Fifty years ago as he closed the April 1959 general conference,
President David O. McKay twice pronounced the phrase "every member a
missionary." That simple, four-word statement immediately thrust missionary
work into the consciousness of the general church membership and has since
thrived over the past half-century as an oft-repeated reminder.
"I think it was revolutionary, because the members of the church up
until that time had felt no responsibility for missionary work," said Elder
L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve, recalling that the full-time
missionaries — comprised mostly of young men — did virtually
all of the proselyting work of that day, with little involvement from the
members.
"Here was a new vision, a new responsibility for bringing the nonmembers
into an opportunity to be taught the gospel," he said. "I think it was one
of the most exciting statements, and it has endured — it hasn't
diminished in any way since that period of time."
Elder Perry and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve
recently met with the Church News to talk about the legacy of President
McKay's "every member a missionary" adage as well as the ongoing challenges
and opportunities of involving Church members in missionary work. The two
are joined by Bishop Richard C. Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric to
comprise the Missionary Executive Committee.See the rest of this story at ldschurchnews.com
This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the
Deseret News.