I wonder how the fall in the US dollar is hitting the church's missionary budgets.

I predict that if the US dollar continues to languish (AUS dollar = or > US dollar!!) that the profit will have another revelation to shorten missions to 18 months. Just like they did the last time the dollar was sick.

Funny how the rest of the world doesn’t get 18 month missions when the US dollar is strong.

Simon

I think if they do make a move to shorten missions, it will be with intention of providing an "excuse" for any decrease in the number of full-time missionaries serving in the future. They have already played their "raising the bar" card!

I will brim with delight on the day the Mormon church announces that their missionary force has dropped back into the 30,000's! I do hope to live to see that happen. Of course, by then, they may have stopped publishing any type of statistics at all--there's no reason to publicize anything that casts a bad light!

I was one of those 18 monthers in the early 80's. I was given the option of going the full 24 or opting out at 18. I chose 18 as I was disillusioned with the whole mission thing but it was a decision that came with a cost.

I had for years - and still do - dreams where I had to go back and finish up the last 6 months. These dreams began when missions turned to 24 months again I had to endure all kinds of crap from BYU religion professors and other RM's about how the 18 monthers were somehow less valiant. Yadda yadda yadda...

Anyway, as you noted above the 18 month rule was started - allegedly - because of the bad economic situation of the early 1980's. I have, however, began to think that it was probably more of a business decision due to a glut of missionary aged people at that time. I know that in my mission in England there were so many of us that we were tracting our areas every 2-3 months. I've since wondered if the 6 month temporary reduction for elders was really just a way to manage a demographic surge - there were too many elders for the missions available - and that the church just used the bad economy as an excuse to thin the herd.


This recession is much worst than the 1981-83 recession and i've been very curious to see if the church would again revisit the 18 month mission for elders or if my hunch was correct.