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Referrals only go to the select
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We will wait for the missionaries who love the gospel and the people, who care nothing for stats, goals and other motivational devices. We will wait for missionaries who know the gospel and are excited about what it means for Saints to take upon them the name of Christ. Missionaries who will be patient and sensitive with our friends and not try to bring them along faster than they are willing to go."
COMPLETELY WELL SAID!
(note to mission presidents: You do everyone involved a terrible DISSERVICE when you constantly push and harp on GOALS and NUMBERS. Back off, for heaven's sake!
Granted, missionaries are young and still learning. I was one myself, of course. But I've met a few now and again serving in my ward who did various things that lost my trust with my friends--things I would never have done, even *before* my mission.
No laundry list necessary, but #1 case in point: The missionary who made racist jokes in front of me and other church members, even while I was hoping to be able to share the Gospel with a Black friend. No referral THERE, definitely!
Part of mission success is flat-out PEOPLE SKILLS. The most important ingredient: Genuinely know people, genuinely love people. NOT the same as "sales skills" AT ALL. Genuine love and charity are what ultimately determine missionary success, even above and beyond obedience to the *letter* of the mission rules. CHARITY includes obedience to the *spirit* of mission rules.
Very good.
I recently spoke with one missionary in my Northern California town who mentioned that his mission president had chided them in a zone conference, and the content of this good president's talk was similar to what Mr. Card's article stated. It was a moment of hope for me.
Let's leave it to the Lord to decide whether we really are doing all we can.
"We're going to regard you as trees that need a bit of weeding before they're ready to bear any fruit."
I have read few statements by a member full of more arrogance and condescension than this one. Though Mr. Card doesn't care to admit it, there are whole entire regions of the church where the members generally take no thought of missionary work and do very little to help the missionaries.
Don't get up in sacrament meeting and complain about other members when investigators are there. (something I saw happen several times)
Don't refuse to give a referral just because you trust a native speaker more than a new missionary struggling to learn the language (something that happens a lot)
Don't criticize the missionaries plans or activities, they are entitled to revelation for every person who is not a member within their area
Be a good example (more than twenty times on my mission we met people who said they would have interest, but they knew so-and-so, who is a member and did such-and-such to them
Alma 4:10
"the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress."
Us? We give a talk about it. We have a family home evening about it. We pray about it. We make a list. We mow their yard. We bring cookies.
AND THEN...We sheepishly say, "Ummm....do you want to...you know...come to (insert activity here). We're as awkward as an 8th grade boy at his first school dance.
We have a complex about it.
Weird.
Chris D.
Isn’t it a good idea then, for Mormons to be friendly to outsiders, instead of making nonmembers feel inferior and shunned?
I guess Mormons are really just a social club afterall, and everyone knows it!
We get hung up all too often thinking we have to SELL the gospel to others. Counterproductive and fake. The answer's genuine love. No substitute.
If we go into a friendship based on converting them we have missed the message. We should go into a friendship because it is our duty to do so. Sometimes we teach strickly by example and that speaks volumes. When investigators come to Church we should introduce ourselves and let them know we appreciate them in our midst. When we as ward members are friendly to others then the numbers will take care of themselves. When we are doing missionary work for the right reasons, the numbers and referrals will take care of themselves. We most learn, patience, love, humility and never be overbearing or prideful. Once that is done, then the lines of people waiting to be baptized will be overflowing.
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