Why do missionaries tract?

[SeattleUte]

Yup. I think #3 nailed it. Even the productive self-starters have uninspired bad days and tracting at least ensures that they're doing something.

What a waste of two years. What this shows is that missions should be gotten rid of. By the way, I don't even believe the 1.2 true converts per missionary figure, given the source. This figure is patently subjective and a moving target. It's no doubt grossly inflated, given the source. It wouldn't suprise me if the LDS Church had less than 500,000 really active tithe paying mullah members.

[TripletDaddy]

What a waste of two years. What this shows is that missions should be gotten rid of. By the way, I don't even believe the 1.2 true converts per missionary figure, given the source. This figure is patently subjective and a moving target. It's no doubt grossly inflated, given the source. It wouldn't suprise me if the LDS Church had less than 500,000 really active tithe paying mullah members.

Just because tracting is less effective does not mean missions should be abolished. It means that missionaries should focus on more effective means of finding people to teach. And as I stated at the beginning, I think the Church would be just fine if missionaries spent 100% following solid leads.

PS my neighborhood is clearly safer than yours. If someone knocked on my door to solicit, I would simply say "no thanks" and then go back inside. I would probably refrain from hitting them over the head with a cold beer bottle.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Tracting would be completely tastless where I live. Nobody except maybe a close neighbor you know extremely well just comes and knocks at your door without prior arrangement. It's unheard of. We don't even answer our door for strangers. This would be least of all tolerated from a religious sect.

Sounds like your neighborhood takes this statement to new heights

[Jeff Lebowski]

Anyone tracts at my house and they'll get the heel of a cold beer bottle across the brow.

You know, you act like you are a real asshole sometimes, but I just don't believe it. No way you would do that.

[RC Vikings]

Anyone tracts at my house and they'll get the heel of a cold beer bottle across the brow.

Come on Frazier, more likely you would just throw that glass of wine in their face.

[YOhio]

Anyone tracts at my house and they'll get the heel of a cold beer bottle across the brow.

Maybe if your wife was knocking back a cold one. Big talk tough guy.

http://cougarguard.com/forum/showpos...97&postcount=5

[wuapinmon]

Maybe if your wife was knocking back a cold one. Big talk tough guy.

http://cougarguard.com/forum/showpos...97&postcount=5

Pwned! Having been a missionary it's hard to believe SU would be such a dick about tracting. When someone knocks on my door, I am polite, courteous, and civil......all the things a good citizen, especially officers of the court, should be. Talking big about throwing beer bottles sounds like something a stupid 19-year-old kid would say he'd do so that his buddies might think he's cool.

[Shaka]

Anyone tracts at my house and they'll get the heel of a cold beer bottle across the brow.

While I agree with your opinions of tracting I think this statement is pretty over the top. What would you have done if the companion of your target had drug you out of your house and beat your ass to a pulp?

[The Fourth Nephite]

I only baptized one person in 2 years from tracting. It was in my 3rd month.

I am still married to her 12 years later.

No shit.

I believe in following through on fellowshipping.

Didn't they send you home when you married her?

[il Padrino Ute]

What a waste of two years. What this shows is that missions should be gotten rid of. By the way, I don't even believe the 1.2 true converts per missionary figure, given the source. This figure is patently subjective and a moving target. It's no doubt grossly inflated, given the source. It wouldn't suprise me if the LDS Church had less than 500,000 really active tithe paying mullah members.

Are you saying that you received absolutely zero benefit from the 2 years you spent as a missionary?

[The Fourth Nephite]

Dudes, the field is white, ready to harvest. Didn'y any of you read D&C 4? I didn't go on a mission to serve (except as it related to proselyting). I had better things to do at age 19 than that. I went to share the Gospel. If all I wanted to do was serve, I could have stayed home and started college earlier and served up a storm.

Tracting is awesome. I admit that it's hard work and takes a fair amount of faith, but I had tremendous results tracting. I'm not knocking working with the members. You gotta follow the Spirit. The Spirit told me to tract my ass off so I did.

[CardiacCoug]

Dudes, the field is white, ready to harvest. Didn'y any of you read D&C 4? I didn't go on a mission to serve (except as it related to proselyting). I had better things to do at age 19 than that. I went to share the Gospel. If all I wanted to do was serve, I could have stayed home and started college earlier and served up a storm.

Tracting is awesome. I admit that it's hard work and takes a fair amount of faith, but I had tremendous results tracting. I'm not knocking working with the members. You gotta follow the Spirit. The Spirit told me to tract my ass off so I did.

I think you're joking but I'm afraid you may be serious. If the Spirit told you to tract then the Spirit gave you bad advice.

Where did you have these "tremendous results tracting"? Even if you personally baptized dozens of currently active members through your tracting efforts (which I doubt) that would be a statistical aberration.

The type of service that I think missionaries should do instead of tracting wouldn't be something each companionship would find on their own (which on my mission was usually sort of lame). It would ideally be organized at the Churchwide level and would be substantial and meaningful service.

[Levin]

I'm warming to the service idea. Think about an organized force of 50,000 volunteers; a service force that never leaves. I'm envisioning several 60 Minutes pieces and Larry King interviews coming out of it.

[RobinFinderson]

I haven't followed the whole thread, but we used to tract as filler when we didn't know what else to do. I was more obedient than most, so I did a lot more tracting than most.

Though it wasn't tracting, I especially liked going to college/university campuses and talk to students. Out in the fresh air we could approach hot college girls in short shorts and offer to sing hymns. Sometimes they would let us sing, and then in two-part harmony we would try Nearer My God to Thee. Having spent some time at BYU where I witnessed many a lass go weak in the knees when serenaded by a comely RM, I was convinced this might convince some of these ladies to consider going Mormon. In retrospect I think we convinced most of them that we were gay. Life lesson: A lot of the stuff you learn at BYU doesn't work in the real world. But some of it does.

[ERCougar]

I think you're joking but I'm afraid you may be serious. If the Spirit told you to tract then the Spirit gave you bad advice.

Where did you have these "tremendous results tracting"? Even if you personally baptized dozens of currently active members through your tracting efforts (which I doubt) that would be a statistical aberration.

The type of service that I think missionaries should do instead of tracting wouldn't be something each companionship would find on their own (which on my mission was usually sort of lame). It would ideally be organized at the Churchwide level and would be substantial and meaningful service.

We have a nurse who's leaving on a mission in a few months. She's going to South America to do medical work. How cool would it have been to apply to medical school with a 2-yr medical service mission under your belt? Instead, I was left to explain what kind of "service" was needed in France that I was uniquely qualified to provide...