How to Be a Member Missionary

Full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spend their days teaching about the doctrines and beliefs of the Church. Most often, they teach within the homes of people who express interest in hearing their message and discussing their religious beliefs with the missionaries.

Once you have invited the missionaries into your home, they will want to talk to you about your faith and religious beliefs and they will share theirs as well. They will invite you to read scriptures from the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon. They will invite you to pray with them, as a family and/or privately about your discussions with them. They will also invite you to read some passages of scripture between meetings.

There are a variety of ways you can invite the missionaries to come talk to your family. Here are six options available:

1. If you have a friend, family member or neighbor who is a member of the LDS Church, tell her you are interested in meeting the missionaries from her church.
2. Go to the LDS Mission Network (not an official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and look for the mission in your area. Call the mission office to tell them you are interested in meeting the missionaries.
3. If you chance to meet a missionary for the Church, invite them into your home.
4. Go to Mormon.org and click on Basic Beliefs in the top menu. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on the Request a Copy link next the picture of the Book of Mormon. When the missionaries contact you, invite them in.
5. Look up the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Yellow Pages. Look for an address closest to you and call the number listed.
6. Contact one of the writers here at LDSBlogs. We will be more than happy to help you connect with the missionaries in your area.

The missionaries will return to your home as many times as you desire to have them there. The entire purpose for full-time missionary work is to be out teaching others about the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When scheduling meetings with the missionaries, give them clear answers to your availability and they will work around your schedule. They will also come at the frequency you desire.

Simply be open with the missionaries about your needs when they visit your home. If I had a better understanding of full-time missionary work when the missionaries were teaching me about the church, I would have had them visit more often and at times that were more convenient for me.