Home teaching

Home teaching (formerly called block teaching and ward teaching) is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Home teaching is a church program designed to allow families to be taught in their own homes, in addition to weekly church services. Typically, two holders of the priesthood, of whom at least one must be an adult, visit the home of some assigned families at least once a month. Home teaching is organized at the ward level.

Home teaching was introduced to the church by Harold B. Lee as part of the priesthood correlation effort. The program took effect on Jan. 1st 1964, replacing the ward teachers that had previously had similar responsibilities.

The mandate of the correlation committee was to simplify the curriculum of the church but Lee used it to implement wider changes. Just three days before Lee made his general conference address announcing the home teaching program, Henry D. Moyle objected to the change during a first presidency meeting on the grounds that the correlation committee was overstepping its bounds and taking responsibility away from the presiding bishop who supervised the ward teaching program. Even though President McKay probably agreed with Moyle on this issue, he did not intercede to stop Lee.

In May 1963, a home teaching committee was formed with the purpose of visiting stakes and promoting the home teaching program. The committee was chaired by Marion G. Romney. Thomas S. Monson was asked to be a member of the committee five months before his call as an apostle.

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