PROVO, Utah — Speaking at the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders on Saturday, June 21, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles demonstrated how missionaries can build a strong foundation of conversion through their missionary purpose and through prayerfully setting goals and plans.
Elder Stevenson used blocks on stage to form a strong pyramid, representing lifelong conversion.
First, the cornerstone block was placed. The cornerstone is the most critical foundational stone in the pyramid, according to Elder Stevenson. Its placement determines the position, orientation and alignment of the entire building upon which it is set.
“We revere Jesus Christ as the Chief Cornerstone of the Church,” Elder Stevenson said. “He is the essential foundation for salvation, immortality and eternal life. He is the reference point which aligns, orients and positions the work, His work.”
Elder Stevenson also said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built upon a foundation of “apostles and prophets, ... Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).
“Missionary work follows this model,” he said. “Under the direction of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve form the missionary committee of the Church.”
Missionary purpose is foundational
He then demonstrated how the missionary purpose is the foundation for conversion.
“It embodies the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Jesus Christ is in its center, the Chief Cornerstone,” he said.
The missionary purpose, as stated in “Preach My Gospel,” 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.”
Said Elder Stevenson: “We have observed that when missions continually emphasize missionary purpose, they are much more successful in finding, teaching and baptizing converts.”
Accomplish the work through goals and plans
Chapter 8 of “Preach My Gospel” reads: “Let your missionary purpose guide your goals and plans.” The chapter also outlines how missionaries can reach their goals through key indicators.
Those key indicators — including new people being taught, lessons with members participating, people being taught who attend sacrament meeting, people with baptismal dates, people who are baptized and confirmed, and new members attending sacrament meeting — are another building block for conversion.
Elder Stevenson said missionaries can prayerfully and thoughtfully embody their goals and plans into the standardized key indicators for conversion. He also cautioned mission leaders on balance.
“Please strive for that balance,” he said. “On the one hand, missionaries should feel both your enthusiasm and focus toward key indicators for conversion. On the other, avoid pressure, coercion, quotas or external rewards associated with them. Key indicators should inspire and align missionaries to their purpose.”
Success story
Elder Stevenson shared the story of two missionaries who “prepared for miracles to happen” by working to achieve a set goal.
After the last lesson of the day, the missionaries noted that they talked to more people than ever in a day but were still short of the goal they set that morning.
They calculated that if they returned to their apartment, they would arrive 15 minutes before curfew, so they instead decided to swing by the train station and talk to a few more people to achieve their daily goal.
At the train station, unbeknownst to them, a man was startled by an audible voice that told him: “They are men of God with an important message. Go speak to them.”
Elder Stevenson said this miraculous encounter led to a cascade of life-changing events, culminating in the man’s baptism and confirmation.
“Following the baptism, I listened to the missionaries and their friend reflect on the miraculous encounter in the train station that night,” he said. “They each wondered what might or might not have been had they not set a goal that morning and remained accountable to it until the last moment of the day.”
He also cautioned that key indicators for conversion are not the end goal.
“Rather, they represent a person’s potential spiritual progress toward baptism. They are a means to an end, not the end. They help friends both enter and remain on the covenant path.”
He continued: “Baptism and confirmation are not a final destination. Rather, these ordinances are the gate by which God’s children enter the covenant path. This path leads to the ordinances, covenants and joyous blessings of the temple — and ultimately, lifelong conversion and eternal life.”
