Home and Visiting Teaching
In an increasingly impersonal world, with families spread far apart, many people today are lonely and many older people have no one checking in on them. The Mormons have two programs that helps prevent this and to be sure each member of the church is watched over and taken care of.
The programs are called Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching. Home teachers are men who hold the priesthood. (Every male over the age of 12 may hold the priesthood if they are worthy.) Priesthood holders begin serving as home teachers when they’re fourteen, and, when minors, are paired with an adult, often their father. They are given a list of families to take responsibility for. They visit the family once a month to deliver a brief spiritual message and to build a friendship with the family members, particularly the father. If the family has a need they’re unable to meet themselves, they turn first to their home teacher, who either handles the need or turns it over to his leaders. For instance, if the father loses his job and is the only source of income, the home teacher would monitor the situation and report to others when he senses the family needs food or other assistance. If a tree fell during a storm, the home teacher and others he lined up would come out to help remove it.
Visiting teachers serve the same purpose, but they visit only the adult women in the home. Like the men, they travel in pairs, but do not become visiting teachers until they join the Relief Society, a woman’s auxiliary for women ages eighteen and older. Often women are more comfortable sharing their feelings and needs with another women. Visiting teachers provide much of the compassionate service needed in a congregation. They are the first people called when one of “their” families needs a ride to the doctor, a meal brought in during illness, or a shoulder to cry on.
These services are especially valuable when a family moves into the area and are far from home and family. The visiting teachers provide two instant friends, and two people who can be called on without guilt if the woman needs something before she really knows anyone well. Those who visit elderly women make a point of checking on them regularly, to make sure they are alive and well. This has led to miracles and even the saving of lives.
Home and visiting teachers provide each person a personal connection with two other church members. Often the lists are changed, so over time, members develop close relationships with a variety of women, even if they’re very shy and not comfortable reaching out to others. Because the home and visiting teachers are trained to provide service out of love, they work to develop a true bond with those they visit, and real friendships develop in many cases, often between women who might never have noticed each other had they not been assigned to get acquainted. A busy career woman with no children might be assigned to visit a woman who stays at home with a large family and both gain insights and respect for the lives of the others. A young mother living away from her parents might be paired with an older, experienced mother who can provide advice and comfort as the young mother settles into her new life. A young man in college might find himself visited by a successful business man who can make valuable suggestions as the younger man launches a career.
Home and visiting teaching are inspired programs that make a large church personal.