Family History

It certainly is no trivial task to identify every soul belonging to the human family.  The pursuit is difficult on many levels.  There are thousands of records to pore through.  There is the issue of deciding when two references in two different documents refer to the same person.  How is this information best stored and manipulated?  How do you make a system simple enough to provide functionality to those not familiar with computers, and yet supply ample tools to the more experienced?  I don't claim to have any great knowledge in this field.  As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a responsibility I assume to become fluent and able in the topic.  I know I should be doing more than I am doing.  One frustration I have experienced, though, is that every time I have tried to get a start into family history, I have not been well guided; I quickly get lost, irritated, and give up.  Now, it's probably my fault.  But, it seems that if the church is going to really get the membership of the church involved, it needs to have a way of bringing on board all who approach with even a modest interest.  Those who can no more than desire to believe.  Those who exercise a particle of faith.  I guess my question is, where is the "Hello, World!" equivalent in family history work?