Posted by:
Jordan
(
)
Date: June 07, 2019 06:02AM
I wanted to look at a few ways that the church self-sabotages, and for a change, I thought I would avoid questions about doctrine and history. (If you've any additions, maybe keep it on the more practical level.)
#1 - No meeting times are advertized outside church buildings.
#2 - Many (most?) churches have dead phone numbers given online.
#3 - Dress code - Things are progressing, but many investigators must have been chased away for wearing slightly wrong clothing.
#4 - Using the term "investigator" - it sounds like someone involved in uncovering crime, arson or fraud.
#5 - Local members have little say in unit boundaries, when their knowledge would be practical.
#6 - Changing missionaries' locations all the time. This is to create loyalty to the church, not individuals, but means many investigators leave when the missionaries do.
#7 - A failure to integrate non-local missionaries with local membership. A lot of the time, ward/branch members can't even remember missionaries' names due to the frequent changeover.
#8 - Stake/regional conferences. Many unit buildings are abandoned at least two Sundays every year (four including general conference). There are never any signs on doors or gates to tell investigators this is the case.
#9 - Inability to think outside American cultural norms. Things are different elsewhere, even in other English speaking countries.
#10 - Most missionaries do not get the use of a car, although a few do. The result is that they often overrely on buses or bicycles, which explains how the church finds it hard to expand into remote areas.