In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, every member is called to be a home or visiting teacher. Visiting fellow church members, especially less active ones, in their homes on a regular basis lets them know that they are cared about and that they have somewhere to turn if they need help.
Visiting the families or individuals on the assigned route once a month is a start, but there's much more than that to being a good visiting or home teacher. Individual home or visiting teachers can use the ideas in this article to become better stewards over their assigned families, and Relief Society and Elder's Quorum teachers can use them in lessons on effective visiting teaching and home teaching.
Good Home Teachers Make Visits Consistently
When visiting and home teachers make it a priority to come every month no matter what, the people on their route know it. A level of trust and friendship can develop when home and visiting teaching is done consistently, and it will allow a person to feel comfortable asking their home or visiting teachers for help if they ever need it.
Good Visiting Teachers Don't Wait until the End of the Month
Just because a given month has 30 days, a home or visiting teaching appointment shouldn't wait until the 29th. Often the last days of the month are particularly busy for people, and it may be a real burden for them to squeeze in an appointment with their home or visiting teachers. The purpose of the home and visiting teaching program is to help, not to be an inconvenience.
Effective Home Teachers Prepare a Message ahead of Time
Of course, the regular presence of home and visiting teachers is the most important thing. But if sharing a spiritual message is appropriate, it would be nice to have something prepared ahead of time instead of simply reading the message or skipping over that portion of the visit. They should prepare prayerfully with the needs of the assigned family in mind.
LDS Home and Visiting Teachers Should Be of Service
In every visit made or letter sent, the offer of help should be extended every time. Many people don't ask for the things they need most, so pray to know how it's possible to be of service. A single sister may need help with heavy yard work, or a lonely elderly person may just want some friendship.
Offer specific help as well as asking open-ended questions like, "Is there anything I can do?" It's also a good idea check with them after a significant event, such as a hospitalization or even a large storm in the area, just to see how they are holding up.
Best Visiting and Home Teachers Remember Dates
It's important to remember the birthdays of families on the home or visiting teaching route, plus any other significant dates like anniversaries or upcoming baby due dates. Offering to babysit so a couple can go out for their anniversary, sending a birthday card, or calling to see how things went after the first day of a new job shows that the home or visiting teacher really cares.
The home and visiting teaching program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, as President Thomas S. Monson puts it, "part of today’s plan to rescue." It can build friendships, reactivate members, and let others feel secure and loved - but only if it is done consistently and in a way that shows true interest and concern.
Other resources for Latter-day Saints include Beginning Food Storage, along with Improving Scripture Study for Latter-day Saints and Personal Progress Motivators for Young Women Leaders.
Jenny Evans - Jenny Evans is a freelance writer and editor specializing in parenting and the family. She is also the Mormonism Topic Editor for ...
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