The 2 most basic points you should cover, plus 7 points of introduction to the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, followed by tips on how to effectively share the gospel in an informal setting.
My friend D.T. sent me the following question which I feel is an important one for all church members who know that they need to share the gospel, but don't feel like they quite know how to go about it.
"How would you answer a question about your religion in an informal sense, for instance in an impromptu online chat?"
Naturally, my answer would depend on the
contents of any specific question, but I would generally respond to a casual question
about what we believe by touching briefly on two major points, with an emphasis
on establishing common ground with those who are curious about our faith.
1) We believe in
Jesus Christ. The first of our thirteen
principal articles of faith states that, “We believe in God, the Eternal
Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” We believe that Jesus Christ died for the
sins of all mankind and that he was resurrected so that all mankind might live
again. We worship Him as the living Son
of the living God, and we believe that it is through Him that all men may be
saved if they will have faith in His name, repent of their sins, and follow the
principles and ordinances of the Gospel that He taught.
2) The gospel
blesses families. Most people care very
little for a history lesson, or a complicated discussion regarding doctrine or
scripture, but they do have a family, and the knowledge that they can be
together with their family for eternity is a big deal to many people. More
importantly, I found on my mission that a lot of people responded
even more enthusiastically to the idea that by living the gospel as a family they would
actually WANT to be together for eternity.
In most casual interactions regarding
the church the curious person generally only wants and/or needs a small amount of
information about the church. Therefore I find it is wise to stick to the most basic
and fundamental elements of our faith. If
someone asked me to give them more than just the basics which I have mentioned
above, I would focus on some or all of the following elements (I would probably
stick to some variation of these simplified headers alone, depending on the
situation, and most importantly, on the guidance of the spirit):
1) Jesus Christ organized a church: We
believe in Jesus Christ, which is an important thing that we have in common.
What you may not know is that while Jesus walked the Earth He organized a
church that was built on a foundation of apostles and prophets, who were called
and ordained by Jesus Christ himself. Jesus gave the twelve apostles power to
work miracles, teach, and baptize in his name. These men were also authorized
by God to direct the Church after Christ’s death. You can read about this in
the Bible. We also use the Bible, and we consider it to be God’s word.
2) The Church of Jesus Christ was lost:
Not long after Christ’s death, the Lord’s apostles and prophets were killed and
not replaced. Without the guidance of the Lord’s chosen apostles and prophets
many of the truths that were taught by Jesus and His apostles were lost or
polluted over time through the mistakes of well-meaning but uninspired men, or
through deliberate interference by enemies of the gospel. This meant that the
church that Jesus Christ set up, and which was guided by those He had called
and ordained, was lost.
3) The same Church of Jesus Christ was
restored: Many different churches arose over the centuries since the death of
the apostles, each one using the same basic Bible, and each claiming to represent
the will of the Lord. In 1820, a young boy named Joseph Smith prayed and asked
God which church he should join. God and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a
vision and told him not to join any of them because the church that Jesus had
set up was no longer on the Earth. Joseph was chosen by God to become the first
prophet on Earth since the death of the prophets and apostles of New Testament
times. As a prophet of God, he was called to restore and organize the same
church that Jesus Christ set up, which had been lost with the death of the
original apostles.
4) “By their fruits ye shall know them”
The Savior Himself taught us how to recognize a true prophet of God in Matthew
7:15-20:
“Beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even
so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them.”
The “fruit” of Moses was the Ten
Commandments; the “fruit” of Noah was the Ark, and so on. The fruit of a
prophet is the work that he does at God’s command. By it you can know whether
or not he truly speaks for God.
5) The Book of Mormon is the evidence
(the “fruit”): In New Testament times, The Lord’s apostles and prophets kept a
record of their testimonies concerning the reality and divinity of the Savior
Jesus Christ. They also bore witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The New Testament is the “fruit” by which you can know that the
apostles and prophets who wrote it truly acted under God’s direction. On the
other side of the world, at around the same time, other prophets kept a similar
record of their testimonies of the reality and divinity of the Savior, and they
bore witness of His resurrection when the resurrected Lord appeared to the
people here in the Americas. This record is called the Book of Mormon. God gave
the Prophet Joseph Smith this ancient record, and with it he was given the
ability to translate this record for our day. The Book of Mormon is his
“fruit”, and also the fruit of the Lord's church in our day.
*You may also wish to emphasize that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also believe the Bible to be the word of God, and that we value it equally as scripture alongside the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is in no way intended to replace or supersede the Bible, and we live our lives according to the precepts taught in both books.
6) You can know that this is Christ’s
church if you will read the Book of Mormon and ask God in prayer if it is true.
You have to taste a fruit to know if it is good. If you will read from the Book
of Mormon and sincerely pray and ask God to tell you if it is true, the Lord
will tell you that it is true through the Holy Ghost. If it is the word of God,
then Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. If Joseph Smith is truly a prophet, then
the Lord truly has called him to restore and organize the Church of Jesus
Christ today, just as it was organized by Jesus and His apostles and prophets
in New Testament times. The only church that you need to join is the one that
Christ set up, so shouldn’t you find out if this is the one?
7) We are the Church of Jesus Christ in
this day. The name “Mormon” is just a nickname. The actual name of the church
is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As you might have gathered
from our name, we are The Church of Jesus Christ (the same church that Christ
set up during New Testament times). The “Latter-day” part of our name refers in
part to the fact that we are that same church but in this day and age instead
of two thousand years ago. In New Testament times, the members of Christ’s
church were called saints. Since we are members of the same church we are also
called saints. We have a prophet and twelve apostles, who are called of God
just like those prophets and apostles in New Testament times. You should come
to church with me Sunday to see what the Church of Jesus Christ is like.
Sharing
the gospel naturally
Any returned missionary can tell you
that my seven points closely mirror certain portions of the introductory lesson
that the full-time missionaries teach to their investigators. That is because
these points are a good simple introduction to our church.
Many members worry that they do not know
enough about the gospel themselves to feel secure about sharing it with
others. While I encourage everyone to
learn more about the gospel and church of Jesus Christ, most people do not want
to hear a long-winded discussion of doctrine, so you don’t have to worry about
your scripture-knowledge (or your relative lack thereof). A simple testimony
that this is Christ’s church is often sufficient, and you can leave the tough
stuff to the missionaries.
Beyond that, I would suggest sharing
what Jesus Christ and His gospel (and your membership in His church) have done
for you personally to bless you in your life. Most people are missing something
in their lives, and that something is usually true joy. If you can help them to
see that the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought you true joy in your life, they
will want for themselves that which you have already obtained.
If the opportunity presents itself, I
have often found that the best answer to almost any question about the church
is an invitation along these lines: “Why don’t you come with me to my church
this Sunday and find out?” If this is too direct for you, consider inviting
them to a ward or stake party or service project, or to a mutual or FHE activity
(if those apply). At the very least this
will help you to introduce the Church and its members to your friend in a
relatively non-threatening way. I prefer
inviting people to church because I feel that the spirit is there more
strongly, plus your guest is more likely to hear discussions about our beliefs
at church than he is at a ward potluck dinner, but you have to start somewhere.
Who
am I? I’m a Mormon!
I think that the church's new campaign
that showcases various regular folk who declare "I’m so-and-so, and I'm a
Mormon" is inspired. It is a lot easier for people to understand us and
feel friendly toward the church if they know that the coworker they respect, or
the teacher who cares so much about their children, is a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Conversely, it is a lot easier to demonize a group with whom you have
never knowingly had any meaningful contact.
The church will seem a lot less strange to others when people no longer
see Mormons as strangers.
You as an individual can be a walking
testimony of the gospel and for the church if you are worthy of the
companionship of the Holy Ghost. Most people won't be able to put their finger
on what makes you different, but they know that they want it, whatever it is.
Your job then comes down to prayerfully seeking the direction of the Holy Ghost
to know when, where, and with whom to share the gospel. On the whole, though,
there aren't a lot of people who don't need to hear the gospel, so don't
over-think it. You can turn almost any inquiry into the church into an
invitation to join you at church on Sunday, where the spirit will be strong, and
at the very least they will see that Mormons aren't crazy Satan worshipping
cult members.
Don’t worry too much about losing your
friends by bringing up religion. As long
as you are sensitive and appropriate in your approach to sharing the gospel, your
friends will stay your friends, especially if they know that your invitation
proceeds out of sincere feelings of friendship, and that you will not hold it
against them if they decline. You should also take steps to help your friends
to understand that you will not harass them about religion if that makes them
uncomfortable. Most of your friends will be flattered that you thought enough
of them to ask, even if they ultimately do not take you up on your offer. Most
importantly, keep it casual-don't think that you have to fall down weeping with
the power of your testimony-the person in question probably will be happiest if
you give them an answer to their question in the most simple and direct way
possible.
Here is an article called “Sharing the Gospel Naturally,” which features some good tips for ways to break the ice with
your friends without making a big production out of it. It was published on the
LDS church’s own official website, and it also includes links to ten church produced
videos which you can share with your friends online.
Sharing
the gospel online
As for a situation in which you may be
chatting with a stranger online, short and sweet is the best, and if they
become impolite (as anonymous people on the internet are often wont to do) you
can bear your testimony and get out of there, which is essentially what our
young missionaries are told to do when a person tries to draw them into an
argument. The spirit will leave when you start arguing with someone, so you are
just wasting everybody's time if you think that an argument will convince
someone of the truth of the gospel message (only the spirit can truly do that).
If you feel that a belligerent individual is simply misinformed, you can send
them a link to Mormon.org for answers to their concerns. Here is a list of helpful tips for sharing the gospel online:
For more tips on the sharing the gospel (especially online) you should read the full article "The Do’s and Don’ts of Defending Your Beliefs" from which the above graphic is taken. This article contains excellent advice from the Church magazines
about the right way and the wrong way to go about defending the faith, sharing our beliefs, and standing up for what is right.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints has also recently provided a series of short online videos designed to give a
simple introduction to the church which you might find convenient and useful
when you are called upon to explain and introduce the church and the restored
gospel of Jesus Christ to others:
