Friday Minute: 10 member-missionary tips

In a recent survey by pollster Gary Lawrence of how Americans view "Mormonism," a whopping 77 percent said they were not sure Mormons are Christians.

Understanding how the public views us can improve our responses to gospel questions.

1. Be a friend. I joined the church at 18 because a wonderful member-missionary understood that friendship is an extension of Christ’s way of life. My friend’s goal was not to convert me but to love me. Those whom the Lord prepares to hear the gospel will feel that love. Friendship flowing from genuine love is a powerful missionary tool.

2. Ditch the lingo. Gary Lawrence is a respected pollster and adviser to the missionary department. He suggests we use simple terms to which our Christian friends will relate: Use "Christianity" instead of "gospel," "re-established" instead of "restoration," and "men changed" instead of "apostasy."

3. Stay on message. Only 12 percent of Americans know our central message. It is this: We are the re-established, original Christian church. We can share this message through a wide variety of available resources, including the Bible and Book of Mormon, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," "Preach My Gospel" and other scriptures. We should also use social media and the Internet. When we stay on message, our friends will connect our message to a better family life and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

4. Trust. When we earn our friends’ trust, they will trust our message. Because we are the re-established, original Christian church, we believe the heavens are open. Share the general conference talks with your friends, and invite them to trust that the heavens are open to them.

5. Pray. After praying for a missionary experience, my wife and I found a stray dog in our closed garage overnight. Guessing at the worn dog-tags, we called the pet hotline and discovered the dog had escaped from her trainer two miles away. When the trainer retrieved his dog, I recognized him as an investigator who had cooled to the missionary discussions. God loved him enough to send that dog to our garage so that we might bear a second witness of the re-established church. When I told him that, he could not withhold his tears. When you pray for missionary experiences, God sends miracles — even stray dogs.