President David O. McKay said, “Every member a missionary,” President Spencer W. Kimball told us to “Lengthen our stride,” and President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “as members we can assist them {the missionaries} in finding and teaching investigators.” But what if you don’t know how to teach the gospel? What if you’ve never been on full time mission? What if you’re afraid to approach your neighbor about the teachings of the Church? Surely the messages from the prophets weren’t meant for me, you think.
As much as we might like to avoid it, every member of the Church has been called on a lifelong mission—to warn our neighbor and to strengthen our own testimonies by sharing them with others. For some of us, the mission field is no farther away than our own backyard. We have been called to forewarn those in our neighborhood, community, or even within our own families—those people we already love.
But how do we approach gospel subjects without appearing too preachy? How do we bring up the subject of attending church without seeming too pushy? Here are a few things I’ve done that have been successful at bringing others into a better understanding of the Church, and sometimes into full membership as well.
Speak about the Church as a natural part of your life. Tell your neighbors about the activities you attend, lessons you heard, and the gospel truths you’ve learned. Don’t try to preach to them about why your message is right when you share these things. Let people see the gospel light that will shine through you as you talk naturally about those principles that are important in your life.
Tell them about your family history research. Everyone has someone interesting in their ancestry, even if it’s just great-grandma whose recipe you use when making homemade jam. Invite them to the local family history center, show them how to use familysearch.org, ask them to volunteer time to aid in the online indexing program.
Look for common interests. There are so many things about the Church that we have in common with those not of the LDS faith. Let these work for you in introducing the gospel. Discuss your family. Share music that is both sacred and popular in the Mormon culture. Have you read an interesting book—maybe an LDS novel or one that demonstrates the values you hold? Share it with your non-LDS friends. Talk about gardening, food storage, or emergency preparedness. Anything that opens a door to a gospel-centered topic, yet also lets the neighbor know more about you.
Validate your neighbor in his or her own religious beliefs. Show respect for what they believe to be true. Show a natural, honest curiosity and attempt to understand what they feel and understand. Tell them how wonderful it is that they participate in their own church activities. A negative attitude about another’s convictions will not serve to show them the knowledge you have or help in the conversion process. More people are converted through love and understanding than will ever be through telling someone they are wrong, especially in something as personal and sacred to them as their own religious beliefs.
Invite them, without pressure, to appropriate events. There is so much happening today in the Church with humanitarian aid. Perhaps you have a neighbor or relative who could share a talent which would help with this cause. Maybe they want to learn a skill being taught in an upcoming Relief Society homemaking evening. Take them to a musical fireside or to a ward party. Let them meet other members of the Church on a more neutral ground than in the chapel on a Sunday.
Be creative. If you listen to the Spirit, ideas will come to you. Don’t reject this inspiration because of your own fears. Few people will turn against you if you share your feelings about the Church in an attitude of love. If you keep a prayer in your heart, more ideas will flow to you as the proper situation arrives.
Remain sincere in the things you say, and always be their friend, no matter what your non-member friends may decide. Not every person you meet who is a non-member will immediately convert to the Church, but that shouldn’t change your attitude and interest in them. Continue to be their friend. Learn as much from them as you hope they learn from you.
Remember, when it comes to sharing the gospel, we are reminded in the Doctrine and Covenants, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”
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