No Home Teaching = No Temple Recommend

[Jeff Lebowski]

I almost asked "When did home-teaching begin," at which point some smartass (probably donuthole) would point out that it began in Genesis 18 when Abraham welcomed the three messengers into his tent.

So, I re-phrase:

When did home-teaching begin as a correlated church-wide program?

Is it a relic from pioneer times when everyone in the small towns knew one another, or did it develop later?

It seems like home-teaching (and the women's equivalent) could benefit from some type of streamlined and updated approach.

I believe that (along with correlation) it was started by Harold B. Lee.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My experience is in between. Our bishop seems to have the feeling that the majority of HT assignments don't matter too much, as active people home taught by active people are all going to do a decent job of staying on top of it and even if they dont the active people are probably going to have their own support network in the ward already. But for new members or marginalized members or families with real needs or identified needs, the HT and VT assignments are all discussed in PEC and quite a bit of care is taken in reviewing them, changing them where appropriate or necessary and following up.

Sounds like you have a wise bishop. Good for him.

[Pheidippides]

I almost asked "When did home-teaching begin," at which point some smartass (probably donuthole) would point out that it began in Genesis 18 when Abraham welcomed the three messengers into his tent.

So, I re-phrase:

When did home-teaching begin as a correlated church-wide program?

Is it a relic from pioneer times when everyone in the small towns knew one another, or did it develop later?

It seems like home-teaching (and the women's equivalent) could benefit from some type of streamlined and updated approach.

Here's what I think the church should do with HT: take the Ensign and burn it. Drop the lesson bit. Take the concept of month visits and trash them too. Instead, have a monthly reporting cycle where the EQ calls the HT and asks about the families. How is X doing? What about Y's illness? Are there any needs at Z's house? And also make it clear that they need not wait if there are needs.

In other words, make this about the goal and results and not the process. This is the way it seems many are going anyway.

[Pheidippides]

I believe that (along with correlation) it was started by Harold B. Lee.

Not entirely true. It existed much earlier than that as matter of watching over fellow members. I will try to find the source. But the current inception was that era and directly related to correlation.

[creekster]

I believe that (along with correlation) it was started by Harold B. Lee.

When I was young I recall we had 'ward teachers.' They were not called home teachers and I have no idea how the program ran. This was a long time ago (40+ years).

[Solon]

When I was young I recall we had 'ward teachers.' They were not called home teachers and I have no idea how the program ran. This was a long time ago (40+ years).

Good point. Now that you mention it, I remember flipping through Ward Teachers' Messages in old copies of the Improvement Era in the basement of Sam Weller's.

Were Ward Teachers the same as Home Teachers?

[creekster]

Were Ward Teachers the same as Home Teachers?

They seemed like the same sort of thing from my POV.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Here's what I think the church should do with HT: take the Ensign and burn it. Drop the lesson bit. Take the concept of month visits and trash them too. Instead, have a monthly reporting cycle where the EQ calls the HT and asks about the families. How is X doing? What about Y's illness? Are there any needs at Z's house? And also make it clear that they need not wait if there are needs.

In other words, make this about the goal and results and not the process. This is the way it seems many are going anyway.

Yes!

Also, stop doing both VT and HT. Combine them into a single program. Let husbands and wives work together.

[pelagius]

They seemed like the same sort of thing from my POV.

Yep, that my understanding as well. The ward teachers visited monthly and their vists included standardized messages (but I don't remember on what level the messages where standardized). I believe this program originated in the 1910-1920s. I think a few wards/stakes in Utah started the program and success led to church wide adoption.

[creekster]

Yep, that my understanding as well. The ward teachers visited monthly and their vists included standardized messages (but I don't remember on what level the messages where standardized). I believe this program originated in the 1910-1920s. I think a few wards/stakes in Utah started the program and success led to church wide adoption.

This thread is making me feel old. You and Solon are talking about historical things you have read about while I am talking about things I remember from my experience and we are all talking about the same things.

[pelagius]

This thread is making me feel old. You and Solon are talking about historical things you have read about while I am talking about things I remember from my experience and we are all talking about the same things.

I think ward teachers ended in early 1960s. Are we talking about a memory from when you were 2?

[Jeff Lebowski]

From 1963 GC:

Conference Report, April 1963 - Harold B. Lee wrote:Chart #6. Here now we will show you the introduction of what we are calling the priesthood Home Teaching program. This is a program which we are going to study now in great detail as we come out to your stake conferences, so I shall only speak in headlines here tonight. To you who are listening, at the top of the page we say "Priesthood Correlation." It is a Home Teaching organization chart.

This new program is to be introduced and taught during the last two quarters of 1963 and will be inaugurated in full scale, January 1, 1964. This phase of the work is known as "Home Teaching." This designation was made after prayerful discussion by the Coordinating Council and by the First Presidency and the Twelve to emphasize an enlargement of the scope of responsibility previously in what we have called "Ward Teaching." Emphasis on the responsibilities of the entire priesthood to "watch over the Church" as commanded in the early revelations -- to be concerned with the whole family as a group and as individuals.

In each stake there will be set up a Home Teaching committee as you will see at the top of the chart which will consist of the stake presidency, the general secretary for Home Teaching who will be one of the high councilmen who is also a member of the stake Melchizedek Priesthood committee, and an assistant stake clerk for Home Teaching.

Under the supervision of the stake Home Teaching committee, as the chart shows, in each ward there will be a ward Home Teaching committee, consisting of the ward bishopric, an assistant ward clerk for ward teaching, and a high priest's group leader, the seventy's president or group leader, and the elder's president. Now this will constitute the core of those who now will go out to "watch over the Church." Priesthood group leaders will confer with the bishop, and the bishop will in turn determine who shall be assigned to work with certain families. These Home Teachers will then report back to their priesthood group leader or president, who in turn, will report to the bishop.

[Mormon Red Death]

Good point. Now that you mention it, I remember flipping through Ward Teachers' Messages in old copies of the Improvement Era in the basement of Sam Weller's.

Were Ward Teachers the same as Home Teachers?

Who is Sam Weller? Why would he have old copies of the Improvement era?

[creekster]

I think ward teachers ended in early 1960s. Are we talking about a memory from when you were 2?

Maybe I was precocious, you ever think about that?

More like three or four. Or maybe my family rebelled by continuing to call them ward teachers in defiance of the new HT committee program.

[BigPiney]

Yes!

Also, stop doing both VT and HT. Combine them into a single program. Let husbands and wives work together.

We do that in many cases in my ward.