What Is The Purpose Of Ward Mission Plans?

[Duncan]

What do you think are the purpose of ward mission plans? what is the advantage of having them?

[rongo]

I think they stem from the "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" mindset. The problem, in my experience (ward mission leader x2, EQP x2, bishopric counselor x2, bishop) is that they are not helpful in actually conducting missionary work. Look, you call a solid ward mission leader, some ward missionaries, and encourage all ward members to be member missionaries. You have some good activities that people can invite family and friends to. Outside of that, there isn't much you can put into a "ward plan," not really, and new WMLs feel pressure to "leave their mark" and get frustrated by the fact that there isn't much else you can really put in that isn't "gimmicked" or "revamped" stuff that you are already doing.

I ruffled some feathers with our stake because I insisted that our plan center around actual things our members could control (*not* baptisms or discussions taught --- that involves others' agency, and I don't believe God works that way ---- to inspire us to set a goal of G for month M or Year Y). We focused on helping members overcome their fear of having regular gospel conversations with people, and these are not really possible to record in numbers reported to the stake or mission. We have had good success with it, too.

Our ward missionaries taught brief, regular lessons in RS, EQ, HP, and Primary designed to educate and practice common scenarios, common questions or concerns, and other barriers to having regular gospel conversations. We (with the stake president's blessing --- he told me I had "blank check" to do whatever I wanted as far as firesides) had three community firesides on provocative, interesting topics (Are Mormons Christian?, Book of Mormon: Fact or Fiction?, and Can Mormon Prophets Stand Up to Scrutiny? --- all with "anything goes" Q&As) that brought in around 130 non-members and led to me being asked to tape two radio shows. Things like that.

The ironic thing is things are going *really* well right now in our ward (a family baptized a month ago, a teenage girl last Saturday, two teenage siblings today, a probable 11 year old in a few weeks) and the secret is simply that we are in an uptick in the cycle. Wards go through dry spells in missionary work, despite their best efforts, and they go through furious activity, all without anything really changing. It's cyclical, and generally not tied to obedience or diligence, or some great new gimmick from the ward or the mission.

[The Nehor]

If you mean baptismal goals those usually come from the missionaries. If you mean plan as in "What we are going to do" then they are there to decide what we are going to do. I am a Ward Missionary and we often plan things to aid the missionaries with investigators, improve retention, and reactivate members.

[Tacenda]

If you mean baptismal goals those usually come from the missionaries. If you mean plan as in "What we are going to do" then they are there to decide what we are going to do. I am a Ward Missionary and we often plan things to aid the missionaries with investigators, improve retention, and reactivate members.

What do ward missionaries do to counteract an investigater looking up info on the internet before commiting and finding out history of the church that is shocking? Has this happened to you before?

[The Nehor]

What do ward missionaries do to counteract an investigater looking up info on the internet before commiting and finding out history of the church that is shocking? Has this happened to you before?

I have never found anything that shocking in the Church's history. I have found things that can be made to appear shocking. I chat with them about it. Most overcome the issue if you are honest and sincere with them.

[Freedom]

As the saying goes, if you fail to plan you fail to plan. Our plan includes goals such as assisting in organizing one ward activity each year to which you can invite a friend, identify a non-member who can teach a class for a youth activity, invite one non-member to your home for dinner and learn about their religious beliefs.

If we create a plan to give service, rather than to increase our baptism numbers, we will better spread the gospel message.

[Calm]

If we create a plan to give service, rather than to increase our baptism numbers, we will better spread the gospel message.

Makes a huge difference, imo.

[The Nehor]

As the saying goes, if you fail to plan you fail to plan.

I now see what our ward is missing: tautologies.

[David T]

Ward Mission Plans are generally completely misunderstood. They are to be developed in the Ward Council through everyone's input (the bishop doesn't write it. The WML doesn't write it. It is done by committee - like the Family Proclamation), and are not limited to baptisms (and no, Missionaries do NOT - should not - set Baptismal goals on behalf of the wards). The Ward should have a vision, and an inspired view for what they want to happen in the ward in the next coming years. The WMP has each auxilliary committing to a course of action they can do that will help fulfill that Ward vision/purpose.

The WML is there to help fascilitate, record, and encourage the MP - not to write it, or to be the one that 'does it'.

Edited November 12, 2012 by David T

[BCSpace]

What do you think are the purpose of ward mission plans? what is the advantage of having them?

Focusing the attention of the Ward on the real business of the Gospel and getting the leadership and members to actually do something; doing the right things such as invite people to come unto Christ by joining or becoming active in Church.

It's one of those things, like the old missionary commitment pattern "understand, accept, and commit", that once you gain experience and it becomes second nature, you end up not following that exact plan anymore because it's not a one-size-fits all. But if a Ward is not performing or they slip back, then they have to do something to kick start it like the Ward mission plan.

[Avatar4321]

To make it feel like we are doing something

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

What do you think are the purpose of ward mission plans? what is the advantage of having them?

More meetings, more callings, hope that it will inspire.

[Storm Rider]

Well let me see. For a ship with no direction any wind is fair. Is there any benefit to knowing where you are going or how to get there? Is there a benefit in having everyone understand where we are going and how?

[Duncan]

Well let me see. For a ship with no direction any wind is fair. Is there any benefit to knowing where you are going or how to get there? Is there a benefit in having everyone understand where we are going and how?

true but the Church had no ward mission plans in the 1980's and earlier, what of then?

[Storm Rider]

true but the Church had no ward mission plans in the 1980's and earlier, what of then?

So you are saying because there was no planning then there is no need for planning now? This sounds like "If it was good for me as a child it is good for my child also" when defending why children don't need to go to school but stay home and work in the fields. This is a pretty weak position.

[Duncan]

So you are saying because there was no planning then there is no need for planning now? This sounds like "If it was good for me as a child it is good for my child also" when defending why children don't need to go to school but stay home and work in the fields. This is a pretty weak position.

well they seemed to get along okay! relax! Things change I get that, innovation and all but I don't get what the purpose and advantages are for these cockamamie things

[Storm Rider]

well they seemed to get along okay! relax! Things change I get that, innovation and all but I don't get what the purpose and advantages are for these cockamamie things

I was not really excited, but it did seem strange when talking about why someone would want to make plans. It just seems so obvious to me that I did not really appreciate your question. I am still not sure you are actually questioning the viability of planning, but rather perturbed with the process you may be going through. Where I see the real benefit is using this plan to coordinate the activities of each auxiliary. I find it pretty shocking at how independently they each like to run; not seeking input from other auxiliaries or make any attempt at coordinating their actions/efforts. The Mission leader does not operate in the a vacuum and his real purpose is getting each auxiliary to remember that one of their purposes is to assist in the efforts to share the gospel. It goes so smoothly when there is honest coordination done in a spirit of charity and support.

[Duncan]

I was not really excited, but it did seem strange when talking about why someone would want to make plans. It just seems so obvious to me that I did not really appreciate your question. I am still not sure you are actually questioning the viability of planning, but rather perturbed with the process you may be going through. Where I see the real benefit is using this plan to coordinate the activities of each auxiliary. I find it pretty shocking at how independently they each like to run; not seeking input from other auxiliaries or make any attempt at coordinating their actions/efforts. The Mission leader does not operate in the a vacuum and his real purpose is getting each auxiliary to remember that one of their purposes is to assist in the efforts to share the gospel. It goes so smoothly when there is honest coordination done in a spirit of charity and support.

i'll buy that

[halconero]

I'll give a short example.

In Phoenix, AZ there were two Spanish wards, Encanto and La Joya, that baptized up the wazoo. Encanto had 54 and La Joya 63 in a year. There was, a stark difference when you looked closer, past the number:

The Encanto baptisms were mostly street contacts, but they had a high inactivity rate soon after baptisms. The missionaries were teaching so many lessons that few members could come with them. There was no plan for member driven finding, or giving callings or home teachers

after, it had gotten so busy that without a plan people fell

through the cracks.

In La Joya they had a plan, each organization would plan an activity and then show everyone in the ward how they could invite their friends to it. Most of the finding was done at ward activities and family home evenings. There was just as much teaching, but spread out in the ward. The plan incorporated these ideas, and allowed the WML to follow up on them.

The plan included the Bishopric meeting with the converts shortly before baptism, and a monthly trip to do baptisms for the dead for recent converts. Each auxiliary or quorum was reminded of the goals they set to get them home teachers, and give them small simple callings.

The plan didn't do anything amazing. It was just a collection of activities, necessary steps after baptism, and planned instruction on how to do missionary work. The Ward Mission Leader would then just follow up weekly to find out how they were doing with their goals. Out of the 63 converts, 57 were active at the end of the year.

[canard78]

When I was Branch President we took an approach of 'Our commitments' and 'Our desired outcomes.' It was a bit like Covey's sphere of influence.

We (as a branch council) made certain commitments that we could guarantee would happen during the year, that were entirely under our control. E.g. All converts from last two years would get a home visit from the BP that year, all new male converts would be interviewed for the priesthood within 2 weeks of baptism. Any investigator with a baptismal date would be assigned home teachers. Some form of branch social/fireside/service project every month.

We wanted to make an offering to God, a commitment that we would look after, as best we could, any of his children he blessed our branch with. Having made that comittment we then put in writing the desired outcomes of our work (number of baptisms, retention, reactivation etc), but we made no plan to 'make the baptisms happen' because we recognised that was entirely out of our control.

It worked really well to motivate the council and make it a plan that we knew we could deliver, rather than objectives that seemed unrealistic and someone elses responsibility.

As it happened, we exceeded our goal that year by one.

[Duncan]

When I was Branch President we took an approach of 'Our commitments' and 'Our desired outcomes.' It was a bit like Covey's sphere of influence.

We (as a branch council) made certain commitments that we could guarantee would happen during the year, that were entirely under our control. E.g. All converts from last two years would get a home visit from the BP that year, all new male converts would be interviewed for the priesthood within 2 weeks of baptism. Any investigator with a baptismal date would be assigned home teachers. Some form of branch social/fireside/service project every month.

We wanted to make an offering to God, a commitment that we would look after, as best we could, any of his children he blessed our branch with. Having made that comittment we then put in writing the desired outcomes of our work (number of baptisms, retention, reactivation etc), but we made no plan to 'make the baptisms happen' because we recognised that was entirely out of our control.

It worked really well to motivate the council and make it a plan that we knew we could deliver, rather than objectives that seemed unrealistic and someone elses responsibility.

As it happened, we exceeded our goal that year by one.

see, now this I agree with!

[rongo]

well they seemed to get along okay! relax! Things change I get that, innovation and all but I don't get what the purpose and advantages are for these cockamamie things

LOL. On multiple occasions, I and the stake president had interviewed and approved men for priesthood advancement, and his officious counselors insisted that we go back and fill out a 15 point checklist, in order, of interviews and action items prior to ordination (put together by said counselors). When I told them that the decision of the two key-holders made the checklist moot in these cases, their noses were out of joint. The stake president prefers to keep the peace with them and said "Let's just fill in some dates and initials and get it over with."

Our high councilor is a good Mensch, and he and I on several occasions commiserated on how to put together officious stake reports that he was being required to require of us. He laughed when I asked him things like "Can you imagine the Apostle Paul having to do these reports?"

In all seriousness, the all-time missionary All Star Team consists solely of men from before the "Hyper-reporting Era," and I don't see any evidence that the reports, initiatives, etc. that come out of the Church Office Building in our time come anywhere near to approaching the success (i.e., retention) from the "Golden Years."