This post was originally published on June 11, 2017. This is a revised and updated version.
In my very first role as an employee of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I had the opportunity to work directly with local and general leaders of the Church around the world. My job involved helping leaders resolve any difficulties they encountered as they went about fulfilling their assignments and responsibilities caring for Church members in their specific areas. Day to day I interacted with these leaders as they called in and provided support with whatever they needed. I performed many different functions touching every facet of local unit administration, but to summarize my duties briefly, I made sure policies were understood and followed and made sure finance, membership, and welfare records were in order. It wasn’t as glamorous as it may sound (if it does), but it was honest work.
Sometimes calls would come through from people who were not leaders of the Church. For example, an individual’s donation records could be missing or inaccurate, so I would work with them directly to get copies of their bank records for validation, unit deposit receipts, etc. Someone else would need assistance resetting their Church Account password or ordering materials from Distribution Services (I would usually transfer those calls to the proper department). Boring things like that. When these people contacted us asking for various types of direction, they would almost always refer to themselves as “regular members.” For instance, my desk phone would ring, I would pick it up and introduce myself, and a common response would be, “Hello…well…actually I’m just a regular member of the Church…and I need help with [insert issue here].” I really did not like when people said that. I mean, it’s an innocent thing to say and it’s obviously important that I understand the station of whoever I’m dealing with, but I never liked when people referred to themselves that way. To me, there are no such things as “regular members” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I decided while serving as a full-time missionary in Chile years ago that being a member of the Church is and will be a defining quality of my life. I am a member of Jesus Christ’s Church. I have learned from some profound experiences that this is actually a big deal. Because of that, and because of the teachings of the Savior we have record of, we can understand that “regular members” don’t (or at least shouldn’t) exist. Each member of the Church is a disciple, or follower, of Jesus Christ, having actually made promises to God that they would fulfill their end of a really important deal. There is no room for being “regular” when the stakes are that high. God never intended for any of us to be just “regular” in our discipleship or covenant keeping.
When Christ visited the American continent after His resurrection, He called twelve new Apostles, taught the people the doctrine of the Church, and instituted the sacrament, and because of that the people prospered for many years. Jesus taught:
14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.1
Jesus was talking to the members of His Church —those whose hearts had been softened and turned to Him— and the counsel still stands. The instructions are clear: Jesus Christ is the light of the world, but we are to be a light in the world. We cannot hide. We are to give light to all the world, that by doing so we might glorify God in Heaven. I find nothing “regular” about that admonition. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days, we are subject to the same charge as members of old. Jesus counts on us to be that light, to go above and beyond, and to be the people that the world needs as He prepares to come again. I know this is true, because I’ve experienced the light of Christ in my life.
Even though I no longer work in that capacity where I answered the phones and provided support to all those people, I will always remember those members of the Church I interacted with and the lesson they taught me. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is no room for “regular members.” Only exceptional disciples. And there is absolutely nothing normal or regular about that. My hope is that we consider what our Church membership really means, and be the lights that the Savior wants us to be.
References
- 3 Nephi 12:14-16
Dillon Boss 