LDS Sharing Handouts
In a recent Ensign article, Elder M. Russell Ballard said: "It is not easy to explain something as vast as the Church or as wonderful as the restored gospel to people who know little or nothing about us. Even questions on one specific aspect can be difficult to answer because every question seems to be connected to other questions. The most common request we hear is a fairly simple one that goes something like this: 'Tell me a little about your Church.' The key word here is 'little.' They are not saying, 'Tell me everything you know and then send others to tell me everything else.'"
With these "curious" souls in mind, I created a set of handouts that can be used - individually or in aggregate - to share different parts of the gospel with others. The handouts are not meant to be comprehensive or address all questions that someone may have about the Church. Rather, the goal is to provide enough information to peak someone's interest and generate further questions and dialogue either with members or with the full-time missionaries.
In terms of content, I have utilized text from various Church sources rather than composing any of the material myself. While I'm happy to discuss any and all of this material in my own words one-on-one, I figured it was safest to stick with "approved text" in written form. For each handout, the source material is referenced below. In many cases, I had to abbreviate the text to make it all fit onto one page. I, of course, take full responsibility for any meaning lost in this translation.
- Individual Handouts:
- Articles of Faith [source]
- Faith, Family, Facts, Fruits [source]
- Frequently Asked Questions [March 2008 issue of the Ensign for whether we're Christians; LDS Newsroom for belief in Bible, prophets, temples, Word of Wisdom, and missionary work]
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God [excerpts from March 2008 issue of the Ensign]
- Reverence for the Bible [source]
- The Book of Mormon [introductory text from President Gordon B. Hinckley in March 2008 issue of the Ensign; selected scriptures from Brothers Fletcher and Wise]
- Jospeh Smith and the Restoration [source]
- Faith of Our Father [source]
- The Godhead [source]
- Plan of Salvation [LDS Newsroom and mormon.org]
- Born Again [source]
- Authority in the Church [source]
- Modern Prophets and Continuing Revelation [LDS Newsroom and General Conference talk]
- Lay Priesthood and Member Participation [member participation and lay priesthood]
- Temples and Family History [combination of LDS.org, LDS Newsroom, and mormon.org]
- Secret or Sacred? [same as previous handout plus Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple pamphlet]
- Garments [Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple pamphlet]
- Missionary Work [combination of LDS Newsroom and mormon.org]
- Word of Wisdom [combination of Gospel Topics; mormon.org; LDS Newsroom; Ensign article; and web page citing AP study]
- Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy [combination of mormon.org; Gospel Topics; Gospel Principles; and General Conference talk]
- Receiving a Testimony [combination of October 2003 General Conference talk and mormon.org]
- Handouts Coming Soon:
- Collections of Handouts:
- All twenty-one handouts
- Quick overview of two handouts: (1) Faith, Family, Facts, Fruits, and (2) Articles of Faith.
- Small collection of five handouts: (1) Articles of Faith, (2) Jesus Christ, (3) Reverence for the Bible, (4) The Book of Mormon, and (5) FAQ.
- Official Church-Produced Handouts: