What do you know about the Mormon Church? Would you like to know more?
Such was the topic of a recent sacrament meeting in our ward. It must have been time. We haven’t talked about missionary work in a while. At least 6 or 7 weeks, so it must have been due on the rotation. Sometimes sacrament meeting can be like a pop music station, where the same songs are on repeat every hour. You know:
- Tithing
- Modesty
- Book of Mormon
- Restoration/Joseph Smith
- Missionary Work
- Recent General Conference talk by somebody with a middle initial
- The world is going to Hell; luckily, we have modern prophets to save us.
- Rinse and Repeat
So, I wasn’t surprised. This particular Sunday included a couple of the missionaries (sisters in our case) and the ward mission leader (do those still exist in reality or is our ward an anachronism)? I’m going to bet that you can guess the topic? If you guessed, “We have a wonderful new program that will help you to introduce your friends to the church!” then you are a winner.
Now having served a mission myself, I have great empathy for the young men and young women that are wearing name tags today. If anything, their job is harder than ours was. Back when I served, you could tell investigators about the restoration and Joseph Smith. You could share all about the first vision and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and you didn’t need to worry about them coming back with questions about rocks in hats. If they did, you simply foisted those problems off on stories made up by anti-Mormons (Mormon wasn’t a bad word then), and drove on. Sure, you lost some investigators, ok, a lot of investigators, but nothing like what these kids have to endure.
As I sat and listened to the presentations and talks I found myself both listening and reflecting. Over the years in the church it seems like there is a never-ending supply of new missionary programs, each with a fancy name, a near guarantee of success, testimonies of how well it is working in other stakes and missions, and how the membership will be blessed for participating. 6 months later, the results are the same and the members feel more stressed than blessed. Give it another 6 months and the cycle repeats itself. We’ve had missionary moments, set-a-dates, invite a friend, ask a Mormon, pass along cards, I’m a Mormon, and now Hastening the Work.
In spite of all this, the number of convert baptisms are dropping, the activity rate is dropping, the growth in wards and branches in much of the western world is declining, the growth in the U.S. is flat. Don’t take my word for it. Here is some excellent data from fullerconsideration.comhttp://www.fullerconsideration.com/membership.php#convertbaptisms
How can this be a logical Mormon might ask? So, I thought I would explore some of the possibilities.
Reason the first
One that seemed to be a common theme on my mission was the concept that the missionaries were unworthy or somehow slacking. We even had a general authority visit our mission and exclaim, “If this mission was a horse, I’d shoot it!” Apparently, the fact that we were volunteering two years of our lives, funding our own way (or with the help of our families), sweating to death in the summer, freezing to death in the winter, living in sub-standard accommodation, all while pouring our hearts out to complete strangers wasn’t good enough…the missionaries in surrounding missions were baptizing more than we were and that must have been an indication that we were doing something wrong.
So, it stands to reason that perhaps the missionaries today are even worse than we were. They must just be addicted to porn on their iPad and can’t leave home without their Pokémon cards. This seems to be a common theme that some of the older generation buys into. The outrage when these “snowflakes” were permitted to call home each weak seemed to reinforce this concept to the older members who walked all the way to Utah barefoot. Surely it is the missionaries’ fault. They aren’t willing to sacrifice, or put in the effort. Yet, President Nelson said this as recently as 2016, “You are a chosen generation, foredetermined by God to do a remarkable work—to help prepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of the Lord.” He was talking to this exact group, so clearly this can’t be the reason.
Reason the second
Perhaps it is simply the wrong program. I was quickly forced to conclude that this couldn’t be the case. We have tried reaching out individual with things like personal invitations, and pass along cards. We have tried the humble, quiet approach of inviting others to worship with us, attend temple open houses, and visiting with them in their homes at their doors. We have also tried to be unobtrusive. We have set up booths were individuals can come to us to ask questions. We have tried the high tech, with websites and chat rooms, and the low tech with shoe leather and golden questions. We have tried spending little money with taking no purse or scrip and extravagant add buys such as this one.
A logical Mormon was forced to conclude that it wasn’t the program.
Reason the third
It’s the people. If it isn’t the missionaries themselves and it isn’t the program, then it must be the people. As anyone who has attended a Mormon ward knows. We have a share of kooks. Listen in to any fast and testimony meeting and you are bound to find them. There are the people that are political zealots, some who remember the 1950’s like they were yesterday and can’t wait to take the rest of us back there. There are those who think we are moving to Missouri as soon as the prophet tells us, and those who wax eloquent about their food storage (3 full years don’t ya know!). As a missionary, I learned to dread fast and testimony meeting. You just never know what someone might say, and how that might impact your chances of success with the current investigator.
Then I got to thinking though. Sure, we have our crazies, but so does everyone else. Every church experiences this to some degree and that is part of what church is for after all. A place where we can all be welcome to help and edify and lift one another up…and that’s when it really hit me…
Reason the last
We can’t fix the missionary work problem, because we can’t admit what the real problem is. It isn’t the people sharing the message or the people in the pews. It isn’t the history or the program, or the location or any of those things. The problem with the missionary work of the church is the product.
There just aren’t very many members who want to share what the church is with their friends, because the honest fact is, the product isn’t very good. If the church delivered what it promised, then there would be lines down the block for baptism. But it doesn’t. Let me briefly illustrate.
- Families can be together forever. But not tonight, because little Johnny has YM, and Dad is off at a stake meeting, while Mom is supposed to be attending a Primary Presidency Meeting. We could do Saturday, but that is reserved for a temple day…so that won’t work either.
- The church brings one nearer to Christ. Pay attention at the next meeting…excluding the ending of prayers count how many times Christ is mentioned or quoted. Compare that to how many quotes you will hear from the General Authorities
- This is the great plan of happiness. How happy are you? What makes you happy, is it anything to do with church….really?
- The Book of Mormon is great. No one reads it. Don’t believe me? Check the battery utilization on their electronic device – Netflix, ESPN, Facebook…lots of utilization, the scripture app? 2 hours on Sunday…tops.
The reality is we have a culture of lying to each other. We tell each other how great the gospel and the church are, but the vast majority (by far) are simply going through the motions. How devastated were you the last time church was canceled? You weren’t. You celebrated, your kids celebrated. If your family didn’t, you are in the minority.
That’s why the missionary work is tanking. Most members wouldn’t wish this on their worst enemy, let alone their best friend. No one needs to advertise a smart phone and everyone has one in their pocket. Why? Because they work. Because the generally deliver what they promise. No sales gimmicks, no discounts, and no hyper marketing required.
If you want to fix the convert baptism and retention issue, don’t look at the missionaries, they are doing their best. So are the members. Fix the product. That is where the problem seems to be. Or so it appears to a logicalmormon.