NOM

Fewer missionaries mean fewer missions for Mormon church

With its missionary pool receding, the LDS Church announced Thursday that it is realigning the boundaries for 19 missions, creating five new ones and reducing the overall number of missions around the globe.
...
The adjustments come partly in response to an expected decrease in the missionary force from a high of 88,000 a few years ago — after the church lowered the minimum age for service — to 68,000 now.

Compare that with this interview that Holland gave back in 2015, three years ago: LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland predicts 100,000 Mormon missionaries by 2019

The LDS Church expects to have more missionaries than ever in its global proselytizing force by 2019, according to a top Mormon leader.

"We're projecting out probably within four years," apostle Jeffrey R. Holland told a radio interviewer, "the base-line number for the missionary force will be something around 100,000."
...
Many had predicted the dramatic jump in the number Mormon missionaries during the past two-plus years — from about 58,000 in 2012, when leaders lowered the minimum age requirement, to nearly 90,000 at the end of last year — would fall back into the 70,000s by now.

As of January, though, the number was holding steady at about 85,000, and the church expects it to rise further.

Maybe under the dynamic, masterful leadership of RMN and DHO, they'll call over twice as many new missionaries in the next year or so.

Anyone know of a source for the number of missions historically?

Mostly I want to know the number of missions before the "age change" surge.

Because you know that's how LDS-Inc. is going to spin this, and their spin might actually be factually true this time. (For once?)

wtfluff wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 5:42 pm Anyone know of a source for the number of missions historically?

Mostly I want to know the number of missions before the "age change" surge.

Because you know that's how LDS-Inc. is going to spin this, and their spin might actually be factually true this time. (For once?)

Here's one: https://mormonmissionprep.com/news/numb ... sionaries/

I served my mission in the early 1990s. At that time there was 1 missionary for every 185 members. Today there is 1 missionary for every 235 members. Either these youth aren't as faithful as we were, or there is some funny accounting.

Jeffret wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 5:50 pm

wtfluff wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 5:42 pm Anyone know of a source for the number of missions historically?

Mostly I want to know the number of missions before the "age change" surge.

Because you know that's how LDS-Inc. is going to spin this, and their spin might actually be factually true this time. (For once?)

Here's one: https://mormonmissionprep.com/news/numb ... sionaries/

The only thing I see on that page are the number of missionaries serving/called historically. I'd like to know the number of missions (title of the thread.)

wtfluff wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 8:10 pm The only thing I see on that page are the number of missionaries serving/called historically. I'd like to know the number of missions (title of the thread.)

Oh. I misread.

Going off of the reports they give during April general conference:

April 2017 (for the year 2016)
Missions: 421
Full-Time Missionaries: 70,946
Church-Service Missionaries: 33,695

April 2016 (for the year 2015)
Missions: 418
Full-Time Missionaries: 74,079
Church-Service Missionaries: 31,779

April 2015 (for the year 2014)
Missions: 406
Full-Time Missionaries: 85,147
Church-Service Missionaries: 30,404

April 2014 (for the year 2013)
Missions: 405
Full-Time Missionaries: 83,035
Church-Service Missionaries: 24,032

2013 (for the year 2012)
Missions: 347 [this is probably your pre-surge number of missions]
Full-Time Missionaries: 58,990
Church-Service Missionaries: 22,961

2012 (for the year 2011)
Missions: 340
Full-Time Missionaries: 55,410
Church-Service Missionaries: 22,299

2011 (for the year 2010)
Missions: 340
Full-Time Missionaries: 52,225
Church-Service Missionaries: 20,813

I included the FT missionary and church service missionary numbers because I'm wondering whether this is what Holland meant by 100,000 missionaries, the total of FT missionaries and service missionaries. He did say "missionary force," he didn't add a qualifier like "full-time." The argument against this is that they hit 100,000 total missionaries in 2013 and Holland made that statement in 2015. They had already been operating at 100,000 for a few years.

Jeffret wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:18 pm Fewer missionaries mean fewer missions for Mormon church

With its missionary pool receding, the LDS Church announced Thursday that it is realigning the boundaries for 19 missions, creating five new ones and reducing the overall number of missions around the globe.
...
The adjustments come partly in response to an expected decrease in the missionary force from a high of 88,000 a few years ago — after the church lowered the minimum age for service — to 68,000 now.

Compare that with this interview that Holland gave back in 2015, three years ago: LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland predicts 100,000 Mormon missionaries by 2019

The LDS Church expects to have more missionaries than ever in its global proselytizing force by 2019, according to a top Mormon leader.

"We're projecting out probably within four years," apostle Jeffrey R. Holland told a radio interviewer, "the base-line number for the missionary force will be something around 100,000."
...
Many had predicted the dramatic jump in the number Mormon missionaries during the past two-plus years — from about 58,000 in 2012, when leaders lowered the minimum age requirement, to nearly 90,000 at the end of last year — would fall back into the 70,000s by now.

As of January, though, the number was holding steady at about 85,000, and the church expects it to rise further.

Maybe under the dynamic, masterful leadership of RMN and DHO, they'll call over twice as many new missionaries in the next year or so.

The quote from the Mormon Newsroom is interesting to me:https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/ ... ments-2018

Changes to mission boundaries are common. Since President Thomas S. Monson announced in 2012 the change in the ages for missionary service, the Church has created 76 new missions to accommodate a surge of growth in only a few years, from 58,000 to 88,000 missionaries. The initial wave of missionaries has since receded to about 68,000 missionaries, as anticipated.

[emphasis added]

Is the church unaware that they do not control the memory hole, so to speak? Now they claim that they always anticipated the decrease even though they clearly expected the number to remain larger and even get larger. It's nuts.

nibbler wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 4:42 amApril 2017 (for the year 2016)
Missions: 421
Full-Time Missionaries: 70,946

nibbler wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 4:42 am2013 (for the year 2012)
Missions: 347 [this is probably your pre-surge number of missions]
Full-Time Missionaries: 58,990

And there you have it: There are still more missions, and more full-time missionaries now, than there were "pre-surge". According to their statistics, the church is still "rolling forth".

We of evil, black, apostate-ness should not celebrate until numbers fall below pre-surge statistics. Church is still Twooo!