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Come, Follow Me is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
Parley P. Pratt had been a member of the Church for about a month when he was called "into the wilderness" to preach the gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 32:2). Thomas B. Marsh had been a member for even less time than that when he was told, "The hour of your mission is come" (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3). Orson Pratt, Edward Partridge, and many others had likewise barely been baptized when their mission calls came. Perhaps this timing was all of necessity—in the fall of 1830, no one had been a member of the Church for more than six months. But there's also a lesson in this pattern for us today: if you know enough to accept the restored gospel by baptism, you know enough to share it with others. Of course we always want to increase our gospel knowledge, but God has never hesitated to call upon the "unlearned" to preach His gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 35:13). In fact, He invites all of us, "Open your mouth to declare my gospel" (Doctrine and Covenants 30:5).
Similarly, you might say: if you know enough about family history to be participating (or even dabbling) in it, you know enough to share it with others. You can share your current knowledge, however small or large, with others as you continue to increase your own knowledge and skills.
Temple and family history work and missionary work is one great work of salvation!
“With a rapidly expanding and better-prepared missionary force, we simply cannot rely exclusively on past proselyting successes to determine our course and methods for the future. The Lord has inspired technologies and tools that enable us to benefit from the oneness of missionary work and temple and family history work more than at any previous time in this dispensation. And it is no coincidence that these innovations have come forth at precisely the time they are so needed to advance missionary work all over the earth. The Lord’s work is one majestic work focused upon hearts that change and turn, on sacred covenants, and upon the power of godliness manifested through priesthood ordinances.” David A. Bednar, Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work
Role-play scenarios where family history tools can be a tool for introducing someone to the gospel. For example, you could divide your family or group into “companionships,” and practice creative and workable door approaches with this guidance from the original Preach My Gospel: "Talk to people about their families. Help them see how the restored gospel can be a blessing to their families. Offer to help them find the names of grandparents, great-grandparents, or other ancestors. Enlist the help of ward temple and family history consultants."
The “Come, Follow Me” Resource suggests:
To inspire your family to share the gospel, you could show one or more of the videos in the “Sharing the Gospel” section of the Gospel Library.
Also, you could view the videos and follow the discussion found in Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work.
See also: Sharing the Gospel Through Family History, Family History Can Aid Missionary Work, and Including Temple and Family History in the Work of Salvation.
“If I were a missionary today, my two best friends in the ward or branch where I served would be the ward mission leader and the ward temple and family history consultant. People have an inborn desire to know something about their ancestors. That becomes a natural opportunity for our missionaries.
As missionaries learn to love the people they teach, they will naturally ask about their families. ‘Are your parents living? Are your grandparents living? Do you know your four grandparents?’ Conversations flow easily when those who are drawn to speak with the missionaries are invited to talk about the people they love.
Then the missionaries can make this suggestion: ‘I have a friend at our church who can help. If we could find the names of some or maybe even all of your great-grandparents, would it be worth a couple of hours of your time to find out who your great-grandparents are?’ That friend at church, of course, is the ward temple and family history consultant.” President Russell M. Nelson, Open the Heavens Through Temple and Family History Work
Along with temple and family history consultants, you also have the free site, “The Family History Guide,” to use in helping others make discoveries about their families, and get their questions answered.
Find more descriptive videos on this Family History Guide Playlist.
Have fun using this additional resource to find answers to questions you anticipate others asking in relation to family history.
Though not sponsored by the church, see this document (syllabus) which provides resources that may be helpful for those preparing to share the gospel with others: Gathering Israel on Both Sides of the Veil.
“The spirit of Elijah is ‘a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.’ This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost bears powerful witness of the Father’s plan of happiness and draws people to search out and cherish their ancestors and family members—both past and present. The spirit of Elijah affects people both inside and outside of the Church and causes hearts to turn to the fathers.” Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work.
Doctrine and Covenants 30–36Whether or not you have a formal calling as a missionary, the Lord wants you to share His gospel, and many of His words to the early missionaries of this dispensation are for you too. As you study Doctrine and Covenants 30–36, record what you learn about the call to preach the gospel. You could make a list of things the Lord asks of His missionaries (for example, see Doctrine and Covenants 30:8).
"The time has come for us to capitalize more effectively on the potent combination of the mighty change of heart, made possible primarily by the spiritual power of the Book of Mormon, and the turning of hearts to the fathers, accomplished through the spirit of Elijah. A yearning for connection to our past can prepare an individual to receive the virtue of the word of God and fortify his or her faith. A heart turning to the fathers uniquely helps an individual withstand the influence of the adversary and strengthen conversion ... The artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and family history work is being erased; this is one great work of salvation." (David A. Bednar [address given at the seminar for new mission presidents on June 25, 2013, Salt Lake City]). Read more in Kathryn Grant's FamilySearch blog post.
