Mormon Lingo

Active/Inactive Member: While both have been baptized into the Church and are on Church record, active members attend most or all church meetings, while inactive members do not attend often or at all.

Bishop: Lay minister for a geographical congregation (Ward). He is assisted by two counselors. They all work together to help strengthen families and individuals that live within their geographical boundaries. A Branch President is the leader of a branch.

Companion: All missionaries are assigned to be with another missionary for one or several transfers, or a period of 6 weeks.

Elder: Title for a male missionary as well as a General Authority of the Church. Also an office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Elders have authority to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying of hands and to bestow priesthood blessings.

Endowment:  One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment.  The word endowment means “gift,” and the temple endowment truly is a gift from God.  The ordinance consists of a series of instructions and includes covenants we make to live righteously and comply with the requirements of the gospel. The endowment helps us focus on the Savior, His role in our Heavenly Father’s plan, and our commitment to follow Him. (True to the Faith, (2004), 170–74)

Greenie/Trainer: A greenie is a brand new missionary in their first transfer, and the trainer is the experienced companion.

Junior/Senior Companion: All companionships have a Junior and a Senior companion, decided upon by the Mission President, but usually is determined by who has been in the area the longest or who has the most experience in the mission field.

LDS: Latter-day Saint, taken from the complete name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Often used to refer to members from the church.

Mormon: The name "Mormon" comes from The Book of Mormon, ancient scripture that we revere as a companion to the Holy Bible. The book is a collection of sacred writings from prophets of the ancient Americas.  One of the last prophets to write in the book was named Mormon.  He compiled some of the sacred texts from previous prophets and put them together in one book.   The bible was similarly assembled. Because the ancient prophet, Mormon, compiled the books and prevented them from being destroyed, the book was titled The Book of Mormon.  Members of our church have assumed this nickname because we believe this book to be the word of God.

MTC: stands for the "Missionary Training Center," located in Provo, Utah. The training center is the first stop in the adventure where missionaries spend 2-6 weeks learning how to teach the Gospel effectively.

Preparation Day / P-Day: A day set aside for cleaning, writing letters, and doing free activities while still abiding by the missionary standards.

Sacrament Meeting: The general worship meeting held each Sunday that's open to all people. All Sunday services begin with the blessing and passing of the sacrament, or the equivalent of communion in many other Christian churches, but Sacrament Meetings contain usually 3 assigned speakers from the congregation. 

Sister: Title of respect given to women of the church. Given to women serving missions as well as every other woman in the church.

Sprit: The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones (see D&C 130:22).  He is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Comforter. (True to the Faith, (2004), 81–84)  He testifies of the truth of the gospel.

Stake: Term used for a grouping of local church congregations within a larger geographical area. Each stake encompasses 7-9 wards and branches.  A stake president is the spiritual leader of a stake.  He assists the bishops and branch presidents of the wards and branches within a stake by providing counsel and training to those leaders. A stake president ministers to those who minister within the boundaries of the stake that he serves.

Testimony Meeting: On the first Sunday of each month, we have an "open mic" where members are free to stand and share how they feel about the Gospel in place of assigned speakers.

Tracting: Probably the most well-known means of proselyting.  Knocking on doors and talking to random people about what we believe in.

Transfer: Every four to six weeks each mission receives new missionaries.  As a result, I or my companion might be transferred to a new area.

Ward: A geographical subdivision of a congregation, typically 300-500 in size.  Each ward has a bishop (similar to a pastor) who is the spiritual lay leader of the ward.  Branches are smaller.