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http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=226637 ... featured-5

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released new numbers Monday regarding an increase in missionary applications since the change in age requirements announced at the October General Conference.

This came in response to a weekend tweet that went viral. The original tweet reads, "On average, the LDS Church had received 600 missionary applications per week. Last week it received 7,000."

I am sure anyone who thought about it knew.

Females had to wait till 21, likely the female was married thus no mission. At a younger age the female is less likely to be married or even considering marriage. Now the female can serve a mission and return with honor and not think herself an old maid for being single.

For males, who just party about for a year after highschool, and party before applying, then younger age allows them to apply while they are still likely not partying.

So all in all just thinking it through would have lead some to know a dramatic spike in applications.

From the article:


"As Church leaders had anticipated when the change was announced, the number of individuals who have begun the missionary application process has increased significantly. Typically approximately 700 new applications are started each week. The last two weeks that number has increased to approximately 4,000 per week. Slightly more than half of the applicants are women."

So we don't yet know if the missionary numbers will increase or by how many.
We do know that less than half of the applicants are men. Significant?

applications begun processing- interviews being held-sins admitted to or lied through, mtc attendance like an overcrowded prison, buses, trains and planes to mission areas- more interviews for juvenile activity-sins cofessed or lied through, missionaries sent home for sinning and slacking. result: converts: 100 in the front door, 80 out the back door. and rm's continue to leave in droves bringing rm wives with them.

is there no hope for the church's sons and daughters? not in this life!

TSM "holy shit- i thought i was having a revelation when it was only a brain fart"

BKP "damn it tommy i told u they were all lying masturbating little craps -now i gotta include those little hotties too'

TSM "call dieter we need a drink of schnaaps"

BKP "I'll drink to that"

just sayin

k

Oh Jesus!

Poor Tommy. He will get writers cramp from the increase of mission calls that he must sign.


Seriously. There are still many members who believe that the prez signs every single mission call.

Polygamy-Porter wrote:Oh Jesus!

Poor Tommy. He will get writers cramp from the increase of mission calls that he must sign.


Seriously. There are still many members who believe that the prez signs every single mission call.

Wait a minute. Are you sayin that I really don't have SWK's autograph in my white Bible?

sunstoned wrote:

Polygamy-Porter wrote:Oh Jesus!

Poor Tommy. He will get writers cramp from the increase of mission calls that he must sign.


Seriously. There are still many members who believe that the prez signs every single mission call.

Wait a minute. Are you sayin that I really don't have SWK's autograph in my white Bible?

Nope, nothing more than ink on paper applied by a "signature machine".

What does "missionary applications" mean?

In English?

In Mormon context?

(You know, I have language defects...)

Drifting wrote:From the article:


"As Church leaders had anticipated when the change was announced, the number of individuals who have begun the missionary application process has increased significantly. Typically approximately 700 new applications are started each week. The last two weeks that number has increased to approximately 4,000 per week. Slightly more than half of the applicants are women."

So we don't yet know if the missionary numbers will increase or by how many.
We do know that less than half of the applicants are men. Significant?

So we know how many applications are started each week, how many are being completed successfully?

Well let's work this out mathematically.
55,000 missionaries average for the last few years = 27,500 successful applicants each year ('ish).

700 applications started per week = 36,400

Hmmm... that means nearly 9,000 either don't get completed and handed in, or are refused...Is this a 'raising the bar' attrition rate? (25%)

How long before the current 4,000 per week drifts back down to 700 again?
I'm going to say within the next month.

Now, let's factor in the number of congregations - 28,784.
So, the number of successful applicants for missions equates to less than one per congregation per year...oh dear.

But wait!
The number conundrums keep going:

About 24,000 Mormon missionaries pass through the Provo training center every year to learn foreign languages and how to teach the LDS message before they embark on proselytizing stints in more than 120 countries across the globe.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55072 ... s.html.csp

So if 24,000 a year go through Provo, that leaves the remaining 3,500 to go through the other MTC's, of which their are another 14.

Hmmm...

3,500/14 = 250

Really? 250 Missionaries per year on average go through the other MTC's whilst 24,000 go through Provo? Something is not really adding up here.
Unless of course, 24,000 represents Americans going on missions and the 3,500 represents the rest of the world, that would stack up. Of course it means the other MTC's are a compete waste of money and resources - just send everyone to Provo!

ludwigm wrote:What does "missionary applications" mean?

In English?

In Mormon context?

(You know, I have language defects...)

It's the old noun apposition pattern:

"An X Y" where X and Y are both nouns is a Y conditioned by the preceding X.
Thus "A bomb shelter" is a shelter designed to protect you from bombs. You can have more than two nouns in the chain: "A fallout survival shelter" is a shelter that promotes survival in the presence of [nuclear] fallout.

So "missionary applications" are applications (in the sense of written requests) that pertain to missionaries. More precisely in this case, applications from people who want to become missionaries.