Using the BOM to Teach Doctrine

One of the three outcomes of a missionary's stay in the MTC is knowing the message. When missionaries understand the scriptures, they are more likely to understand the doctrine and then in turn teach the doctrine. YEAH! Doctrine meets needs! I have found a miraculous key to help the missionaries understand and feel more comfortable with the doctrine. That key is using the Book of Mormon to discover doctrine. (ps. I slightly stole this from Lisanne, but there are a million ways to make it your own)

There are a number of Book of Mormon reading activities, as well as Coaching Missionary Studies that can be used to help the missionaries understand doctrine simply. One idea for teaching is as follows:

1. You can prepare several passages for the missionaries to pick (ex. PMG, 104 has suggestions)  or have the missionaries choose a chapter from the BOM on their own, (as a companionship, individuals or larger groups) that teaches the doctrines of the Plan of Salvation.
2. If in a companionship, choose a specific investigator and decide how to teach it:
       a. verse by verse teaching the doctrine as the chapter is read
       b. pick individual verses and skip around in the chapter
3. Read through the chapter to identify verses that teach specific doctrines
4. Prepare specific questions and invitations for the specific investigator

Basically, it can be a Book of Mormon reading on a chapter on the Plan of Salvation or it can be a Coaching Missionary Study that expands doctrinal knowledge and how doctrine meets the needs of the investigator.

I have seen this process work miracles with the missionaries and also with the investigators in PI. Teaching with the scriptures is powerful and underused. Let's use God's word together!