Convert baptism program template

My husband was recently called to serve as Ward mission leader and next weekend will be the first convert baptisms since he was called. In our Ward, the full-time missionaries work with the convert to come up with suggestions for the baptismal program and the final program is planned by the Bishop. Then, the Ward mission leader (or his wife!) prints up the programs. Since this is his first time being responsible for printing the program, I searched online for a template that we could use to make the set-up easier. I could have made my own template to use, but I knew that would take me a while.

I wasn't able to find a convert baptism program template anywhere, but I did find a baptism program that was created for use at a child of record baptism, which is easily adapted by making a few changes (for example, I deleted the part about the 'Welcome from the Primary' and added a section for a presentation by the full-time missionaries that we normally have while the convert is changing clothes).

Here is the template I used:

Click here for BAPTISM PROGRAM TEMPLATE ON "MORMON SHARE" WEBSITE

New Member Progress Tracking

One of the official forms that the Church has to help with tracking new member progress is the "New and Returning Member Progress" form. "The bishop regularly reviews this form in ward council meetings to discuss the progress of each new or returning member. The ward council uses the form to plan specific ways to teach and strengthen new members from the time of their baptism and confirmation until they receive the temple endowment. The ward council also uses portions of this form in planning how to teach and strengthen returning members"
This form is explained further and is available on www.lds.org here

I thought it would be helpful to have something similar for Ward Missionaries to keep track of new convert progress. It has some of the same information as the official form, but I've excluded some of the information that isn't applicable for our purposes. I also added spaces for including additional information (such as what their calling is, which new member discussions have been taught, which additional principles have been explained by Ward Missionaries - family home evening, family prayer, accepting and serving in callings, etc.-, when member has received their Patriarchal blessing, etc.

There is also a place on the form I've made to put a photo of the new member (if appropriate and agreeable to the new member). I thought that this would be helpful because sometimes Ward members or newer full-time missionaries won't recognize the name of a new member being discussed and showing them a photo can help jog their memory. I try to be present at all convert baptisms and take a photo of the new member with the Elders before the service starts. I give the new member and the Elders copies of the photos and then I have one to use for our Ward Missionary records as well.

The form I made is just a word document. I'm still trying to figure out how to attach a word doc to this blog, so in the meantime here is here text:


NAME ____________________________
BAPTISM DATE__________

MEMBER SPOUSE? Y N N/A __________________
CHILDREN: ________________________________________
ADDRESS: ___________________________________
PHONE NUMBER:___________________________

HOME TEACHERS________________________________
VISITING TEACHERS_________________________________
CHURCH CALLING____________________________________

NEW MEMBER DISCUSSIONS 1 2 3 4 5

EXTRA TOPICS COVERED DURING NMD VISITS:
FAMILY/PERSONAL PRAYER_________________
PERSONAL SCRIPTURE STUDY_________________
FAMILY HOME EVENING_________________
HOME TEACHING AND VISITING TEACHING_________________
PRIESTHOOD BLESSINGS_________________
PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS_________________
ACCEPTING AND SERVING IN CALLINGS_________________
CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS/AUXILLIARIES_________________
PREPARING TO ATTEND THE TEMPLE_________________
OTHER:____________________________________________________

RECIEVED AARONIC PRIESTHOOD______________
RECIEVED MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD______________
PATRIARCHAL BLESSING____________________
PARTICIPATED IN BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD_________________
TEMPLE PREPARATION CLASS____________________
RECIEVED PERSONAL ENDOWMENTS _________________
SEALED TO FAMILY_______________________

This form is meant to make things easier for Ward Missionaries, especially those who are involved in teaching new member discussions. I can see at a glance what topics need to be covered and what the next "step" is for each individual.

Dividing our time - Pie Chart Planning

We had an excellent quarterly training meeting the other day and it got me thinking about how I balance my time in this calling. I know I spend a lot more time on it than many (including my husband), since I'm a stay-at-home mom and have more time for planning lessons and phone calls. It doesn't seem like much, but the little things add up. I was curious to see how my time is usually spent, to see if I should make adjustments. I made a (free) pie chart at Math Warehouse (click on the underlined words to be taken to the site) - it was really easy.

I figured out (approximately) how much time I spend on each aspect of Ward Missionary work (for example, since my husband has a strange work schedule, I usually only end up going to teach a discussion with the full-time missionaries only about once every other week, so I entered an average of 1/2 hour per week in that category).

Here's my break down:
Teaching New Member Discussions (2 hrs/wk)
Teaching with the F/T Missionaries (.5 hrs/wk)
Teaching/Preparing Gospel Essentials Class (2 hrs/wk)
Extra contact (calls, visits) with New Members / Less-Active / Investigators (2 hrs/wk)
Fellowshipping (activities outside of Church) (1 hr/wk)
Planning Meetings (1 hr/wk)

My husband's break down would look more like this:
Teaching New Member Discussions (1 hr/wk)
Teaching with the F/T Missionaries (.5 hr/wk)
Extra contact (calls, visits) with New Members/Less-Active / Investigators (1 hr/wk)
Fellowshipping (outside of Church) (2 hrs/wk)
Planning Meetings (1 hr/wk)

I think a pie chart could a helpful tool for a Ward Missionary (or in any calling) because it gives you a visual that shows where you are spending your time and how that relates to your goals.... If your goal is to focus on fellowshipping, but you spend 90% of your time in planning meetings, your might want to make an adjustment to your schedule!

If you fail to plan...

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

That was a motto that the AP's and Zone leaders used a lot during my mission. It got a little redundant after a while, but the concept is very true and I still think of it often.

This is the first in a series of posts that will be adapted from an article called, "Planning to Belong" by Tana Johnson, Ensign, October 1994. This article is geared toward members who have moved to a new ward, but I think a lot of the same principles can apply to member missionary work.

This first idea relates to getting out there and meeting new people in the neighborhood, community, workplace, school/classes, etc.

Idea #1- Planning in advance to meet people and setting goals
Do "some advance preparation. Before (introducing yourself to)...neighbors, co-workers, (etc), think of two or three questions to ask or several topics of general interest to discuss. Have a short, interesting self-introduction in mind so that...you can give more than just your name. Advance preparation helps us overcome stage fright by making us feel more confident and at ease—and this helps others feel the same way.

Set some specific goals, such as introducing yourself to two or three new people a week or sitting in the (front row) rather than on the back row. (Family) home evening could be devoted to learning ways to get acquainted. Role playing specific situations helps both children and parents overcome their fears of meeting new people"