The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is spreading its missionary work in the electronic age as people come to them through, Facebook video chatting and conferencing on platforms that are societal.
More than 20 years ago, President M. Russell Ballard, acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, introduced to late night television viewers the opportunity to contact the church to get a free Bible or Book of Mormon.
Since that time, the way of preaching and spreading the religion have changed.
“That is a natural development of the project,” explained Gary Crittenden, managing director of the Missionary Department of the church. “In principle, what we’re doing is precisely the identical idea.”
On Thursday, the church presented a new initiative, operated through media, known as Global Online Teaching. With assistance from sister missionaries in 20 visitors centers across the planet, teach people who get the church with queries and Global Online Teaching’s aim would be to answer queries.
Global Online Teaching has been part of work for a few decades, but the effect is not readily known.
In 2017, had 21.1 million unique visitors. About 600 missionaries are teaching online across the planet, talking over 40 languages every day.
Missionaries who educate online have obtained 91,250 telephone calls, 349,670 chats and 299,665 data requests. More than 140,000 people have been taught by Missionaries online.
22 places of sister missionaries are at any given time engaged in teaching and preaching the gospel.
Sister Jamie Schmidt, in Frankfurt, Germany, and her teaching companion, Sister Hannah Dossett in Virginia, stated they’ve had many amazing experiences with internet teaching, in addition to video conferencing during missionaries lessons as those studying about the church have been introduced into their own community area missionaries.
The sisters, throughout the internet services, can trace investigators by video conferencing during discussions, and to their baptism afternoon, through of the classes. Questions are answered by them with missionaries that are local and are invited to sign up in prayer.
“My very first chat was out of Denmark,” said Schmidt, who speaks German, Danish and English.
Dossett included, “Lots of men and women aren’t ready to see missionaries face-to-face. We help them feel more comfortable.”
Schmidt is similar to young adults. Her mission was said before by her, she had been of her day nearly every waking hour on media, whether on her computer or a mobile device.
“I have seen four people become baptized because of the teaching center,” Dossett said. “I required a conversation from a guy that at first, I thought was merely trolling. He got his information and we discovered he had been sincere and wanted to be baptized. We had him meet with the local missionaries.”
The sisters say they attempt to teach the first two classes, but sometimes they are with the investigator all of the way through all the lessons.
Sister Bonnie Oscarson, Young Women General President, is delighted ladies, that are familiar with social media, have a way to utilize it teach and to preach.
“We’re seeing our youth utilizing technology and teaching with their buddies,” Oscarson stated. “Missionaries are utilizing smartphones in 162 missions.”
Oscarson said that they are changing the youth curriculum to help young men and women in the church prepare to serve missions.
“I am grateful the church reacted to what is happening in society,” Oscarson mentioned of integrating technology to missionary work.
“It’s fantastic item,” Crittenden said. “It’s a way for folks to locate us. There is less danger to get online. The people have questions of their soul.”
Crittenden included, “We’re teaching the entire world.”
He noticed that a handful of missionaries in the Salt Lake City South Mission have, to a trial basis, been utilizing computers at meetinghouse family rooms to connect online. He explained the results were powerful, and it would not be surprising if, later on, missionaries throughout the world can devote a few hours each day preaching on the internet.
“We wanted to let people know about ,” said Elder Brent Nielson, executive director of the church’s missionary division and member of the Quorum of the Seventy.
Nielson stated the church has Global Teaching Centers a visitor’s facilities and historical sites including the Hill Cumorah, Palmyra, N.Y., Kirtland, Ohio, Hawaii and the Mormon Battalion Museum at San Diego, California.
With over 20 facilities in time zones worldwide, the international outreach is 24/7.
“During , people wanted to talk to us. We can break through obstacles,” Nielson said. “Missionaries can even record send and lessons to their own investigators through messenger.”