OPERATING YOUR HOMETEACHING PROGRAM AS A SYTEM As a twenty-one year old bishopric counselor in the Makati 2nd ward of the Makati Philippines stake between the years of 1981 to 1982, I had sometimes heard that our Elders Quorum had achieved one hundred percent (100%) monthly home teaching visits. I still vividly recall the glow in their faces and the glitter in their eyes as they proudly announce their accomplishment. It did not occur to me at the time how difficult an accomplishment it was until many years later. I thought it was a natural course of all home teaching organizations wherever a Church unit existed. I now know how naïve my assumptions were especially when I had moved into various callings. “If we keep on doing what we have always been doing, we will keep on getting what we’ve always gotten.” This quote is simple and yet very practical in terms of the challenges we face in Church. I have since then tried to apply its insight whenever I was no longer achieving the results I desired in my Church callings. It means to me that if we add one with one (1 + 1 = 2), we will always get two as our answer. If we keep on repeating the same equation, we will keep on getting the same results no matter how committed, hardworking, and diligent we might be. If there is no change in the formula, then there is no change in the result. This implication is obvious but one that most of us will fail to recognize as we get engrossed by the pressures of Church work and the multiple demands of our everyday lives. I suggest this is one of the reasons that our implementation of Church programs has sometimes lost its life and vigor through the years. Sometimes the methods we employ are no longer responsive to our current challenges. We keep on using the same equation despite the fact that our problems have changed. So we keep on getting the same dismal results because our formula is old, worn-out, and obsolete. And yet, week after week, month after month, and year after year, we keep on doing the same things over and over again. Never mind that it no longer works! Since that’s how we have been programmed to do, we are not about to make any changes. I believe ‘home teaching’ is one such area. However, before we rush to devise a more responsive formula, let’s first evaluate if we are already doing all we can to make the Church Handbook of Instructions (CHI) model work. Let’s compare what you are doing now with what it has prescribed. As we do so, let us be clear that home teaching will remain a part of the larger system of nourishing individuals and families with the word of God. It is the ideal method for face-to-face, soul-to-soul, deep and meaningful interaction essential to watching over the Church. “Home teaching is the vehicle that activates (nourishes) people. No new program or organization will be invented to replace it.” [Elder A. Theodore Tuttle]
The Home Teaching System
THE HOME TEACHING CHECKLIST 1. We have thoroughly read and have a good understanding of the Home Teaching model as prescribed in the handbook. (CHI pp. 168-170)
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
2. The bishopric, elders’ quorum president and high priest group leader are all involved in establishing the ward home teaching organization.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
3. Homes not headed by an active Melchizedek Priesthood holder are assigned either to the elders or high priests.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
4. Elders’ Quorum Presidency assigns elders as home teachers.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
5. High Priest Group Leader assigns high priests as home teachers.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
6. EQ presidency assigns HT companionships to its own quorum members.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
7. HPGL presidency assigns HT companionships to its own group members.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
8. Home teaching assignments are approved by the bishop.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
9. Members of the bishopric assign teachers and priests as home teachers.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
10. Quorum and group leaders organize home teachers by two.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
11. Bishop approves all of the Home Teaching companionships.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
12. AP holders serve as companions to MP holders.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
13. Most effective home teachers are assigned to members who need them most.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
14. New converts are being assigned with Home Teachers just before baptism.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
15. Home teachers are assigned to each young single adult, and single adult.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
16. Families go first to Home Teachers when they need help.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
17. Home Teachers present the First Presidency message monthly.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
18. Home Teachers report monthly to quorum or group leaders on the temporal and spiritual welfare of their assigned families.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
19. Home Teachers are interviewed regularly by quorum and group leaders.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
20. Urgent needs are reported to the Bishop immediately by leaders.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
21. The bishop receives a monthly HT report from quorum and group leaders.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
22. Quorum and group leaders report families not visited to the bishop monthly.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
23. The bishop submits a monthly Home Teaching report to the stake president.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
24. Stake presidency members interview quorum and group leaders on HT.
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
[Please see Home Teaching Flowchart in the article “Organizing Home Teaching Efficiently”]
Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
2
The Home Teaching System
THE HOME TEACHING MODEL The Home Teaching model prescribed in the handbook is as good as anything can be in the Church. It is an inspired program and has been a result of many decades of experience on what works. It adheres to principles of successful organizations. Let me now describe to you in detail some of these principles. Understanding the program. No quorum or group leader will ever become successful with home teaching without thoroughly reading and understanding the program as contained in the handbook. Read it not only once but at least twice. Mark the phrases or statements that impress you the most. Two heads are always better than one. Home Teaching is best organized with the inputs of the bishopric, quorum, and group leaders. Granted for purposes of efficiency one may be assigned to work on the details, do not finalize it without the concerned parties expressing their opinions. Listen to each other’s input and incorporate the appropriate modifications. You will always have a more effective program that way. Following the priesthood protocol. Quorum and group leaders are responsible for making assignments for their own members and families. The bishopric is responsible for assigning Aaronic Priesthood holders as companions to elders and high priests. This is the true order of things. The bishop holds the key as presiding high priest. The bishop should prayerfully seek inspiration on companionships and families assigned to home teachers. He has been given the power of discernment to determine what is best for everyone. In our effort to organize quickly, we forget this one very important aspect of the program. The most effective home teachers assigned to the families who need them most. Home teachers will differ in maturity, sensitivity, and skill. Families have varying degrees of need. The neediest temporally and spiritually are assigned to the most mature of brethren who are equal to the task. New converts are assigned with Home Teachers just before baptism. Here’s why - “The real growth of the Church will depend more on the quality of our nurturing than on the quality of our baptisms” Elder Neal A. Maxwell. The nurturing of new members is more crucial than bringing them to the waters of baptism. This is an awesome task. We are losing far too many new members because we do not understand this one important principle. Families go first to Home Teachers when they need help. Most bishops are overloaded because members go directly to him for help. Our home teachers and members should be taught this vital concept. Home teachers are the family’s first contact. When they ever need anything, the first persons to be approached are the home teachers. When the need is urgent and welfare assistance is necessary, home teachers have to notify their quorum leaders at once. The members of the First Presidency are God’s living prophets. The monthly HT message has to reach every family because it is the word of God coming through his prophets. Home teachers have the assignment to deliver this message from the Lord and to look after their temporal and spiritual needs as well. We are being sent on a critical errand. RETURN & REPORT. “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates” Pres. Thomas S. Monson. Most home teaching organizations are performing below expectations because leaders are not making home teachers accountable. Home teachers account their stewardship (D&C 72:3-4) to quorum or group leaders who report to the bishop. The bishop reports to the stake president monthly. Quorum and group leaders are interviewed by stake presidency members on HT reports. The CHI Home Teaching Model offers many solutions to our current challenges in making home teaching work. The reason why HT programs may not work is perhaps due to our failure to follow the model. When these principles are followed, home teaching success is guaranteed. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
3
The Home Teaching System
THE HINDERING & HELPING FORCES We should evaluate the home teaching program within the Philippine context. Why is it that some home teaching organizations succeed and why majority of which do not. Let’s determine what forces hinder its success and what positive forces within our culture can make it work. There are probably more hindering forces than we can enumerate. Here are a few of them which I have determined with the help of quorum members. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lack of strong leadership Not catching the vision of home teaching Our proneness to being lazy Incompatibility of companionships Companionship schedules do not match Economic displacement No money for transportation cost Do not have confidence to home teach Do not know how to home teach Too busy with work or studies Too far from assigned families Feelings of unworthiness Fear of being unwelcome in inactive families It’s boring
In my opinion, the lack of forceful leadership is the number one factor for program failures. Everything boils down to leadership. The work of the home teaching leader is to teach the doctrine, the oath and covenant of the priesthood, and its attendant priesthood duties. He has to create a vision, invite others to catch the vision, and relentlessly work towards achieving that vision. When such a leader is absent in an organization, the probability of success is greatly diminished. We do not need highly educated and intelligent leaders. We only need leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves, learn, and make themselves available. Even the best of leaders among us know only too well that leading our own people is an overwhelming task. We are fighting to change years of cultural conditioning. On top of that, we are requiring them to do new things that they have never been required to do in the past. We are not only changing attitudes but must also teach skills that our home teachers need in order to succeed. Since the hindering forces just seem too many to enumerate, it is almost tempting to discount any helping forces. Yet I am convinced that there are forces in our culture that can enhance our home teaching efforts. Our job is to use them to our advantage. • • • • • •
We are extremely a friendly people Our hospitality and deference to visitors We love to belong to groups “Barkadas” Our fondness for group fun and enjoyment Our love for food ☺ as a recreational object Our inclination to gather and work in groups
A friend, Victor Brown, Jr. an American with a Ph. D. in Social Work asked me once what it was in our culture that we could use to make Church programs work. Thus, I have since tried to formulate my response to our leadership challenges using our positive cultural traits and utilizing it to launch successful home teaching efforts. Sometimes we push the task of home teaching too hard but often grossly neglect to build strong relationships in the quorum. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
4
The Home Teaching System
“Local problems require local solutions.” The best solutions to your challenges as a home teaching organization will come from you and your quorum members. You are in a vantage point to solve your problems like no other. You know the territory. You know the people. You know what your resources are. I do not pretend to know your problems and offer you the only solution to resolve them. However, some of our challenges are somewhat general in nature and this is what I intend to address in this article. From my experience, the home teaching model of companionships doing voluntary visits during weekdays is often only done by highly committed priesthood holders. Even brethren who are regarded as strong and active in the Church sometimes do not perform their home teaching duties well. Home teaching pushes us out of our comfort zones and requires us to exert extra effort. It seems that most, if not all, home teachers need reminders, follow-through, and interviews to motivate them to work. All of these are covered in the Handbook procedures. If you have done what the handbook has prescribed and yet still not achieving your true potential, then it’s about time to ask ourselves – “what else can we do differently?” Otherwise, if we keep on doing what we’ve been doing, then well just get what we’ve been getting. Having said that, I am not asking you to deviate from the program. I am only proposing to enhance it. “How can we use the positive traits of our culture to enhance our home teaching program?” We are a family-oriented, fun-loving people who want to belong to ‘barkadas’ where most of our activities feature food being served for recreational purposes. We are very friendly and hospitable and will do many things to please our visitors. We also love to work in groups not work in isolation of others. Could there be anything wrong with these cultural traits? Of course, if they are carried to the extremes. (Anything stretched to the extreme for that matter is not good. Excessive religious fervor could lead to self-righteousness and bigotry.) However, used in moderation and within reasonable limits, these cultural traits, I believe, can turn a home teaching force from ordinary to extraordinary achievement. My proposed strategies include the following: • • • • •
Schedule home teaching visits. [Don’t leave it to chance] Train home teachers as often as possible. [Demonstrate and show skills] Motivate home teachers through regular meetings. [Almost everyone needs constant motivation] Let the brethren experience the spirit of home teaching at once. [Best way to teach is to show] Immediately return and report visits. [Celebrate small victories] All of these in a matter of three hours.
(Please read my article on “Guerrilla Home Teaching Strategy” for more details.) Again, as Filipinos we prefer to work together because it is fun and enjoyable. We should work towards the ideal working in twos and in some instances it has been achieved. However, with a program as vital as home teaching we cannot simply wait for the ideal to happen before we take this matter seriously. Instead, we can leverage this cultural trait in maximizing the power of our local priesthood quorums. The greater majority of the brethren need a more inviting ambience and we should be smart enough to provide it. I have found the following methodology to work with remarkable effectiveness: a) Meet together before conducting home teaching visits. Others may wish to directly proceed especially if fare money is a big issue. b) Utilize some time to motivate home teachers prior to the visits. c) Pair off the brethren who are present into their respective companionships. Set up temporary partners for others. d) Home teachers go by twos or in the case of neophytes, to go in groups of three, four or five until their confidence builds. e) Regroup after the home teaching visit to report and celebrate. f) Use food to enhance the bonding experience (moderate food and healthy diet should be the norm). g) Use eating time to get to know each other better further increasing camaraderie in the group. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
5
The Home Teaching System
REMOVING THE USUAL BARRIERS “Problems are just opportunities in working clothes.” Problem: The lack of forceful leadership and the inability to catch the vision. Opportunity: Let us not assume that quorum leaders know how to lead. They must understand the true doctrines of the Church and become equipped with leadership skills to feel confident in assuming their leadership role. Teach quorum leaders the doctrines, help them understand it, and train them for leadership skills. Problem: Home teachers do not have the confidence and knowhow of the home teaching assignment. Opportunity: The confidence to home teach is the result of knowing what to do in the first place. Skill acquisition precedes job confidence. Problem: Priesthood brethren are economically displaced. This Home Teacher is such a pervasive problem both of home teachers and families being visited. Opportunity: Teach welfare principles and self-reliance. Help them find employment. Find opportunities for them to learn specialized skills.
Obstacles
Problem: No money to pay for transportation cost or being assigned to far places. Opportunity: Assign home teachers within his neighborhood if possible. Or match home teacher with someone with available transportation. Problem: Don’t know the families. Opportunity: Accompany and introduce new home teachers on their first visit. Orient home teacher of his assigned families. Problem: Our proneness to be lazy. Feelings of unworthiness. Opportunity: All our problems are spiritual. Teach doctrines and correct principles. Interview frequently to motivate. Take him along when you make your home teaching visits. Let him experience the spiritual lift that home teaching provides. Resolve possible issues with the bishop. Problem: Don’t know how to home teach. Opportunity: Demonstrate home teaching and show how it’s done. Model first while home teacher observes. Then home teacher experiments on the new skills. Trainer provides feedback. Problem: Partners’ schedules are usually in conflict. Opportunity: Teach how to plan schedule home teaching visits in advance. Provide a pool of alternate companions if companion is unavailable. Problem: Partners are incompatible and do not get along. Opportunity: Hold regular bonding activities for quorum members. Teach how to develop and sustain friendships. Insist that quorum members should get to know each other better. Help resolve companionship issues. If all else fails, change companions. Problem: Too busy to perform home teaching. Opportunity: Teach principles of time management. Break the home teaching assignment into smaller parts. Commit the person to spend just two hours a week. Follow-up. Problem: Fear of being unwelcome. It’s boring. Opportunity: Accompany home teachers when visiting their families for the first time. You may occasionally visit as a group. Meet as a group prior to doing the visits and meet again after the visits. Incorporate fun activities. Ask quorum for suggestions. There is no home teaching organization without problems. In fact, problems are necessary in organizations to make us strong and creative. Being the quorum leader, you hold the keys of inspiration and revelation. Seek the Lord prayerfully and in fasting if necessary in order to break the barriers to success. Solicit ideas from quorum members. You can know for certain that for every problem that emerges there is an opportunity to learn and grow. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
6
The Home Teaching System
“Do not work hard, work smart.” It’s a catchy phrase and one which reminds us that we ought to find more effective ways of doing work in every endeavor. Although I will be the first to admit that hard work will never be eliminated as a factor to accomplishment but we can work harder to be smarter in our strategies. We need more hands-on training programs for quorum and group leaders. When I say hands-on, I mean for you to demonstrate to your trainees the method of organizing the home teaching program. Please stop lecturing on everything you teach. Lecture to teach doctrines but demonstrate, show, role-play, dramatize, when teaching skills. If you are not familiar with these methods, you can learn how by reading the teacher resource “Teaching: No Greater Call.” For example, to teach the doctrines of the priesthood, the oath and covenant, and priesthood duties are best taught by lectures. When teaching about how to organize and implement a home teaching program, (pairing companionships, dividing families by geographical location, assigning companionships to families, delivering home teaching lessons) it is best to use the demonstration and role-play methods. Again, teach doctrines and principles. Model, demonstrate, and show home teaching skills. In other words, lecture the why then show the how. If my trainee is very new, I tell him that I will show him first how to do it while he observes. When I feel he is ready, I will nudge him to assist me. Then we exchange places – he performs the task while I observe. In the process, I give him positive feedback. Topics for Effective Lectures
Topics for Hands-On Approach
Lecture the “Why”
Show the “How”
The Doctrine of the Priesthood
Organizing home teaching
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Planning for home teaching visits
Priesthood Duties
Delivering home teaching lessons
The Worth of a Soul
Identifying needs of families
The Atonement
Giving verbal reports and writing narrative reports
The Plan of Happiness
Conducting personal priesthood interviews
The Nature of God
Monitoring home teaching efforts
Service in the Kingdom of God
Completing home teaching reports
As you can see from the above table, not every aspect of the home teaching program is taught by lecture. Many of them are also taught by demonstration. I want to emphasize this distinction because we need to maximize our efforts to deliver the best effect. If we lecture what should be taught through a hands-on approach, we are not only ineffective, we could very well be wasting time, effort, and money. Then after training has been conducted, we need to follow-through. We have to go back and require our trainees to report on their progress. If this is not done, then it is likely not going to happen. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
7
The Home Teaching System
A HOME TEACHING SYSTEM Have your ever wondered why a McDonald hamburger taste the same even if you bought it in Cebu, Tuguegarao, France or Mongolia? The reason for this is that a McDonald’s restaurant follows a prescribed formula and franchisees follow it religiously or risk losing their business. There’s a Hamburger University in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. where they teach everything about hamburgers. So each McDonald franchise follows a system and the system is implemented with exactness wherever there is a McDonald restaurant. What does this have to do with home teaching? A lot. In order for your home teaching organization to work, you must also have a system no matter how simple it might be. This system is generated out of the principles written in the scriptures and CHI. Fortunately, Church leadership is aware that we have many local circumstances that will require local solutions. So we are allowed to be flexible. However, there are general systematic procedures that must be followed wherever a home teaching organization exists. You as the local leader eventually decide what will work within your local conditions. Analyzing Needs Diagnose first before you prescribe. Your system must have a diagnostic procedure. You must have a way of determining what kind of help your existing home teachers need and new home teachers that will be added in the future. The most fatal assumption we leaders make, including myself, is to assume that people already know what they are supposed to be doing. We lose too many new people when we make this deadly assumption. The best way to find out is to ask and determine what kind of help they need. Here’s a quick diagnostic method you can use. Either you can print the form for them to fill-out or conduct a personal interview. Home Teacher’s Quick Diagnostic
Y N [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][] [][]
I know the families assigned to me I know how to plan a home teaching visit I know how to set an appointment I know how to say a prayer I have a copy of the Standard Works I have a “Liahona” subscription I know how to teach a lesson I know how to identify needs of families I know how to make a verbal report I know how to write a narrative report I know how to complete HT report
For every need identified, there must be a corresponding intervention. NEED + INTERVENTION = PERFORMANCE
Action Items
__________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ If the home teacher says he does not know where his assigned families reside then ensure that someone will show him. If he says, he does not know how to plan a home teaching visit, then teach him how to plan. If he does not have a Liahona subscription, then make sure you immediately place a subscription for him or borrow a copy for him. If he does not know how to teach a lesson, then show him how. If these basic requirements and skills are not met, I guarantee you most home teachers will not perform as you hope them to be. IF THERE IS A NEED, RESPOND WITH THE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO RESOLVE THE NEED. Once resolved, it is likely to lead to performance. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
8
The Home Teaching System
Planning “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Your system must provide opportunity for the home teacher to plan. Planning is essential to home teaching because this is the part where companionships decide when to schedule their visits and what happens to their visits with the families. This is the first creation – the spiritual creation. [Moses 3:5] HOME TEACHING COMPANIONSHIP MONTHLY PLANNER Senior Companion
for the Month of ______ Year ____
Junior Companion
Name of Assigned Families
Reporting Schedule
Home Teaching Goals & Accomplishments for the Month Previous Month %
Goal 1st Week
Actual Visited
Goal 2nd Week
Actual Visited
Goal 3rd Week
Actual Visited
Goal 4th Week
Actual Visited
Total # of assigned families
Total # Visited for the Month
Total # HT Lessons
Month End %
Goal for Next Month
100%
C A L E N D A R Sunday
Monday
“Plan your work and then work your plan”
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”
Break the assignment into smaller parts. Many of the parts of this form are self-explanatory. The point I want to emphasize is to help home teachers break up their assignment into smaller parts. Many home teachers overwhelm themselves by doing all of the visits at the end of the month. We should break that procrastinating habit because it reduces the quality of the visits into mere compliance. Check plan vs. action. If a home teaching companionship has eight families assigned, with a four-workweek, they can schedule their visits to two families a week. That’s only two hours of home teaching per week. So they set a goal for each week and then record their actual visits. You would do well to monitor how they are able to implement the plan. IT IS ONE THING TO PLAN. IT’S ANOTHER THING TO ACTUALLY DO IT. This is the second creation – the physical creation. [Moses 3:5] Schedule visits. Matching schedules of three parties is tough. But it’s the only way for home teaching to happen. Insist on scheduling in advance. Encourage the home teachers to schedule their visits and determine what days would be most reasonable for them and their assigned families. Require senior companions to submit this plan to you. Conducting the planning session for home teachers is the primary responsibility of the senior companion. You should teach the elements of this form to them if you intend to use it. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
9
The Home Teaching System
Monitoring “You get what you inspect.” Follow-up, follow-up, and follow-up. They say that leaders should provide 75% direction and 25% follow-up. In the Philippine context where the challenges of home teaching are far greater, I believe the percentages should be reversed – 25% direction and 75% follow-up. Sometimes I fondly refer to it as PALO-UP to use the Tagalog term of ‘palo.’☺ HOME TEACHING ORGANIZATIONS WILL FAIL DUE TO THE LACK OF EFFECTIVE & CONSISTENT FOLLOW-UP. I had observed a ward executive secretary that went around the priesthood brethren with a slip of paper asking for home teaching reports every last Sunday of the month. He was consistent and persistent but the method was so ineffective, there was hardly any home teaching done in the ward. HOME TEACHING WEEKLY MONITOR For the Month of ___________ Year _____ Companionship
Families
1st Week
2nd Week
3rd Week
4th Week
5th Week
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
HTL
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
HTL
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
HTL
Notes
Legend: V – Visit C – Church Attendance HTL- Home Teaching Lesson Place [X] on applicable spaces
Monitor weekly, report weekly. By using the monthly planner, home teachers are encouraged to make weekly visits. By monitoring the visits weekly, you reinforce the habit and communicate to the home teachers your expectations. We want to break the habit of putting off the visits, so we check on the home teachers more frequently. You should report the results of this weekly monitoring during your weekly Priesthood Executive Committee meeting. If you are the bishop, require this report weekly. It will only take up a few minutes of your time during the meeting. Recognizing effort not just results. Notice that in the weekly monitor, we check on the visits and Church attendance. If active members are visited, they are likely to sustain Church attendance. In the case of the less-active and inactive, despite frequent visits they may refuse to attend Church. With this monitor, you will be able to recognize the efforts of the home teachers even if the families do not attend Church. For example, home teachers might have visited a less-active family for four consecutive weeks without the family responding favorably. You can still extend recognition to the home teachers’ persistent efforts. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
10
The Home Teaching System
Reporting “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” Pres. Thomas S. Monson The first level of reporting occurs between the home teacher and the quorum or group leader. The role of home teachers is to look after the temporal and spiritual welfare of each family. Although verbal reports are also acceptable, written and narrative reports are more effective. They document the visit and you can read it when making the report to the bishop or to the Priesthood Executive Committee. For the Month of _____________ Year _______
HOME TEACHERS NAME OF FAMILY
Legend:
V – Visit
1st Week
2nd Week
3rd Week
4th Week
5th Week
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
C – Church Attendance HTL- Home Teaching Lesson
H T L
Report & Recommendation
Please put [ X ] mark to all applicable spaces
This is the back portion of the Home Teaching Companionship Weekly Planner. As you can see this is a consolidated report form. It identifies all assigned families of each partnership. On a weekly basis, home teachers can mark visits made to the families and their respective Church activity. It will constantly remind them of the status of each family and hopefully prompt them to exert appropriate efforts. Since one of our most important goals is to be able to present the monthly Home Teaching message, I have included a special column for it so home teachers can check it off [X] when it is accomplished. This completed form should be submitted to you at the end of the month and then returned to the home teachers for future reference. Provide carbon copies so that the home teachers can supply you with a duplicate. A duplicate copy is important as your own reference. In case they lose their originals you can immediately re-supply them with your own copy. We must attempt to eliminate all kinds of obstacles to non-performance until there are no more obstacles left. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
11
The Home Teaching System
The second level of reporting is between the quorum/group leaders and the bishopric weekly or monthly. The third level of reporting is between the bishop and the stake president which is monthly in frequency. Reports are tools for ward and stake leaders to evaluate home teaching efforts. Reports help measure performance. With such reports, leaders can know whether home teaching organizations are effective. They can also tell if an organization is failing and leaders can exert timely intervention. HOME TEACHING MONTHLY REPORT For the Month of ______________ Year _________
NAME OF COMPANIONSHIP
NUMBER OF ASSIGNED FAMILIES
NUMBER CONTACTED FOR THE MONTH
NUMBER OF HT LESSONS TAUGHT
NUMBER OF FAMILIES ATTENDING CHURCH
NUMBER. OF FAMILIES NOT ATTENDING
HT PERCENTAGE # FAMILIES # CONTACTED
EQ PRESIDENCY NOTES
Report what is most important. We know if home teachers are working by the number of contacts made during the month on their assigned families. We can also know the quality of these visits by the number of ‘home teaching lessons’ taught. We should work towards this ideal of delivering the monthly message and not just being content to contact the family. If lessons are not being taught, then at least we can encourage the home teachers to assess the temporal and spiritual well-being of families. Sometimes I refer to merely contacting the families as “watering the plants.” By itself, “watering” will not be adequate to nourish the families with the word of God. The families need a much stronger and powerful dose. I refer to the quality home teaching lesson as “fertilizer” which strengthens the families with increased resolve to living the gospel. It is the understanding of true doctrine which helps people stay active in the gospel. In this report, you take note of companionship effectiveness not family situations. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
12
The Home Teaching System
RUNNING THE SYSTEM Let’s now put it all together and show you how you can run the system. I shall model it first to you and give you ideas how to implement it. Remember, no program will ever work without our commitment and persistence. This system requires hard work and forcefulness on the part of leadership. If these two qualities are not present, it is guaranteed to fail. Before I start to give you the mechanics, let me also mention that certain conditions will help facilitate the success of this system. With these conditions, the exercise will be much easier. Without these conditions, you have to simplify the process to fit your audience. The point is you have to match your model with your circumstances. If you are looking for an alternative method using the same principles, read “Guerrilla Home Teaching Strategy.” Here are the conditions I believe should exist to make it work. However, remember, there are always exceptions. You could be that exception. Quorum or group leaders must have some prior supervisory or managerial experience. Sufficient education to understand and appreciate the logic of the planning and reporting system. Home teachers are comfortable with writing narrative reports. You have sufficient number of active and mature priesthood holders. Ratio between active home teachers and families is at most 1:10. This system has only FIVE recurring events. Activity System Tool Analyzing Needs Home Teacher’s Quick Diagnostic Planning Home Teaching Visits Home Teacher’s Monthly Planner Identifying Needs of Families Home Teacher’s Family Reports Monitoring Home Teaching Weekly Home Teaching Weekly Monitor Reporting Home Teaching Monthly Home Teaching Monthly Report
Who’s Responsible Quorum or Group Leadership Home Teachers Home Teachers Quorum or Group Leadership Quorum or Group Leadership
The beauty of having a system is that all you need to do is to run it right and on schedule, it will deliver predictable results. This is the reason systems have recurring events, events that happen repeatedly. What would have happened if McDonald’s reinvented their hamburger every day or every month? Without a home teaching system, that is what happens to us. We do not know what we are going to get. Implementing the System for the First Time The first run is always the toughest. You cannot know all of the problems in advance. But that’s okay. Once you are running, you will feel much more at ease. Prior to implementing this program, you discuss this whole exercise with your leaders and seek their inputs. Proceed only after you receive your bishop’s approval. Analyzing Needs • • •
Prepare enough copies of the Home Teacher’s Quick Diagnostic for every home teacher in your ward. Prepare enough copies of the HT Monthly Planner for every home teaching companionship. Prepare and schedule training on basic home teaching skills identified in the quick diagnostic.
Whenever introducing something new, always emphasize the benefits to make it more acceptable to your listeners and gain better cooperation. Be open also to suggestions and allow others to share concerns. Do not be afraid to modify. Presenter: [Stating the benefits] Brethren, I am pleased to introduce to you a home teaching system that will help us perform our callings much easier. It will help us plan our visits systematically, identify the needs of the families, report it to our quorum leaders and of course, take action on those needs more promptly. The system will help us deliver predictable results month after month. With such a system, we can monitor your progress weekly and report our efforts weekly in the PEC. On a monthly basis, we can compile the report as required by the stake president. All of these we can accomplish with only one form for home teachers and two forms for quorum leaders. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
13
The Home Teaching System
However, before we all get excited about this system, we have to help you become the kind of home teacher you deserve to be – the best in the world. Let us take five minutes to answer the “Home Teacher’s Quick Diagnostic.” As you can tell, we just need to let us know what we can do to help you. There is nothing to be embarrassed about admitting you do not know something. I do not know everything myself either. So please give us your honest answers and we will conduct a home teachers’ training session. Thank you. Collect the forms and evaluate the results. You will be surprised that there are some brethren whom you thought to have the skills but do not. That is what I call our fatal assumption. Now, you already know what the needs are so you announce the training schedule. Quorum Leader: Brethren, thank you very much for your cooperation. We know that we all need help in acquiring basic home teaching skills. For that reason, we would like to invite you next Saturday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. for our annual home teaching workshop session. We have asked the Relief Society sisters to prepare dinner. So all you need to do is come here, participate and learn from the workshop, and make sure you are hungry. [Have a sense of humor] The conduct of the diagnostic and the home teaching training should take place within the week. During these sessions, do a 20% lecture and 80% showing the skills. Most of all, allow the brethren to practice their new skills during the workshop. You should get all the help you need including the help of a stake high councilor and others. Suggested Home Teachers’ Workshop Outline Weekday or Saturday 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Presiding: Conducting: Hymn & Prayer:
Bishop Quorum Presidency
Doctrinal Foundation of Home Teaching:
(10 minutes)
Stake High Councilor
Workshop Session 1 (Skills Demonstration) Planning Home Teaching Visits Using the Home Teaching Monthly Planner Exercise: EQ Members fill-out the HT Monthly Planner
(30 minutes)
As assigned
Workshop Session 2 (Skills Demonstration) Preparing to teach a Home Teaching lesson Exercise: Participants role-play a teaching session
(one hour)
Break:
(30 minutes)
Dinner
Workshop Session 3 (Skills Demonstration) Identifying Needs of Families Using the Home Teacher’s Family Report Exercise: Complete Family Reports
(30 minutes)
As Assigned
Concluding Remarks: Hymn & Prayer:
As assigned
Bishop
Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
14
The Home Teaching System
Planning Home Teaching Visits at the Beginning of the Month This is a sample HT Companionship Monthly Planner completely filled-out. Realistically, the planners will probably never look this full. After all, when theory meets practice, the more practical prevails. The details I hope are easy to understand. Actual home teaching will probably be not as spread out as this. Most home teachers and families will probably meet on Sundays, weekdays being very difficult for most of us. So be it. The point of the planner is to help partners decide when to conduct their visits and set the appointments with their respective assigned families. HOME TEACHING COMPANIONSHIP MONTHLY PLANNER Senior Companion
Junior Companion
RUBIO RANDY
ACOSTA, A.J.
for the Month of April_Year 2004 Name of Assigned Families
Alfredo David
Emiliano Rengell
Jerome David
Lamberto Bondoc
Ruben Santos
Ricardo Gutierrez
Franklyn Verdejo
Rodolfo Sampang
Alex Lumbao
Aurora Gregorio
Reporting Schedule 2nd & 4th Sunday of the Month
Home Teaching Goals & Accomplishments for the Month Previous Month %
Goal 1 Week
Actual Visited
st
0
60%
Goal 2 Week
Actual Visited
nd
0
3
Goal 3 Week rd
2
Actual Visited
Goal 4 Week
Actual Visited
Total # of Assigned families
Total # Visited for the Month
Total # HT Lessons
Month End Visit %
Goal for Next Month
4
3
2
10
8
6
80%
100%
4
th
C A L E N D A R Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4 Conference Broadcast
5
6
7
8
9
10 J. David R. Santos A. Lumbao
11 A. David E. Rengell L. Bondoc
12
13 R. Sampang
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
A. Gregorio R. Gutierrez 25
F. Verdejo 26
“Plan your work and then work your plan”
27
28
29
30
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”
Encourage home teachers to spread out the visits not lumped in one night. [Goal for the week vs. Actual visits] This form will help partners set goals and see how well they accomplished their goals. For this companionship, the quorum presidency has designated the 2nd and 4th Sundays as their reporting schedule. With ten families, you can see that the workload is somewhat heavy. Working smart tip: If home teachers decide to set aside just two hours a week spending thirty to forty-five minutes per family, most HT visits will be accomplished 100% even with this type of a workload. Ideally, this should be filled-out in advance by the home teachers prior to the first Sunday. Working smart tip: The more effective method is to distribute the blank forms to the home teachers on the 1st Sunday of the month before the separation of the MP and AP classes. This is such an opportune time because we may conduct quorum business on this Sunday. What I would do is to pass them out quickly at the beginning of priesthood time. I request the partners to sit beside each other and take at least five minutes. After a few months, the partners already know their best time together and the families so the process should be quicker. By using carbon papers or two copies, the original copy can go to the partners, and the duplicate copy for the quorum presidency. One more time: IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP A DUPLICATE COPY. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
15
The Home Teaching System
Identifying Needs of Families During Visits
Home Teacher’s Family Report Name of Family: ______________________ Month: _____________ Year: ______ And visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties; ...to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them. (D&C 20:51, 53)
If home teachers are not properly taught, most of the home teaching visits will probably be spent talking about politics, the weather, and other current events. Since home teachers are the ‘spiritual gardeners’ for the families assigned to them, they must be taught to inquire regarding the spiritual and temporal well-being of each family. It is also important as commanded by scripture that families be exhorted ‘to attend to all family duties.’ To help home teachers fulfill that role, I have included “The Home Teacher’s Family Report card.” The card has a list of the general family duties that members ought to be doing. They can use it to help them remember what to ask and teach if they have to.
SPIRITUAL
TEMPORAL
[ ] Daily famil y prayers. [ ] Prayer before meals. [ ] Weekly Family Home Evening. [ ] Weekly attendance to Sunday meetings. [ ] Family scripture study. [ ] Monthly family council. [ ] Monthly fast. [ ] Generous fast offering. [ ] Payment of tithes. [ ] Copy of standard works. [ ] Children attend Seminary. [ ] Children attend Mutual Night. [ ] Children attend SA activities. [ ] Regular temple activity. [ ] Home and Visiting Teaching. [ ] Annual ‘Liahona’ subscription. [ ] Copy of FHE resource book.
[ ] Employment ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ [ ] Health ________________________________ ________________________________ [ ] Education ________________________________ ________________________________ [ ] Housing ________________________________ ________________________________
front
The back portion of the card has plenty of space to write a narrative report on the status of the families. Although this is certainly a good way to find out the well-being of families, this report is optional in our system. We all know that not too many home teachers are keen about writing reports. We will keep writing reports to a bare minimum since we cannot entirely eliminate it in a system like this. Home Teacher’s Famil y Report Spiritual Needs _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Temporal Needs _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
However, home teachers should be encouraged to complete this form for selected families especially families encountering serious challenges. This report then will be filed for significant cases but optional for reporting status of families monthly. Some brethren may like to use it if they are comfortable with writing and they can use it as often as they like.
Action taken _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ [ ] Visited but out
[ ] HT lesson taught
back Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
16
The Home Teaching System
Although the “Home Teachers Family Report Card” is optional, the home teachers when identifying temporal and spiritual needs of their assigned families should use it extensively. Here is how you might want to teach the principle. Quorum Leader: Too often, our visits to our families are just that – visits. If we follow the scriptural mandate of home teaching we are suppose to exhort families to attend to their spiritual duties. [D&C 20:51;53] Whether we are able to teach home teaching lessons or not, we should inquire as to the family’s temporal and spiritual well-being. Here is a cue card that will help you remember what to ask. You should ask them boldly and listen to the responses trying to discern what kind of assistance the family needs. Go through the list. For example, if they are not holding family home evening, find out why. Commit the family to doing it. If they do not know how, then you teach the family by demonstrating it to them. We must make sure that families perform their family duties because it is what protects them from the evil around us. Although submission of this form is optional, we would appreciate receiving a narrative report especially when a family is facing very serious challenges. In this way, we can correlate our efforts with the other auxiliaries and followthrough the action items that we need to accomplish to help the family. The Home Teacher’s Kit (Optional) If you have not realized it by now, the home teachers’ job is as important as the bishop’s with respect to the care and nurture of families. While the bishop tends the entire garden, the home teacher is responsible and accountable for a portion of it. “[The bishop] has a host of helpers to assist him. They are the home teachers. This is a responsibility of the priesthood holder, which, if carried out devotedly, will lift a great load from the bishop’s shoulders. The home teacher is in reality an assistant to the bishop. He is the major contact with the family. [Victor L. Brown, Conference Report, April 1968, Pg.82-83] If the home teacher fails to do his part, it will eventually reflect on the total picture of the unit’s strength and activity. The home teacher must be trained with the necessary skills and equipped with materials and resources to ensure his success. A small investment can go a long, long way! You will probably only have fifteen to twenty home teaching companionships in the ward. Why not provide them a home teacher’s kit in a three-ring binder issued to the senior companions that includes a good supply of HT Monthly Planner, list of families, address locator, names of parents and children, birthdays, HT Family Report, a priesthood manual, procedures for basic ordinances, a pen, markers, extra paper for notes, etc. Of course, depending on your ingenuity and resources there will be more. Just make sure it is helpful to his job as home teacher. Home Teacher’s Kit Checklist [ ] HT Monthly Planner [ ] List of Families (addresses, names and birthdays) [ ] HT Family Report forms [ ] Priesthood Manual [ ] Instructions for Ordinances & Blessings [ ] Quorum organizational chart [ ] Directory of Quorum members [ ] Calendar of Quorum Activities If the home teachers have this kit, you can require them to bring it with them every Sunday. You will help the home teachers become organized. Instead of a binder, you can also purchase colorful plastic bags or envelopes. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
17
The Home Teaching System
Monitoring Home Teaching Efforts Weekly “There is no substitute to persistence, not even talent.” The weekly monitoring starts on the 2nd Sunday and ends on the 4th Sunday of the month. This is a most crucial portion and one that requires your consistency and endurance. If you stop doing the monitoring, your home teaching organization will either collapse or perform miserably. When is the best time to do this? The HT Weekly Monitor could be passed around quietly for home teachers to check off their visits. But this is a passive procedure. The more active procedure is to involve the whole group. Working smart tip: Just before the time is passed on the quorum instructor, take five minutes to make a roll call of the home teachers and inquire who among their assigned families have been visited already. In your copy of the HT Monthly Planner you can check which families have been planned for visits during the current week. HOME TEACHING WEEKLY MONITOR For the Month of March 2004 Companionship
DAVID Alfredo SANTOS Ruben
Families Bulatao, Herminio Tayag, Orlando Feliciano, Isaias Mataga, Efran Sr. Marcelo, Rey Yumul, Rosalinda Supan, Victoriano Mesina, Rodel
st
1 Week
2 Week
3 Week
4th Week
5th Week
V
V
V
V
V
RENGELL Emiliano AMURAO Avelino
GUTIERREZ Ricardo SAMPANG Rodolfo Sr.
C
C
C
Notes HTL
x x
x
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
HTL
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
HTL
x
x x x
V
Vergara, Victor Gregorio, Rey Manalac, Armando Caday, Rose Santos, Jonald Rodriguez, Jovita Notorio, Jayson Santos, Ruben Sr.
C
rd
x
V
Villanueva, Fe Villapana, Geraldo Quizon, Rodrigo David, Rodolfo Yusi, Romeo Bulatao, Job Garcia, Mirando David, Alfredo Lising, Jesus
C
nd
C
V
x x
x x
x
Legend: V – Visited C – Church Attendance HTL- Home Teaching Lesson Place [X] on applicable spaces
In my opinion, the usual practice of waiting until the end of the month to receive HT reports is ineffective. It will work with highly committed brethren who are already passionate about their home teaching assignments. But it does not work with majority of the brethren who are new, still struggling in the Church, and need lots of encouragement to exert home teaching efforts. So in harmony with my suggestion of 75% follow-up, 25% direction, here’s what I would do to quickly monitor home teaching visits for the week. Quorum Leader: [holding the HT weekly monitor form with a pen] Brethren, let me now call upon the senior companions to briefly report to me which families have been visited as of the second week of March. Bro. Alfredo David….. [Bro. David responds and I make a follow-up question.] Have you been able to teach a home teaching lesson to any of the families you visited? [If not, I just mark the family as visited. If they have visited and taught a lesson, I mark the two corresponding columns.] Bro. Emiliano Rengell…. [Bro. Rengell responds and I take note.] I would like to commend Brothers David, Rengell and Gutierrez for conducting the visits. May I remind Brothers Cruz and Delgado that you still have two weeks to perform the visits. Thank you everyone for your efforts. [Remember to be brief and concise.] Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
18
The Home Teaching System
By doing this with the entire group we can applaud the efforts of home teachers together and create a subtle reminder to other pairs to start working if they have not. Please do not embarrass anybody with unkind remarks in reference to their inability to conduct the visits. EXTEND GENEROUS PRAISE IN PUBLIC, COUNSEL IN PRIVATE. When they are able to perform, the brethren would like to stand up and speak so you need to control the time. We have also decided to do this even if we spent an additional ten minutes during the quorum meeting rather than ask the brethren to return in the afternoon or mid-week to make the reports a method unlikely to work. Working smart tip: Don’t let the fish go when they are already in the pond. As to the column on church attendance, this can be assigned to the elders’ quorum secretary to fill-out weekly or one of the ward missionaries. Interviews are initiated on the second, third, and fourth Sundays. “The personal priesthood interview is the most powerful tool we have in the Church to get the Lord’s work done.” [Pres. Marion G. Romney] By the second week of the month, you would have already known which home teachers have been doing their job and those who have not. For some people, the subtle reminder would not be enough. THIS IS YOUR TRIGGER POINT IN DECIDING WHOM YOU SHOULD INTERVIEW. Obviously, we are more concerned with those who have not been able to conduct the visits yet. Sometimes we are tempted to think that these men are lazy but you would be surprise what you will find out if you took the time to ask. Listen with your ears and heart. Quorum Leader: Thank you so much for your brief reports. For this week, we have scheduled the following brothers to meet with a quorum presidency member after our class. Bro. John will meet with Bro. Andaya, quorum president, while Bro. Cesar and Bro. Rodel will meet with his counselors also right after this meeting. Working smart tip: Ideally, we should be interviewing everybody and each quorum member should be interviewed at least once a year. [Refer to article “Ten Steps to a Meaningful Stewardship Interview.”] Prepare a home teachers (senior companions) interview schedule in advance and inform the brethren of this schedule. Post this in the bulletin board for everyone to see. Concentrate your interviewing efforts with the brethren who need help in doing home teaching and help them resolve the barriers to fulfilling their duties. EQ President Victorio Collado Mauro Tating Timoteo Hernandez Jess Arreola Samuel Menor Jun Lumacad
1st Counselor Rommel Fajardo Emerson Escalera Ronald Aban Lawrence Go Lito Malinit Gerry Ramos
2nd Counselor Romeo Melecio Resty Bondoc Ramon Vicente Eduardo Mendoza Willy Alcantara Tony San Gabriel
Sunday Schedule 2nd Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday 4th Sunday
Interview to motivate. Open and close with a prayer. Offer a scriptural thought that offers encouragement. Maintain dignity and respect. Listen first to understand. Find out what seems to be the problem then offer possible solutions. Commit the home teacher to take action. Here’s a way it might be done: Quorum Leader: Bro. Ramos, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I have noticed that three weeks have already passed in the month and home teaching visits to your families have not been done up to now. I would really like to help you fulfill this assignment. Would you please tell me what problems you are encountering? [Interviewee responds and you identify the barriers] It seems to me that you and your companion are unable to meet due to conflicting schedules. Are you free this afternoon so I can arrange for someone to accompany you? [Resolve the barrier and commit the home teacher] I will ask Bro. Cruz to meet with you at 4:00 p.m. later today to conduct the visits. Very good. [Encouragement] To conclude, let me share with you a scriptural thought in D&C 64:33…. The Lord knows that sometimes the work can be discouraging but He tells us we are laying the foundation … I am looking forward to your report. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
19
The Home Teaching System
Reporting Monthly This is a sample of the home teacher’s monthly report which is at the back of the HT Monthly Planner. By consolidating all the writing in one form, we eliminate the risk of home teachers having to remember a number of forms. This is mandatory in this system. During your interviews, you should continue to teach and remind the home teachers of this report. If they don’t know how to write a narrative report then as quorum leader you should take notes of their verbal reports. Report of Home Teacher to Quorum Leader HOME TEACHERS NAME OF FAMILY
For the Month of April Year 2004
RUBIO, Randy F.
ACOSTA, A.J.
1st Week
2nd Week
3rd Week
4th Week
5th Week
V
V
C
V
C
V
V
X
V
X
C
V
C
V
X
V V
C
X
Alfredo David V
C
V
X
Aurora Gregorio V
C
X V
C
V
C
X
V
X
C
V
C
X
V
X
C
V
C
C
X C
Report & Recommendation
C
X V
C
X C
H T L
V
X
Sis. Gregorio is sick and has requested for a priesthood blessing.
C
Bro. Santos is planning to work overseas. He has submitted his application.
X
Ruben Santos V
C
V
X
Rodolfo Sampang V
Alex Lumbao
C
V
X V
C
V
V
Emiliano Rengell
X C
X
V
X
C
V
C
V
V
C
C
V
C
V
V
X
Franklyn Verdejo Legend:
V – Visit
X V
C
X V
C
V
X C
C
V
C
V
X
C
V
C
X
C
Not visited. Lumbao family did not miss any Sunday meetings this month.
X V
C
V
C
V
C
X
X
X
X
V
C
V
C
V
V
X
V
C
V
C
V
C
Lamberto Bondoc
C
V
Ricardo Gutierrez Jerome David
V
X
V
X
X
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
V
C
He can’t attend Church if no one tends their small store. He should be encouraged to become an Elder.
X Bro. Verdejo was out when we visited. He has a contractual job in Angeles.
X
X
X
C – Church Attendance HTL- Home Teaching Lesson
X
X
Please put [ X ] mark to all applicable spaces
Quorum Leader: Bro. Acosta, shall we get our respective copies of your HT Monthly Planner. [Bro. Acosta retrieves his copy from his HT kit] How many families have you visited so far this being only the second Sunday of the month? [He tells you that they have visited Jerome David and Ruben Santos] That is very commendable. Shall we put the corresponding marks in the report at the back side portion? [You both put the marks on your respective copies] Have you taught any home teaching lessons with any of these families? [Home teacher tells you that they have and you indicate that in the HTL column] Is there anything we should know at this time about any of these families? [Home teacher has written a brief report about Jerome David or if he decides to make a verbal report you can write it down in your copy] So you are saying that Jerome’s inability to come to Church is because nobody tends their store. Let me write that down in my copy. Have you tried asking him to come maybe even just for one hour or challenge him to close the store on Sundays? On the fourth Sunday of the month, you can do your usual weekly monitor. It’s best that you already have a verbal report just in case the home teachers fail to give you a written report. Then you can remind the home teachers to submit this report to you after the quorum instruction. I would rather extend their stay for another ten minutes after the class just before the closing prayer and have them complete the report if they have not. If they forgot to bring their copy, have them use your duplicate and then take it back. DON’T LEAVE ANYTHING TO CHANCE. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
20
The Home Teaching System
Report of Quorum Leader to the Bishop & Stake President As you can see, the Home Teaching Weekly Monitor when substantially filledout offers useful information. It tells the reader which families have been visited in a glance, which families are active, which families are experiencing erratic Church attendance, and action items on issues and concerns with families. Remember to highlight the families not visited as required in the handbook. You should always note important action items. Train your home teachers to look for significant issues with their assigned families such as children turning eight, ordinations, illness, unemployment, Church magazine subscription, unattended family duties, etc. We should constantly be looking for ways to help families. Sample Completed Weekly Report HOME TEACHING WEEKLY MONITOR For the Month of March 2004 Companionship
DAVID Alfredo SANTOS Ruben
Families
1st Week
2nd Week
3rd Week
4th Week
5th Week
V
C
V
V
V
V
X
V
Bulatao, Herminio Tayag, Orlando Feliciano, Isaias Mataga, Efran Sr. Marcelo, Rey Yumul, Rosalinda Supan, Victoriano Mesina, Rodel
RENGELL Emiliano AMURAO Avelino
GUTIERREZ Ricardo SAMPANG Rodolfo Sr.
C
X
X X
V V
X
C
C
X
V
C
X
V
C
X X
V X X
V X
V
C
Notes HTL
X X
V
C
X
X X
X X
Bro. Yusi is very ill. He is currently receiving medication. His wife and children have not been to Church for a month. We recommend Job to be a ward missionary. Bro. Villapana is asking if he can pay tithes even if he has not been to Church for a while.
X V
C
V
C
X X V
C
Bro. Tayag is sometimes in Manila trying to look for a job. His grandchildren should be visited by YMYW presidencies.
HTL
V V X
We recommend to have Bulatao family re-taught the missionary discussions.
Bro. Marcelo has to be ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. His wife may be introduced to the missionaries.
V V
V
Vergara, Victor Gregorio, Rey Manalac, Armando Caday, Rose Santos, Jonald Rodriguez, Jovita Notorio, Jayson Santos, Ruben Sr.
C
V
V
Villanueva, Fe Villapana, Geraldo Quizon, Rodrigo David, Rodolfo Yusi, Romeo Bulatao, Job Garcia, Mirando David, Alfredo Lising, Jesus
C
X X V
C
V
X X
X
C
HTL
V V
X V
Fe Villanueva’s daughters have not been baptized. Refer to missionaries.
Bro. Vergara has a daughter turning 8 years old in May. Sis. Rochelle Santos is new member and currently being taught new member discussions.
X X X
X
X
X
V V
X
V
X
X
X
X
X V X
Legend: V – Visited C – Church Attendance HTL- HT lesson taught
V
Sis. Rodriguez eldest daughter just got married. Her son-in-law, Jayson Notorio should be referred to missionaries. Invite less active youth to youth conference next month.
Place [X] on applicable spaces
The fourth Sunday of the month is the time to consolidate the reports. Require the HT Monthly report and encourage home teachers to also submit “Home Teachers’ Family Report.” Note action items. Refer them to concerned persons and auxiliaries. It is very crucial that action items be acted upon. Otherwise, we can lose our credibility with the families. This is the reason why reports are being accomplished to help us know what needs to be done. Discuss this report with the bishopric and keep it handy for other council meetings such as the ward council and the ward welfare committee. When referring action items to others, remember to follow-up and don’t let up until you know it has been done. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
21
The Home Teaching System
Sample Completed Monthly Report With this monthly report format, you remove all the clutter from the weekly monitor and highlight the companionship performance where it really matters. This report immediately tells you the number of visits and number of home teaching lessons taught. It also helps you know the activity status of the families assigned to the home teachers. So what is the difference between the action items in the weekly monitor versus the monthly report? In this report, your notes should only refer to the status and concerns of the companionships [not family situations]. The objective with this report is to prompt you what modifications will be necessary to make home teaching partners more productive. HOME TEACHING MONTHLY REPORT For the Month of March Year 2004 NUMBER OF ASSIGNED FAMILIES
NUMBER CONTACTED FOR THE MONTH
NUMBER OF HT LESSONS TAUGHT
NUMBER OF FAMILIES ATTENDING CHURCH
NUMBER. OF FAMILIES NOT ATTENDING
HT PERCENTAGE # FAMILIES # CONTACTED
Victorio Collado Jayvee Collado
10
9
5
4
6
90%
Rommel Fajardo Vladimir Olayao
10
8
8
5
5
80%
Rommel is doing a terrific job training Vladimir as home teacher.
Randy Rubio Randall Joseph Rubio
10
4
4
8
2
40%
Randy is always on out-of-town trips. We can pair his son with another companion.
Romeo Melecio Samuel Menor
10
10
7
8
2
100%
This is a super home teacher who conducts 100% visits consistently.
Timoteo Hernandez Ezra Hernandez
6
3
3
6
0
50%
We have reduced Tim’s workload since he has to look for a new job.
Jess Arreola Eduardo Mendoza
8
6
6
4
4
75%
Jess just moved into our ward two months ago but already showing consistency.
Roque Lumacad John David Lumacad
10
7
5
6
4
70%
Jun has out-of-town contracts for next month. He has requested to reduce workload meantime.
John Tamad John Tamad, Jr.
6
0
0
0
6
0%
NAME OF COMPANIONSHIP
EQ PRESIDENCY NOTES Vic has requested two more additional families.
He has to be interviewed more frequently.
With this system the home teachers use only one form and you as the quorum leader only use two forms. I have intentionally limited the forms to keep it simple and easy to recall. SUMMARY • • • • • •
This system has five events, one recurring occasionally and four major recurring events A system is ran and implemented on schedule A system when ran on schedule and implemented right will deliver predictable results A system requires consistency and persistence on the part of leaders A system follows rigid monitoring activities A system should be checked and revised for better results
Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
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The Home Teaching System
Home Teaching System Checklist First Cycle
Regular Cycle
1st Sunday [ ] Run HT Quick Diagnostic [ ] Hold Home Teachers training session [ ] Teach how to use HT Monthly Planner
1st Sunday [ ] Complete HT Monthly Planner [ ] Run HT Quick Diagnostic (new home teachers) [ ] Hold Home Teachers training session if necessary
2nd Sunday [ ] Introducing the HT Weekly Monitor [ ] Review Home Teaching concepts [ ] Collect completed HT Monthly Planners [ ] Collect written reports, if any
2nd Sunday [ ] First Round Weekly Monitor [ ] Report Weekly Monitor to PEC [ ] Conduct Weekly Interviews [ ] Collect written reports, if any
3rd Sunday [ ] Initiate Weekly Monitor [ ] Report Weekly Monitor to PEC [ ] Conduct Weekly Interviews [ ] Collect written reports, if any
3rd Sunday [ ] Second Round Weekly Monitor [ ] Report Weekly Monitor to PEC [ ] Conduct Weekly Interviews [ ] Collect written reports, if any
4th Sunday [ ] Last Round Weekly Monitor [ ] Report Weekly Monitor to PEC [ ] Conduct Weekly Interviews [ ] Collect written reports, if any [ ] Submit monthly report to the Bishop [ ] Furnish copy to Stake President
4th Sunday [ ] Last Round Weekly Monitor [ ] Report Weekly Monitor to PEC [ ] Conduct Weekly Interviews [ ] Collect written reports, if any [ ] Submit monthly report to the Bishop [ ] Furnish copy to Stake President
Problems Encountered: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Possible Modifications: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Action Taken: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ System Checked by: ___________________________
Date: ____________
Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”
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