Purpose Of The Church Vs. Work Of Salvation

[amo]

Hello,

Any thoughts on how to reconcile   the "purpose of the Church"  and the "work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the Handbook 2 : Administering the Church (2.2  &  5.1 )

 

 

Thanx.

 

 

 

[urroner]

Hello,

Any thoughts on how to reconcile   the "purpose of the Church"  and the "work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the Handbook 2 : Administering the Church (2.2  &  5.1 )

 

 

Thanx.

What do you think?   How does it need to be reconciled?  Can you provide a link?

[amo]

Sorry but for some "strange" reason I was unable to copy/paste... This is what should have been the intro to the post :

 

Hello,

 

Could any1 help me reconcile the "purpose of the Church" and "the work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the handbook 2: administering the Church :

 

2.2 The Purpose of the Church

 

[...]

 

In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles?lang=eng#22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.1

 

The Work of Salvation in the Ward and Stake

 

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ are sent forth “to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men” (D&C 138:56). This work of salvation includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel. The bishopric directs this work in the ward, assisted by other members of the ward council.

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/the-work-of-salvation-in-the-ward-and-stake?lang=eng

 

 

 

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Amo

[Stone holm]

Sorry but for some "strange" reason I was unable to copy/paste... This is what should have been the intro to the post :

 

Hello,

 

Could any1 help me reconcile the "purpose of the Church" and "the work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the handbook 2: administering the Church :

 

2.2 The Purpose of the Church

 

[...]

 

In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles?lang=eng#22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.1

 

The Work of Salvation in the Ward and Stake

 

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ are sent forth “to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men” (D&C 138:56). This work of salvation includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel. The bishopric directs this work in the ward, assisted by other members of the ward council.

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/the-work-of-salvation-in-the-ward-and-stake?lang=eng

 

 

 

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Amo

Not sure I understand what needs to be reconciled.

[amo]

Maybe "reconcile" is not the best word. Let's try "understand" ? In other words, I don't "understand" the "purpose of the Church" & the "work of salvation of the Church" Isn't it  -shouldn't it be- the same ?

[Freedom]

from my reading, they are the same. they cover the same factors: redeeming the dead, proclaiming the gospel, and perfect the saints. 

[wenglund]

Maybe "reconcile" is not the best word. Let's try "understand" ? In other words, I don't "understand" the "purpose of the Church" & the "work of salvation of the Church" Isn't it  -shouldn't it be- the same ?

 

If anything, there may be a means/ends distinction. The "works of salvation" are the means, and the "purpose of the Church" is the end or objective of the gospel..

 

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Edited February 17, 2014 by wenglund

[urroner]

I apologize for my ignorance.  Amo, are you a member of the Church?  I used to post a lot here, but life had intervened and now I don't have a lot of time.

What is it that you don't understand?

In section 2.2, there are four specific things mentioned which are the goals or missions of the Church:

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

In section 5.1, it mentions the following things specifically:

1. Member missionary work
2. Convert retention,
3. Activation of less-active members
4. Temple and family history work
5. Teaching the gospel

As Freedom said, but not exactly like this, the three-fold mission of the Church is and which parts of the above fall beneath them are:

  1. Redeeming the dead

• 2.2-4 Enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances
• 5.1-4 Temple and family history work

  2. Proclaiming the gospel (Missionary work)

• 2.2-2 Gathering Israel through missionary work
• 5.1-1 Member missionary work

  3. Perfecting the saints ("Saints" are members of the church)

• 2.2-1 Helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ
• 2.2-3 Caring for the poor and needy (The Church does a lot of this also for people who are not members.)
• 5.1-2 Convert retention,
• 5.1-3 Activation of less-active members
• 5.1-5 Teaching the gospel (This could also go under missionary work, but I tend to think that this more along the lines of church meetings.)

 

[CV75]

Hello,

Any thoughts on how to reconcile   the "purpose of the Church"  and the "work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the Handbook 2 : Administering the Church (2.2  &  5.1 )

 

 

Thanx.

Here's how I see it, using a "Purpose = Work" format to align Chruch and Ward/Stake elements:

live the gospel of Jesus Christ = convert retention, activation of less-active members, teaching the gospel

gathering Israel through missionary work = member missionary work

caring for the poor and needy = part of “living the gospel of Jesus Christ.” the bishopric directs this work in the ward

enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances = temple and family history work

[thesometimesaint]

 

Sorry but for some "strange" reason I was unable to copy/paste... This is what should have been the intro to the post :

Hello,

Could any1 help me reconcile the "purpose of the Church" and "the work of salvation in the ward and stake", as stated in the handbook 2: administering the Church :

 

2.2 The Purpose of the Church

 

[...]

 

In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles?lang=eng#22

 

 5.1

 

The Work of Salvation in the Ward and Stake

 

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ are sent forth “to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men” (D&C 138:56). This work of salvation includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel. The bishopric directs this work in the ward, assisted by other members of the ward council.

 

https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/the-work-of-salvation-in-the-ward-and-stake?lang=eng

 

 Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Amo

 

 

Luke 22:32

 

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

- King James Bible "Authorized Version", Cambridge Editio

Edited February 17, 2014 by thesometimesaint

[amo]

Thanks for your valuable input, and, yes, Urroner, I'm a member of the Church.

In the secular world, I've always had problems understanding both the so common nowadays concepts of "mission" / "vision" of either companies or institutions. Now, it seems to me that we are facing something similar here with these 2 concepts "Purpose of the Church" and "Work of Salvation". Is that it, after what I'm trying hard to visualize from your comments ?

[Ahab]

The purpose if the Church is the overall objective of the whole Church while the roles in wards and stakes is only a part of the whole. For example the role of General Authorities is not the same thing as the role of wards and stakes, although all 3 groupings work together to fulfil the purpose of the Church.

[David T]

As Freedom said, but not exactly like this, the three-fold mission of the Church is

 

By the way, the "Three Fold Mission of the Church" is now a defunct categorizing method for the Church. Notice there is no reference to it in the handbook, nor will you hear referenced to it in publications going forward. In a recent area training meeting I attended, Elder Oaks said we need to "forget about" the divisions in the Three Fold Mission - because it caused people to overly compartmentalize the work of salvation, and it excluded important and key aspects, such as caring for the poor and needy.

 

I have heard more than one Apostle and Seventy recently reiterate that message in Stake and regional training meetings. 

[amo]

David T : this could explain then my confusion. I think I'm approaching this whole matter with the "3Fold Mission of the Church" glasses on...

Interesting !

Edited February 17, 2014 by amo

[urroner]

Thanks for your valuable input, and, yes, Urroner, I'm a member of the Church.

In the secular world, I've always had problems understanding both the so common nowadays concepts of "mission" / "vision" of either companies or institutions. Now, it seems to me that we are facing something similar here with these 2 concepts "Purpose of the Church" and "Work of Salvation". Is that it, after what I'm trying hard to visualize from your comments ?

I work for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center and the projects I'm on come out with mission statements and with visions of what we are to be doing.  I really don't have a problem with that.  It helps us, as a group, to focus in what needs to be done, but missions/vision statements don't fill in details.  They are just broad statements and they are meant to be that way.

 

In the start of projects, the requirements for the system are very high.  For example, the Top Requirement (TR) for manned space flight could be "get people into space and get them back safely,." and as the system is broken down into subsystems and those are even broken down into smaller subsystems, the requirement is also broken down until each part of any subsystem knows what it needs to do to do its part, how much liquid oxygen "LOX to deliver, how to make a flushable toilet work is space, or how to prevent an electrical overload of the LOX system.  One top level requirement has turned into tens of thousands of detailed and necessary requirements.

That's how I see the vision/mission statements of the Church.  They've got to be broad enough to capture what needs to be done, but not so restrictive as to leave important things out.

For example, if the TR was "get people into space," that would be a problem, people like coming back usually.  Okay, "get people into space and get them back."  Awesome, people like coming back, but having seen both the Challenger and Columbia explode and people die, that isn't good enough, so "get people into space and return them back safely." pretty well sums it up.  Now, a TR of "get people into space and return them safely in such and such a specific vehicle" would be too restrictive.  That shouldn't be the TR for NASA manned launch, but it could be for the program of that specific vehicle.

That's how I see the vision/mission statements of the Church, just really high level requirements/goals which will be broken down and refined as they get down to the individuals who need to fulfill them.