MURRAY, Utah — There was a time when Church members left for the "mission field" as soon as they crossed the Utah state line.

No more. Now a sizable number of Beehive State residents are not members of the Church. The opportunities, responsibilities and blessings of missionary work are richly available to Utah members. The mission field knows no borders.

That's the message Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy shared with hundreds of ward mission leaders, ward missionaries and local priesthood leaders packed into a Jan. 17 missionary training meeting at the Murray Utah South Stake Center. The meeting was held in conjunction with Elder Porter's tour of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission.

Elder Porter spoke of seven principles that ward mission leaders and ward missionaries living in Utah's "mission field" can enlist to bring the gospel into the lives of their neighbors, principles that can be applied to all members eager for missionary work.

1. Talk to people who aren't members of the Church.

Instead of simply developing member-missionary plans and goals for others, ward mission leaders and ward missionaries must set the example.

"Your first and foremost responsibility as a ward missionary or ward mission leader is to walk across the street and do missionary work," Elder Porter said.

2 . Don't delay. Don't procrastinate.

Knock on those doors as soon as possible, encouraged Elder Porter. Invite neighbors who know little about the Church for a tour of Temple Square. Take them a copy of the Book of Mormon. Invite them to enrichment night, baby blessings, a child's baptism and Eagle Scout Courts of Honor.

"They won't feel threatened. They will come," Elder Porter said. By simply stepping across the threshold of a Church meetinghouse, friends and neighbors can begin to feel comfortable and welcome with the Church and its members.

3 . Set the right kind of goals for missionary work.

Instead of focusing on a specific family, Elder Porter recommended picking a date to have a family ready to listen to the full-time missionaries. Search for opportunities to hand out pass-along cards to others. Don't assume that someone already knows about the Church simply because they live in the Salt Lake Valley. Set a goal to invite someone to a Church event or activity by the end of the month. Don't limit the possibilities to a single family.

"Spread the net as wide as possible," Elder Porter said.

4 . When you make friends, keep those friends — and plan on keeping them for life.

Be someone's friend for life — regardless of how they respond to invitations to listen to the missionaries.

"People sometimes get the idea we don't really love them, we're just trying to bring them into the Church," Elder Porter said.

Members who make someone a lifetime friend never have to feel their motives are artificial or manipulative.

5. Have a written, dynamic ward mission plan.

Elder Porter warned ward mission leaders and bishops against drafting a ward mission plan then simply filing it away. Make sure mission plans include ideas about how the ward can reach out to the community via neighborhood socials and service projects. Such plans nourish the spirit of missionary work.

"Many people in the valley who are not members feel they are not included," Elder Porter said.

6. Have a missionary-themed sacrament meeting.

There is a wrong sort of missionary sacrament meeting, Elder Porter said. Avoid missionary-themed sacrament meetings that focus on strategies or goals. Such meetings might embarrass visitors (and their hosts) who do not belong to the Church. Instead, teach the basic truths of the Restoration. Encourage recent converts to speak about their experiences.

7. Never assume that you know in advance who will accept the gospel, and who won't.

No matter how worldly a neighbor may appear, it's impossible to know his or her heart. The Lord's sheep hear His voice, Elder Porter said. "Let them hear the Lord's voice."

Again, cast the net as wide as possible. Don't judge which neighbors appear like candidates for LDS membership before extending gospel friendship.

Elder Porter concluded his teaching with a few comments on member retention. It was President Gordon B. Hinckley, he said, who counseled that new members need a friend, a calling and nourishment by the good word of God.

"We need literally to surround them with love," Elder Porter said.

E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com