Here are some areas our ward council invites you to consider in your ministering:
- Do those you minister to attend sacrament meeting regularly?
- Have you invited them to attend? Have you asked them what keeps them from attending? Do they have questions about doctrine or the Church that you could discuss? Remember, as you minister you are on the Lord’s errand and can have the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help you minister in love.
- Do those you minister to have temporal needs?
- Would a Self-Reliance class be helpful to them? Could you attend a class with them?
- Our Stake regularly organizes groups for these classes; if you would be interested in attending, or know someone who would be interested, please let the Relief Society President or Elders Quorum President know. The class is once a week for 12 weeks. They cover one of the following topics: Starting and Growing a Business; Personal Finances; Finding a Job; Education for Better Work.
- For more information about the classes go to: Self-Reliance Service, then select Manuals and Videos from the Menu on the left.
- Are you struggling with how to approach and converse with a family you don’t know well?
- Invite them to one of our ward’s activities. You can also invite each family member to specific activities held by the Elders Quorum, Relief Society, Young Men & Women, and Primary. This is an easy way to strike up a conversation and start fellowshiping your minister families.
- Do you know which ordinance the members of your ministering families need next?
- Is there a child approaching baptism age, a young man approaching priesthood advancement, or a individual or couple who still need to make covenants and receive ordinances in the temple?
- Ministering brothers and sisters can be a great source of encouragement and support for families preparing for their next saving ordinance. Partaking of the sacrament each week is also an ordinance you can invite and encourage your families to participate in.
- Are there specific challenges (health, employment, family relations, etc.) that your families are experiencing?
- You can provide a listening ear and supportive presence to those you minister to. Offer to fast and pray for your families and ask if they would be comfortable having the ward members fast and pray for them as well. Use the spirit of revelation (which you are entitled to as you fulfill your calling as a minister and seek the Lord’s guidance) to notice and assist with needs.
- Many people are very private and may not be willing to share personal information. If this is the case with your families, continue to show concern and love for them and as your relationship grows so will their trust in sharing these challenges with you.
