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in 1974
12-12-10 : Chapter 23 Gospel Principles Manual "The Sacrament"
12-19-10 : Chapter 24 Gospel Principles Manual "The Sabbath Day"
12-26-10 : To Be Announced
