Comments on: What happens when atheists knock on Mormons’ doors

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:10:37 +0000

So the tipping point probably lies somewhere between 10% and 90%, but I don't know where. My point is, I think there is a tipping point.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:56:50 +0000

True, but in my mission, towns with 90% Mormons weren't the only segment of the stake. In fact, membership in the entire mission was more like 50%. My second area wasn't even founded by Mormons; it was founded by coal miners.

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:53:39 +0000

That's fair, but I think there's a point at which it has to be a factor. The 10% membership you have in Lethbridge still leaves a 90% pool of people from which to find investigators. But what about a Mormon town in Utah or Idaho with a 95% membership? There just aren't very many nonmembers per stake.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:09:01 +0000

Not really. Lethbridge has about 10% membership, and per stake baptisms here are better than the stake in which we lived in Vancouver.

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:32:05 +0000

I define success as finding people---in big numbers or small---who are willing to be taught, and to begin making the covenants necessary for eternal life.

However, Kim, in regard to comment 99, I do think it's perfectly logical for an area with far fewer non-members to have a lower per-stake baptism rate. Doesn't that just make sense?

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:28:50 +0000

If, of course, you define success as raw numbers of baptisms. I don't. Despite he fact that we seemed to have large quantities of baptisms, I didn't think we were very successful. How can any missionary think s/he is successful if there is only one baptism per stake every year? Those are pitiful stats. My current stake has 15 times that at least. My previous stake had nearly 30 times that.

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:19:01 +0000

...and Nermalcat, the reason I don't care is that I don't think the price would be too high, even if those missionaries weren't having much success. (They are, by the way---having much success, I mean. When I served in the Canada Montreal Mission, we baptized about 350-500 people per year, in contrast to the much higher figures Kim offered above for his mission.

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 03:10:02 +0000

You personally were not prepared or willing to provide any data to back up your comment on Utah baptisms.

And unlike rick, I promptly offered what I had and frankly admitted what I didn't have. I wasn't merely speculating, and I wasn't making up "facts" out of thin air to support my case.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:21:51 +0000

You could show up at his door and wait until he comes out.

I met President Hinckley once. But this was while he was a counselor in the First Presidency. 1986 at a performance of the MTC at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver during Expo 86.

By: Pewsitter

Pewsitter — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:02:55 +0000

rick said: Does anyone know of a guaranteed way to contact President Hinckley?

Have your own TV Show (Larry King) or own a luxury jet that he can fly in (Marriott) or donate lots of money to building the kingdom of god and I'm sure you can meet with the GA of your choice.