Ministering to Each Other as Saints of God

August: Romans 1-6

Last Sunday, a member of my Relief Society presidency called me to find out how my ministering assignment was going. I appreciated the opportunity to reflect upon how well I was doing in this important calling. As a visiting teacher, I could check off when I visited my sisters every month. But ministering causes me to ponder deeply if I have taken care of my sisters’ needs. Have I shown the love my sisters needed this past quarter? Do I know what my sisters needed from me?

In 2018 when Pres. Nelson changed the visiting teaching program to ministering, he said: “[W]e will implement a newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others. We will refer to these efforts simply as ‘ministering.’ Effective ministering efforts are enabled by the innate gifts of the sisters and by the incomparable power of the priesthood. We all need such protection from the cunning wiles of the adversary.”ⁱ Ministering is taking visiting teaching to the next level. It is an opportunity for us to strengthen each other from falling under the influence of the evils of the world today.

An example of a New Testament woman who was ministering to the early saints was Phebe. She was the one who brought the epistle of Paul to the Romans. Paul uses three titles in describing Phebe. Sister Camille Fronk Olson pointed out that she is described as “our sister [adelphē],” “a servant [diakonos] of the church,” and “a succourer [prostatis] of many.” These titles Illustrate the Important role Phebe played In ministering to other early saints. Phebe is not mentioned much in the New Testament, but the description we do have of her illustrates her standing in the Church. She was a minister to other saints. Sister Olson invited current sisters of the Church to follow Phebe’s example: “By being a loving servant and “succourer” to those around us, we can leave a similar legacy.”ⁱⁱ

Aquila and his wife Priscilla were also saints who ministered to Paul in his missionary journeys. Aquila was a tent maker like Paul. Aquila and Priscilla had been living in Rome but were expelled and settled in Corinth. Paul met them in Corinth and then in Ephesus when they moved there. Both Aquila and Priscilla were pillars of strength for the Church. In Ephesus, they taught the gospel. Their home became a center for the Church. They were people of wealth, yet they used their wealth to further the purpose of the Church and to support and minister to Church leaders.

These early church members are examples to us about how we can minister to modern saints – our brothers and sisters in the gospel. Phebe succored other members. Aquila and Priscilla gave of their time and worldly wealth. We can ask how we can better minister to others and support our Church leaders.

i Russell M. Nelson, “Ministering,” April GC 2018.

ii Camille Fronk Olson, “Phebe, ”Ensign, August 2019