October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Bishop Sean Douglas › Adults
Close to Jesus Christ, and Bringing Someone Along
From “The Hour of Your Mission Is Come,” by Bishop Sean Douglas · Saturday morning session, October 2026 General Conference
The big idea
A desire to be close to Jesus Christ is what makes a missionary, and each of us can help someone, especially in the rising generation, take the next step toward serving Him.
Objective
Learners will name one person they can encourage toward the Savior or toward missionary service and choose one specific thing to do for that person this week.
Before you teach
- Read Bishop Douglas's talk, especially the story of Elder Merlin Sanchez (paragraphs 8–12).
- Read Mosiah 28:3 and Doctrine and Covenants 31:1, 3, 5–7.
- Bring a slip of paper and a pencil for each person.
- Write two headings on the board: What friends and leaders did / What the Lord did.
Lesson plan
Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.
Who helped you?
- Begin with prayer. If you wish, sing or read the words of Called to Serve.
- Ask the first question below and give ten seconds of quiet before anyone answers.
- Have learners turn to one person and share for one minute each. Invite two people to tell the whole group what their helper actually did.
- Explain that Bishop Douglas, of the Presiding Bishopric, spoke mainly to missionaries and to the rising generation. Today we will ask what his message asks of the rest of us.
- Think of someone who helped you, or someone you love, come closer to Jesus Christ. What did that person actually do?
What makes a missionary
- Tell how Bishop Douglas watched his two great-nephews, who are brothers, speak in sacrament meeting before leaving for missions thousands of miles from home, and how they reminded him of the sons of Mosiah.
- Ask someone to read Mosiah 28:3 aloud while the others listen for what the sons of Mosiah could not bear.
- Read the key quote from paragraph 6 about their desire, then President Nelson's words that Bishop Douglas quoted.
- Discuss the questions. Let learners carry the conversation; add only what is needed.
- Bishop Douglas names what takes a back seat for a season: education, dating, careers, family time. When has putting the Lord first for a season blessed you or someone you know?
- Where have you seen that kind of desire in a missionary, young or senior?
The story of Elder Sanchez
- Form groups of three or four. Ask each group to read paragraphs 8–12 of the talk on a phone, or read them aloud to the class if phones are few.
- As they read, have groups list on paper everything that friends and leaders did and everything the Lord did.
- Gather the lists on the board under the two headings. Be sure these details appear: a faithful friend helped Merlin begin his mission papers and schedule a physical exam before he had decided to serve; friends and leaders helped him return to church at age 25; the Lord removed obstacles one by one once he decided to go.
- Read aloud Merlin's answer when Bishop Douglas asked why he wanted to serve (key quote from paragraph 9).
- Point out what followed: he was called as a bishop on his wedding day and now serves as a stake president. Read the key quote from paragraph 11 about lifelong discipleship.
- The friend acted before Merlin had decided. What does that teach you about how to help someone without pushing?
- Who is doing the most in this story: Merlin, his friends, or the Lord? What makes you say so?
What the Lord promises those He sends
- Explain that Bishop Douglas closed with the Savior's words to Thomas B. Marsh, called to preach in 1830, and invited the rising generation to put their own names in place of Thomas's.
- Invite everyone to read Doctrine and Covenants 31:1, 3, 5–7 silently and mark each promise the Lord makes.
- Ask learners to call out the promises they found and write them on the board.
- Read President Oaks's words from the start of the talk (aligned quote), then Elder Dube's invitation from this conference (aligned quote). Note that Elder Dube's invitation is to us all.
- Which of these promises would a young person you love most need to hear right now? Why?
- Which promise speaks to a worry you carry about your own family or your own ability to share the gospel?
One name, one step
- Hand out the slips of paper. Allow two full minutes of silence.
- Ask each person to write one name: a young person preparing for a mission, a new convert, someone who has stopped participating, or a missionary now serving. If the Spirit suggests their own name, for a senior or service mission, they may write that.
- Under the name, have them write one thing they will do this week. Offer the ideas in the Act list if anyone is stuck.
- Invite one or two volunteers to share the step they chose, without sharing the name.
Witness and follow-up
- Read the key quote from paragraph 15 about room and a special place. Bear a brief testimony that the Savior does open hearts, as He promised Thomas: “I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you.”
- Tell the class you will begin next week by asking two or three people what happened when they acted. Make a note to do it.
- Close with prayer.
Key passages from the talk
“Their desire to serve the Lord rose above every other personal ambition.”
“I only want to be close to Jesus Christ and to follow Him.”
“serving a mission is just one of many significant steps on the path of lifelong discipleship.”
“There is still plenty of room and a special place reserved for each one of you!”
Scriptures
- Mosiah 28:3 Read aloud in segment 2. Listen for what the sons of Mosiah could not bear, then ask where learners have seen that same desire.
- D&C 31:1, 3, 5–7 Read silently in segment 4. Mark every promise the Lord makes to the one He sends, then list the promises on the board.
- Alma 10:6 Optional, if time allows in segment 3: read Amulek's words and ask how a patient friend can help someone who has been called many times and has not yet heard.
Other voices that agree
“We invite all [of God’s children] to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this.”
“My humble invitation to us all: Will you find one person and invite him or her to come unto Christ by exercising faith to follow His teachings, or invite a friend to meet with the missionaries?”
Three things to remember
- A desire to be close to Jesus Christ is what makes a missionary.
- A faithful friend can take a practical step with someone before that person has decided.
- The Lord opens hearts and removes obstacles for those who choose to serve Him.
Ways to act this week
- Do one practical thing for the person whose name you wrote: offer a ride, sit with them at church, or help with one step of mission preparation they have been putting off.
- Write or message a missionary now serving and tell them one specific way their example strengthens you.
- Tell a young person or a new convert, in a sentence or two, why you want to be close to Jesus Christ.
- Pray by name for one young person in your ward or family who is deciding about a mission, and for the missionaries serving where you live.
Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.
Music
- Called to Serve
- Lord, I Would Follow Thee
Adapting the lesson
- At home with adults: skip the small groups. Read paragraphs 8–12 aloud together, make the two lists on one sheet of paper, and keep it where you will see it this week.
- Short on time: do segments 1, 3 and 5 only (about 16 minutes).
- Large class: have groups work on the two lists at their seats and ask only three groups to report.
This lesson is an independent study aid written for this site. It is not an official lesson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quotations are word for word from the official talk; paragraph numbers count the paragraphs of the talk as published at churchofjesuschrist.org, not counting headings or picture captions. The activities, questions and ideas for acting are suggestions; follow the Spirit and adapt them to those you teach.