AP

Pandemic accelerates Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries’ transition online

Jun 5, 2020, 1:48 PM

In this May 27, 2020, photo, from Seth Rather, a missionary with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latt...

In this May 27, 2020, photo, from Seth Rather, a missionary with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, looks at his smartphone at his apartment, in Brigham City, Utah. After hastily bringing home 26,000 young men and women who were serving in foreign countries, the faith has begun sending many of them out again in their home countries with a new focus on online work that could stick even when the pandemic is over, church officials told The Associated Press. For safety reasons missionaries are now inside and on their smartphones most of the day trying to find new converts or bolster the faith of current church members. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) — Wearing dress shirts, ties and name tags, three missionaries with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sit around the kitchen table inside a Utah apartment planning how they’ll spread their gospel that day.

Seth Rather, a 19-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, reads aloud as he types on a smartphone: “During this time, we must put our faith in God to deliver us through these unprecedented times. How has putting your faith in God helped you in your life?

“That good?” he asks his two companions.

“I like it,” Andrew Zitting responds. Guenter Castrillo nods.

With that, the young men have their Facebook post for the day.

This is what missionary work looks like during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the Utah-based faith to accelerate its online outreach.

After hastily bringing home more than 26,000 young people from overseas missions aimed at recruiting new members, the church has begun sending many of them out again in their home countries with a new focus on online work that may persist even after the pandemic, officials told The Associated Press.

“The leaders of our church have been asking us: What are we learning from this pandemic that will help us become better, become more efficient,” said Brent H. Nielson, executive director of the church’s missionary department. “We’ve learned that finding people, teaching people online is much more effective than trying to meet people in person on a bus or on a street corner or somewhere else. This will change what we do, I think, forever.”

Missionary work has changed drastically for young people like Rather and Castrillo, who had spent long days walking through the streets in the Philippines to spread the word of their faith before the pandemic hit. Now, they hardly leave a ground-level apartment in the small town of Brigham City in northern Utah.

After sending the Facebook post recently, they knelt for a prayer and then dialed in to a Zoom call with a family. A similar scene is playing out worldwide as reassigned missionaries navigate new realities.

In Orlando, Florida, Bella McCain and Madison King hold a WhatsApp video call with a family they have been teaching church doctrine. They invite the family to take the sacrament for the first time and follow up on an earlier proposal: forgo coffee, a key part of the faith’s health code, which also bans alcohol and tobacco.

The husband and wife had different outcomes: She says she found it difficult but would like to work on it. He says he’d given it up.

On Facebook, McCain and King craft a message in Portuguese, the language they learned for their original assignments in Brazil. They also text people asking to set up a call to talk about the church.

It’s a far cry from just months ago. In Brazil, McCain had one of those “little brick phones” and largely spoke to people face to face.

“Sometimes we feel like pioneers,” said McCain, a 19-year-old from Texas. “We’re not used to using social media in this way and, like, I never made videos and posted them online before. … We’re all learning, and it’s really interesting and really fun.”

The church began incorporating online faith outreach when it gave some missionaries tablets six years ago. It’s since made technology more prevalent, giving most missionaries smartphones even before the pandemic, Nielson said.

A more online-based approach would be a major shift and could diminish the appeal for some young church members who crave an enriching cultural experience, said Ryan Cragun, a sociology professor at the University of Tampa who specializes in religion and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The time in the community also breaks up the drudgery of being alone with a fellow missionary, said Cragun, a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served a mission in Costa Rica.

“There’s this quasi-tourist experience of going to these cool places, but there is also the connection you get to the people,” Cragun said. “That’s probably one of the more meaningful things that happens to them.”

McCain said she sees an opportunity to use online tools to reach more people. Still, “we would love to go and be able to teach in people’s houses.” She and King went to the home of the family they have been teaching to share the sacrament, while social distancing.

“Finding and teaching people online is really effective,” Nielson said, “but we also think there’s a personal touch, too, of meeting people” and having them come to church when things open up more.

The virus forced church officials to scramble for flights to get missionaries home from far-flung countries like Ethiopia, Australia and Vietnam. But Nielson said the church never wavered in keeping the missionary program going.

It shows the importance the church places on sharing its gospel and giving young people the chance to fulfill an important rite of passage.

About 5,000 missionaries who were brought home have been sent out again in the United States. Thousands more are heading out soon. The church gave them the option to wait a year, but the large majority chose to start again now, Nielson said.

Missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which last two years for men and 18 months for women, are as much about locking in young church members for life as converting others, Cragun said. The average number of people converted per missionary has risen slightly in the last three years, to 3.7, but is still less than the average of five in the previous decade, church figures show.

Nielson said the pandemic has made people hungry for the missionaries’ message of hope.

“There’s never been a time when more people have wanted to know about religion than there is now,” Nielson said. “People searching for peace. People searching for answers. People searching for someone to talk to. It’s been an incredible thing.”
___
Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida. Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Today’s Top Stories

AP

close up of a peleton bike pictured, a recall has been issued for some...

Associated Press

Peloton recalling more than 2M exercise bikes because the seat post assembly can break during use

The recall includes approximately 2.2 million of the Peloton Bikes Model PL01. The bikes were sold from January 2018 through May 2023 for about $1,400.

11 months ago

Immigration Asylum Family Reunification Explainer....

JULIE WATSON Associated Press

US will let in at least 100,000 Latin Americans to reunite with families

President Joe Biden's administration has promised to offer more legal options for Latin American migrants to come to the United States to be reunited with their families.

11 months ago

two border patrol agents pictured, agents are dealing with a surge as title 42 reaches its expirati...

Associated Press

Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing

The end of Title 42's use has raised questions about what will happen with migration preparing for an increase in migrants.

11 months ago

Rumman Chowdhury is pictured, she is the coordinator for the mass AI hacking exercise...

Associated Press

Hackers aim to find flaws in AI – with White House help

No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started “jailbreaking” the artificial intelligence chatbot – trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene. But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration to let thousands of hackers […]

11 months ago

Parents of Ema Kobiljski, 13, mourn during the funeral procession at the central cemetery in Belgra...

JOVANA GEC Associated Press

Burials held in Serbia for some victims of mass shootings

Funerals are taking place in Serbia for some of the victims of two mass shootings that happened in just two days, leaving 17 people dead and 21 wounded, many of them children.

11 months ago

interest rate...

DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer

Europe’s inflation inches up ahead of interest rate decision

Europe's painful inflation has inched higher, extending the squeeze on households and keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to unleash what could be another large interest rate increase.

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

close up of rose marvel saliva blooms in purple...

Shannon Cavalero

Drought Tolerant Perennials for Utah

The best drought tolerant plants for Utah can handle high elevations, alkaline soils, excessive exposure to wind, and use of secondary water.

Group of cheerful team members high fiving each other...

Visit Bear Lake

How To Plan a Business Retreat in Bear Lake This Spring

Are you wondering how to plan a business retreat this spring? Read our sample itinerary to plan a team getaway to Bear Lake.

Cheerful young woman writing an assignment while sitting at desk between two classmates during clas...

BYU EMBA at the Marriott School of Business

Hear it Firsthand: 6 Students Share Their Executive MBA Experience at BYU’s Marriott School of Business

The Executive MBA program at BYU offers great opportunities. Hear experiences straight from students enrolled in the program.

Skier being towed by a rider on a horse. Skijoring....

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Looking for a New Winter Activity? Try Skijoring in Bear Lake

Skijoring is when someone on skis is pulled by a horse, dog, animal, or motor vehicle. The driver leads the skiers through an obstacle course over jumps, hoops, and gates.

Banner with Cervical Cancer Awareness Realistic Ribbon...

Intermountain Health

Five Common Causes of Cervical Cancer – and What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness month and cancer experts at Intermountain Health are working to educate women about cervical cancer.

Kid holding a cisco fish at winterfest...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get Ready for Fun at the 2023 Bear Lake Monster Winterfest

The Bear Lake Monster Winterfest is an annual weekend event jam-packed full of fun activities the whole family can enjoy.

Pandemic accelerates Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries’ transition online