The Purpose of Visiting Teaching Is to Minister
How do we minister?
- Pray daily for [the sister you visit] and her family.
- Seek inspiration to know her and her family.
- Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.
- Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness.
- Greet her at Church meetings.
- Help her when she has an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.
- Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the visiting teaching messages.
- Inspire her by setting a good example.
“The purpose of ministering is to help others become true followers of Jesus Christ. Ministering to others includes:
- Remembering their names and becoming acquainted with them (see Moroni 6:4).
- Loving them without judging them (see John 13:34–35).
- Watching over them and strengthening their faith 'one by one,' as the Savior did (3 Nephi 11:15; 17:21).
- Establishing sincere friendship with them and visiting them in their homes and elsewhere (see D&C 20:47)” (Handbook 2,3.2.3).
We will know we are successful in our ministry as visiting teachers when the sisters we visit can say:
- My visiting teacher helps me grow spiritually.
- I know that my visiting teacher cares deeply about me and my family.
- If I have problems, I know my visiting teacher will take action without waiting to be invited.
As we do these things, we are accomplishing the purposes of Relief Society to:
- Increase faith and personal righteousness.
“Visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith, and give service. They seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit. …
“When appropriate, visiting teachers share a gospel message. These messages may be from the monthly visiting teaching message … and the scriptures” (Handbook 2, 9.5.1).
"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” (Moroni 6:4).
- Strengthen families and homes.
“Strengthening families is the focus of inspired Church programs such as home teaching (see D&C 20:47, 51), visiting teaching, and family home evening. As in all things, Jesus set the example of entering homes to minister, teach, and bless” (Handbook 2, 1.4.1).
“Many members do not have faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders in their homes. Church leaders should give special attention to loving and supporting these members through inspired, watchful care, including home teaching and visiting teaching” (Handbook 2, 2.3).
- Help those in need.
“Assistance with spiritual and temporal welfare often begins with home teachers and visiting teachers. In a spirit of kindness and friendship that goes beyond monthly visits, home teachers and visiting teachers help individuals and families in need. They report the needs of those they serve to their priesthood leaders or Relief Society leaders” (Handbook 2, 6.2.4).
“[The Lord’s storehouse] includes Church members’ offerings of time, talents, compassion, materials, and financial means that are made available to the bishop to help care for the poor and needy. The Lord’s storehouse, then, exists in each ward” (Handbook 2, 6.1.3).
President Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church, said of an experience, “Never before had I seen so clearly exemplified the utility and beauty of this grand organization as in the example we here witnessed, and I thought what a gracious thing it was that the Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to establish such an organization in the Church.”
