Luke 15:3-7; Hel. 6:3; Studies in Scripture, ed. by Jackson, 8:288-291; Ensign, Nov. 1997, pp. 82-84
“The greatest tragedy in the Church … is the loss of those who join the Church and then fall away. With very few exceptions it need not happen.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Regional Representatives’ Seminar, Apr. 3, 1987)
“We are becoming a great global society. But our interest and concern must always be with the individual. Every member of this church is an individual … Our great responsibility is to see that each is ‘remembered and nourished by the good word of God’ (Moro. 6:4), that each has opportunity for growth and expression and training in the work and ways of the Lord, that none lacks the necessities of life, that the needs of the poor are met, that each member shall have encouragement, training, and opportunity to move forward on the road of immortality and eternal life. This, I submit, is the inspired genius of this the Lord’s work.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1995, p. 52)
“It is not an easy thing to become a member of this Church. In most cases it involves setting aside old habits, leaving old friends and associations, and stepping into a new society which is different and somewhat demanding. With the ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moro. 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things… . The Savior of all mankind left the ninety and nine to find the one lost. That one who was lost need not have become lost. But if he is out there somewhere in the shadows, and if it means leaving the ninety and nine, we must do so to find him. (See Luke 15:3-7)… . In my view nothing is of greater importance.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1997, pp. 47-48)
“Unfortunately, with this acceleration in conversions, we are neglecting some of these new members… . There is no point in doing missionary work unless we hold on to the fruits of that effort. The two must be inseparable. I should like to read you a letter… . A man writes:
‘… I earnestly studied the Church and felt as if I had found a home. I decided to be baptized on October 8, 1994. It was one of the greatest days of my life.
‘However, after my baptism, things with the Church changed. I suddenly was thrown into an environment where I was supposed to know what was going on. I now was not the focus of attention but just another member. I was treated as if I was in the Church for years… .
‘At this same time, I was feeling intense pressure from my fiancée to not be in the Church. She was extremely anti-Mormon [in her] beliefs and didn’t want me to be a part of it. We fought often about the Church… .
‘I used the missionaries for a lot of support… . That worked until the missionaries were transferred… . I looked to the members for support, but there was none. The bishop helped, but he could only do so much. I gradually lost my ‘warm, fuzzy feeling’ about the Church. I felt like a stranger. I began to doubt the Church and its message. Eventually, I started to listen more to my fiancée. Then I made a decision that maybe I had rushed into the Church too quickly. I wrote my bishop and asked that my name be removed from the Church records… . That was a low point in my life… .
‘I regret that I left the Church and had my name removed from the records, but at the time I felt that there was no other option. The experience left a bad impression with me, and it would be difficult to overcome.
‘I wanted you to know … that I think a lot of new converts may have similar experiences to mine… . I know from my past that had the support been there, I would not be writing this letter to you… .’
Someone has failed, failed miserably… . You cannot disregard the converts… . They need nurturing with the good word of God. They come into the Church with enthusiasm for what they have found. We must immediately build on that enthusiasm… . I am satisfied the Lord is not pleased with us… . I invite every member to reach out in friendship and love for those who come into the Church as converts.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1997, pp. 50-51)
“It [has been] … our privilege to attend various wards in several different states… . We began to notice differences in the spirits of the various wards. Some wards our children loved to visit because they quickly found friends among the youth, and we all received a warm and hearty welcome. But there were other wards to which our children returned with less enthusiasm, and there was noticeable absence of the warm and hearty welcome. We then began to observe that in some wards … if we had been investigators or new members, we would not have felt very welcome… . On occasion we felt like ‘strangers and foreigners’ in the very Church of Jesus Christ to which we belonged… . [As members], we do pretty well at fulfilling callings, at going to meetings, at paying our tithing; but have we learned to truly live the second great commandment: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?’ (Matt. 22:39)… . It is my prayer that we may be open and outgoing, friendly, and helpful to all who come among us.” (Carl B. Pratt, Ensign, Nov. 1997, pp. 11-12)
“Church members did not become inactive while crossing the plains, when the sense of belonging and being needed was so profound.” (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1982, p. 37)
“Long years ago, Joseph Lyon of Salt Lake City shared with me the lesson of a lecture which a minister from another faith observed as he spoke to the Associated Credit Men of Salt Lake. The minister boldly proclaimed, ‘Mormonism is the greatest philosophy in the world today. The biggest test for the Church will come with the advent of television and radio, which tend to keep people away from the Church.’ He then proceeded to relate what I’ve called the ‘hot coals’ story. He described a warm fireplace where the pieces of wood had burned brightly, with the embers still glowing and giving off heat. He then observed that by taking in hand brass tongs, he could remove one of the hot embers. That ember would then slowly pale in light and turn black. No longer would it glow. No longer would it warm. He then pointed out that by returning the black, cold ember to the bed of living coals, the dark ember would begin to glow and brighten and warm. He concluded, ‘People are somewhat like the coals of a fire. Should they absent themselves from the warmth and spirit of the active church membership, they will not contribute to the whole, but in their isolation will be changed. As with the embers removed from the heat of the fire, as they distance themselves from the intensity of the spirit generated by the active membership, they will lose that warmth and spirit.’ The reverend closed his comments by observing, ‘People are more important than the embers of a fire.’ As years come and then go and life’s challenges become more difficult, the visits of home teachers to those who have absented themselves from Church activity can be the key which will eventually open the doors to their return.” (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 1997, pp. 47-48)
“There are still too many … [converts] who do not feel warmly welcomed. Recently a new member wrote to me: ‘Sometimes I … feel like it was a mistake for me to be baptized. I know this Church is true, and I have a strong testimony, but I still question… . When I was investigating, everyone from my ward were always there for me and … always wanted to help me out… . Since I was bapitzed it’s like they don’t even notice when I go to church or when I don’t. I hardly hear from anybody… . I can’t understand why the people in my ward have just forgotten me. I feel so lonely and confused… . I can’t talk to my bishop because … we aren’t close at all. He didn’t even remember me when I went back to church. Please help me if you can.’ … Every soul is very precious to our Heavenly Father. We must never forget that through the Atonement, the Lord Jesus Christ paid a great price for the redemption of each one of us. His suffering must not be in vain because we fail to nurture and teach those who are striving to be active in the Church.” (M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov. 1998, pp. 7-8)