I Shall Begin By Quoting A Scripture...

• I shall begin by quoting a scripture that you all know very well: ¶

"Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?" (D&C 84:109.) The scriptures declaring the prime importance and necessity of the seventies' being in the missionary service are clear and to the point. I shall give you but one example: ¶

"The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the traveling high council, in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and then to the Jews." (D&C 107:34.) ¶

Stake Missionary System

However, the application of the missionary program of the Church changes as generations and conditions change. For example, we stressed the doctrine of gathering in a previous generation, so it did not matter much where converts were made, rural or urban. They gathered to Zion. Today we do not gather. Converts are encouraged to build the Church in their home districts; and so we stress proselyting in ever-widening concentric circles with the meetinghouse as a center. Where once the missionaries had no help from the ward or branch, its auxiliaries or its people, now the whole stake missionary system is organized around the wards and branches, their buildings and their people, to work within the framework of priesthood correlation. ¶

Where once members helped missionaries by giving them meals, now members are the best sources of finding people to whom the missionaries might teach the gospel. Because of the growth of the Church, we can correlate the vast missionary system with the wards and stakes and use these units to accelerate and implement our proselyting purposes. ¶

Ward Proselyting Program

There have been great changes in the organization of our units. Where once the bishop had inadequate help and felt no responsibility for missionary work, now the whole missionary program centers in the bishop and his helpers in the highly functional meetinghouse and well-organized auxiliary programs. How, then, can the proselyting purposes of the Lord be best served in our present situation, keeping in mind the special calling of the seventies? Here are some suggestions: ¶

1. Have seventies presidents serve as group leaders. The presidents of the quorums of seventy should be so selected that, as nearly as possible, they can serve as group leaders in their wards. Remember that all the missionary work in a stake is done in its wards.

Certainly the seventy presidents should direct the missionary work of their own quorum members in the wards in cooperation, of course, with the bishops. ¶

2. Implement effective methods for finding investigator families. The effort to find prospective converts usually takes up to 80 percent of a missionary's time in any mission. Fifty years ago it took from 90 to 100 percent. I as a missionary spent a hundred percent of my time finding people. The seventies in the quorum are living in the various wards and should be the backbone of the finding program in each ward. At all times each seventy and his family should be making friends with and warming up two or more families of nonmembers.

Furthermore, because of the everymember-a-missionary program of the Church, each home teacher should be urging the families under his care to find and make friends with nonmember families also. He should also teach his families the techniques to help them cultivate these nonmember families. The group leader of the seventy who is the ward missionary representative should be alert to this need in the whole ward and keep the bishop not only informed, but help him to acquaint the other ward priesthood groups with methods whereby they also can assist in this great finding program. ¶

3. Use correlation principles in quorum organization. To make missionary correlation effective in the wards of the stake, it follows that the stake mission presidency should be included among the presidents of the quorum of the seventy. It would be expected that this mission presidency would be chosen from the best available seventies or elders. If elders, they would be ordained seventies and placed in the quorum presidency. In those stakes where the nonmember population is so large that the members of the stake mission presidency would have their time fully taken with the work of proselyting, they should be excused from group leadership. The quorum presidents should then recommend group leaders from among the members of the group, and after approval of the stake presidency, should install them. These group leaders should meet with the quorum council on a regular basis to correlate the work of the quorum in all wards. ¶

4. Enlist aid of auxiliary organizations. The seventy group leader would be expected to lead out with suggestions to the ward auxiliary leaders about correlating their programs to assist in finding prospective members. These programs may also be of great help in preparing people for baptisms if they are used with wisdom. I do not have time to give an illustration of that particular point. ¶

5. Understand functions of missionary work in a stake. Missionary work is divided into three main functions: ¶

a. Finding. The objective of "every member a missionary" makes every member responsible for finding investigators and for preparing them to receive the missionary lessons. To prepare the members for this important function is the duty of the home teachers serving those members, who should, themselves, be prepared with helps and guides by the seventies group leader. ¶

b. Teaching. The stake and fulltime missionaries are responsible for teaching the gospel to those whom the finders have made ready. This centers in the presentation of the lessons with such additional or preliminary discussions as circumstances may warrant. ¶

c. Fellowshiping. This is the responsibility of the home teachers. It might be well to assign seventies to these new families to help orient them, preferably the same seventies who helped to convert them. ¶

Responsibility of Seventies

One of the great responsibilities of home teachers is to convert the nonmembers in the part-member families. ¶

These teachers should be seventies where available. With these families, the seventies can use their missionary finding techniques to good advantage. ¶

Missionary work may be done by priesthood holders other than seventies and by women, but the chief responsibility rests on the seventies. ¶

The stake president has the basic responsibility for the successful operation of the missionary work in the stake. This missionary work is administered through the stake priesthood executive committee and the stake correlation council, with the high councilor assigned to work with the seventies and the stake mission serving as adviser to the stake president on missionary matters. ¶

The bishop has the responsibility for successful operation of missionary work in the ward, including the fellowshiping of new converts. Missionary work in the ward is administered through the ward priesthood executive committee and the ward council, with the seventies group leader as adviser to the bishop on missionary matters. ¶

Missionary Correlation Meetings

In wards where full-time missionaries are working, the seventies group leader should hold a ward missionary correlation meeting. It might well be attended by all stake and full-time missionaries working in the ward area. ¶

In every ward it should be determined how many possible investigators are available to be taught, and then a program should be set up which will cause, so far as possible, an even flow of investigators for the stake and fulltime missionaries. Families who are cultivating nonmembers under the inspiration of their home teachers, and seventies who are engaged in the program for finding families, should correlate their efforts through the ward executive committee to bring this about. ¶

On the stake level, the quorum council should invite the attendance of full-time mission district and zone leaders when correlating missionary work in the stake. ¶

Do you not see, my brethren of the seventies, that when the great majority of all missionary work is devoted to finding people and persuading them to listen — and you are charged with that finding — you are for all practical purposes the stake mission. The other smaller percentage, and the very important percentage — the teaching — is yours as soon as you will qualify yourselves for that part. Some of you are now qualified. The members of the mission presidency are your leaders. ¶

Experience in Rounding-Up Cattle

Many years ago I worked for a period of time on a cow ranch, at the art of working with cattle. I was a cowpuncher. In a corral set to one side was a fine-looking, pureblood horse with a well-cared-for coat, pared hoofs, and combed mane and tail. He was the pride of the boss, who rode him when he went on fence inspection or in rodeo parades in town. There came a day, however, when there was an emergency. He had to ride after cattle, and he had to use this horse. For an hour and a half the horse led the roundup and then, all lather, sweat, and foam, gave out and could not be pushed another step. The rattail cayuses of the other punchers, hardened and toughened from daily, hard driving, easily passed the pureblood horse. ¶

The sad thing is that the pureblood had more real quality than the range horses, but by nonuse was soft muscled and had no endurance. Had he been used, learned to dodge gopher holes, rushed pell-mell downhill, over and through brush, been skinned and bumped, fallen down, gotten up, been toughened by adversity and some failures, he would have outworked and outdistanced the other horses. ¶

The moral is clear, I suppose. Don't leave your cow horses in the corral or hitch them to wagons doing other things if you want them to find and round up the cattle. ¶

I testify that the Lord has spoken in this day and has given us the precious charge of preaching the gospel to the world under the direction of the First Presidency and the Twelve. I sustain them with all my heart, and the First Council sustains them with all its heart. I bear my witness that President Joseph Fielding Smith is the chosen successor to President McKay, and that his counselors are also called of God. ¶

They have not only my support, but also they have my deep and abiding love. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶