Oaks tries to re-raise the missionary bar....

[_zeezrom]

teaching repentance and baptizing converts

Another idea is to focus on helping people that are down on their luck instead of making mountains out of molehills like asking some Catholic software engineer living in the suburbs to stop drinking coffee.

[_Stem]

Great OP, IHAQ. It illustrates that the biggest issue with the church in general and the missionary program in particular, which is the incongruity of it all:

God called you to be a missionary, but you don't have the physical, mental, and emotional aptitude to successfully do it. But it was really God himself through his authorized personal representatives that called you. But you really shouldn't have submitted the papers in the first place because you really aren't up to it. But every young man is expected to serve. But people like you aren't up to the task and you shouldn't feel bad about serving in different ways. But most importantly remember: when you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help.

The type of crap outlined by Oaks, and then reported to us in that article will be the type of stuff that will do, has done, the Church and it's cause most damage. Members will be more and more left with confusion not knowing what is really getting asked of them, while continuing to feel inadequate in nearly every way.

[_Maksutov]

I predict greater emphasis on purity culture. Maybe the church will be ready to field a closed members' internet that they will be required to use and will be asked about by the bishop. Church apps including scriptures, talks, ponderizables will be encouraged. Each member will thereby have their own peepstone that the brethren can watch them through like a palantír.

[_Analytics]

Great OP, IHAQ. It illustrates that the biggest issue with the church in general and the missionary program in particular, which is the incongruity of it all:

God called you to be a missionary, but you don't have the physical, mental, and emotional aptitude to successfully do it. But it was really God himself through his authorized personal representatives that called you. But you really shouldn't have submitted the papers in the first place because you really aren't up to it. But every young man is expected to serve. But people like you aren't up to the task and you shouldn't feel bad about serving in different ways. But most importantly remember: when you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help.

The type of crap outlined by Oaks, and then reported to us in that article will be the type of stuff that will do, has done, the Church and it's cause most damage. Members will be more and more left with confusion not knowing what is really getting asked of them, while continuing to feel inadequate in nearly every way.

It's a classical example of a double bind.

As an ironic example of how the church is not only uninspired but is also unthinking, I know a kid who is over-the-top charismatic and intelligent, but at the same time has some pretty serious ADHD issues. He's the kind of kid who gets straight A's in honor courses when he is on his meds, but literally can't get a grade higher than an F when he isn't on his meds. He applied to go on a mission, and despite the high recommendations of his bishop and stake president, the church said no--people who take his specific pills are ineligible to be missionaries. But that is the irony--the pills are magical with him--they completely control his issues, have no side effects, and turn him into a model citizen. But the church won't touch him because he is using pills to manage his psychological issues. The unqualified success of the medication in his case doesn't enter into the equation.

The takeaway is that if you have untreated ADHD the church would love to have you. But if you are successfully treating it then you need not apply.

[_SuperDell]

“The most promising short-term effort is to reduce the significant number of missionaries who are released early,” he said. “By delaying calls for some missionary candidates who might have unusual difficulties serving in their current circumstances, we avoid taxing the effectiveness of their companions and the time of their mission presidents.”

So The Lord, who extends these calls is making mistakes right and left because he doesn't know which missionaries will have problems?

Or maybe it is the Holy Ghost?

Couldn't be that the jokers in charge are not what they claim to be, could it?

[_Jesse Pinkman]

Great OP, IHAQ. It illustrates that the biggest issue with the church in general and the missionary program in particular, which is the incongruity of it all:

God called you to be a missionary, but you don't have the physical, mental, and emotional aptitude to successfully do it. But it was really God himself through his authorized personal representatives that called you. But you really shouldn't have submitted the papers in the first place because you really aren't up to it. But every young man is expected to serve. But people like you aren't up to the task and you shouldn't feel bad about serving in different ways. But most importantly remember: when you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help.

Amen! Talk about crazy conflicts. No wonder some missionaries become suicidal.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

“The most promising short-term effort is to reduce the significant number of missionaries who are released early,” he said. “By delaying calls for some missionary candidates who might have unusual difficulties serving in their current circumstances, we avoid taxing the effectiveness of their companions and the time of their mission presidents.”

So The Lord, who extends these calls is making mistakes right and left because he doesn't know which missionaries will have problems?

Or maybe it is the Holy Ghost?

Couldn't be that the jokers in charge are not what they claim to be, could it?

Or that the social pressure for these young men to go is so strong that it blinds everything else.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

1 Corinthians 13 KJV

. . . . . When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. . . .

Gee, sending out Children and getting childish results, who could have guessed?

Awesome observation!!!

[_moksha]

What if the Church realizes the general futility of our current missionary system and wishes to minimize the decreasing returns by decreasing the missionaries. In that case, wouldn't the decision be rather wise? If we have panned out the stream then reducing the number of panners makes sense.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

I think that service based missions would make a lot more sense. And I think that as a result, we would end up with more people wanting to investigate the Church.