General Teaching Principles

If missionaries could really convey the gospel message, "at least twice as many people would come into the Church..."I hope this improvement will continue until we learn to really speak to the world."  President Gordon B. Hinckley, New Mission Presidents' Seminar, LDS Church News, Saturday, July 4, 1998

"In teaching there are three ever-present factors: first, what the teacher is; secondly, what the teacher says; and thirdly, what the teacher does.  The least important of these is what the teacher says; the other two are most vital in child training.  It is worse folly for a teacher to attempt to teach something which he himself does not believe.  There is a sixth sense in most of us, and particularly in children and youth, which instinctively detects the inconsistency between pretension as expressed in words and reality as it exists in thought and feeling.  A dishonest teacher cannot effectively teach honesty, nor an athiest teach belief in God, nor an immoral one teach purity of life.  True teaching springs from the heart, not from vocal chords."  David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, p. 54

President Faust said that we must teach the following absolutes:  "First, that Jesus is Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind through the Atonement. Second, that Joseph Smith was the Prophet who restored the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness and completeness. Third, the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Christ. Fourth, that all the presidents of the Church since Joseph Smith have been successors to the keys of the authority that Joseph Smith restored. Fifth, President Gordon B. Hinckley is the prophet, seer and revelator to the world at this time."  President James E. Faust, LDS Church News, Saturday, June 26, 1999

"We have never found, and I think we never shall find, an adequate substitute for the situation in which two wholesome young men meet with a family, reason with them, teach them, testify to them, and pray with them. We shall always need missionaries."  Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1959 General Conference

"No greater responsibility can rest upon a man, than to be a teacher of God's children." David O. McKay, LDS General Conference, October 1916

"The teacher who knows her facts wins, the confidence and respect of her pupils."  David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, p. 55

"Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 4:12.)

"Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave."  Henry Peter Broughan

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. " Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"If names are not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language is not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success....Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately....What the superior man requires, is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."  Confucius

"Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as nothing happened."  Winston Churchill

"Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind." Plato, The Republic. Book VII. 536

Teaching lays the foundation for how investigators will act as members.
- One should always decide whether the investigators are prepared for the discussion before it is given.  Discussions should only be given when investigators are genuinely ready for them, not to boost proselyting numbers or fill one's schedule.  If one chooses not to give a discussion, a short lesson or 5-15 minute follow up is usually appropriate.
- 60-90 minutes should be adequate for a discussion in almost all cases.  There is rarely any good reason for spending over 2 hours on a discussion.  The Russia Samara mission has had considerable success with shorter discussions, all under 1 hour.
- Two brief, directed visits are better than one long visit.
- Follow-ups and member visits should be shorter.
- 30 minutes for member visits – never longer than 1 hour.
- It is always better to understay one's welcome than to overstay it.
- "Don't let the Holy Ghost leave before you do."
- Always commit
- Never leave without getting a commitment.
- 30 minute follow-up on reading after first discussion
- Commit investigators to attend church the first week and to read and pray to find out that the Book of Mormon is true.
- Live worthy of and pray for the spirit before each visit.
- If one does not have the spirit, the Lord commands us not to teach (D&C 42:14).  It is far more honorable to reschedule an appointment than to teach without the spirit.

Missionaries must place the responsibility on their investigators

Missionaries should make it clear that the responsibility rests on the people they are teaching.  Missionaries should not tell an investigator something like "we can't come to see you any more -- you aren't worth our time;" instead, the missionary could say "Will you keep reading?  "We really want to teach you so please come see us at church and we will continue to teach you about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  Missionaries should make sure that they write down the time, place, and phone number of the meeting house for the investigator.  If missionaries aren't sure if someone is interested, they should invite him or her to church and wait for them to come.

Emphasize Church Attendance

If a person isn't willing to come to church, he or she is probably not very serious about the Gospel.  Joseph Smith tracts (and even first and sometimes third discussion handouts) are good screening tools -- give them to a person, and call or check back in a couple of days to find out what they think. It is helpful to always write the church address on the inside or back cover.

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