Service in the church

 Service in the church

Most young people are accustomed to equating missionary service with proselytizing. 

Let me illustrate by an experience. My brother Martell had a grandson who was not physically qualified to serve a proselyting mission. He had congenital heart disease and was operated on and went into cardiac arrest on the table when he was about 4 years old. Because of his postoperative condition he was ill suited to serve a standard mission. My brother asked me about it and I told him that there were a number of handicapped young men who were serving in the family history library. They would help people and work in the archives and microfilm services. A couple of these young men were in wheelchairs. At that time this was a mission that was not part of the missionary department. The application went directly to that mission president. It now goes through the missionary committee.

All young missionaries now go through the missionary committee. They are screened by medical and psychiatric specialists and then by a committee of staff at the Missionay department who make recommendations to the assignment committee consisting of a member of the council of the twelve and other general authorities. They make the assignments for all the young service missionaries and all the proselyting missionaries and all those that go to the family history library.

This is different than when I was called on my mission in 1954 for 36 months. There was no screening. The application was filled out with a recommendation by my father who was the branch president and the mission president. I was then interviewed by a general authority. In my case it was Carl W. Buehner who was a counselor in the presiding bishopric.

On our two couples missions 1997-2000 and 2001-2003 we were recruited by the head of the missionary medical committee for the first mission and the area presidency for our second mission. We just filled out the paperwork and got the call from the church president. 

My fourth mission came as a service missionary after I had been a volunteer in the Missionay department for 17 years. It was a 2 year assignment that ended in August 2023. I did not fill out any paperwork and didn’t have any priesthood interviews. I was set apart by a counselor in the bishopric If I look at my record on Tools I am still listed as a service missionary even though I have been released. I lived at home and only worked on Tuesday after noon. My wife was not with me on this mission. Because of Covid the last half of this mission did not require me to go to the church office building. I just sat at my computer in our office at home.

We serve where and when we are called. Most members of the church think that there is a rank in the church. Members feel that if you are called to be a bishop that you are more important than if you were called to be a counselor or a clerk and that you have a higher approval rating in the eyes of the Lord. A deacon passing the sacrament is no less serviceable to the Lord as well as is the teacher in the nursery.

The Lord needs servants in all the positions in the church.

You may not know the following, because I have not made this known, but I think this is appropriate to share at this time. 

Different stake presidents have recommended me to the first presidency to serve as; 

1. Mission President
2. Temple president. 

They were thinking that I ought to know, but that was not in accordance with church policy. I did not sit around waiting for the call.

I was not disappointed when I was not called. The Lord used my talents and abilities in the place where I was needed and that I really enjoyed, missionary medical. The Lord knows who and where he needs our talents. If those in leadership positions rely on inspiration we will be just as important as any of the Lord's chosen servants.

I have written about my experiences in another blog.

 https://wyomingdoc.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-supposed-calling-envy.html

We have 7 church service missionaries in our stake. 

If you have concerns about serving a mission, talk to your bishop.