I am not the best attendee of mission reunions, but I did attend last October, and I'm very glad I did. We had a segment presented by a German on how the missionary work is changing in Germany. I'm sure most of you are aware of the consolidation of missions and reduction in missionaries sent there and in other places.
But what I (and I assume most) didn't know is that the number of convert baptisms and retention is actually growing rapidly, especially among the "target ages" of twenties and thirties.
The burden of missionary work has been shifted from missionaries and put squarely on members' shoulders. And in true German fashion, the members have risen to the occasion.
Many have assumed that the missions are being consolidated from lack of interest and conservation of resources. But what the numbers are showing (according to the presentation I heard) is that when members begin to realize their own responsibility for teaching and nurturing converts in their own areas, you get more conversions and more baptisms. People take care of each other. Missionary work becomes more personal and more real. The wards and stakes become more Christian. And those who convert are serious about converting, and stay with it.
So the Church is not shrinking because of fewer missionaries in developed areas. It is growing.
Cool that it's working that way. Is there any sense of whether the growth is in the old Ost-zone or in the west or both?
ReplyDeleteWell, my mission concentrates on the south, which is primarily western Germany and Austria (and now German-speaking Switzerland). I assume it is showing similar trends throughout, though.
ReplyDeleteI think those two aspects are necessary to get real growth in any part of the developed world. Focus on the young adult demographic, and make sure the members are deeply involved. The German saints are incredibly dedicated. Some good people.
ReplyDeleteI served in wards in Germany with 8 missionaries, and tiny branches with 6. With the exception of one ward, where we had as many dedicated ward missionaries as full-time missionaries, I always thought the surplus missionaries were a waste of resources. Glad they've been cutting back a bit and letting the members take over more.
That is really neat. Thanks for blogging about it.
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