DiscussMormonism.com

Throughout my life, Mormon missionaries have always made frequent appearances. Once a year, without fail, I would hear a knock on my door and find a pair of missionaries standing there. Additionally, it was not uncommon to spot missionaries riding on bikes once or twice a month. However, over the past two years, I haven't had the pleasure of a visit from the missionaries or witnessed their iconic bike rides. Whenever I drive past the church during the summer, I often catch a glimpse of the missionaries chilling in their car under a shady tree near the parking lot. I can't say I've ever seen them in the church parking lot, though. Has anyone else noticed a decline in missionary sightings, or is it just me? So, if the rumors are true and missionary work is on the decline, should we be celebrating or mourning? I've come across quite a few elderly folks who absolutely adore the missionaries. They find it delightful when these missionaries go the extra mile and knock on their doors, just to see if they're up for a little chat.

Hound, It may vary from place to place. In the past 50 years I have had Mormon missionaries knock on my door perhaps once. I ran into them on a walk once and had a short pleasant conversation. I have had Jehovah witness knock on my door a number of times. I hope I was not unpleasant but I am not interested in their message.

I think they're focusing a lot more on social media outreach and doing volunteer work for members to keep them in the fold. A local sister missionary became a Facebook friend through a mutual friend a couple years ago and dove into my private chat asking if she could pray for me. Messaged me a couple times randomly.

Bond wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2024 7:02 pm

I think they're focusing a lot more on social media outreach and doing volunteer work for members to keep them in the fold. A local sister missionary became a Facebook friend through a mutual friend a couple years ago and dove into my private chat asking if she could pray for me. Messaged me a couple times randomly.

That matches my recent experience. I think that the powers that be have realized that the cold-calling Fuller Brush salesman approach has run its course. With the advent of doorbell cameras, people don't even have to answer the door to decide whether they want contact.

1) it's not the same type of missionary work. A couple years ago I had lunch with a two missionaries. As one was talking to me the other was looking at his phone and reading something, then they switched. Both suggested I read a story on the Church website in fact they kept referring my questions to the church website.

2) I think they are trying things and then discarding them if they don't get the results they want. Clearly where I live participation in the church activities is shrinking and the county I live in has almost twice the population of the State of Idaho. I was riding my bicycle on my regular route and passing an Institute of Religion, one that I attended in the mid '80s. It's been closed for a while and just recently a for sale sign was put up on the front lawn. I'm sure someone like BlackRock will buy it and develop the land. College age students can check what's being said at the pulpit in real time on their phone.

3) I wish they had been dedicated to truth and admitted the truth. People are forgiving when you acknowledge wrong. To gaslight and then label those who see things differently than the church does as anti is not working for the church. I hope they discard that one.

I saw a few missionaries out in public recently.

I’ve seen very few over the past few years, and the ones I’ve met with, I had to seek them out, and go to them. Of course, I’ve learned that I sort of now live in a dead zone where it’s too far for either set to come to me (an apostate’s dream location).

I've seen more missionaries in my neighborhood with their bikes and on foot in the last few years than anywhere I've ever lived. I've seen their bikes parked outside a house the next street down a few times. I've talked to them for a few seconds or so on my walk several times. However, they've never come to my door and I've never seen them knock on a door.

Res Ipsa wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2024 7:05 pm

Bond wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2024 7:02 pm

I think they're focusing a lot more on social media outreach and doing volunteer work for members to keep them in the fold. A local sister missionary became a Facebook friend through a mutual friend a couple years ago and dove into my private chat asking if she could pray for me. Messaged me a couple times randomly.

That matches my recent experience. I think that the powers that be have realized that the cold-calling Fuller Brush salesman approach has run its course. With the advent of doorbell cameras, people don't even have to answer the door to decide whether they want contact.

I don't think there is near the pressure on them for numbers or quotas or anything. The Church is probably just hoping they do the full tour of duty and stay in the church. The only time I ever see missionaries is at Walmart. They seem to be there a lot browsing and killing time. Maybe trying to make contacts in a dry air conditioned place.

We did go do a flu clinic for the missionaries before covid (I guess 2017-18) and there were a bunch (at least 30+ men and women) there getting flu shots. I'm sure any opportunity to hang out with the fellow missionaries for a couple hours is acceptable. I live in a major metro so might have been all the missionaries for the city.

Bond wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2024 1:07 am

Res Ipsa wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2024 7:05 pm

That matches my recent experience. I think that the powers that be have realized that the cold-calling Fuller Brush salesman approach has run its course. With the advent of doorbell cameras, people don't even have to answer the door to decide whether they want contact.

I don't think there is near the pressure on them for numbers or quotas or anything. The Church is probably just hoping they do the full tour of duty and stay in the church. The only time I ever see missionaries is at Walmart. They seem to be there a lot browsing and killing time. Maybe trying to make contacts in a dry air conditioned place.

We did go do a flu clinic for the missionaries before covid (I guess 2017-18) and there were a bunch (at least 30+ men and women) there getting flu shots. I'm sure any opportunity to hang out with the fellow missionaries for a couple hours is acceptable. I live in a major metro so might have been all the missionaries for the city.

I see missionaries on their bikes from time to time, but I don’t think I’ve seen them tracting for quite a while now. There are a couple pairs of missionaries who attend the Silent Game Night at my friendly local game store. As one of them explained to me, they are essentially a foreign language mission that runs alongside English Speaking mission. Being a board game missionary myself, I can see how finding venues for interaction that don’t involve knocking on people’s doors or accosting them on the street can have a much higher return on investment.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t some floundering over how to structure the program. The old hard sell techniques seemed to perform the dual purpose of generating converts and retaining young people as members. Maybe they should shift emphasis to the latter by focusing of meaningful service to nonmembers. People seem to be inspired by genuine service, and that might be an effective tool for attracting converts.