In missionary work, all else is secondary to the testimony that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; that He lives, our resurrected Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of the world," said President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Speaking to mission presidents at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on June 21, President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, said, "This must be the great burden of all our testimonies. The Church we represent is the Church of Jesus Christ. We are called and set apart in His name.

"Jesus Christ is the key figure of our faith. We worship Him as Lord and Savior. Every talk we give, every lesson we teach in the mission field, every prayer we offer, is in His name. The most widespread accusation we face is that we are not Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth."

President Hinckley said that while Church members are called `Mormons,' that is only a nickname. "We are in fact testifiers of Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors to an unbelieving world.

"There is no truth more salient than this truth. There is no knowledge more to be prized than this knowledge. There is no conviction more to be sought for, and none more worthy of cultivation than this."

President Hinckley emphasized that every man and woman sent into the world as a representative of the Church, if he or she is to be effective, must know by the certain power of the Holy Ghost, "first that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God, and His gospel is the gospel of life and salvation. Missionaries must also know that the gospel was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, an instrument in His hands."

"In the mission field we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach in Christ, we prophesy in Christ," he said. This is done so that every one who hears "knows to what source we look for happiness in this life, and eternal life in the world to come."

President Hinckley said missionaries teach the doctrine of the New Testament and offer the confirming witness of the Book of Mormon to a world wavering in faith.

"It is a wonderful and remarkable thing that has happened with the Book of Mormon under the impetus of President Ezra TaftT Benson," he said. "More than 2 million copies were printed last year. We know that all of these books may not be read. But we know also that many will be read, and that there will be many prayers offered concerning the truths found therein."

He encouraged mission leaders to have their missionaries "read the book and partake of the scriptures themselves."

President Hinckley concluded with his personal conviction of the gospel.

"I speak to you as an apostle, called and ordained to be a special witness of the name of Christ in all the world," he said. "I am sobered by that charge. . . . At times I feel overwhelmed by the the magnitude of this responsibility.

"It is my constant prayer that I shall always speak as one who knows, and as one who has the courage to bear witness for all. For if we deny Him, He will also deny us.

"You likewise are called to be special witnesses to the name of Christ in that part of the world where you labor. Likewise, those missionaries who labor under your direction have that responsibility."

He told mission presidents, "We are mindful of the sacrifices many of you have made. I am mindful of the tremendous effort you made to get here. May the Lord bless you for your great faith and devotion."

President Hinckley reminded the new leaders they are being sent as shepherds, not as managers, and encouraged them to extend a loving watch over their missionaries.