It used to be, up until a year ago, that the Church had a three-fold mission. The additional fourth element is proof that the Church is not stagnant or monolithic, but a resilient and adaptable organization in an ever-changing world. I am quoting from The Church News below:
1.
Missionary work
An invitation to "come unto Christ" is the mission of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"
Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto
whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from
you into all the world unto every creature" (Doctrine and Covenants
84:62).
"The joys and blessings of serving a full-time mission are so personally
sacred, they are hard to express adequately. Thirty-five years after I
served my first mission, I received a letter from a family whom I had
taught but did not baptize. The letter shared that their family of four
little children whom I once knew now consisted of four temple marriages,
three full-time missionaries, three bishops, a Relief Society president,
and a dozen grandchildren maturing and developing in the gospel. You can
well imagine the thrill and joy I received knowing that I had helped to
find them and to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ." — Elder Earl C.
Tingey, April 1998 General Conference.
Shortly after the Church was organized in April 1830, the first formal
missionary activity began. A brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Samuel
H. Smith, traveled through neighboring towns in New York with copies of the
newly published Book of Mormon.
Today there are over 52,000 missionaries serving in 348 missions (reported
as of December 2007).
Each mission is an ecclesiastical unit of the Church in a designated
geographic area and is presided over by a mission president who serves
full-time for three years. Each missionary serves for up to two years.
This service is voluntary with missionaries and their families generally
pay the costs of serving.
Missionaries use the scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and
Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) to teach persons interested in the Church.
Missionaries also use a Church publication, "
Preach my Gospel" to guide their efforts.
Preparation for missionary service begins in the home as children are
taught and begin living basic principles and doctrines of the Church.
Unmarried men, ages 19-25, and unmarried women, ages 21-39, may be called
to serve missions of 18 or 24 months. Older members and married couples
often serve missions of 12 or 18 months.
Once assigned to a mission, a missionary receives on-the-job instruction
from a senior companion or other mission leaders. A missionary's daily
endeavor includes studying scriptures, seeking and teaching those
interested in the Church and providing service to others.
People interested in the Church are encouraged to read and study the gospel
and to pray concerning the messages they receive from missionaries. They
are also encouraged to attend Church meetings and begin living the
principles of the gospel prior to being baptized and confirmed as members
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"
Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come
forth among the children of men.
"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of
God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength,
that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
"Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye
are called to the work;
"For behold the field is white already to
harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same
layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his
soul;
"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye
single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work." — Doctrine
and Covenants 4:1-5
I can never forget the experiences I had in my mission. This work is divine and true. If people will forget their prejudices and after reading and pondering the Book of Mormon Will ask God if it true, and ask with a sincere heart, they will have their answer from God.
2.
Perfecting the Saints
The
Church of Jesus Christ was established in the meridian of time and
reestablished in this dispensation for two great purposes: first, to
proclaim the truth concerning man’s salvation to all the world, and
second, to perfect those who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To
accomplish the first objective—to take the gospel to every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is engaged in a worldwide missionary effort, with approximately
150 missions and 25,000 full-time missionaries. With additional
thousands of stake and district missionaries, and with the “every member
a missionary” program becoming more effective, the Church is growing at
an accelerated rate.
With
reference to the perfecting of the Saints, the Savior has asked us to
become perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. (See Matt 5:48)
In modern revelation we are told that we “are not able to abide the
presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore,
continue in patience until ye are perfected." (D&C 67:13).
To
accomplish the second objective, the perfecting of the Saints, The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides opportunities for
all members to become involved in many different kinds of activities
that develop them mentally, morally, physically, and spiritually in the
perfection process.
A high percentage of the members of the Church are active in the perfection process and are being blessed in many ways.
3.
Redeeming our Ancestors
Not everyone born into this world had a chance to be baptized by someone holding the Legitimate Authority (Priesthood Authority). Since baptism is an essential ordinance in achieving salvation, it is possible to baptize by proxy those who have gone before us. This is done in
Temples.
For members of the Church, the temple is a central focus of worship
where members participate in sacred ordinances and solemn covenants are
made in the name of Jesus Christ. Members attending the temple are taught
the organizing principles of the universe. According to LDS authors, the
temple is a model, a presentation in figurative terms, of the pattern and
journey of life on earth.
Within each temple, special areas are designated for specific
ordinances such as baptisms for ancestors, washing and anointing, receiving
one's endowment, and where temple marriages and sealings are solemnized for
the living, and vicariously for our ancestors.
Once a temple is dedicated, entrance is restricted to members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who present a temple recommend
(issued by their local Church leaders) for entrance. Members do not
discuss details about temple ceremonies outside of the temple as these
ordinances are considered sacred. Temples are not open on Sunday as the
Sabbath Day is reserved for worshipping the Lord in local meetinghouses or
in homes.
"There are many reasons one should want to come to the temple. Even its
external appearance seems to hint of its deeply spiritual purposes. This is
much more evident within its walls. Over the door to the temple appears the
tribute "Holiness to the Lord." When you enter any dedicated temple, you
are in the house of the Lord.
In the temples, members of the Church who make themselves eligible can
participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances that have been
revealed to mankind. There, in a sacred ceremony, an individual may be
washed and anointed and instructed and endowed and sealed. And when we have
received these blessings for ourselves, we may officiate for those who have
died without having had the same opportunity. In the temples sacred
ordinances are performed for the living and for the dead alike." ("
The Holy Temple", President Boyd K. Packer,
Complete Article At lds.org).
And finally the fourth mission of the Church which was recently added to the list is
Humanitarian Work. Increasingly, the Church is involved in sending relief to disaster-stricken areas around the world.
Emergency Response is the part of the LDS Church’s
humanitarian efforts of which most people are aware. Funds and supplies
in this area are used to help victims of natural disasters such as
earthquakes, floods, droughts, tornadoes, and hurricanes, as well as
other disasters such as wars or political unrest. Supplies in this area
are gathered and stored before a crisis so supplies can be sent
literally within hours of an emergency. Volunteers are also on call so
if they are needed they can be reached and organized within a few hours.
The LDS Church is renowned for its ability to organize its members in
various regions of the world to respond to emergency and facilitate
distributing goods immediately after a crisis, often before aid programs
such as the
Red Cross or the
Salvation Army come to assist. In 2008, the LDS Church responded to 124 disasters in 48 countries.
Wheelchair Distribution is another program of the LDS Church
crucial to helping those in need. Studies estimate that only one percent
of the disabled in the world have wheelchairs. For the rest, being
without a wheelchair means for adults that they can not provide for
themselves or their families, and for children it often means not being
able to attend school. By providing wheelchairs to those in need, the
LDS Church hopes to help people become more self-reliant which is an
important tenant of LDS beliefs.
The Clean Water Service provides clean water and wells to
people who otherwise would most likely contract deadly diseases because
of the dirty water. It is estimated that one billion people lack clean
water. The clean water program is designed to partner with local
community agencies to provide sustainable clean water.
The Neonatal Resuscitation program sends doctors and
volunteers to areas where infant mortality rate is high. They are able
to teach people in the area how to resuscitate newborns as well as
provide simple medical equipment. This service is greatly needed as it
is estimated that nearly 1 million newborns die each year due to birth
difficulties. Up to 10% of newborns have breathing difficulties.
The Vision Treatment Training program teaches facilities and
medical personnel in developing countries how to treat preventable or
reversible blindness. There are 37 million people in the world who are
blind, and up to 75 % of blindness is treatable. The vision care program
works with local vision health care centers to help treat and prevent
blindness for the poor.
In addition to these efforts, the LDS Church also has over 300 job
development and placement centers around the world. In 2001, the LDS
Church began the
Perpetual Education Fund which provides money to cover tuition and other school expenses to
people in developing nations. As of 2007, tens of thousands of
individuals had been given assistance. So far this program has operated
primarily in South America and Oceana. The LDS Church has also begun
producing a nutrition-rich porridge named ATMIT to help during acute famines. The LDS Church Welfare program owns
farms, ranches, canneries, and other food producing facilities to
provide temporary food relief for families and individuals. LDS
Humanitarian Services frequently works with other charities and NGOs such as the Red Cross, Catholic charities and even various Islamic charities for which the LDS Church has produced Halaal food.
The Church is also committed to teaching its members the principles of
Provident Living and Self-Reliance. Spirituality is just as much a matter of self-dignity from being able to care for one's own current and unexpected future needs as it is about worshiping God on Sunday or serving our fellow-men. In fact, it is safe to say, that without self-dignity the task of assisting others and worshiping God becomes much more difficult.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the
hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked,
and visit the sick and those in prison (see Matthew 25:35–36).
The Church sponsors humanitarian relief and development projects around the
world that benefit those of other faiths. These projects include emergency
relief assistance in times of disaster and programs that strengthen the
self-reliance of individuals, families, and communities.
Hundreds of full-time Church volunteers with skills and experience in
education, agriculture, social work, business, and medicine serve
throughout the world as part of these humanitarian projects.
The Church conducts humanitarian activities worldwide. From 1985 to 2007
Humanitarian Services provided more than $1.01 billion in total assistance
to needy individuals in 165 countries.
I would propose that the Church has even a 5th mission, which would be simply to
Inspire through the music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The choir is currently seeking new members to join it. Here is the official
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