Service

To follow Christ is more than to just believe on his teachings.  It is to follow His example.  One of the examples He set was that of service and charity.  Charity is the pure love of Christ.  Charity and service go hand in hand; it is hard to really love someone without serving them, and it is hard to serve someone without learning to love them.  Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), as well as the rest of the world, are counseled to look for opportunities to serve their fellow men.

A priesthood leader in the Mormon Church, Derek A. Cuthbert, said that service is necessary for “changing lives, developing true values, and overcoming worldly influences.”

A former President of the Mormon Church, David O. McKay, said, “Godhood, brotherhood, service—these three guiding principles permeate all our Church activity” (Cherished Experiences from the Writings of President David O. McKay (1976), 15–16).

Because service to others  is important, members of the Church are asked to serve one another in leadership capacities.  These are called callings.  No leader, teacher, or administrator in the Church is paid.  Mormons accept whatever position they are called to serve in willingly and give their responsibilities their best effort.  Their willingness arises from the understanding that the Lord requires service, and that service is for the the benefit of all.  The growth of the Church also requires the service and responsibility of its members.

Mormons believe that the basic unit of the Church and of society is the family.  Parents set an example of service for their children, as they teach them principles of righteous living.

Another service Mormons perform is that of Mormon missionary work.  Mormon missionaries are also unpaid.  A typical mission lasts from eighteen months to two years.  Would-be missionaries submit their information to Salt Lake City, where leaders of the Church prayerfully select where missionaries go to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Missions are located all over the world and are growing in number.  The missionaries teach the Gospel and perform service in their missions, setting an example of righteous service.  Former President of the Mormon Church, Ezra Taft Benson, described the right attitude to have in regards to service when he counseled, “Let us serve one another with brotherly love, never tiring of the demands upon us, being patient and persevering and generous.”

The importance of service is related to the importance of work, and individual will and agency.  One of the tenets of Mormonism is that its members should be “anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:26–27). Opportunities for service should be diligently sought out and should not be restricted to Church programs and Church-organized events.  There are, however, many opportunities within the Church itself.  Group service projects are offered.  Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching allow men and women to visit other households and offer teaching and service, making sure that all members feel welcome, included, and given help if they need it.

The best example of service, of course, was that given by Jesus Christ.  On that very last night before His crucifixion, Jesus taught his twelve apostles the importance of service by washing their feet.  The account, in John 13: 14-16, tells us further: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”

Members of the Mormon Church strive to follow Christ’s example of service.  They believe that to serve any of the Lord’s children (which includes everyone on the earth), they are serving Christ, the Savior.  In 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith was given a revelation that makes service unto the Lord a commandment:  “in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him [the Lord thy God]” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:5). Service, in the Mormon religion, is a way to show gratitude to the Savior Jesus Christ and a way to become closer to Him by following His example.