It's going to be interesting on the growth; I've got reports of multiple missions spread across multiple countries who's missionary force has been decimated. Missions of normally 150-200 missionaries now having only 50 and dropping every month with more leaving than those who are coming in.
It will be interesting if the whole idea of social media "success" really means effectively more engagement but no baptisms.
So there are around 4600 missionaries in the Philippines now. I'm not sure how accurate this is. There is an activity wherein missionaries throughout the country take in turns to take over the social media page of the Church. One of the catch phrase is "Be part of the 4600". Considering we have 23 missions, that's in average 200 missionaries per mission which seems pretty impressive considering the current circumstance. When I served last 2013, we were 260 in our mission, and our batch arriving was 30 which was the most at that time. This was also the time of the surge due to the lowering of age. Nevertheless, missionaries already started attending physically the MTC and hopefully grow further the local missionaries serving.
Alex - No, there are only about half this many at the moment. The 4,600 is the goal for the Philippines Area to reach by December 2022. It is an excellent goal, and I bet they can make it, but it will require consistency across the stakes and districts to get enough members serving. In fact, the Church in the Philippines is in urgent need to augment its full-time missionary force since most full-time missionaries will be ending their missions soon.
I would not be surprised at all to find missionaries numbers across the board catering.
I would have a very, very hard time recommending that a young man/woman serve a mission at this point in time. It appears to be effectively go on a mission and then sit in your apartment the entire day doing social media posts through Facebook, Tic Tok, Zoom, etc.
Let's do another Zoom discussion!! Ugh. That would be torture. Nothing beats an actual physical in-person conversation.
It's one thing for kids to be on SM so much growing up (bad as it is) but they have other things in their lives-they have school work, they have after-school activies.
To have Facebook/Zoom be the entire world as a missionary. No thank you! If that is the way it is then there is absolutely guaranteed a backlash.
Yes, you will have plenty of people pressuring young people to go on missions (still thinking it was like the old days), too many of them will come back bitter at being forced into a very abnormal way of living. It won't be good.
To add some of my own personal experience to the current missionary situation:
I communicate regularly with the sister missionaries in my ward up here in Northern Montana. I also interacted regularly with the local sets of elders and sisters back when I was living in Ogden (both in my own stake, and the companionships I would run into in the surrounding county). Also, I keep in touch from time to time with a set of Elders who I met in Ogden, who were waiting for their visas to go to Finland (and have now been serving in Finland for several months).
None of these young missionaries have appeared to be depressed about their calling or situation or the current timeframe and conditions they have been assigned to serve under, and most have exhibited upbeat and outgoing attitudes as I've observed them and talked with them. They split their time between online missionary work and in-person missionary work.
I think we have to take into account, as was pointed out, that the current generation spends a lot of time online. But if anything, I believe that makes them more qualified and well-adjusted to serve under current conditions: Zoom meetings, online finding and referrals through social media, continual use of smart phones and tablets for looking up and sharing the Gospel Library, etc.
True, someone from earlier generations (such as my own, having served back in the early 2000's) or from my parent's generation (my father served a construction mission in New England back in the late 60's) might feel like fish out of water if we were placed into the current missionaries' situation. But thankfully, we're not the ones being called. (Except for older couples, I suppose.)
I think the missionary force of any generation (overall, not speaking specifically about individual struggles) will rise to the occasion that is presented to them, knowing that they've already accepted the call to "go all hazards" (if you'll forgive me from borrowing a Heber C. Kimball phrase). It may not be ideal, but heck, I bet plenty of them will wear it as a badge of honor and a story to tell their kids that they served during the height of the Covid Crisis.
I know my experience with the currently serving missionaries is just a microcosm of some elders and sisters in some areas, so it doesn't represent all of them. Does anyone else here have any regular interaction with the missionaries in your area that you'd like to report?
I see two developments that are IMO related in the UK.
I understand England MTC should be reopening end of summer. UK Government making it easier to enter England from USA if you are vaccinated. Hopefully missionaries are able to enter easier.
Globally Saints have been tested. Unlike our forefathers we didn’t take up arms. The enemy came to our door.
The casualties might not be in graves in Normandy, Belgium, England in military graves. However, sadly testimonies have been lost. Yet, our loving Father never abandoned us. This trial of health was our global conflict.
We were given Come Follow Me. Did we? Did we use time at home to follow lessons, heed the voice of our prophet. I miss 3 hour church, though it often felt like a social gathering. The Lord weaned us, like babes and encouraged us to learn to nurture our testimonies and those of our families.
How often were we told, family is the only eternal unit.
Thank thee o God for a Prophet.
I think of the Saints at War, the Military Cemetery close to me in Cambridge England. I think of my brothers and sisters globally where this pandemic is affecting health and jobs. Yes in the UK things have improved in one of the Words richest nations, and acknowledge how blessed I am living here.
Today in The Church News - The top 30 countries with the most Latter-day Saints. https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-08-04/latter-day-saints-countries-with-the-most-members-221168
But I was wondering which countries have the highest per capita members per population. Surely many exceed the 2.0% of the USA. (MainTour)
Most countries that exceed the US in per capital members are in the Pacific. It is an interesting list, but I believe includes Niue which still lacks a state. Tonga has 100,000 people and yet way more people than some Pacific nations.
Tonga and Utah have basically the same number of people per stake.
In my area here in Detroit missionaries are allowed to do in person visits. They have been allowed such outdoors for months.
Matt, there is sort of a new stake in the Houston Texas area. More of a realignment of stake boundaries and the discontinuation of the Spanish only stake. I don't live in the area, but I talked to someone who is. Apparently the new stake is the Bridgeland Texas Stake and the Houston Texas Bear Creek Stake is no more. The Houston Texas West Stake is no longer Spanish only. English wards from the old Bear Creek stake were split into the new Bridgeland and Houston West stakes, and the Spanish speaking wards from the previous West stake are now assigned to the English stakes where they are located. Someone that lives there will probably have more info than me.
It's going to be interesting on the growth; I've got reports of multiple missions spread across multiple countries who's missionary force has been decimated. Missions of normally 150-200 missionaries now having only 50 and dropping every month with more leaving than those who are coming in.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting if the whole idea of social media "success" really means effectively more engagement but no baptisms.
So there are around 4600 missionaries in the Philippines now. I'm not sure how accurate this is. There is an activity wherein missionaries throughout the country take in turns to take over the social media page of the Church. One of the catch phrase is "Be part of the 4600". Considering we have 23 missions, that's in average 200 missionaries per mission which seems pretty impressive considering the current circumstance. When I served last 2013, we were 260 in our mission, and our batch arriving was 30 which was the most at that time. This was also the time of the surge due to the lowering of age. Nevertheless, missionaries already started attending physically the MTC and hopefully grow further the local missionaries serving.
ReplyDeletehttps://fb.watch/78ckMc96MN/
Alex - No, there are only about half this many at the moment. The 4,600 is the goal for the Philippines Area to reach by December 2022. It is an excellent goal, and I bet they can make it, but it will require consistency across the stakes and districts to get enough members serving. In fact, the Church in the Philippines is in urgent need to augment its full-time missionary force since most full-time missionaries will be ending their missions soon.
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised at all to find missionaries numbers across the board catering.
ReplyDeleteI would have a very, very hard time recommending that a young man/woman serve a mission at this point in time. It appears to be effectively go on a mission and then sit in your apartment the entire day doing social media posts through Facebook, Tic Tok, Zoom, etc.
Let's do another Zoom discussion!! Ugh. That would be torture. Nothing beats an actual physical in-person conversation.
It's one thing for kids to be on SM so much growing up (bad as it is) but they have other things in their lives-they have school work, they have after-school activies.
To have Facebook/Zoom be the entire world as a missionary. No thank you! If that is the way it is then there is absolutely guaranteed a backlash.
Yes, you will have plenty of people pressuring young people to go on missions (still thinking it was like the old days), too many of them will come back bitter at being forced into a very abnormal way of living. It won't be good.
@gte811i & Eduardo
DeleteTo add some of my own personal experience to the current missionary situation:
I communicate regularly with the sister missionaries in my ward up here in Northern Montana. I also interacted regularly with the local sets of elders and sisters back when I was living in Ogden (both in my own stake, and the companionships I would run into in the surrounding county). Also, I keep in touch from time to time with a set of Elders who I met in Ogden, who were waiting for their visas to go to Finland (and have now been serving in Finland for several months).
None of these young missionaries have appeared to be depressed about their calling or situation or the current timeframe and conditions they have been assigned to serve under, and most have exhibited upbeat and outgoing attitudes as I've observed them and talked with them. They split their time between online missionary work and in-person missionary work.
I think we have to take into account, as was pointed out, that the current generation spends a lot of time online. But if anything, I believe that makes them more qualified and well-adjusted to serve under current conditions: Zoom meetings, online finding and referrals through social media, continual use of smart phones and tablets for looking up and sharing the Gospel Library, etc.
True, someone from earlier generations (such as my own, having served back in the early 2000's) or from my parent's generation (my father served a construction mission in New England back in the late 60's) might feel like fish out of water if we were placed into the current missionaries' situation. But thankfully, we're not the ones being called. (Except for older couples, I suppose.)
I think the missionary force of any generation (overall, not speaking specifically about individual struggles) will rise to the occasion that is presented to them, knowing that they've already accepted the call to "go all hazards" (if you'll forgive me from borrowing a Heber C. Kimball phrase). It may not be ideal, but heck, I bet plenty of them will wear it as a badge of honor and a story to tell their kids that they served during the height of the Covid Crisis.
I know my experience with the currently serving missionaries is just a microcosm of some elders and sisters in some areas, so it doesn't represent all of them. Does anyone else here have any regular interaction with the missionaries in your area that you'd like to report?
I see two developments that are IMO related in the UK.
ReplyDeleteI understand England MTC should be reopening end of summer.
UK Government making it easier to enter England from USA if you are vaccinated. Hopefully missionaries are able to enter easier.
Globally Saints have been tested. Unlike our forefathers we didn’t take up arms. The enemy came to our door.
The casualties might not be in graves in Normandy, Belgium, England in military graves. However, sadly testimonies have been lost. Yet, our loving Father never abandoned us. This trial of health was our global conflict.
We were given Come Follow Me. Did we? Did we use time at home to follow lessons, heed the voice of our prophet.
I miss 3 hour church, though it often felt like a social gathering. The Lord weaned us, like babes and encouraged us to learn to nurture our testimonies and those of our families.
How often were we told, family is the only eternal unit.
Thank thee o God for a Prophet.
I think of the Saints at War, the Military Cemetery close to me in Cambridge England. I think of my brothers and sisters globally where this pandemic is affecting health and jobs. Yes in the UK things have improved in one of the Words richest nations, and acknowledge how blessed I am living here.
Today in The Church News - The top 30 countries with the most Latter-day Saints. https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-08-04/latter-day-saints-countries-with-the-most-members-221168
ReplyDeleteBut I was wondering which countries have the highest per capita members per population. Surely many exceed the 2.0% of the USA. (MainTour)
Some missionaries are allowed to visit face to face.
ReplyDeleteSome are permitted to visit in person.
ReplyDeleteMost countries that exceed the US in per capital members are in the Pacific. It is an interesting list, but I believe includes Niue which still lacks a state. Tonga has 100,000 people and yet way more people than some Pacific nations.
ReplyDeleteTonga and Utah have basically the same number of people per stake.
In my area here in Detroit missionaries are allowed to do in person visits. They have been allowed such outdoors for months.
Matt, there is sort of a new stake in the Houston Texas area. More of a realignment of stake boundaries and the discontinuation of the Spanish only stake. I don't live in the area, but I talked to someone who is. Apparently the new stake is the Bridgeland Texas Stake and the Houston Texas Bear Creek Stake is no more. The Houston Texas West Stake is no longer Spanish only. English wards from the old Bear Creek stake were split into the new Bridgeland and Houston West stakes, and the Spanish speaking wards from the previous West stake are now assigned to the English stakes where they are located. Someone that lives there will probably have more info than me.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete