As missionaries looking for any way to hook converts, we were encouraged by mission leadership to do what was called "kaisha dendo," or business contacting.

It involved going to work places--i.e., commercial business settings such as company headquarters--and asking to speak with the male owner. We would introduce ourselves with business cards (which are very important contacting tools in Japanese society), complete with our names in kanji and the name of our organization (the Mormon Church), in both English and Japanese, Our "business" cards closely mimicked the style, typesetting and look of actual Japanese business cards and were designed to impress and gain us access.

Once in the door of the targeted business, we'd ask the front desk receptionist if we could speak to the head of the company. If the company head was not available, we'd ask for an appointment for a return visit, If granted access then and there, we'd be ushered into the company head's office where, more often than not, we'd promptly be offered tea as a social grace (which, of course, we promptly turned down--not exactly a good way to start the sales pitch, I must say).

We'd then slickly slide into our sales approach, trying to surreptitiously sell the company/corporation owner on the idea of holding, in his home, a Mormon Family Home Evening (without, at that point, getting too deep into the religion thing--you know, tithing, giving up tea and dedicating all your time, talents and resources to a church headquartered in Salt Lake City, America. That would all come later. First things first: Concentrate on the soft sell).

We attempted to hook the head of the company's interest by comparing his family to his company. (Japan is a male-dominated society and it was figured that this approach would go over well with, you know, the guys). The business contacting angle was designed to play to the head of the firm's ego by emphasizing to him that his business was successful because it featured a clear chain of command--one that was structured, goal-oriented and male leader-directed.

The president (so the script went) was the head of the firm who was responsible for making the big, important and final decisions for his present and future business needs, based upon a laid-out model or plan.

In approaching this task, the president has a vice-president with whom he consults, a senior officer of the company from whom the president receives input for effectively and efficiently running the company. The vice-president is often a person who has direct, face-to-face contact with the firm's employees on a regular basis, who is intimately aware of the day-to-day needs of the employees and who keeps tabs on the state of company employee morale, sales and success.

Having laid that groundwork, now came time to pitch the parallels between the guy's business and the guy's family.

The theme for snagging the business owner into further contact with the missionaries was to lure him into attention by convincing him that he could similarly structure his family like his business and in that way keep his family happy, productive and functional.

To accomplish this required a power pyramid, modeled after his own business's, one that went like this:

Your family, sir, is like your company.

You are the husband and father--the CEO, if you will--of your family. You are the head of this organization you call your family--just like you are the head of your business.

Just as you do at work, you, sir, are responsible for making the ultimate decisions that you determine are in the best interest of your family.

Your wife is the equivalent of your vice president. She can give you--the president/husband/father--her advice and observations, as they come from her vantage point from inside the family where she operates closer to the front lines, if you will, and where she works intimately and on a daily basis with your children.

Speaking of which . . .

Your children are your employees.

They are part and parcel of your family plan, like your workers are essential in operating your business plan. It is your job and responsibility as president/husband/father of your home to make sure that your children are productive, well-behaved and follow the rules that you establish (in consultation with your vice-president/wife/mother). You, sir, make the final decisions after seeking out assistance from your vice-presidential assistant/consultant.

The Mormon Family Home Evening program is the business plan for your family. It is organized around the president/husband/father's goals for his family, arrived at after touching base with his vice-president wife and. in the end, signed off by the male head of the house.

A successful Family Home Evening program works like a successful business plan.

To boost employee/children productivity and understanding of the goals of your family, the Family Home Evening program features lessons that teach the employees/children what is important and right for the family.

The lesson, or plan, opens and closes with prayer, asking for God's help that your family will understand this plan as being best for them--just like you, as president of your company, certainly would want heavens's help in running your business successfully.

As with your company employees, it is vital for you, as president of your home, to attend to the personal needs and desires of your children, as well as to the needs and desires of your vice-president wife. The Mormon Family Home Evening program provides opportunities for lessons, games, singing and other together-time activities designed for relaxing and enjoying fun things together with your vice-president wife and employee children. It is important that your vice-president/ wife and your children/employees be actively engaged in planning these fun times and are given responsibilities in carrying them out--all under your supervision and with your approval, of course. This will strengthen the bonds between you, as president/husband/father with your vice-president/wife/mother, as well as with your employees/children.

(Are you with me, dear readers?)

This whole patriarchal promo (which, again, we as missionaries would make to the corporation/business head in his office at his work site) was accompanied by flip-charts, illustrations and diagrams to drive the point home--much like the official missionary discussions.

The idea was to get the Japanese man to agree to let the Mormon male missionaries come to his home and, together with his wife and children, actually conduct a Family Home Evening, under the missionaries' guidance, suggestions and outlining.

It was designed as a foot in the door.

But, alas, it didn't work very well.

Once the demonstration Family Home Evening was over and the missionaries asked for a follow-up meeting with the guy and his family to talk about a wonderful book that would bring their family forever-happiness and eternal life with God, eyebrows would more often than not lift and we'd politely be shown the door.

It was a disingenuous, manipulative, sneaky and sexist gimmick.

I hated it.

It represented the essential element of Mormon missionary work that bothered me the most: operating under false and misleading pretenses in order to gain converts.

In other words, the Utah Mormon business model.



Edited 18 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:02PM by steve benson.

Ugh, seriously? I also served in Japan, and this just sounds so incredibly ... wrong. Although I shouldn't be surprised, we had a new "program" every few months that was going to finally give us all those sweet sweet baptisms we deserved. They always failed, and it was always our fault. How long did this last in your mission?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:17AM by steve benson.

JS's legacy lives on.

At least in patriarchal Japan they declined the offer to pay an eternal 10% tribute for a worthless book, and FHE manuals. They had better business sense. In Utah they gladly hand over the money, then turn around, and cheat their neighbors to make up the difference.

the first few cracks in the foundation of mormonism.

One was when the mish prez told us (there were 4 male mishies and zero female ones in our district at the time) that we were not to approach females non-members (usually at english class) about the so-called "gospel".

I sat there while he explained that the cult needed priesthood leadership. I remember thinking "don't the ladies need the gospel as well?"

As it turned out, nobody needed it at all! They were all just fine as they were.

It's tough when you're trying to dictate things from the male-top down. It cuts out half of humanity. Plus, the young people quit coming out when they got bored with the churchy-type activities and found their non-Mormon friends to be more fun and relevant.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:23PM by steve benson.

I sucked at Kaisha dendo. We tried it a little and it was a waste. Just like pretty much everything else we tried.

I do remember a couple of elders in one of the districts I was in managing to do a FHE for a businessman's family. They turned out to be Yakuza. That was exciting.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:56PM by steve benson.

I've interacted with quite a few missionaries in Japan, but never heard of this kaisha dendo approach (although I did know they carried business cards). Very interesting to read. Thanks for sharing.

Nagoya, 1976 to 78.

I had one senior companion who was all about kaisha dendo. I hated him. He told me that it was all my fault that it never worked. That I wasn't buisness-like enough. This was the beginning of the clinical depression I had throughout my time in Japan.

I now thank Zeus that it was my fault that we never had any converts.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:20PM by steve benson.

Wow, who'd a thought? I never had any idea about anything of this kind of thing- of course I never served a mission either. Thanks for sharing.

My cousin a year older than I died on his mission in Japan in 71.
They said he had a heart attack in the shower, which I found strange, because he was always very healthy to my knowledge. I was so sad, Pete Harmon, before your time there by several years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 12:29PM by think4u.

when I discovered that we as missionaries were being asked to do missionary work that I considered to be "disingenuous, manipulative and sneaky". It all felt so wrong. It didn't feel religous at all. It felt like business. I had a lot of cog dis on my mission because of it. I never confronted my MP as I didn't want a black mark next to my name as a non faithful missionary.

I would always find myself thinking why the Creator of the Universe would need for us to be so disingenous in many of our contacting methods. It didn't - and still doesn't - make sense to me. Still, I began to see the church as the soulless corporation that it truly is.

since we did this same approach on my mission in New York City, '72-'74. The church leaders knew the door to door stuff was a waste of our time, and the church wanted families with money, so they targeted businessmen.

Our main approach was to tell the business leader "no success can compensate for failure in the home", this got us absolutely no follow up appointments. I have no idea why. Maybe something to do with 2 twenty year old kids telling an established businessman how to be successful.

... but you'd be wrong. (Snicker, snicker.) : )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 06:30PM by Fetal Deity.

It's just another cultish example of how the end justifies the means. Sickening.