Extras : Glossary of Terms (M - R)
Melchizedek Priesthood
- The greater of the two divisions of the Mormon priesthood.
member
- A local Mormon.
member discussion
- A discussion taught by the missionaries to a member family, either as practice or in the course of a member visit.
member family
- A family of active local Mormons.
member visit
- An attempt by the missionaries to persuade a member family to introduce their non-member friends to the church.
mid-month
- An unscheduled transfer affecting only a few missionaries, usually brought about by an illness or other emergency.
mission
- An administrative unit of the Mormon Church, consisting usually of one to two hundred missionaries; the corresponding geographical region; the act or term of mission service.
mission home
- The residence of a mission president.
mission office
- The administrative headquarters of a mission.
mission president
- The man called to supervise a mission, usually for a term of three years.
missionary
- An individual called to proselytize far from home for a set period of time, usually two years for males and eighteen months for females.
Missionary Training Center; MTC
- The facility in Provo, Utah, to which most North American missionaries report for a period of training—usually three weeks for English-speaking missionaries and eight weeks for those learning foreign languages—before entering the mission field.
Mo-Tab
- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Monopoly money
- Canadian currency, so called because the various denominations come in different colors.
morality issue
- A matter of personal worthiness, often sexual in nature, adversely affecting a missionary’s ability to perform his spiritual duties.
mother
- A sister’s trainer.
non-member
- One who does not belong to the Mormon Church.
numbers
- Statistics, often self-reported, reflecting the weekly performance of a companionship, district, zone, or mission.
Outer Darkness
- In Mormon theology, the realm of ultimate eternal punishment for those cast out and cut off entirely from the presence of God; achievable only by that small handful of individuals who have rebelled against God after receiving sure witness of his truth.
P-day
- Preparation day.
part-member family
- A family split between members and non-members, usually with one spouse of each persuasion.
Pharisee
- A missionary who breaks rules in secret but works hard to appear diligent.
pit
- A missionary apartment.
poach
- To teach and/or baptize an investigator residing in another companionship’s proselytizing area.
preparation day
- The one day a week set aside for missionaries to run personal errands, and possibly to engage in recreational activities.
prez
- Mission president.
priesthood
- The literal power and authority to act in God’s name, passed down from one man to the next by the laying on of hands; collectively, the body of holders of the priesthood.
pross clothes
- Proselytizing clothes.
rat
- One who informs on rule-breakers, often in hopes of personal advancement; to inform on one’s fellow missionaries.
release
- To honorably discharge from mission service.
returned missionary; r.m.
- One honorably discharged from mission service and returned home; a former missionary.
road trip
- Any unauthorized journey outside one’s proselytizing area; most often applied to excursions undertaken for rule-breaking purposes.
