“JustServe Quick Start Guide for Missions,” JustServe Quick Start Guide for Missions (2025)

JustServe

Quick Start Guide for Missions

Our purpose as missionaries is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ [2023], 1).

Often the best way to awaken interest in the Savior’s message is to be an example. Service in the community is a great way to build relationships and engage in conversations in a natural way. Missionaries will connect and become friends with more members of the community they serve in. In the Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ we learn the following about service in the community:

You can learn to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by serving as He did. Find opportunities to serve your companion, the people you are teaching, members, and others in the community, “that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

You should serve with a sincere desire to help others without any expected outcomes. Follow all service project rules, especially about not teaching while serving and not serving where you would be alone with children. If someone expresses interest in your message, reply very briefly and arrange to meet with them at a different time and location to share a message (Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ, 2.7).

You can participate in formally organized service activities. You can find service opportunities through JustServe.org, where available, as directed by your mission leaders.

JustServe exists to help people in need and to improve the quality of life in the community. The best service opportunities are collaborative—working side by side with others in faith-based, nonprofit, community, and government organizations (JustServe Community Service Guidebook, General Guidelines, page 2).

General Guidelines

How does JustServe support and benefit missionaries in their calling?

Through service, you and the people you serve may come together in a powerful and inspiring way (see Preach My Gospel [2023], 12). Missionary contact with the members of the community will increase and new friendships will be made in natural ways. Service can also increase the emotional well-being of missionaries.

Lessons Learned

Show up on time.
Tell the organizer if you cannot be there.
Be productive.
Be cheerful and engaging.
Make new friends.
Clean up and thank the organizer.
Confirm the next appointment.

(See also Community Service Guidelines, 15.)

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Implementing JustServe in the Mission

JustServe Specialists

Consider calling a mission JustServe specialist to coordinate with stake and coordinating council JustServe specialists to help find appropriate community service opportunities for missionaries. The mission JustServe specialist may be a local calling, a service mission for an individual or couple, or a responsibility for a mission president’s counselor. In missions with large geographical areas, it may be helpful to call more than one mission JustServe specialist (see Community Service Guidebook, 10).
- Mission specialists help young mission leaders identify appropriate service projects for missionaries.
- Mission specialists help young mission leaders lead in service opportunities according to the standards outlined in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ: Supplemental Information, 7.2 and 7.3.
- Mission specialists should review and understand the projects for which missionaries are volunteering.
- Mission specialists may also serve alongside the missionaries in selected projects.
Encourage Service: Love, Share, and Invite

Mission leaders teach the doctrinal basis for service and encourage community service. Mission presidents give permission for missionaries to serve at approved projects close to their assigned area.
- One way we show our love for God is by loving and serving His children (see Matthew 22:36–39; 25:40). We share these things in normal and natural ways as we interact with others. We pray for inspiration and guidance on how to invite others to help us serve people in need.
- Discuss how the Savior served people and how missionaries can emulate Him.
- Encourage missionaries to invite members and friends of the Church to service projects to increase meaningful interactions between Church members, friends of the Church, and missionaries. Teach missionaries how to use their time wisely (see Preach My Gospel [2023], chapter 8) and to participate in service projects during hours that are less productive for proselyting.
- Invite missionaries to maintain the standards outlined in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ: Supplemental Information, 7.2.
Review the Service Experience

Discuss and reflect on the impact of formal missionary service on the motivation and emotional well-being of missionaries. Share how it impacts the mission’s effectiveness in finding, teaching, and baptizing.

Implementation:
- Mission specialists track community service hours and report them to the mission presidency and the coordinating council JustServe specialist.
- Mission presidents may encourage missionaries to share their experiences of service and making new friends through service projects in their weekly letters to the president.
- Missions successfully using JustServe average between 5 and 10 hours of service weekly per companionship.

Building unity through community service

JustServe.org is provided as a service by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.