need a translation?
Apologies Guys. . .
I expect that once I start eating breathing and sleeping the Gospel, I'll probably be so engrossed in missionary work I won't even notice some of the jargon and things I start using. I also want this blog to be friendly to any non-member friends I have, so have no fear. If you've never heard anything about Mormonism before, this page should help you get through my e-mails.
Glossary
Mission People and Organizational Things
Assistants to the President(AP) - These guys are stationed in an area close to the mission home in Riverside. They are right under the mission president, so basically at the top of the food chain when it come to missionaries. They'll be in charge of a lot of meetings and things.
Companion - Missionaries go out in pairs, so the guy that I'm with is called my companion. I'll probably have around a dozen over the course of my two years.
District Leader(DL) - A District is somewhere between 6 and 12 missionaries who are all in a relatively small area. Every few weeks you might have a District meeting where the District Leaders will do training or something. The District Leader is the person you report numbers to every week.
Mission President(MP) - This is the guy who is in charge of the whole mission. He assigns transfers, meets with missionaries on a regular basis and if he has to, disciplines missionaries.
Ward Mission Leader - A member in each ward who helps out the missionaries, making sure they have dinner appointments, members to teach lessons with, etc.
Zone Leaders(ZL) - A zone is bigger than a district, probably would have 3 or more districts in side of it. Less frequently you will have a zone conference rather than a district meeting where you receive training. Zone leaders are pretty high up the food chain and report to the AP or the mission president himself.
Missionary Activities and Lingo
Companion Study - Every morning between 9 and 10, missionaries do an hour of companion study where they share what they learned during personal study, discuss appointments and plans for the day, and practice teaching lessons.
Discussions - The discussions are a loose framework for the topics missionaries need to teach and an order for them to be taught to new investigators. There are 5 discussions, and they are "The Restoration", "The Plan of Salvation", "The Gospel of Jesus Christ", "The Commandments", "Laws and Ordinances".
Investigator - The term for anybody who is not a member of the church who is meeting with the missionaries.
Key Indicators - I'm not sure if they're still used, but these are basically ways by which you can tell if your investigators are progressing. These are things like "Are they attending church", "Are they reading the scriptures", and "Are they keeping the commitments you make with them".
Personal Study - Every morning between 8 and 9, missionaries do an hour of personal study where they read the scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and General Conference Talks.
Tracting - This is stereotypical missionary work, the kind where you knock on doors or hand out pamphlets to people on the street, trying to find people who are interested in learning more.
Mormon Doctrine/Lingo
Atonement - The idea that Christ suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross to save us from our sins and allow us to be resurrected, saving us from physical and spiritual death.
Bishop - A bishop is head of a single ward, a single congregation in a small area. The bishop holds keys of the priesthood and uses them to call members to serve in callings to keep the church running smoothly. Bishops meet with people and families to select callings for them and look out for their well-being, and direct meetings on Sundays and other days.
Book of Mormon(BOM) - Sub-titled "Another Testament of Jesus Christ", it is another account of God's prophets in ancient times. It covers approximately the years 600 BC to 400 AD, and tells of his people in the Americas. They were transcribed on golden plates, which Joseph Smith was directed to by the Angle Moroni and then translated through the power of god.
Doctrine & Covenants - A set of revelations given to Joseph Smith in the early days of the Mormon Church. These revelations revealed lost or misunderstood doctrine, as well as helped organize the church in the proper way.
Doctrine of Christ - The way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. It is Faith, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the Laying on of Hands, and Endure to the End.
First Vision - This is when Joseph Smith went out to pray in the woods, now known as the Sacred Grove, and he saw The father and the Son and they revealed to him that none of the churches on the earth were true. This led to him receiving more revelation in order to restore God's church on the earth and translate the Book of Mormon.
General Conference - Twice every year, in April and October, all the leaders of the church (Prophet, Apostles, Seventy, etc.) get together at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and give counsel to the whole church. These sessions of conference are broadcasted world wide so that all members are able to hear them. There are 3 sessions on Saturday at 10, 2, and 6 Mountain Time, and 2 sessions on Sunday at 10 and 2 Mountain Time.
The Godhead - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They are three distinct and separate beings, but one in purpose.
Prophet - The church has always been led by prophets in ancient and modern times. The first prophet in the latter days was Joseph Smith, and the current prophet is Thomas S. Monson. The prophet is the only man on earth who holds all the keys of the priesthood and the authority to exercise all of them, as well as being the only one authorized to speak as the mouthpiece of God. Much of these keys are also delegated to other leaders of the church. See Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Quorum of the Seventy - In Ephesians we also read about how Christ established Quorums of Seventy to manage the church. These men serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve and can cover much more ground and offer more counsel. They have some keys and authority that the Twelve have as well, and they delegate some responsibilities too. See Stake President.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - Just like Christ had twelve apostles when he was on the earth who had the priesthood and had authority to act in his name, we have a Quorum of Twelve Apostles today. The president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is Boyd K. Packer. They are also sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, and have many of the same keys and authority as the prophet and in turn delegate that authority to others. See Quorums of the Seventy.
The Restoration - The term used to talk about how the church was established in modern times in the same manner as Christ established his church when he was on the earth. This includes restoring the same organization and priesthood keys and authority.
Stake President - The Stake President is in charge of quite a large area that includes 10 or more wards. They are chosen by a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, and in turn appoint bishops. See Bishop.
Standard Works - All the doctrine denoted as scripture. This includes the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
The Witnesses - first the 3, and then the 8, these are other members of the church besides Joseph Smith who saw the Gold Plates in person. Their testimonies can be found in the front of the Book of Mormon.
Assistants to the President(AP) - These guys are stationed in an area close to the mission home in Riverside. They are right under the mission president, so basically at the top of the food chain when it come to missionaries. They'll be in charge of a lot of meetings and things.
Companion - Missionaries go out in pairs, so the guy that I'm with is called my companion. I'll probably have around a dozen over the course of my two years.
District Leader(DL) - A District is somewhere between 6 and 12 missionaries who are all in a relatively small area. Every few weeks you might have a District meeting where the District Leaders will do training or something. The District Leader is the person you report numbers to every week.
Mission President(MP) - This is the guy who is in charge of the whole mission. He assigns transfers, meets with missionaries on a regular basis and if he has to, disciplines missionaries.
Ward Mission Leader - A member in each ward who helps out the missionaries, making sure they have dinner appointments, members to teach lessons with, etc.
Zone Leaders(ZL) - A zone is bigger than a district, probably would have 3 or more districts in side of it. Less frequently you will have a zone conference rather than a district meeting where you receive training. Zone leaders are pretty high up the food chain and report to the AP or the mission president himself.
Missionary Activities and Lingo
Companion Study - Every morning between 9 and 10, missionaries do an hour of companion study where they share what they learned during personal study, discuss appointments and plans for the day, and practice teaching lessons.
Discussions - The discussions are a loose framework for the topics missionaries need to teach and an order for them to be taught to new investigators. There are 5 discussions, and they are "The Restoration", "The Plan of Salvation", "The Gospel of Jesus Christ", "The Commandments", "Laws and Ordinances".
Investigator - The term for anybody who is not a member of the church who is meeting with the missionaries.
Key Indicators - I'm not sure if they're still used, but these are basically ways by which you can tell if your investigators are progressing. These are things like "Are they attending church", "Are they reading the scriptures", and "Are they keeping the commitments you make with them".
Personal Study - Every morning between 8 and 9, missionaries do an hour of personal study where they read the scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and General Conference Talks.
Tracting - This is stereotypical missionary work, the kind where you knock on doors or hand out pamphlets to people on the street, trying to find people who are interested in learning more.
Mormon Doctrine/Lingo
Atonement - The idea that Christ suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross to save us from our sins and allow us to be resurrected, saving us from physical and spiritual death.
Bishop - A bishop is head of a single ward, a single congregation in a small area. The bishop holds keys of the priesthood and uses them to call members to serve in callings to keep the church running smoothly. Bishops meet with people and families to select callings for them and look out for their well-being, and direct meetings on Sundays and other days.
Book of Mormon(BOM) - Sub-titled "Another Testament of Jesus Christ", it is another account of God's prophets in ancient times. It covers approximately the years 600 BC to 400 AD, and tells of his people in the Americas. They were transcribed on golden plates, which Joseph Smith was directed to by the Angle Moroni and then translated through the power of god.
Doctrine & Covenants - A set of revelations given to Joseph Smith in the early days of the Mormon Church. These revelations revealed lost or misunderstood doctrine, as well as helped organize the church in the proper way.
Doctrine of Christ - The way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. It is Faith, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the Laying on of Hands, and Endure to the End.
First Vision - This is when Joseph Smith went out to pray in the woods, now known as the Sacred Grove, and he saw The father and the Son and they revealed to him that none of the churches on the earth were true. This led to him receiving more revelation in order to restore God's church on the earth and translate the Book of Mormon.
General Conference - Twice every year, in April and October, all the leaders of the church (Prophet, Apostles, Seventy, etc.) get together at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and give counsel to the whole church. These sessions of conference are broadcasted world wide so that all members are able to hear them. There are 3 sessions on Saturday at 10, 2, and 6 Mountain Time, and 2 sessions on Sunday at 10 and 2 Mountain Time.
The Godhead - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They are three distinct and separate beings, but one in purpose.
Prophet - The church has always been led by prophets in ancient and modern times. The first prophet in the latter days was Joseph Smith, and the current prophet is Thomas S. Monson. The prophet is the only man on earth who holds all the keys of the priesthood and the authority to exercise all of them, as well as being the only one authorized to speak as the mouthpiece of God. Much of these keys are also delegated to other leaders of the church. See Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Quorum of the Seventy - In Ephesians we also read about how Christ established Quorums of Seventy to manage the church. These men serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve and can cover much more ground and offer more counsel. They have some keys and authority that the Twelve have as well, and they delegate some responsibilities too. See Stake President.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - Just like Christ had twelve apostles when he was on the earth who had the priesthood and had authority to act in his name, we have a Quorum of Twelve Apostles today. The president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is Boyd K. Packer. They are also sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, and have many of the same keys and authority as the prophet and in turn delegate that authority to others. See Quorums of the Seventy.
The Restoration - The term used to talk about how the church was established in modern times in the same manner as Christ established his church when he was on the earth. This includes restoring the same organization and priesthood keys and authority.
Stake President - The Stake President is in charge of quite a large area that includes 10 or more wards. They are chosen by a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, and in turn appoint bishops. See Bishop.
Standard Works - All the doctrine denoted as scripture. This includes the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
The Witnesses - first the 3, and then the 8, these are other members of the church besides Joseph Smith who saw the Gold Plates in person. Their testimonies can be found in the front of the Book of Mormon.