As far as I can see the type and quality of preparation is the same and anybody who wants to go is still allowed to go no matter how unprepared they might be.
So what has really changed?
]]>Someone should make a documentary called, “Sent Home”. I’d totally watch that.
That’s a really good idea, Jeff!
]]>Before raising the bar: Number of missionaries who went home early: 4%
After raising the bar: Number of missionaries who went home early: 7%
The conclusion: parents need to do a better job preparing their children for missions and life away from home.
I think your conclusion needs to be reconsidered.
Perhaps there are more factors about why the percentage of missionaries going home early have gone up rather than just whether or not their parents have done a good enough job preparing them.
Perhaps the missionaries that are going home now that wouldn’t have gone home previously are doing it because:
Also, I am curious what the percentages of missionaries that are “sent” home with a dishonourable release. Also it would be interesting to find out what really happened in those cases.
Someone should make a documentary called, “Sent Home”. I’d totally watch that.
]]>I don’t like this “high quality/low quality” stuff.
Good point. After all, the worth of a soul is great in the sight of God.
But you’re measuring quality of missionaries by the retention of converts
Sort of. I’m making an observation that there has been no improvement at all in the retention of converts in our ward, and I am wondering whether that should have changed with the raising of the bar.
Let’s suppose for sake of argument that prior to the bar raising, missionaries did the bare minimum to get someone converted: no smoking for a week, gone to church once, had all the discussions, and so forth.
Given that benchmark, would we expect missionaries of a higher calibre be meeting the same minimum, or would we expect them to go further? Should the investigators now go without smoking for a month, go to church four times, have all the discussions in a member’s home, and so forth?
]]>But you’re measuring quality of missionaries by the retention of converts, which is an unfair measure. Converts can make a serious commitment to live the Word of Wisdom (and whatever other commandments you judge by), and they can have a strong faith in the mission of Joseph Smith, and still not remain active if they aren’t integrated into the ward. Even lifetime members may go inactive for a time because of social conditions — I admit I did — unrelated to their testimonies or their readiness for baptism. The fellowship of a congregation has more to do with the staying power of a convert than any missionary could have.
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