Church Handbook 1 teaches, "Bishops have an especially important responsibility to identify and prepare worthy, qualified members for missionary service." The Lord expects each young man to prepare spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

In the following example, how does the bishop help Josh, a prospective missionary, prepare to serve according to these areas?

It's important for a young man to prepare to serve a mission long before he actually prepares to go on a mission, if that makes sense. Now, as time grows closer to that point in their lives when they will go on and serve a mission, I feel that I have to personally spend a lot of time with those individuals. The bishop is responsible to help worthy candidates prepare for full-time missionary service.

As part of your progression, as a bishopric we've been considering what might help you to progress towards serving a mission. As he recommends potential missionaries, he considers their spiritual preparation. So how are your prayers? Every day, morning and night. The bishop considers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of missionary candidates, keeping in mind the rigors of missionary life. He also considers financial preparation to serve.

So, obviously we've talked about preparing financially and what goals you might try and aspire to in terms of savings for yourself. So, how do you feel they're going? It's going good. I've got quite a lot of money now saved up because I'm working near enough every day, so I'm well on the way. The bishop also considers ways to help future missionaries prepare to serve by inviting them to participate actively in building the kingdom while they're still at home.

The other thing is a calling. We'd now like to extend a calling to you. We've prayed. We've discussed and we've prayed, and we would like to extend the calling to you for that of being a ward missionary. How do you feel about that? Good. I'd like to help and serve the Lord. I want you to get yourself a copy of the Preach My Gospel if you haven't got one already. Read it. Prepare it. Prepare yourself. As bishops consider the preparation of missionary candidates, they seek the Spirit of the Lord. Guided by that Spirit, they counsel with potential missionaries, ensure their readiness, and invite them to prepare actively to serve.

I'm excited to be a full-time missionary because I can serve, the Lord willing, for two years. It's not a lot to ask for what He's done for me, and that's just a small proportion of what I can give back to Him.

In this example, how did the bishop help Josh prepare to serve a full-time mission? You may want to pause to reflect on what you've learned.

Among other things, you may have noticed that the bishop encouraged Josh to pray and study the scriptures. He invited him to read Preach My Gospel to learn about the expectations for full-time missionary service.

He gave him a calling to serve, which provided opportunities to interact with full-time missionaries and bear testimony to others. Finally, he encouraged Josh to work and save money to contribute to the financing of his own mission.

As you consider prospective missionaries in your ward, you may want to ask yourself: What steps can I take today to help individuals prepare for missionary service?