Let me review the four-step instructions we have received regarding member-missionary work: 1. Identify prayerfully your friends and neighbors who would be the most receptive to the gospel message. 2. Introduce the identified individuals to the missionaries. 3. Involve yourself in the teaching of the gospel, preferably in your home. 4. Integrate your friends and any other new members into the Church by being attentive and helpful. Through this simple, compact process we can increase the number of converts, and, more importantly, we can help the new converts achieve full fellowship. Increased member involvement is the only way to increase our current conversion rate. We have heard all of this many times. Why dont we do better in providing referrals? It is not laziness, because Latter-day Saints are not lazy people. I believe that the fear of rejection or the fear of hurting a friendship are the more common restraints to sharing the gospel. But are these fears valid? When you extend to a friend an invitation to meet with the missionaries, you are offering to share something that is most valuable and cherished. Is that offensive? Sister Oaks and I have not found this to be the case. In fact, we have found that when we offer to share the gospel, friendships are strengthened, even though the friends may not embrace the gospel message.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 23:00:00 +0000