Why won't the Mormon Church leave me alone? Part 1: Members

Once you have been baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints, you are on the records of the church. Even if you stop attending, decide you don't believe anymore, and move and don't let the church know, you are still on the records. Members who don't attend our meetings are called less-active members. We assign home teachers and visiting teachers to all members even less-active members. Home teachers are two men with the priesthood who visit the families of all members monthly. Visiting teachers are two women who visit the women monthly.

There is a technical process for having your name removed from the records of the church which I'm not familiar with, but most people who stop coming, just stop or come less and less and may wonder why active members keep showing up on their doorstep. Over the years as I've been involved in visiting those who don't come to church, I've pondered about why we don't leave them alone. My conclusion is that at one time each of us who are members of the church made a covenant. A covenant is a promise between a person and God that is eternally binding and can only be broken by a person. God never breaks his covenants. We each made a covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, to always remember Him, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him. Whether we were 8 or 18 or 28 when we were baptized, whether we remember feeling strongly about those covenants or not, whether we understood the implications of the covenants or not, we made covenants. And since God does not break His covenants and since those of us who still attend church are trying to keep our covenants to always remember Jesus, keep His commandments, and serve Him, we look out for anyone who has made covenants.

I used to think that my job as a covenant member of Jesus Christ's church was to make sure less-actives came back to church. But that isn't my job. I can't make anyone do anything. Every person has agency or the ability to choose to continue to follow Jesus Christ by being an active member of His church or not. We keep contacting and loving because at some point, less-active members may decide they are ready to keep their covenants again. From our church handbook, Handbook 2: Administering the Church, this is what we are instructed. "Ward priesthood and auxiliary leaders strive continually to help less-active members return to Church activity. The Savior said, 'Unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them' (3 Nephi 18:32). Less-active members usually still believe in the gospel, but they may be experiencing difficult trials that make them feel uncomfortable attending church. They also tend to have fewer friendships in the Church, so they are less likely to feel they are among friends when they go to ward meetings. Those who return to activity often do so when they see that something is missing from their lives. As a result, they realize that they need to make changes in the way they live. At such times, they need the love and friendship of caring, active Church members who accept them as they are and show genuine personal interest in them" (pg. 26).

For those I won't leave alone whose names are on the records of the church:
I keep contacting you, because whether or not you return to church, I still care. Because I love Christ, I love you and as I reach out to you and let you know I care, I get the opportunity to get to know and love you more.