Today in sacrament meeting, we heard a pitch for church service missions. It was actually interesting to learn about another way in which the church can exploit it's members.

The speaker started by stating the church saves $1 billion a year through the church service mission program. They then listed the rewarding activities that church service missionaries can be involved with, including: manage church recreation areas (I assume they were referring to the church's hunting preserves); inspecting the apartments of proselytizing missionaries; and keeping track of the number of pews and dry erase boards in each church building (seriously).

The church service mission program is pretty flexible to allow members the opportunity to participate. Already fulfilling a calling and serving in the temple and don't want to give those up? Not a problem. You can serve a church service mission on top of everything else (this was really given as an example). Do you have a mental challenge, physical disability, or worthiness issue that precludes a proselytizing mission? Then serve a church service mission. Is your spouse a tbm but you removed your name from the records of the church? Too easy. Your spouse will be called as a church service missionary and you will have the privilege of being called as a long term volunteer.

Since the church doesn't keep members busy enough with long meetings, onerous callings, and toilet cleaning duties, there's now an expectation for members starting at age 18 (sorry ladies, but 19 for you) to also serve as church service missionaries until the day they die. Actually, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. They only specifically mentioned members in their eighties, so maybe members in their nineties are off the hook.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2015 05:00PM by procrusteanchurch.

Being not busy enough is, to me, one of the benefits of old age. I will defend my right to not be busy enough!

Do these lucky ducks also get to pay the church $500 a month to work for the church, and pay regular tithing/budget/offerings on retirement income?

The church would never take away the privilege of paying tithing, and I believe it is a requirement that church service missionaries be full tithe payers.

As I understand it based on the talks today, church service missionaries just cover their living expenses and don't pay the church a monthly mission fee. Consequently, it can be relatively cheap if they serve from home. However, it can be much more than $500 per month if they have to relocate.

You can put out thousands of dollars to go on a mission at their Berberian Nut Company location and help the church earn thousands and thousands of dollars. It might not be forced labor but it is still slavery, you work for nothing while the corporation reaps the financial rewards.

I have seen a few go from home in the northern morg and some from home. There are few or none that I know go more than 1 away from home mission. I don't know any that do multiple from home missions either.

Folks missions are a lot of work ----- members are getting wiser all the time!