Increase in costs for missionaries

[Duncan]

https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2019-06-27/first-presidency-lds-missionary-contribution-50229?fbclid=IwAR1GajORcbah9xtgXbifuoWwnMbYi7_U7fXpYY0uuoAXELl0G11XOSMvyqY

 

my initial reaction is it's probably normal for things to go up but I wonder if it will discourage some to not serve a mission due to costs? I remember President Packer saying,

"I have known young men who have thought to disqualify themselves rather than to put what they feel is an impossible financial burden upon the family with perhaps the mother leaving younger children to find work to support him on his mission."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1990/04/teach-them-correct-principles?lang=eng

 

[Rain]

Good to know since mine is leaving in a few months. Thanks!

[rockpond]

Bummer.  But I knew it couldn't (wouldn't) stay at $400 forever.

[let’s roll]

Amazing that the amount had remained the same for more than 15 years.  Also the increase impacts only  missionaries leaving from the 18 countries listed in the correspondence.

Edited June 27, 2019 by let’s roll
Sense

[HappyJackWagon]

4 minutes ago, rockpond said:

Bummer.  But I knew it couldn't (wouldn't) stay at $400 forever.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.

And $100 a month isn't an insurmountable increase, yet looking at it as 25% increase seems a little high. It seems like making adjustments a little more regularly might be a good thing

[The Nehor]

Probably better to do bigger jumps. Keeps planning expenses simpler for families and missionaries. If it changed every year by $3 it would be murder on the poor clerks when everyone is a couple of bucks short for several months when people forget.

[readstoomuch]

When my son left in June of 2016 we paid 420 per month and then I was told it was 400 per month after about 6 months.  So we paid 400 the rest of his mission.  When my oldest came back in 2011 we were paying 380 a month.  

[mrmarklin]

When I recently found out that the cost was about the same as I paid twenty years ago when my kids were on missions I was astounded.  This increase is long overdue.

[Calm]

7 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

When I recently found out that the cost was about the same as I paid twenty years ago when my kids were on missions I was astounded.  This increase is long overdue.

It is possible costs were kept down by increasing contributions to the missionary fund, possibly by those who didn't have as many children, which number of such families has grown.  We only managed two kids, only one went on a mission and since he got home, we have been either helping to support a family member or ward member or depositing the same amount in the fund.  However, the Church in the States is probably reaching a point where the generation from larger families but having significantly fewer kids themselves is starting to die off or go on retirement which may tighten up funds), so numbers of contributors per missionary may be going down.  Also with earlier missions, more kids are probably getting help from wider friends and families, which means less giving to the general fund....so less subsidizing over all.

Or they may have decided to subsidize less now.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Calm

[jpv]

On 6/27/2019 at 1:04 PM, let’s roll said:

Amazing that the amount had remained the same for more than 15 years.  Also the increase impacts only  missionaries leaving from the 18 countries listed in the correspondence.

Yeah how did Luxemburg get left out being the richest per capita. 

[Scott Lloyd]

13 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

When I recently found out that the cost was about the same as I paid twenty years ago when my kids were on missions I was astounded.  This increase is long overdue.

Maybe, but it still pinches a little if your'e on a fixed income and still have at least one and maybe two children to send out.

[The Nehor]

52 minutes ago, jpv said:

Yeah how did Luxemburg get left out being the richest per capita. 

The one ward there sure dodged a bullet.