What is service?

[UtahDan]

Jay Santos' comment in the other thread that he has been so distracted by minutia that he has not had time for service, home teaching, service projects got me to thinking about what we are talking about when we say "service."

What kinds of service do you individually provide in the context of the church? What kinds of service do you feel the most proud of? What kinds of benefits do you see yourself as giving to other people? Are there any kinds of service that you feel are unique to your church membership, in other words, but for that association you would not be able to give it? I want to be clear that I'm not laying a trap.

[TripletDaddy]

I've wondered the same thing as it pertains to missionaries.

We often refer to missionary work as "service," but that seems to suggest that people want us to do that work and that most people regard it as helpful. There are probably many that view it as a nuisance, and not at all a service. Obviously it is a service to God but is teaching people about the Church truly "service" to others? I'm not saying it isn't btw. I don't know. I can see differing arguments on the matter.

Obviously, missionaries can engage in "traditional" forms of service that are more universally held as such....teaching welfare or language classes, volunteering at local places, etc.

[Portland Ute]

I honestly don't think of going to meetings, preparing lessons, missionary work, etc. as service.

In my mind, 'true service' is finding an individual or group or people that has what I believe to be a true need that they cannot fulfil and I fulfil it.

Sometimes that's as simple as companionship or conversation. Sometimes it's just asking how someone is doing. Sometimes it's rolling up the sleaves and doing some manual labor.

[SportUTE]

Non quid pro quo

In other words, generosity with no score keeping

[UtahDan]

Non quid pro quo

In other words, generosity with no score keeping

I was hoping for examples.

[il Padrino Ute]

Non quid pro quo

In other words, generosity with no score keeping

Lebowski does this by providing the rest of us with this forum.

[SoCalCoug]

My new vision for LDS missionary service:

I'd like to see a hybrid service/teaching missionary force. I'd say groups of 25-50 missionaries that cover large areas - roughly correlating to mission sizes. For instance - I served in the Illinois Chicago Mission. We had 200 missionaries, and we covered the greater Chicago area - from the Wisconsin border, not as far east as Rockford, south including Elgin, down to Kankakee, and into northwestern Indiana, out to Gary. My mission would be broken into 4-5 areas (rather than the approximately 100 that we had).

The ward and stake mission leaders would take on roles primarily as service coordinators. They would look for opportunities for either the entire area's missionaries (up to 50), or smaller groups (down to 5-10) to provide some sort of service - especially during disasters - in circumstances like the tornados in Alabama, you could mobilizes several of these areas of service missionaries on short notice.

The service missionaries, although primarily performing service, would have been trained in the MTC to turn their service opportunities into chances to invite people they come into contact with to listen to learn more about the gospel. They would then facilitate contact with the teaching missionaries. The teaching missionaries would be responsible only for teaching investigators, and not for finding people to teach. Thus, there could be many fewer teaching missionaries per mission than at present. This could also be coordinated with ward missionaries. Shoot - perhaps the teaching could even be facilitated primarily by ward missionaries.

The service missionaries would not wear current missionary attire - it's not practical. However, they would wear clothing that readily identifies them as LDS service volunteers. Bright yellow shirts or something like that.

There also would be a significant internet/media arm of the missionary department - perhaps a lot of the missionaries who have health issues which would preclude them from active physical service would be called to the media arm (I think there's something like that going on already).

There's no reason the service missionaries can't have similar mission rules, including heavy study requirements and regular classes on the scriptures and gospel principles. Maybe even do firesides and stuff like that when they get into an area to perform some service, with information regarding the meetings available from some sort of booth or "headquarters" that the service missionaries move around with them.

In less developed areas, I think the service opportunities would be incredible.

I'm not an expert on this sort of thing, but I just think the church is missing out on a great opportunity to not only share the gospel with people, but to provide service in many areas of the world. I think the current model, which is heavy on tracting and things like that, is too inefficient.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this for a while, and this is what I'd like to see the church do with the missionary program.

[myboynoah]

Jay Santos' comment in the other thread that he has been so distracted by minutia that he has not had time for service, home teaching, service projects got me to thinking about what we are talking about when we say "service."

What kinds of service do you individually provide in the context of the church? What kinds of service do you feel the most proud of? What kinds of benefits do you see yourself as giving to other people? Are there any kinds of service that you feel are unique to your church membership, in other words, but for that association you would not be able to give it? I want to be clear that I'm not laying a trap.

I think my wife and I have served in practically every calling in The Church and view all as having provided service. I have also benefited greatly from others who have given such service and would hope those I served would feel the same. I could list them to meet your need for specifics, but I'm sure you're familiar with what I'm talking about.

[myboynoah]

I honestly don't think of going to meetings, preparing lessons, missionary work, etc. as service.

In my mind, 'true service' is finding an individual or group or people that has what I believe to be a true need that they cannot fulfil and I fulfil it.

Sometimes that's as simple as companionship or conversation. Sometimes it's just asking how someone is doing. Sometimes it's rolling up the sleaves and doing some manual labor.

But what if by going to meetings, preparing lessons, missionary work you fulfill a true need that those you serve cannot fulfill?

[UtahDan]

But what if by going to meetings, preparing lessons, missionary work you fulfill a true need that those you serve cannot fulfill?

I guess maybe it is a "Sunday School" question with an obvious answer I am asking. I think when people talk about service in the church they are talking about fulfilling their role within the organization. Teaching, planning activities, etc. Home teaching and visiting teaching. That was my experience. There was also the occasion raking leaves for an old lady or some other service project, but that is probably less than 5% of what service consisted of for me. I wondered if other people had been in wards where there was more service of a non-spiritual nature.

Nothing at all wrong with it, just not what non-Mormons think of as service, I don't think. I think people cover the charity (to including giving money) and service bases in their minds through church activity. It is just interesting to note that when they do so they aren't talking about either of those things in the sense most people do. The typical Mormon's service and charitable giving is focused almost exclusively on religiously oriented things.

[myboynoah]

I guess maybe it is a "Sunday School" question with an obvious answer I am asking. I think when people talk about service in the church they are talking about fulfilling their role within the organization. Teaching, planning activities, etc. Home teaching and visiting teaching. That was my experience. There was also the occasion raking leaves for an old lady or some other service project, but that is probably less than 5% of what service consisted of for me. I wondered if other people had been in wards where there was more service of a non-spiritual nature.

Nothing at all wrong with it, just not what non-Mormons think of as service, I don't think. I think people cover the charity (to including giving money) and service bases in their minds through church activity. It is just interesting to note that when they do so they aren't talking about either of those things in the sense most people do. The typical Mormon's service and charitable giving is focused almost exclusively on religiously oriented things.

Well, if you can define for us "what non-Mormons think of as service" I'm sure we can provide examples of where Mormons provide that type of activity.

[LA Ute]

I am not sure what you are driving at but these examples spring to mind:

• Supplying labor (e.g., helping someone move, working at the stake farm)
  
• Visiting the sick, lonely or shut-in
  
• Teaching a lesson, giving a talk
  
• Attending a leadership or planning meeting where something actually gets done (ward council is service if it is done right)
  
• Visiting new members
  
• Calling someone who you know has been struggling on the phone to check in
  
• Home teaching when one is not simply going through the motions

[UtahDan]

Well, if you can define for us "what non-Mormons think of as service" I'm sure we can provide examples of where Mormons provide that type of activity.

I really don't mean it as a critique. I think when LDS people talk about service they are talking almost exclusively about serving spiritual needs as opposed to temporal needs. At least that is my working hypothesis. Trying to see if there is a good reason I should rethink that.

[UtahDan]

I am not sure what you are driving at but these examples spring to mind:

• Supplying labor (e.g., helping someone move, working at the stake farm)
  
• Visiting the sick, lonely or shut-in
  
• Teaching a lesson, giving a talk
  
• Attending a leadership or planning meeting where something actually gets done (ward council is service if it is done right)
  
• Visiting new members
  
• Calling someone who you know has been struggling on the phone to check in
  
• Home teaching when one is not simply going through the motions

When I can I expect this call?

[LA Ute]

When I can I expect this call?

Why should I serve you? You're not in my ward.