{visiting teaching, defined}

I have mentioned Visiting Teaching quite a few times in my blog entries in the past. I have received many e-mails from gals who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who have wondered what exactly Visiting Teaching is. I wanted to dedicate an entire entry to the definition of Visiting Teaching so that I when I refer to it in future blog entries, I can link directly to this post. Here is a definition that I found online. It's about as good as anything I could have come up with myself:

What is a Visiting Teacher?

A visiting teacher is one of a set of companions assigned to watch over, care for, visit, and teach the Relief Society sisters on her assigned route. She is the eyes and ears of the Relief Society President.

Why does the church have Visiting Teachers?

Because the Lord has asked up to follow the example of the Savior in “feeding his sheep”. Each visiting teacher receives blessings as she serves her fellow sisters. Even newly baptized sisters are called as visiting teachers. When we are baptized we promise to “bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort”. (See Mosiah 18:8-9)

Who do you visit?

The Relief Society president will gives you a list of sisters to visit each month, along with their addresses and phone numbers. Some of these sisters may be fully active, others may not have attended any church activities for a long time. Each sister is important, and because she is a member of the church she is entitled to the watch-care provided through visiting teaching whether she is fully active or not.

When do you visit?

Every sister on your route should be contacted at least once each month. This contact can be through a personal visit in her home, a phone call, or a letter (personal visits are encouraged). At least once every three months the contact should be a personal face to face visit. If your route contains sisters that are new in the church, less active, or who are experiencing difficulties, it is suggested that these sisters receive priority in receiving a personal visit every month.

Comments

[Betsy]

I think that is a wonderful idea to have women assigned to be in contact with other women! So it sounds like each woman in your church is on someone's list? Awesome! Thanks for explaining this!

[Nancy]

How wonderful it must be to know that someone, who is not your family, cares enough to remember you often in their thoughts and with a visit.

Thank you for sharing!