Missionaries and Religiosity among Younger Generations

[pogi]

I have been doing pre-travel consultations with missionaries for 7 years now.   This is always a busy season for missionaries, but I have never seen it like this.  I usually see all types of travelers with missionaries accounting for maybe 50% in busy season, but this year I am having entire weeks seeing almost entirely missionaries.  Notably around 60% + of those missionaries are going to Brazil.  I've never seen anything like it.  I don't know what is going on in Brazil, but they are flooding Utah missionaries there like nothing else.  Anybody have any insight into that?  I know they are a high baptizing country with lots of missions, but I have never seen anything like this.  

My general observations of increase in missionaries seems to match what is being reported here and here

A few interesting snippets: 

Quote

The number of missionaries representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has increased significantly over the past year, with numbers expected to top 72,000 by the end of 2023.

Fewer children are being born today in most countries. And yet, even “with fewer available, more are going out,” Elder Cook said. “If you look at the youth, their activity rate is higher than it has been.”

Convert baptisms have also increased, Elder Cook said, up 25% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to last year. 

The number of missionaries serving has increased steadily since church President Russell M. Nelson asked young people to go on missions at the April General Conference in 2022 — from 56,000 at the end of 2021 to 68,000 by June 14 of this year.

The influx of missionary applications led to a need for more members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to make mission assignments. Typically two apostles assign mission calls weekly, but in recent months as many as four apostles have been making up to 300 calls a week, Elder Cook said.

Yep, they are swamping me right now with missionaries. 

As to religiosity among younger generations, the article discusses some recent research:

Quote

According to research by professor Justin Dyer at Brigham Young University, the most recent generation, overall, places less importance on religion and attends religious services less frequently than previous generations. However, this does not hold for youth of some denominations, including Latter-day Saints, where attitudes among the recent generations — millennials and Gen Z — are on par with or actually more favorable to religion than some earlier generations.

When asked how often they attend religious services, and how important religion is in their lives, Latter-day Saints who are part of millennial or Gen Z generations were just as likely and sometimes more likely than prior generations to say they go to church or that religion is an important part of their lives.

This contradicts the popular notion of young people being less beholden to faith. “In comparing the generations when they were high school seniors, millennial Latter-day Saint youth feel religion is more important than all other generations. And even though Gen Z declines somewhat, they are at least as religious as baby boomers were when they were high school seniors”, Dyer said.

He acknowledged the possibility of an influence in the data from disaffiliation — namely, that as those who are less faithful step away from religion entirely, those who remain are more religiously inclined. 

Do you think disaffiliation is affecting the data or is something else going on here? 

Quote

As Elder Marcus B. Nash, a General Authority Seventy and the executive director of the church’s missionary department, said at the Missionary Training Center, “There’s just something going on, and I don’t know how to explain it other than the prophet spoke in April 2022, and this rising generation — that he teaches us was held in reserve — are responding.”

Is this a temporary spike in response to the prophet like we saw a decade ago with the age change, or something more enduring?

This all seems to correspond with the release of the new Preach My Gospel manual, is that generating new excitement and partially responsible for these numbers?  I'm trying to figure out what is going on. 

 

[Rain]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

I have been doing pre-travel consultations with missionaries for 7 years now.   This is always a busy season for missionaries, but I have never seen it like this.  I usually see all types of travelers with missionaries accounting for maybe 50% in busy season, but this year I am having entire weeks seeing almost entirely missionaries.  Notably around 60% + of those missionaries are going to Brazil.  I've never seen anything like it.  I don't know what is going on in Brazil, but they are flooding Utah missionaries there like nothing else.  Anybody have any insight into that?  I know they are a high baptizing country with lots of missions, but I have never seen anything like this.  

My general observations of increase in missionaries seems to match what is being reported here and here

A few interesting snippets: 

Yep, they are swamping me right now with missionaries. 

As to religiosity among younger generations, the article discusses some recent research:

Do you think disaffiliation is affecting the data or is something else going on here? 

Is this a temporary spike in response to the prophet like we saw a decade ago with the age change, or something more enduring?

This all seems to correspond with the release of the new Preach My Gospel manual, is that generating new excitement and partially responsible for these numbers?  I'm trying to figure out what is going on. 

 

Refugees? I know of several Afghans who have made their way to the US by going to Brazil and then traveling North. And no, I haven't figured out why they go to Brazil first.

[Calm]

Maybe it’s easier to get visas there from the US while missionaries from other countries have less problems going elsewhere or Brazil is allowing larger numbers while restrictions are still in place elsewhere enough to slow assignments?

We had a number of missionaries in our stake in Canada head to Utah when my son went on his mission.  We were thinking it was because of the Olympics at that time.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Calm

[Calm]

If you are okay with this, where is the office you are operating out of located?  I have a friend here in Utah whose son just got vaccines done for Singapore.  He isn’t aware of any going to Brazil in their area (American Fork), but is going to ask his son.

I have four currently serving in Brazil from my stake, but there are more in Mexico and as many in Chile and Argentina.  This is not a reflection on those going out though as I can’t see pending ones.

[pogi]

14 hours ago, Rain said:

Refugees? I know of several Afghans who have made their way to the US by going to Brazil and then traveling North. And no, I haven't figured out why they go to Brazil first.

It seems to be a widespread distribution of missionaries across the entire country and not just the larger cities like Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or Brasilia, including more remote locations like Belem and Manaus in the Amazon where Afghans transiting the country aren't likely to be going.  

10 hours ago, Calm said:

Maybe it’s easier to get visas there from the US while missionaries from other countries have less problems going elsewhere or Brazil is allowing larger numbers while restrictions are still in place elsewhere enough to slow assignments?

The weird thing is that many of the Brazil missionaries are actually having a hard time getting their visas in time and have told me they might be reassigned temporarily, so I don't think it is particularly easier than anywhere else. 

My guess is that with 34 missions in Brazil, long established local leadership, high baptism rates, and nearly 1.5 million members in Brazil, the Church might be focusing on building Brazil as a major stronghold of the church, sending all the extra missionaries there.  Brazil is on the heels of surpassing Mexico in membership to take over as the second highest LDS population.   Mexico has 1.49 million members and Brazil has 1.45 million according to this website.   Based on my anecdotal experience with how many missionaries they are sending to Brazil vs Mexico, Brazil will be breezing by Mexico for that second spot.  

[pogi]

9 hours ago, Calm said:

If you are okay with this, where is the office you are operating out of located?  I have a friend here in Utah whose son just got vaccines done for Singapore.  He isn’t aware of any going to Brazil in their area (American Fork), but is going to ask his son.

I have four currently serving in Brazil from my stake, but there are more in Mexico and as many in Chile and Argentina.  This is not a reflection on those going out though as I can’t see pending ones.

I work out of a few locations in Salt Lake County.  I comment on how many missionaries I see going to Brazil, and almost all the missionaries I see agree and state they all have friends or ward members going there too.  Just reporting what I am seeing and hearing from here.

In the 7 years I have done this, I have never seen so much focus on any single country.  There is usually a pretty good distribution across the globe...but not this year. 

[Rain]

3 minutes ago, pogi said:

It seems to be a widespread distribution of missionaries across the entire country and not just the larger cities like Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or Brasilia, including more remote locations like Belem and Manaus in the Amazon where Afghans transiting the country aren't likely to be going.  

The weird thing is that many of the Brazil missionaries are actually having a hard time getting their visas in time and have told me they might be reassigned temporarily, so I don't think it is particularly easier than anywhere else. 

I know we have had quite a few missionaries over the last 10 years in Phoenix waiting for visas from Brazil. I think I heard one of the sisters serving in our ward never got one.

3 minutes ago, pogi said:

My guess is that with 34 missions in Brazil, long established local leadership, high baptism rates, and nearly 1.5 million members in Brazil, the Church might be focusing on building Brazil as a major stronghold of the church, sending all the extra missionaries there.  Brazil is on the heels of surpassing Mexico in membership to take over as the second highest LDS population.   Mexico has 1.49 million members and Brazil has 1.45 million according to this website.   Based on my anecdotal experience with how many missionaries they are sending to Brazil vs Mexico, Brazil will be breezing by Mexico for that second spot.  

 

[mfbukowski]

16 hours ago, pogi said:

I have been doing pre-travel consultations with missionaries for 7 years now.   This is always a busy season for missionaries, but I have never seen it like this.  I usually see all types of travelers with missionaries accounting for maybe 50% in busy season, but this year I am having entire weeks seeing almost entirely missionaries.  Notably around 60% + of those missionaries are going to Brazil.  I've never seen anything like it.  I don't know what is going on in Brazil, but they are flooding Utah missionaries there like nothing else.  Anybody have any insight into that?  I know they are a high baptizing country with lots of missions, but I have never seen anything like this.  

My general observations of increase in missionaries seems to match what is being reported here and here

A few interesting snippets: 

Yep, they are swamping me right now with missionaries. 

As to religiosity among younger generations, the article discusses some recent research:

Do you think disaffiliation is affecting the data or is something else going on here? 

Is this a temporary spike in response to the prophet like we saw a decade ago with the age change, or something more enduring?

This all seems to correspond with the release of the new Preach My Gospel manual, is that generating new excitement and partially responsible for these numbers?  I'm trying to figure out what is going on. 

 

Re: Brazil and family history-

In order to "escape" whatever that is happening there, to emigrate to Portugal, for example, Brazilians need to show Portuguese ancestry.

Family history in Brazil right now  might " break the internet"

How these are linked is beyond my ken AND kin though! 😉🤔

Edited August 24, 2023 by mfbukowski

[ksfisher]

17 hours ago, pogi said:

This all seems to correspond with the release of the new Preach My Gospel manual, is that generating new excitement and partially responsible for these numbers? 

I don't think the release of the new Preach My Gospel is that exciting.  The decision to serve and the pre-mission process is long enough that I'd imagine most of these missionaries began the process before the new manual was announced.

[SkyRock]

I served my mission in Brazil decades ago.   There were only 10 missions in the country when I arrived.   Waited 7 weeks after the MTC for my visa, but others in my mission waited 6 months. 

I read yesterday that the Catholic church in Brazil is down to 51% membership.  It was 90% when I was there.   

We could give discussions nonstop knocking on doors 12 hours a day.  The biggest difficulty was getting people to leave the Catholic Church.   With only 51% of the country Catholic, then it might be a lot easier to get people to change.   I had so many investigators testify to us that they knew the BoM was true, the Joseph Smith really had the first version and was directed to establish the church, yet decline baptism.