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Online Missionaries Seeking Converts - Mormon Doctrine Studies - Posted: 27th Jun, 2013 - 1:09am
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It started at the MTC as a trail and now with a recent announcement it is spreading to other social networks. The Church is rapidly changing her tune about the internet from fired up speeches talking about how bad the internet is to now seeking converts from the internet. What are your thoughts?
Online Missionaries Seeking Converts
What are your thoughts of this pilot program of the Church that allows full time missionaries that are in the MTC to use the internet to chat with people who have questions about the Church? Many are doing it for almost a year, 6 days a week from 10:00am to 9:00pm.
QUOTE  Provo » Elder Tyson Boardman sits before the computer screen at the LDS Missionary Training Center, discussing Mormonism with Jason and Travis in two Internet conversations at the same time.
Why do people say Mormons aren't Christian? What does it mean to be baptized for the dead? How do Mormons view Jesus? Why do you have a prophet?
Answering these and many other LDS-related queries is Boardman's full-time assignment as a two-year missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he loves it.
"I've had questions from Canada, England and every part of the U.S.," Boardman says. "It's been an amazing experience. Every day it's something new."
The 20-year-old from Oak City, Utah, has been at this computer terminal in the area known as the Missionary Training Center's Referral Center for nearly a year, chatting with interested strangers from 10 a.m. To 9 p.m. Six days a week.
Boardman is part of a pilot program that calls on Mormon missionaries to attract new converts to the faith via the virtual world, rather than the traditional, face-to-face approach.
The portal into this world is www.mormon.org, a Web site the church established in 2001 primarily aimed at curious outsiders -- a complement to www.lds.org, which is mostly for members and the news media...
People find their way to mormon.org from various Internet sites, from literature the church puts out or from one of its many television ads. On its home page, people can explore sections marked "Basic Beliefs," "Worship With Us," "Our Stories" And "Ask Your Questions -- chat now."
The online missionaries draw on LDS scripture, speeches by church authorities and other official publications to provide answers to the questions posed. If a person is interested, the missionary can lead him or her through a whole series of doctrinal discussions, follow up at a future time and even set a baptism date.
To date, between 20 and 25 baptisms have come directly from the online contact.
Church officials added the chatting feature in 2006, and now every missionary who is trained at the MTC takes a turn in the Referral Center for a total of 12 hours online during the three-to-nine-week stay. By the beginning of last year, missionaries were engaged in about 100 chats a day, with conversations lasting from five to 50 minutes. Now the number is closer to 500 a day at one of the 38 stations in the center. So far, the service is only available in English, but the MTC is gearing up to launch a Spanish chat.
The plan is to meet the demand, says Daniel Ware, manager of the Referral Center.
"The point is to get to know them, find out what questions are relevant to them personally and then teach them. Many people would love to investigate the church but are not ready to have missionaries come to their house....
Why do people say Mormons aren't Christian? What does it mean to be baptized for the dead? How do Mormons view Jesus? Why do you have a prophet?
Answering these and many other LDS-related queries is Boardman's full-time assignment as a two-year missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he loves it.
"I've had questions from Canada, England and every part of the U.S.," Boardman says. "It's been an amazing experience. Every day it's something new."
The 20-year-old from Oak City, Utah, has been at this computer terminal in the area known as the Missionary Training Center's Referral Center for nearly a year, chatting with interested strangers from 10 a.m. To 9 p.m. Six days a week.
Boardman is part of a pilot program that calls on Mormon missionaries to attract new converts to the faith via the virtual world, rather than the traditional, face-to-face approach.
The portal into this world is www.mormon.org, a Web site the church established in 2001 primarily aimed at curious outsiders -- a complement to www.lds.org, which is mostly for members and the news media...
People find their way to mormon.org from various Internet sites, from literature the church puts out or from one of its many television ads. On its home page, people can explore sections marked "Basic Beliefs," "Worship With Us," "Our Stories" And "Ask Your Questions -- chat now."
The online missionaries draw on LDS scripture, speeches by church authorities and other official publications to provide answers to the questions posed. If a person is interested, the missionary can lead him or her through a whole series of doctrinal discussions, follow up at a future time and even set a baptism date.
To date, between 20 and 25 baptisms have come directly from the online contact.
Church officials added the chatting feature in 2006, and now every missionary who is trained at the MTC takes a turn in the Referral Center for a total of 12 hours online during the three-to-nine-week stay. By the beginning of last year, missionaries were engaged in about 100 chats a day, with conversations lasting from five to 50 minutes. Now the number is closer to 500 a day at one of the 38 stations in the center. So far, the service is only available in English, but the MTC is gearing up to launch a Spanish chat.
The plan is to meet the demand, says Daniel Ware, manager of the Referral Center.
"The point is to get to know them, find out what questions are relevant to them personally and then teach them. Many people would love to investigate the church but are not ready to have missionaries come to their house....
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Converts Seeking Missionaries Online
I think it's a great idea - how many people these days are searching on the Internet for *everything*?!? To get live answers from the Church on demand is a wonderful tool for those asking the questions, and what a great opportunity to share the gospel! Why shouldn't the Church use these tools? In an ever-increasingly technologically wired society, it just makes sense.
Online Missionaries Seeking Converts Studies Doctrine Mormon
sorry but I hate the idea what kind of mission is that for a young man? I would agree for a couple of months but a whole year or more sitting down behind a desk chatting with prospective investigators? this can depress a young man who has been dreaming in experiencing a real mission, knocking doors, etc you know what am I saying? not to mention the chat is not filtered so they waste too much time chatting with antimormons in disguise and who knows some freaks who may want to have som sort of sex talk these guys are young and vulnerable I say they are putting them in the lion's mouth.
Post Date: 15th Jul, 2010 - 9:38pm / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
Converts Seeking Missionaries Online
Mormon missionary work moving online
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - For a dozen Mormon missionaries in upstate New York, the iconic tasks of "tracting" and knocking on doors are things of the past. Ref. Instead, they're spreading the good word in high-tech fashion, posting on sites such as Blogger, WordPress and Facebook. Ref. Source 4
Post Date: 14th Sep, 2012 - 11:14am / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
Converts Seeking Missionaries Online
Facebook Mormon Missionaries
After 200 years of pounding pavements all over the world, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which counts Republican candidate Mitt Romney among its 14 million followers, has put its faith in digital door-knocking. Its Facebook page has Jesus as its profile picture and "Likes" by almost 650,000 people. A YouTube channel has scored 40 million video views, while the church's UK arm calculates that its own Facebook page "Reaches" 900,000 people. Ref. Source 8
Online Missionaries Seeking Converts
I am quite unsure of the changes made last Sunday. Less time knocking doors and more time online? I don't know if I like the sound of it. I do understand the need to access people through technology but we are talking about 18 year old boys here who will have full internet access in the chapel with no supervision? And they are allowed to be on Facebook and members are encouraged to add them as "Friends" As well as giving guided tours in meetinghouses? I smell trouble, sorry.
TOPIC: Online Missionaries Seeking Converts