Christ is the Reason

“And I give unto you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean; That I may testify unto your Father, and your God, and my God, that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation; that I may fulfill this promise, this great and last promise, which I have made unto you” (D&C 88:74-75)

11 Characteristics of Great Missionary Leaders

D&C 50:13-“Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question-unto what were ye ordained?” Alma 13:2- You “were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for Redemption.”

1. Leaders do not seek position/ status.

· D&C 107:99 “Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office which he is appointed, in all diligence.”

· There is a tendency to seek after positions, or even lust after them. This is perfectly natural, however King Benjamin has counseled us to put off the natural man.(see Mosiah 3:19) We all want to serve good missions, and a leadership position sometimes is equated with success and righteousness.(That is not always the case!) A successful missionary is defined by things that are not so readily apparent to the rest of the world; things like working hard and being obedient to the mission rules are things that go largely unnoticed. However those are the attributes you need to seek after, not leadership positions which are largely out of your control. Be defined by your closeness to the spirit, not your closeness to the mission home.

· Alma 29:3 Be content with the things the Lord ‘alots’ you.

· Acts 8:18-19 Simon ‘Magus’ seeks priesthood authority unrighteously. (cross-reference John 15:16 “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”)

· 2 Sam 6:6-7 (D&C 85:8) Be careful of ‘steadying the ark’. The Lord is in charge: You are always in the correct area, and you always have the companion that the Lord wants you to have, so stop wasting so much time worrying if your transferring or not. It’s in the Lord’s hands, not yours. Avoid being too anxious about transfers, as well as telling members that ‘transfers are coming up, and I’ve been here x amount of months, so…’. Members will not want to refer their friends to missionaries who have already transferred out of the area in spirit and remain in their ward in mind only. You should have the mindset that you are their to stay for the rest of your mission.

2. Leaders lead by example.
• Proverbs 4:18 “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
• D&C 64:29 “ye are agents of the Lord”, your time is not your own. If you are not busy, act like you are. Avoid letting investigators and members just see you hanging out; even if you have no other appointments. Few things are more impressive than busy, focused missionaries. Missionaries, investigators and members respond to that. (story of Takamatsu function one of my first night; no investigators or inactives.) Even if there are investigators/ inactives there, you do them a disservice by staying with them the whole night. ‘Give’ them to a ward missionary and go out and find more.
• Ether 12:30 God “workest after men have faith.” I’m not saying you have to move a mountain, but leaders do make things happen. Who wouldn’t believe you can baptize ten people by the end of the month if the Brother of Jared told you could do it?
3. Leaders serve
• Luke 22:25-27 “I am among you as he that serveth” You are literally called to serve, leaders humbly serve those whom their given responsibility over, both investigators and fellow missionaries.
• “And they spake unto him saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words unto them, then they will be thy servants for ever.” (1 Kings 12:7 Italics added. This is counsel given to Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, by the elders.)
• Alma 17:25 “Nay, but I will be thy servant.”
• Genesis 39:3-4 “…and Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him.”

4. Leaders feel their responsibility
• Jacob 1:19, 2:2-3 “taking upon us the responsibility.”
• Alma 13:27 “I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words…”
• D&C 72:3 “It is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity.”

5. Leaders follow (the Spirit, Other church leaders, Good Counsel…)
• D&C 3:4 “if he…follows his own will…he must incur the vengeance of God.”
• Enos 10 “The voice of the Lord came into my mind”
• D&C 9:8 “I will cause your bosom to burn”
• Exodus 18:17-18 “The thing that thou does is not good”. Watch out for/ listen to ‘plain speaking Jethros” (Elder Maxwell’s phrase). There is always room for growth. You can learn from a variety of sources. Be humble enough to recognize this need and learn from others.
• “As I conceive it, the genius of our Church government is government through councils…Hardly a day passes but that I see wisdom, God’s wisdom, in creating councils: to govern his Kingdom. In the spirit under which we labor, men can get together with seemingly divergent views and far different backgrounds, and under the operation of that spirit, by counseling together, they can arrive at an accord.” ( Stephen L. Richards, Conference Report Oct. 1953)

6. Leaders are prepared
• Alma 17:3 “They had given themselves to much prayer and fasting…”
• Ephesians 6:11-18 “take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
• 1 Corinthians 15:34 “Awake to righteousness”! (Faithfully do your morning study! It will make or break your mission.)

7. Leaders are focused
• 2 Nephi 2:30 “I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls.”
• D&C 30:2-3 “your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on…the ministry.”
• D&C 58:16 “[Your] mission is given unto [you] and it shall not be given [you] again.” You only get one shot at this, make sure you make the most of it.

8. Leaders are committed
• Alma 56:16, 17 “they were determined to conquer in this place or die:
• D&C 123:12-17 “we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness”
• There will be wonderful times on your mission, in fact, I’ll wager you will only remember the good when it’s over. However, there will be difficult times. Whether it is a difficult companion, area, or just a tough day, you will have those moments. Leaders never give up, do not lose faith, and stay committed to the work.
• “Whatever duty thou assignest me, sooner would I dies a thousand times than to forsake it.” (Socrates)
• At the conclusion of Zion’s Camp, the Prophet Joseph Smith said “If I should now be taken away, I have accomplished the great work the Lord has laid before me.” (History of the Church 2:124)

9. Leaders protect against disobedience
• Alma 5:59 “what Shepard is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them”?
• D&C 121:41-43 “Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love.” (Remember: betimes means quickly or right away!)

10. Leaders are grateful/humble
• Numbers 12:3 “the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (unless he actually wrote that himself J )
• “In leaders, undue impatience and a gloomy mind are almost unpardonable, and it sometimes takes almost as much courage to walk as to act. It is to be hoped, then, that the leaders of God’s people, and the people themselves, will not feel that they must have at once a solution of every question that arises to disturb the even tenor of their ways.” Joseph F. Smith Gospel Doctrine pg 156.)
• Scripture ‘few things fail to arouse the wrath of God than an ungrateful heart.
• “Be though humble”

11. Leaders are fearless
• Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be though dismayed: for the Lord they God is with thee withersoever though goest.”
• 1 Corinthians 4:10 “We are fools for Christ’s sake”
• Romans “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ”
• “One of the highest qualities of all true leadership is a high standard of courage…There has never been time in the Church when its leaders were not required to be courageous men (or women); not alone courageous in the sense that they were able to meet physical dangers, but also in the sense that they were steadfast and true to a clear and upright conviction.” (Joseph F. Smith Gospel Doctrine pg 155)