Part 3: Finding People to Teach

Segment 1: The Committment Pattern in Working with Members

Segment 2: A Finding Plan

Segment 3: Practice Finding

Segment 1: The Committment Pattern in Working with Members

The purpose of this segment is to discuss specific things that stake missionaries can do to become more effective in finding people to teach. It also discusses ways in which missionaries can use the committment pattern to help members find investigators for the full-time missionaries to teach.

From the video segment and brainstorming, discuss ways to find new investigators. Bizzle

1. Description of the commitment pattern.
a. Prepare: Prepare a person to feel the Spirit of the Lord. This can be done by building relationships of trust, helping the person feel and recognize the Spirit, presenting a clear and powerful message, and finding out how much the person understands and what their feelings are.

b. Invite: When the person feels the Spirit, ask to make a specific commitment.

c. Follow up: Help the person keep the commitment.

d. Resolve Concerns: Help the person overcome any problems with understanding or keeping the commitment.

2. How can the commitment pattern be used in finding, teaching, and fellowshipping?
The pattern in useful in helping people make and keep commitments at any point in their gospel progression. At the finding stage, people make commitments to hear the discussions. When they are being taught the gospel, they commit to do such things as read the Book of Mormon, hear the second discussion, and be baptized. While new members are being fellowshipped, they agree to do such things as continue to attend Church and prepare to attend the temple.

Segment 2: The Commitment Pattern in Finding

The purpose of this segment is to demonstrate, using the videocassette, how the commitment pattern can be used to help find new people to teach the gospel. The video segment shows stake missionaries using the commitment pattern as they help a newly baptized member find someone for the full-time missionaries to teach. Those viewing the segment are asked to notice what the missionaries do or say to prepare, invite, follow up, and resolve concerns.

The following questions are discussed after viewing the video segment:

1. How did the missionaries prepare the new member to feel the Spirit?
a. They were warm and friendly.
b. They reminded her of her feelings at her own baptism.
c. They talked of wanting to share the gospel.
d. They asked if she had thought about other people she might share the gospel with and asked which person might be most ready.
e. The explained that her peaceful feeling came from the Holy Ghost.

2. How did the missionaries invite her to ask someone to hear the discussions?
a. They invited her to ask a specific person by a specific time.

3. How did the missionaries resolve concerns?
a. They talked about how her relationships with others would probably improve if she asked them to hear the discussions.
b. The referred to a scripture.
c. The reminded her of the feelings she had from the Spirit.
d. They could have shown more empathy.

4. How did the missionaries folllow up?
a. They arranged to have her call them.

Segment 3: Practice in Finding

The purpose of this short practice session is to give missionaries experience in the four-step training method by practicing commiting a new member to invite a friend or relative to hear the discussions.

Segment 4: The Commitment Pattern in Fellowshipping

The next segment of the videocasette is an example of using the commitment pattern in fellowshipping new members. In the segment, missionaries encourage a newly baptized couple to make commitments that will help them progress as members. Participants are asked to notice wha the missionaries do or say to prepare, invite, follow up, and resolve concerns. The following questions are discussed after viewing the segment:

1. How did the missionaries prepare the family?
a. They were warm, friendly, and empathetic.
b. They bore testimony of family home evening.

2. How did the missionaries invite them to hold family home evening?
a. They asked a direct question.

3. How did the missionaries follow up?
a. They set a time to help the new members plan the family home evening.

4. How did the missionaries resolve concerns?
a. The brother showed empathy by relating how he resolved to hold family home evenings in spite of his night work.
b. They explained how feelings of inadequacy can be overcome.
c. The offered help in planning a family home evening.

5. How could the missionaries have improved?

Segment 5: Practice in Fellowshipping

The purpose of this practice session is to give missionaries experience in the four-step training method by practicing commiting a new member to attend sacrament meeting more regularly.

Stake missionaries are asked to divide into pairs and take turns being a stake missionary and a new member, then give feedback. The training session is concluded by gathering back into one group and discussing:

What was learned from the session?
How will I apply what I have learned?

Finally, an assignment is given to be completed before the next training session. Use the commitment pattern as you continue your own member missionary work. Prepare your close nonmember relative or friend to feel the Spirit, and invite him or her to take appropriate steps that will lead him or her toward conversion. For example you could invite the person to attend a family home evening or sacrament meeting; read Church literature, especially the Book of Mormon; view a Church audiovisual presentation; or hear the missionary discussions.