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Misioneros

Los misioneros de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días (Iglesia SUD), ampliamente conocidos como misioneros mormones, son representantes voluntarios de la Iglesia SUD que participan de diversas formas en el proselitismo , el servicio de la iglesia, la ayuda humanitaria y el servicio comunitario. Los misioneros mormones pueden servir a tiempo completo o parcial, según la asignación, y están organizados geográficamente en misiones . La asignación de la misión podría ser a cualquiera de las 399 [1] misiones organizadas en todo el mundo.

La Iglesia SUD es uno de los practicantes modernos más activos de la obra misional , informando que tenía más de 67,000 misioneros de tiempo completo y 31,000 misioneros de servicio en todo el mundo a fines de 2019. [2] La mayoría de los misioneros SUD de tiempo completo son hombres jóvenes solteros. y mujeres en la adolescencia y principios de los veinte y parejas mayores que ya no tienen niños en casa. A los misioneros a menudo se les asigna para servir lejos de sus hogares, incluso en otros países. Muchos misioneros aprenden un nuevo idioma en un centro de capacitación misionalcomo parte de su tarea. Las misiones suelen durar dos años para los hombres, 18 meses para las mujeres y de uno a tres años para las parejas mayores. La Iglesia SUD alienta fuertemente, pero no requiere, el servicio misional para los hombres jóvenes. Todos los misioneros mormones sirven voluntariamente y no reciben un salario por su trabajo; normalmente financian las misiones ellos mismos o con la ayuda de la familia u otros miembros de la iglesia. Muchos Santos de los Últimos Días ahorran dinero durante su adolescencia para cubrir los gastos de la misión.

A lo largo de la historia de la iglesia , más de un millón de misioneros han sido enviados a misiones. [3] [4]

Preparación para servir [ editar ]

Importancia y calificaciones básicas [ editar ]

El completar una misión a menudo se describe como un rito de iniciación para un joven Santo de los Últimos Días. [5] [6] [7] [8] Sin embargo, servir en una misión no es necesario para continuar en la membresía de la iglesia.

Se recomienda encarecidamente a los hombres jóvenes de entre 18 y 25 años que cumplan las normas de dignidad que consideren una misión proselitista de tiempo completo de dos años . Esta expectativa se basa en parte en el pasaje del Nuevo Testamento "Id, pues, y haced discípulos a todas las naciones" ( Mateo 28: 19-20 ). La edad mínima era de 19 años en la mayoría de los países hasta el 6 de octubre de 2012, cuando el presidente de la Iglesia Thomas S. Monson anunció que todos los misioneros varones, independientemente de la nación, podían servir a partir de los 18 años. [9] Antes del anuncio, los miembros de a algunos países se les permitió servir desde una edad más temprana para evitar conflictos con los requisitos educativos o militares. [10] También se anunció que las mujeres jóvenes pueden servir a partir de los 19 años en lugar de los 21. [9] En 2007, aproximadamente el 30% de todos los hombres SUD de 19 años se convirtieron en misioneros mormones; de familias SUD activas en la iglesia, aproximadamente el 80-90% de los hombres de 19 años sirven en una misión. [6]

Los misioneros pueden ser enviados a casa por violar las reglas de la misión y, ocasionalmente, los misioneros eligen irse a casa por razones de salud o por otras razones. Sin embargo, la gran mayoría de los misioneros sirven los términos completos de dos años (hombres) o dieciocho meses (mujeres). [ cita requerida ]

En 2007, el 80% de todos los misioneros mormones eran hombres jóvenes solteros, el 13% eran mujeres jóvenes solteras y el 7% parejas jubiladas. [6] Las mujeres que deseen servir en una misión deben cumplir con los mismos estándares de dignidad y tener al menos 19 años de edad. Las mujeres generalmente sirven como misioneras durante 18 meses. Por otro lado, se anima a las parejas casadas jubiladas a servir en misiones, pero la duración de su servicio puede variar de seis a 36 meses, según sus circunstancias y medios. [11] Cualquier persona jubilada también puede ser llamada a servir en lo que se conoce como servicio misional superior . En las últimas dos décadas, la Iglesia SUD ha intensificado su llamado a los misioneros de parejas mayores.

Estándares de dignidad [ editar ]

Todos los misioneros deben cumplir con ciertos estándares mínimos de dignidad. Entre las normas a las que un futuro misionero debe demostrar adherencia se encuentran: asistencia regular a las reuniones de la iglesia , oración personal regular , estudio regular de las Escrituras , adherencia a la ley de castidad (pureza sexual), adherencia a la Palabra de Sabiduría (código de salud). y nutrición), pago del diezmo , diligencia espiritual y testimonio de Dios.

Otros factores de exclusión [ editar ]

Además de la preparación espiritual, se instruye a los obispos de la iglesia para que se aseguren de que los futuros misioneros sean física, mental y emocionalmente capaces de realizar la obra misional de tiempo completo. En el mismo discurso en el que pidió que "todo joven" cumpliera una misión, Kimball agregó: "nos damos cuenta de que, aunque todos los hombres definitivamente deberían hacerlo, no todos los hombres están preparados para enseñar el Evangelio en el extranjero". [12]Aparte de las cuestiones generales de dignidad y capacidad, hay una serie de situaciones específicas que descalificarán a una persona para convertirse en misionero de tiempo completo para la Iglesia SUD. Entre los excluidos se incluyen aquellos que tendrían que dejar hijos dependientes al cuidado de otra persona; parejas jóvenes que aún están en edad fértil; aquellos que están endeudados y no han hecho arreglos para cumplir con estas obligaciones; aquellos que están en libertad condicional o bajo palabra; parejas con problemas matrimoniales graves no resueltos; los que son seropositivos; y aquellos que han sido condenados por abuso sexual. Además, los miembros que se han sometido, realizado, alentado, pagado o arreglado para un aborto (excepto en el caso de violación, incesto o la vida de la madre en peligro) generalmente están excluidos del servicio misional.al igual que los miembros que han engendrado o dado a luz un hijo fuera del matrimonio; hombres menores de 26 años y mujeres menores de 40 divorciados; y cualquier persona que haya participado en actividades homosexuales después de los 16 años.[13]

Desde los inicios de la Iglesia SUD, las personas de ascendencia africana negra podían ser miembros de la iglesia, pero hasta 1978 la Iglesia SUD no llamaba a hombres de ascendencia africana negra para servir en misiones, debido a la prohibición de que los negros poseyeran el sacerdocio . La prohibición del sacerdocio se levantó durante la presidencia de Kimball y desde 1978 no ha habido restricciones al servicio misional que se basen en la raza o el origen étnico. [14]

Llamada misionera [ editar ]

Después de la solicitud a la iglesia y la aprobación requerida, los futuros misioneros reciben un "llamado para servir", una notificación oficial de su asignación de ubicación, del Presidente de la Iglesia . El llamamiento misional también informa al futuro misionero qué idioma se espera que use durante su misión. Miembros del Quórum de los Doce Apóstolesson responsables de asignar misioneros a una misión en particular. Un posible misionero que recibe el llamado a servir generalmente se considera un evento importante en la cultura SUD; los miembros de la familia, los amigos y los miembros de la congregación del posible misionero a menudo se reúnen cuando llega una llamada, que el futuro misionero abre y lee en voz alta al grupo. Hasta 2018, los llamamientos misionales se enviaban por correo a los futuros misioneros. En el verano de 2018, la iglesia anunció que comenzaría a enviar llamadas misionales por correo electrónico a los posibles misioneros. La iglesia comenzó a enviar llamadas por correo electrónico a los posibles misioneros que residen en Utah e Idaho en el verano de 2018, con el objetivo de expandirse al resto de los Estados Unidos y a todos los países con Internet confiable para principios de 2019. [15]

Asistencia al templo [ editar ]

Antes de comenzar su misión, los posibles misioneros varones generalmente son ordenados al oficio de élder en el Sacerdocio de Melquisedec (si es que aún no lo ocupan). Todos los misioneros son apartados mediante la imposición de manos para predicar el evangelio; esto generalmente lo realiza el presidente de estaca del misionero . Los futuros misioneros también suelen asistir al templo por primera vez para recibir su investidura si aún no lo han hecho. [dieciséis]

Entrenamiento [ editar ]

El Centro de Capacitación Misional en Provo , Utah , Estados Unidos , es uno de los 10 centros de este tipo ubicados en todo el mundo.
Provo MTC es el Centro de Capacitación Misional más grande de la Iglesia SUD .

Los misioneros recién llamados asisten a un breve período de capacitación en uno de los 10 Centros de Capacitación Misional (CCM) de la iglesia en todo el mundo. [17] El CCM más grande se encuentra en Provo, Utah , [18] junto a la Universidad Brigham Young . Los misioneros que no aprenderán un idioma para servir en sus misiones pasan tres semanas en un CCM donde practican el uso de materiales de proselitismo, aprenden la conducta esperada y estudian las Escrituras . Los misioneros con destino a misiones en idiomas extranjeros pasan de seis a nueve semanas en un CCM, según el idioma que se aprenda. Durante este período, se les anima a no hablar en su lengua materna, sino a sumergirse en el nuevo idioma.

Conducta misionera [ editar ]

Manual del misionero [ editar ]

Las normas básicas de servicio y conducta misional estaban contenidas anteriormente en el Manual Misional . [19] El Manual del Misionero anterior se denominaba común e informalmente como "el manual blanco" o "la Biblia blanca". [20] A partir de noviembre de 2019, este manual ha sido reemplazado por dos nuevos manuales, Normas misionales para discípulos de Jesucristo [21] y Normas misionales para discípulos de Jesucristo: Información complementaria . [22] Se instruye a los misioneros que seguir estas normas los protegerá tanto física como espiritualmente. Presidentes de misióntiene la discreción de ajustar algunos de los estándares de acuerdo con las circunstancias locales. [19] : 1

Vestimenta y arreglo personal [ editar ]

Se requiere que los misioneros SUD de tiempo completo se adhieran a un código de vestimenta. Anteriormente para los hombres, esto incluía conservadores, pantalones oscuros y sacos de traje, camisas de vestir blancas y corbatas conservadoras. Para las mujeres, se usaron vestidos o blusas modestas y profesionales y faldas hasta la mitad de la pantorrilla.

En 2013, [23] la Iglesia SUD actualizó sus estándares de aseo personal. Ya no se requería que los hombres jóvenes usaran trajes oscuros o un traje completo durante las actividades proselitistas diarias regulares. Sin embargo, deben permanecer en atuendo profesional y conservador, incluida una camisa blanca y corbata. Por ejemplo, se acepta un traje de color claro. También se les permite usar un suéter o chaleco de traje sobre su camisa de vestir y se les anima a usar corbatas de colores. [24]

Sister (female) missionaries may wear skirts and dresses that cover their knees. Young women are encouraged to dress in colors and patterns, and they may wear appropriate jewelry and accessories.[25] In 2018 it was announced that female missionaries could wear dress slacks if they wanted, except when attending the temple and during Sunday worship services, baptismal services, and mission leadership and zone conferences.[26]

Missionaries in Mexico, dressed for tropical weather

In some areas these standards are altered slightly according to the discretion of the mission president. For example, in hot, humid climates, suit coats are not required, and dress shirts may be short-sleeved. Casual clothes may be worn only in limited circumstances, such as when missionaries provide manual labor or exercise.[27]

In 2016, the dress guidelines were updated to allow for "simple and conservative" sunglasses and "wide-brimmed hats" as part of a missionary's attire to provide missionaries protection from excessive heat.[28] Subsequently, in 2020, church leaders also announced approved adjustments and exceptions to the dress standards for young male missionaries, which allowed for the usage of blue shirts, along with foregoing the usage of ties, with the approval of the area presidency, although standard missionary attire for young males remains the status quo in specific circumstances (mission or zone conferences, weekly worship services, and in attending the temple).[29]

All full-time missionaries wear a name tag that gives their surname with the appropriate title ("Elder" or "Sister" in English-speaking areas, or their equivalent titles in other languages). The name tag also bears the church's name, unless the mission president considers this inadvisable due to circumstances in the area (e.g., adverse political conditions). Missionaries are required to wear the tag at all times in public.

Companionships[edit]

A missionary companionship, consisting of two (or occasionally, three) missionaries, is the smallest organizational unit of a mission. Every missionary is assigned by the mission president to be another missionary's companion. Missionary companionships are generally maintained for months at a time and most missionaries will have served with multiple companions by the end of their mission. These companions very rarely have prior acquaintance outside of the mission. Companionships are always of the same gender.

Missionary companions are instructed to stay together at all times and not to go out of the hearing of their companion's voice or out of sight.[30] Privacy is allowed only for personal care such as showering. One of the intentions of this strict policy of staying together is to discourage missionaries from breaking any mission rules.[19]:31 Companions share the same living quarters and the same bedroom, but not the same bed.[31]

When companions have conflicting personalities or interests, they are encouraged to try to resolve them themselves. If a missionary's companion is having difficulty with the work or with personal problems, missionaries are instructed to give criticism constructively, in private and with respect.[19]:30 In dealing with a problem, missionaries are first to raise the issue with their companion and if it is not resolved, to raise it with the mission president. "A missionary's first priority is to the Lord, then to the mission president and finally to their companion", as the missionary handbook states.[19]:32 High value is placed on the spiritual commitment to the virtues of humility and love. Missionaries are urged to treat the companionship as a relationship that must succeed in being cooperative and selfless, thus improving the spirituality, character and social skills of each individual missionary.

Senior couples[edit]

Senior couples serve as a companionship for the entirety of their mission and have more relaxed rules. Unlike single missionaries, they share the same bed and are able to travel outside of the mission boundaries.

Couples are not expected to follow the same proselyting schedule of younger missionaries. Some mission rules established for younger missionaries may not apply to them. However, they should still set standards and goals and follow the same dress and grooming standards listed for younger missionaries. The mission president may assign them responsibilities other than those they received with their call. [32]

Personal relationships[edit]

Missionaries are encouraged to write a letter to their parents weekly. Since almost all of their time is otherwise occupied, other communication is limited. However, a missionary may use preparation day to correspond with any person that is resident outside of the boundaries of the mission. Missionaries do not go on vacation and, prior to February 2019, were permitted to telephone their parents only on Christmas Day, and one other day of the year, usually Mother's Day.[19]:37 Missionaries are provided with a free, filtered church e-mail account to correspond with their parents on preparation day only by using a computer in a public location, such as a public library or internet café.[19]:20 In the event of an emergency, family members of a missionary may contact him or her via the mission president's office. In February 2019, the church announced that missionaries could communicate with their families weekly via phone call, text, or video chat, in addition to letters and email; though the missionaries themselves must initiate the conversation.[33]

Single missionaries are prohibited from dating or courting while serving missions. The policy of companionships staying together at all times serves to discourage these activities. While missionaries may interact with members of the opposite sex, they may never be alone with them or engage in any kind of intimate physical or emotional activity (e.g., kissing, hugging, holding hands, flirting). They may not telephone, write, e-mail, or accept letters from members of the opposite sex that live in the area where they are assigned to proselytize.[19]:33 Missionary companionships are also asked not to visit with members of the opposite sex unless at least one person of the missionaries' same sex is present to chaperone.[19]:34 Alternatively, those contacts may be referred to a companionship of the same gender as the contact or to married couple missionaries, when available.

In the early days of the Church, men were called to serve missions regardless of marital status. Today, however, married young men are not expected to serve missions, unless called to oversee a mission as a mission president. A call to be a mission president is typically extended to the married couple, and in turn, the entire family of the chosen mission president. Older retired couples also may serve as missionaries, but do not take their families with them.

Schedule[edit]

Sample schedule of missionaries serving in their native language
Time
Activity678910111212345678910
Exercise
Eat
Shower and dress
Personal study
Companion study
Proselytize
Plan and pray

Generally, missionaries wake up at 6:30 am.[34] After praying, exercising (30 minutes), and eating breakfast, they spend two hours studying the scriptures and other materials. If they are teaching in a foreign language, they'll spend another 30 minutes to an hour studying the language. Missionaries leave their place of residence at 10 am to proselytize (or 10:30 am or 11 am if teaching in a foreign language). They have an hour for lunch and dinner, and return to their apartment by 9 pm, or 9:30 if they are in the process of teaching a lesson at the end of the day. They plan for the next day's activities, pray, and are encouraged to write in their personal journal, but are not required to. Missionaries then retire to bed at 10:30 pm.[19]:14–15[35][36]

On January 25, 2017, the church announced that schedules can be modified depending on the area in which missionaries serve.[37]

Media rules[edit]

Missionaries are admonished to "avoid all forms of worldly entertainment."[19]:24 Generally, they are not permitted to watch television, listen to the radio, watch or go to movies, or use the Internet[19]:25 (except to use email, and social media for their work, see Personal relationships above). They are not permitted to listen to music that has romantic lyrics or overtones, or merely entertains.[19]:25 The general interpretation of this guideline is to listen to only religious music, such as that performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, though the rule's application has been variable in some missions. They are permitted to read only books, magazines, or other materials authorized by the church.[19]:27

These guidelines were updated in October 2017, when the church announced that in some missions, missionaries would be issued smartphones and be permitted to use technology on a wider scale. This is intended to enable the missionaries to more easily find "religiously minded people."[38]

Slang[edit]

Missionaries are instructed to avoid slang and casual language including when they are alone in their apartment and in their letters to family.[19]:8–9 They are also instructed to refer to missionary leaders by only their correct titles.[19]:9 However, as with the members of any organization, some missionaries use certain missionary-specific jargon when communicating with one another. Some words and expressions are mission- or language-specific, while others are universal, such as calling the halfway point of a mission the "hump" or hump day,[39] or describing a missionary who is excited about returning home as "trunky" as he has already packed his trunk.[40][41] Foreign-language missionaries often develop a "mission language", distinct from but combining aspects of their first and acquired languages, that they use when communicating with each other; the senkyoshigo of Japan is an example.[40]

Number of missionaries and number of converts[edit]

Further information: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership history
Ratio of Converts Baptized to Full-Time Missionaries, 1971–2010.

As of the end of 2016, there were 70,946 full-time missionaries of the Church serving in 421 church missions throughout the world.[42] Their work, often in cooperation with local members, resulted in 240,131 convert baptisms in 2016.[42] Author David Stewart points out that the number of convert baptisms per missionary per year has fallen from a high of 8.03 in 1989 to just 4.67 in 2005.[43] He argues that the number of converts would increase if missionaries made greater efforts in meeting new people; he points out that the average pair of missionaries spends only four or five hours per week attempting to meet new people.[43]

Types of missionaries[edit]

Proselytizing[edit]

The most visible and most common type of missionaries are typically those who proselytize door-to-door and ride bicycles for transportation. For many years, missionaries used structured lessons called "missionary discussions" (formally called "The Uniform System for Teaching the Gospel") to teach interested non-members and recent converts about the doctrines of the LDS Church and to commit them on the steps to take to become a member of the church. Missionaries were often instructed to adhere very closely to the six lessons, and they frequently quoted segments word-for-word (an especially helpful practice when learning a foreign language). The training materials also instructed missionaries to freely change the order of the lessons segments according to the needs and questions of the learners.

The missionary discussions were replaced beginning in October 2004 by a guide called Preach My Gospel which places emphasis on "teaching by the Spirit".[44] According to members of the church, "teaching by the Spirit" means seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost to teach; the idea is that the teachings will be catered to each person who is seeking the truth through divine guidance. According to Preach My Gospel, God knows each person and can guide the missionaries to say and teach what is best for each individual.[36]:89–90

Despite the latitude given to missionaries, the guide still contains material which should be actively taught. Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel concisely describes all of the doctrine that the missionaries are to teach to those learning about the church. The missionaries are responsible for knowing the doctrine and continually preparing to teach it. They can choose the order that this material is taught to serve the needs of each individual. This is a change from the missionary discussions which were usually taught in order to each investigator.

The book, now published in many languages,[45] is meant to be used by the general church membership. This sets it apart from the previous missionary discussions, which were used primarily by full-time missionaries, members with church callings related to missionary work, and those preparing to serve missions.[citation needed]

Online[edit]

According to The Huffington Post, the church has online missionaries, who work at a Referral Center Mission in Provo, Utah.[46] These missionaries use the "Chat with a Mormon" homepage to talk with potential converts.[47] The Salt Lake Tribune reported that these missionaries are more successful than traditional proselytizers.[48] Furthermore, The Huffington Post also reported that it is now permissible for missionaries to use SMS, blogs and Facebook.[46] The church also maintains a visitor site for people not of the faith at ComeUntoChrist.org.[49]

Church-service[edit]

A family history missionary couple

Missionaries with special needs or health considerations may be called as full-time or part-time service missionaries. Many fully able missionaries are called to do genealogical research or act as tour guides or hosts at Temple Square or Family History libraries and other church sites. In many areas, even proselytizing missionaries spend most of their day responding to incoming phone calls and queries, delivering requested media from the church's television and radio commercials. Missionaries may use public transportation, walk, bicycle, or in some areas drive automobiles owned by the church, or occasionally ride within a private automobile with a church member who is accompanying them to a teaching appointment, proselytizing, or fellowshipping activity. At the end of 2019, there were 31,333 church-service missionaries.[2]

Humanitarian aid[edit]

The LDS Church also has a strong welfare and humanitarian missionary program. These humanitarian missionaries typically serve in impoverished areas of the world and do not actively proselytize. Humanitarian missionaries comply with any local laws regarding teaching or displaying religious symbols, including the identifying name tags. This allows them to provide services and aid in countries where activities by religious organizations are typically restricted or forbidden, such as in predominantly Muslim countries or in Southeast Asia. Regular proselytizing missionaries are asked to engage in welfare activities and community service, limited to four hours a week on days other than weekends or preparation day.[50]

Building missionaries were called by the president of the Tongan Mission in the early 1950s.[51] Among their major successes was building Liahona High School. From 1955 on, Wendell B. Mendenhall institutionalized building missionaries on a larger scale with skilled tradesmen called as supervisors of the missionaries. Most of the supervisors were Americans, while most of the workers were young men indigenous to the areas of the South Pacific and Latin America where the work was carried out. However, at times the situation was more complex. One example is Jose Alvarez, who was a native of Argentina, but had lived in the United States for three years when he was called to go with his family to Chile, where he served as a building missionary supervisor.[52] Often, trainee or assistant building supervisors would work under the leadership of an experienced supervisor in preparation for an assignment as a fully-fledged supervisor of some project or group of missionaries.

Administration[edit]

Organization[edit]

Main article: Mission (LDS Church)

Every part of the world is assigned to be within a mission of the church, whether or not LDS missionaries are active in the area. An adult male mission president presides over the missionaries in the mission.

Most missions are divided into several zones, a zone being a geographic area specified by the mission president (though these are often the same area as the LDS ecclesiastical unit known as a "stake"). A zone encompasses several more organizational units called districts. Each zone and district is presided over by leaders drawn from male missionaries serving in that area. Zone and district leaders are responsible for gathering weekly statistics, assisting missionaries in their areas of responsibility, and general accountability to the mission president for the well-being and progress of the missionaries under their stewardship. A district typically encompasses four to eight missionaries, and may or may not comprise more than one proselytizing area. An area is typically a portion of the LDS ecclesiastical unit known as a ward (or congregation), one ward, or multiple wards.

In addition to the leaders mentioned above, the mission president has two or more assistants. Assistants to the President (APs) are typically missionaries who have previously served as district and/or zone leaders. They serve as the president's executive assistants, administering policies and helping missionaries throughout the mission.

The number of missions in the church typically varies from one year to the next. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles determine when new missions are created, consolidated, or discontinued. In October 2017, the church announced that, in an effort to increase missionary safety, the number of missions would be consolidated.[38] The extent of those consolidation plans is yet to be announced.

Expenses[edit]

See also: Davis v. United States (1990)

Missionaries are expected to pay their own expenses while on the mission, often with assistance from family. In the past, each missionary paid his or her actual living expenses, but this approach created a disproportionate burden on missionaries who were assigned to more expensive areas of the world. In 1990, a new program was introduced to equalize the financial responsibility for each missionary and his or her family. Now, all young missionaries pay a flat monthly rate which is then redistributed according to regional costs of living. The cost of a mission varies based on the country of origin of the missionary; for missionaries from the United States, the cost is US$400 per month.[53][54] The cost can vary dramatically based on the country of origin. For instance, in Oceania, missionaries from Australia pay AU$395 and missionaries from New Zealand pay NZ$400, while missionaries from American Samoa pay US$85 and missionaries from Kiribati pay AU$20. Missionaries from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are exempt from making any payment.[55] The monthly rate helps to cover food, lodging, transportation, and other mission related expenses. Missionaries are asked to bring extra personal money for any personal items they would like to purchase. Once the money is received by the church it is then redistributed to the missionaries in amounts proportionate to the cost of living within the assigned mission area.[citation needed] As families now contribute to a general fund for missionary expenses, the sum is deductible under many nations' tax policies regarding charitable gifts.

For health care, the church provides missionaries with limited medical care. A missionary will be required to pay for any medical treatment that is considered non-essential or that is considered to be associated with a preexisting condition. The local mission office will often help missionaries find Mormon doctors or dentists who can offer their services to missionaries for a small fee or for free.

Young people in the church are encouraged to save money throughout their childhood and teenage years to pay for as much of their mission as they can, although many receive assistance from parents, family, or friends. Missionaries who cannot save the required funds may obtain assistance from their home congregation or from a general missionary fund operated by the church and contributed to by Latter-day Saints around the world. Married couple missionaries are expected to pay their own costs,[56] but in 2011 the church began paying for missionary couples' housing expenses that exceed US$1400 per month.[11] In many areas, church members often invite locally assigned missionaries over for meals to help reduce the overall expenditures of the missionary program.

Returned missionaries[edit]

Notable returned missionaries
Ken Jennings (Spain), the US game show contestant with the second-largest winnings ever
Aaron Eckhart (Switzerland), actor
Lindsey Stirling (New York City), violinist
Elizabeth Smart (Paris), child safety activist
Shannon Hale (Paraguay), popular YA author
Stephen Covey (England), author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Jon Heder (Japan), actor known for title role in Napoleon Dynamite
Orson Scott Card (Brazil), author known for writing Ender's Game

A returned missionary (often abbreviated "RM") is a term used by members of the LDS Church to refer to men and women who have previously served as Mormon missionaries. Once they return home, RMs are generally encouraged to begin dating seriously and to seek marriage.[57][58][59] Those who learned to speak a foreign language must readjust, sometimes with difficulty, to speaking their first language.[40]

In Latter-day Saint culture, stereotypes and jokes abound regarding newly returned missionaries, most dealing with their difficulties in handling the reverse culture shock. Other stereotypes revolve around the fact that as missionaries, they lived highly structured, disciplined lives and avoided contact with members of the opposite sex, so many RMs have difficulty readjusting to social life and dating.[60] Other stereotypes include the supposed rush of many RMs to get married as soon as possible. Many families whose daughters are old enough to marry encourage them to date RMs.

Returned missionaries are frequently called to assist in the local missionary effort and are encouraged to stay active within the LDS Church through callings and service.[61] RMs who served in the same mission frequently stay in touch and often gather for mission reunions in Utah to coincide with the semiannual LDS General Conference.[62]

The notion of the Mormon mission as a crucible is a common one, and the benefits gained from going through it have been used to help explain the prominence of LDS Church members in business and civic life.[63][64][65][66] Mission experience has also helped prepare RMs for later engaging and prospering in non-Mormon environments.[67]

Prominent returned missionaries[edit]

Prominent individuals who have served LDS missions include Aaron Eckhart (Switzerland/France),[68][69] Shawn Bradley (Australia),[70] Orson Scott Card (Brazil),[71] Stephen Covey (England),[72] Jon Heder (Japan),[73] Ken Jennings (Spain),[74] Elizabeth Smart (France),[75][76] Lindsey Stirling (NYC),[77] Elaine Bradley (Germany),[78] Shannon Hale (Paraguay),[79] Jon Huntsman Jr. (Taiwan),[80] Brandon Sanderson (Korea),[81] Mitt Romney (France),[82] Paul Alan Cox (Samoa),[83] Shay Carl (West Indies), Chad Lewis (Taiwan),[84] and Dale Murphy (Boston).[85]

In 2011, American pop singer-songwriter David Archuleta announced he was taking a two-year hiatus to be a missionary for the church. He served his mission in Chile.[86][87][88]

History[edit]

"Mormons visit a country carpenter" (1856) by Christen Dalsgaard, depicting a mid-19th century visit of a missionary to a Danish carpenter's workshop. The first missionaries arrived in Denmark in 1850.
Main article: Mission (LDS Church) § History of missions
See also: List of LDS missionary entries by country

The LDS Church regards Samuel H. Smith, the younger brother of church founder Joseph Smith, as the church's first full-time missionary.[89][90] Smith traveled from city to city, covering more than 4,000 miles, trying to sell copies of the Book of Mormon. The book was presented as evidence of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling. Phineas Young received a Book of Mormon from Samuel Smith and became an early member of the church. (Phineas' younger brother Brigham would later be baptized and become the 2nd president of the LDS Church.)

During the 1850s missionaries were sent to Chile, France, Germany, Hawaii, India, Italy, Scandinavia, Switzerland and a number of other countries.[91]

In 1898, the church began allowing single women to be called as missionaries. The first two single female missionaries were Jennie Brimhall and Inez Knight, who were called to serve as companions in England.[92]

As more members became aware of Joseph Smith's First Vision during the late 1800s and early 1900s, it began to take on a prominent role in the conversion narrative. The story of the First Vision was first published in a missionary tract in 1910.[93]

Each mission was responsible for individually developing lessons until 1952 when, under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley, the church published "A Systematic Program for Teaching the Gospel".[94] In 1961, towards the beginning of the church's correlation effort, "A Uniform System for Teaching Investigators" was made mandatory church-wide. The missionary lessons, or "discussions", continued to be updated with major revisions approximately every decade up until the publication of Preach My Gospel in 2004. Early missionaries, like Samuel Smith, relied primarily on the story of the Book of Mormon to attract converts to the church. By the late 19th century, the story of Joseph Smith's first vision had gained prominence and was given an important role in the official missionary lessons.[95][96][97]

In the early 1950s, Henry D. Moyle had responsibility over the missionary department. Moyle encouraged missionaries to use a tactic that later became known as "baseball baptism". Missionaries would encourage young men to join church-sponsored sports leagues and baptism was imposed as a prerequisite.[98] The use of this tactic created a large number of converts, especially in England, but very few of the young men ever had any interest in the spiritual aspects of the church. Moyle introduced baptism goals, missionary incentives and other salesmanship techniques into the church missionary department. David O. McKay eventually removed Moyle from his responsibilities over the missionary program but many of the changes introduced during this time remain even today.[citation needed]

During the 1960s, missionaries whose area of service required them to learn a new language were first sent to the Language Training Mission on the BYU campus. This later became the Missionary Training Center in 1978 where all new missionaries were sent for training not just the ones learning a language.

Starting during Spencer W. Kimball's administration, it was emphasized that "every able, worthy young man" had a duty to serve a mission.[91] Prior to this, missionary service for men was not viewed as obligatory. This resulted in an increase in the number of young men choosing to serve missions.

Before 1978, the church did not permit people of African descent to hold the priesthood, and they were not actively proselytized. Missionary work in places such as Brazil may have increased pressure to change the policy due to the difficulty of verifying lack of African descent in these populations.[99] When the policy was eliminated by Kimball, additional areas of the world were opened up to missionary work.

Church researchers discovered that in addition to the content of the lessons, the way in which the material was presented had a major impact on conversion. In 1984, the Missionary Department codified the "commitment pattern" as the proper way for missionaries to teach the lessons.[100] This involves the missionaries making specific invitations to act in response to the lessons. Gospel students would be encouraged to make personal commitments to attend church, to read the Book of Mormon and to be baptized.

In 2002, apostle M. Russell Ballard delivered a General Conference address stating that the bar to qualify for missionary service had been raised and that "the day of the 'repent and go' missionary is over".[101]

During the church's October 2012 General Conference, church president Thomas S. Monson announced that the minimum age for missionary service for young men had been lowered from 19 to 18 and that the minimum age for young women had been lowered from 21 to 19.[9] Immediately following the announcement, the church experienced an unprecedented influx of new missionaries. The rate of new missionaries swelled "by 471 percent, from about 700 new applications per week to about 4,000 each week, with young women comprising more than half of the new applicants." In 2013, the number of missionaries peaked at 89,000[102] and had dropped to 65,137 by the end of 2018.[103] Throughout the history of the church, over one million missionaries have been sent on missions.[3][4]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many missionaries were transferred to different areas or returned home. In February 2020, there were 68,000 and within several months that number dropped to 42,000. In 200 of 407 mission areas, missionary work was performed mainly from their apartments using technology.[104]

Incidents[edit]

Headstone of a missionary that was murdered by the Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation while serving in Bolivia.[105]

Although rare, missionaries have been the victims of violence. In 1974, two young-adult male missionaries were murdered in Austin, Texas, by Robert Elmer Kleason. In 1977, the case of a Mormon missionary who said he was abducted and raped by a woman was covered extensively by newspapers in Britain, being dubbed the Mormon sex in chains case.[106] In 1979, two senior sister missionaries were murdered in Berkeley County, South Carolina and one was raped.[107] In 1989, the Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation killed two American missionaries in Bolivia.[105] From 1999 to 2006, three LDS missionaries were murdered worldwide, while 22 died in accidents of some sort.[108] In 2008, three men from Port Shepstone, South Africa were convicted of raping and robbing two female LDS missionaries in June 2006.[109]

A few cases of kidnapping have also occurred, a recent one being in 1998, when two male missionaries were abducted while working in the Samara region of Russia. The kidnappers demanded US$300,000 for their return. The missionaries were released unharmed a few days later without payment of the ransom.[110]

In popular culture[edit]

Mormon missionaries have been portrayed in various popular culture media. Missionaries are the main focus of Mormon cinema films God's Army (1999), The Other Side of Heaven (2001), The Best Two Years (2003), The R.M. (2003), God's Army 2: States of Grace (2005), The Errand of Angels (2008), and The Saratov Approach (2013). The musical Saturday's Warrior (1973) features missionaries and was made into a film in 1989. The DVD series Liken the Scriptures occasionally shows missionaries.

Missionaries were featured in the PBS documentary Get the Fire (2003), as well as in the Tony Award-winning satirical Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. Hollywood portrayed missionaries in Yes Man (2008) starring Jim Carrey, and British film Millions also mentioned missionaries.

Films portraying missionaries gone astray include Trapped by the Mormons (1922), Orgazmo (1997), and Latter Days (2003). Mormon missionaries appeared at the end of the American horror film The Strangers (2008); the missionaries were depicted as children as opposed to young men.[citation needed]

In 2008, former missionary Chad Hardy was subjected to church discipline after releasing a pin-up calendar titled "Men on a Mission", which consisted of pictures of scantily clad returned missionaries.[111][112][113]

See also[edit]

  • Anticipatory socialization
  • List of missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Delta Phi Kappa, a now-defunct fraternity for returned male missionaries
  • Yesharah Society, a now-defunct organization for returned female missionaries
  • List of Mormon Missionary Diarists

Notes[edit]

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  3. ^ a b "News Story – One Million Missionaries, Thirteen Million Members", Newsroom, LDS Church, June 25, 2007, retrieved November 27, 2012
  4. ^ a b Walch, Tad (June 26, 2007), "1 million missionaries for LDS Church – so far", Deseret Morning News, retrieved November 27, 2012
  5. ^ Shepherd, Gary; Shepherd, Gordon (1998), Mormon Passage: A Missionary Chronicle, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, pp. 19–34, ISBN 0-252-06662-6.
  6. ^ a b c Fletcher Stack, Peggy (June 30, 2007). "Mission metamorphosis". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  7. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (November 15, 2007). "Romney, Searching and Earnest, Set His Path in '60s". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
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References[edit]

  • Harper, Steven C. (1998). "Missionaries in the American Religious Marketplace: Mormon Proselyting in the 1830s". Journal of Mormon History. 24 (2): 1–29. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010.

Further reading[edit]

  • Whittaker, David J. (2000). "Mormon Missiology: An Introduction and Guide to the Sources". In Ricks, Stephen D.; Parry, Donald W.; Hedges, Andrew H. (eds.). The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson. Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University. ISBN 0934893454. OCLC 43296775.
  • Neilson, Reid (2012), Go Ye into All the World: The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work, BYU, ISBN 978-0-8425-2821-4

External links[edit]

  • Official informational site about missionary work
  • Official member site for missionary service
  • LDS Mission Network – A comprehensive index of LDS missionary alumni web sites
  • Mormon Missionary Diaries – BYU's online collection of missionary diaries, spanning 1830s to 1960s
  • "Mormon Missionary Blog Collection" – BYU's collection of missionary diaries, spanning 2006–present