Handbooks of Instruction

From Church News reports of world wide training to introduce new Handbooks of Instruction
See HERE for article and links to the handbooks.

In our training yesterday we talked about how the family history department of the church fits in to the larger pictures of all that the LDS church is about.

In 2010, the Church introduced two new Handbooks of Instruction, the guiding documents that help people at all levels of the church better understand what our purpose is and how to go about accomplishing the various roles assigned to us.

The whole reason the Church exists is to bring individuals and families to Christ. EVERY single activity we do in the capacity of our callings should support that in some way.

Still, I really like how it is stated in the Handbook which was presented to the church membership in a worldwide training broadcasts and then further explained and disseminated through lots of print media.

"In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities."

Those responsibilities include the following:

• Helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
• Gathering Israel through missionary work.
  
• Caring for the poor and needy.
• Enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances. 

This replaces the old "three-fold mission of the church" which was

1. Proclaim the Gospel
2. Perfect the Saints
3. Redeem the Dead

I like the new statement of our purpose so much better.  It includes all of the old, but is stated in a much better way.  I also like that they added the piece about caring for the poor and needy.  That, in my mind, is  key part of living a Christ like life.As I study this inspired, carefully planned handbook I know I can better magnify all my callings in the church as well as better understand my own path to living the gospel. :