Home teaching

For secular education in the home, see homeschooling.

Home teaching (formerly called block teaching and ward teaching)[1] is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Home teaching is a church program designed to allow families to be taught in their own homes, in addition to weekly church services. Typically, two holders of the priesthood, of whom at least one must be an adult, visit the home of some assigned families at least once a month.[2] Home teaching is organized at the ward level.

History

Home teaching was introduced to the church by Harold B. Lee as part of the priesthood correlation effort. The program took effect on Jan. 1st 1964, replacing the ward teachers that had previously had similar responsibilities.[3]

The mandate of the correlation committee was to simplify the curriculum of the church but Lee used it to implement wider changes. Just three days before Lee made his general conference address announcing the home teaching program, Henry D. Moyle objected to the change during a first presidency meeting on the grounds that the correlation committee was overstepping its bounds and taking responsibility away from the presiding bishop who supervised the ward teaching program. Even though President McKay probably agreed with Moyle on this issue, he did not intercede to stop Lee.[4]

In May of 1963, a home teaching committee was formed with the purpose of visiting stakes and promoting the home teaching program. The committee was chaired by Marion G. Romney. Thomas S. Monson was asked to be a member of the committee five months before his call as an apostle.[5]

Assignments and responsibilities

The elders and high priests quorum leadership have the responsibility of assigning home teaching companionships and the families assigned to those companionship.[6] All assignments are approved by the bishop or branch president.[6]

A companionship usually consists of two priesthood holders.[6] In special situations, a companionship may consist of a Melchizedek priesthood holder and his wife.[6] Generally, members of the elders quorum are assigned as companions with other elders quorum members and high priests are assigned with other high priests. Additionally, members of the teachers and priests quorums are assigned as home teachers with either an elder or high priest companion.[6] There may also be situations where a high priest is a companion with an elder.

The bishop assigns every member household in his congregation to either the elders quorum or high priest quorum.[6] The leadership of the respective quorums assign companionships to home teach these households assigned to their quorums.[6] The number of households assigned to a companionship may vary. Companionships are responsible for visiting each of their assigned families at least once per month.[6] Home teachers are instructed to share a lesson or spiritual thought, usually taken from the First Presidency message in the Ensign or Liahona magazines.[6] Home teachers are also instructed to consult with the heads of the household about spiritual and temporal needs of the household.[6] Home teachers report on their visits to the quorum leaders that assigned them.[6] Visits usually include collective prayer.[6]

With the approval of a mission president, full-time missionaries of the LDS Church may assist church members with home teaching visits.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boss, R. Wayne (1992). "Home Teaching". In Daniel H. Ludlow. Encyclopedia of Mormonism 2. New York: Macmillan. pp. 654–55.
  2. ↑ "Gospel Topics: Home Teaching", lds.org.
  3. ↑ Lee, Harold (April 1963). The Correlation Program. Conference Report. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Prince, Gregory; Wright, William (2005). "David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism.
  5. ↑ Toone, Trent (29 September 2014). "The legacy of home and visiting teaching". Deseret News. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Home Teaching", Handbook 2: Administering the Church (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2010) § 7.4.

Further reading

External links


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