In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptism is understood as a covenant with God that includes responsibilities toward other people. The Book of Mormon expresses this through the image of carrying burdens together. The church’s handbook connects that promise to a practice called ministering, through which local members are assigned to support particular people or households. The scripture and the handbook show how a religious promise can take shape in ordinary service. Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon · General Handbook, chapter 21
What Alma asks of the people who want to be baptized
In Mosiah 18, Alma teaches a group at the waters of Mormon. He speaks to people who want to join God’s people and asks whether they are willing to bear each other’s burdens, share in others’ grief and comfort those who need it. He describes baptism as a witness of their covenant to serve God. Later in the chapter, he asks the people to share material resources according to what they have. The story connects joining a community with obligations that continue after the rite. Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon
What help looks like when someone asks for it
In another passage, King Benjamin imagines someone refusing a person who begs on the grounds that the person brought their hardship on themselves. He challenges that response by asking his listeners to remember that they depend on God for what they have. He names food, clothing and visits to the sick as examples of help. He also asks people to give according to their means and to act with good judgment. The passage makes the needs of the recipient and the capacity of the giver part of the same decision. Mosiah 4 in the Book of Mormon
How a congregation organizes ministering
The church’s General Handbook describes how local Relief Society and elders quorum leaders arrange ministering assignments. Members usually serve in pairs and are assigned to particular individuals or households. The guidance asks them to talk with the people they serve and adapt what they do to those people’s circumstances. Contact can take the form of a visit, a phone call or practical help, depending on what is useful. When a need exceeds what the assigned members can provide, they can consult local leaders. The handbook explicitly connects this service with the covenant made at baptism. General Handbook, chapter 21
Conclusion
Alma’s account joins baptism to the promise of helping carry other people’s burdens. King Benjamin’s teaching shows how that promise can affect the response to someone asking for help. Ministering gives a congregation a way to organize continuing care and adjust it to the person receiving it. These sources show how Latter-day Saint teaching connects a covenant with God to concrete responsibilities toward others. Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon · Mosiah 4 in the Book of Mormon · General Handbook, chapter 21 · An overview of Latter-day Saint beliefs
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