When I served my mission I can't ever remember my three different mission president attending any of my baptisms or that of any missionary I knew. I never once heard of them going out in to the field to teach or tract with any missionaries. I did hear one of them M. Russell Ballard talk about having a few investigators over to his house for discussions that he said his assistants taught. Maybe he went out with his office staff but I can't remember that since I never saw him do that even though I served quite close in an adjoining area once. I have read recently of a couple mission presidents Mike Murray of the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission and Reid Robison of the West Indies Mission doing that on many occasions. I wonder if others out there had experiences with their mission presidents being active in the missionary process. I am sure it would be difficult for some to do so out of fear of failure. You can't really control those on the other side of the door whether they will even open it. Also many mission presidents are probably overwhelmed with all the administrative duties they have. Some are more efficient than others in directing the mission affairs and keeping up with the interviews and conference schedules. My mission president did a lot of outreach where he did speak to civic and religious leaders about the church. I wonder what the experience of the thousands of returned and active missionaries is with the concept of their mission president actually modeling the process by active participation.
Showing posts with label Poll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poll. Show all posts
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
LDS Missionary Factors : The Poll
I have read hundreds of comments from missionaries about how they would rate their mission. Many have said either they felt it was worthwhile or on the other hand it was not overly successful. Most of what I read is anecdotal so I am going to conduct the poll below to see if I can get a large enough body of statistical evidence to do better than guess how the thousands of missionaries felt about their mission. I apologize about the format but it the only one I have free access to so you will need to cast your vote on each individual item.
I think the church should use longitudinal studies to see how effective the methods, practices and procedures undertaken in the missions throughout the church is perceived by the returning missionaries. I would give every missionary a survey of agreed upon questions that took ten or fifteen minutes to validate how effective and efficient the practices really are. I am not sure that the results and efforts of missionaries is all about their ability to teach or to follow rules. Longitudinal studies would help to eliminate practices that are ineffective and allow the leaders to get a better idea of what is really happening in the mission field and possible tweak a few things they are doing. I think it wouldn't put out the mission president who interviews you and gets general impressions. I would do it anonymously so as not to embarrass the missionary so their answers would be more honest. Maybe it could be given to them after they leave.
These questions are my first attempt at finding out what the hundred of thousands of returned missionaries perceived happened on their mission and need refinement. They are in no way inclusive of what a missionary does or doesn't do. They are just my attempt to look at a few general areas of how a missionary might rate what he did or didn't do on a mission. If a sizable enough number take this survey honestly we might be able to describe what they did. It is a snapshot in to the process from the participants which according to one of my doctoral professors is better than guessing. As one BYU relgion professor used to tell us Joseph Smith didn't receive any revelation in a vacuum so we should use tools to see what is happening out there.
I think the church should use longitudinal studies to see how effective the methods, practices and procedures undertaken in the missions throughout the church is perceived by the returning missionaries. I would give every missionary a survey of agreed upon questions that took ten or fifteen minutes to validate how effective and efficient the practices really are. I am not sure that the results and efforts of missionaries is all about their ability to teach or to follow rules. Longitudinal studies would help to eliminate practices that are ineffective and allow the leaders to get a better idea of what is really happening in the mission field and possible tweak a few things they are doing. I think it wouldn't put out the mission president who interviews you and gets general impressions. I would do it anonymously so as not to embarrass the missionary so their answers would be more honest. Maybe it could be given to them after they leave.
These questions are my first attempt at finding out what the hundred of thousands of returned missionaries perceived happened on their mission and need refinement. They are in no way inclusive of what a missionary does or doesn't do. They are just my attempt to look at a few general areas of how a missionary might rate what he did or didn't do on a mission. If a sizable enough number take this survey honestly we might be able to describe what they did. It is a snapshot in to the process from the participants which according to one of my doctoral professors is better than guessing. As one BYU relgion professor used to tell us Joseph Smith didn't receive any revelation in a vacuum so we should use tools to see what is happening out there.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
LDS Greatest Missionary of All Times: The Poll
I am conducting some polls to determine the greatest missionary of all times in the LDS Church. Please choose who you think is the top missionary of all times. I will take comments as well as votes then I will compile a list of the top ten vote getters and have a final vote later. As with all lists there might be someone I have missed so let me know what you think. I am missing a picture of Mischa Markow if you have one leave a comment with your email and I will contact you for it. Happy voting!
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