Hi, I have been out of the MORG so long I forgot what the mission president does in a stake or area? The reason I ask is because I have a few TBM friends on Facebook, one of them said she is going to live in Amsterdam for 18 months because her husband is that mission president? It really boggles me because they are both in their early 40's with children still in school. Do whole families pick up and leave for 18 months. What happens to him, does he just leave a job and hope like hell he has another one when he comes back? Does he get paid while in another country? How do they pay for their living expenses? It seems they have money but come on, I can't see anyone uprooting a whole family for the Lords work then come home 18 months latter to a better US. Are they truly this brainwashed??
Where there are active stakes the role of mission president may well be invisible to the average member. In other areas the role of MP is somewhat elevated because he acts in a Stake president capacity for the entire mission. At least that's the way it seemed to me 25 years ago.
As to your second question, yep. The whole family packs up and relocates to the mission home - wherever it is. The 18 month thing surprises me. I thought MP were called for 3 years.
mission president is 3 years, not just 18 months. Perhaps they are doing some other type of mission service. But yes, a good friend of mine in junior high had his parents called as mission president, and he left for 3 years and returned back for his senior year of HS. He hated it.
is this guy loaded? most mission presidents are called because they are in a financial position to pick up and leave. They are paid a stipend, which I think is pretty healthy, but dont know for sure. My mission president lived in a super plush apartment building in a 3rd world country. The apt and private school for his young daughters was paid for.
Has the same authority as that of a Stake President (over missionaries). Most are either loaded or work at BYU or in SLC for the church. Some are okay--decent guys and some are real ass-holes.
...involves endless pissing and moaning to his elders and sisters about how bad their performance is. Qualifications are being a wealthy and pompous dick. If a mission president is already an employee of the church, such as a CES employee, the only qualification is being a pompous dick.
1. Those who are genuinely trying to improve the presence of the Church, but using the missionaries as a a labour force of PR representatives .
2. Those who pad the numbers and crack the whip and abuse the missionaries, and this they do to try to impress the "top 15". ***This is the way into the Full Time Paid Upper Eschelon of Senior Management of LDS Corp*** So by the first conference after they come home they can join the ranks of the full time seventy and get paid by the church and have a reasonable standard of living with benifits and pension.
Two of my sons had very wealthy MPs and they were a delight. I guess they don't need the corps benefit package. One MP volunteered to buy subs from Subway that the Elders ordered and the Elders said they would take care of it and the MP said it's not a problem, I can buy the whole company.
Those appointed are accomplished in church experience, they've typically been stake presidents. They're also accomplished in a career. The are interviewed by an apostle, both the prospective president and his wife. They serve three years presiding over one of the church's 300+ missions, each one typically consisting of about 200 missionaries. Where the church is well-established, the Mission President does not have jurisdiction over local church units (where stake presidents and bishops do). Where the church is fledgling, the mission president is also the local unit authority equivalent to a stake president, overseeing branch presidents. The Mission President lives in a Mission Home provided at church expense (in my mission this was a fine suburban home). A vehicle is also provided. He recieves a stipend and other possible benefits (someone mentioned private school for kids). The Mission President's job is to direct the affairs of the 200 or so missionaries, and in the case of a fledgling church presence, to direct the affairs of the local units as well, through branch presidents. Attitudes of MPs vary. I saw two extremes...one who condoned aggressive sales-force tactics and was numbers-driven, and the next was more sensitive to the developement of the missionaries' lifelong church welfare. I really liked him. He was compassionate, reasonable, and genuine. He actually referred me to secular counseling at one point when I was very depressed.
The fundamental problem with missionary work isn't the missionaries or the mission presidents...it's that the church isn't true. Because even when they're the nicest guys you'll meet, their message is still a fairy-tale, and the money gets funnelled to the Corporation.
I have been following her on Facebook, I have no idea but she said they are going to Amsterdam for at least 18 months. For my-self I hope that she will see a different side of the church, she was born and raised in the MORG, went from living in California to Utah, I just wonder why all of her family just up and left? I also would be very curious to see how she will take seeing all the Canabis houses and the Red light District? He does have a job cut out for him, as for me the stipend would not be good enough to up and leave this country for 18 months. Wow, she really is brainwashed, she always was. Just maybe something will happen when they step away from the MORG bubble. We can only hope right.