41. “Every Member a Missionary”

This lesson discusses the growth of missionary work in modern times. Please refer to the list of many more articles on missionary work under our Gospel Doctrine, Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 11, lesson helps.

“The Rise, Progress, Persecution, and Faith of the Latter-Day Saints,” Joseph Smith
This text was published in the Times and Seasons on March 1, 1842. It is the source of the inspiring message that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” Reading the full text places those words in the context of Joseph’s statement on his own commission from God.

Worldwide MTCs and Missions

“Benemérito de las Américas: The Beginning of a Unique Church School in Mexico,” Barbara E. Morgan, BYU Studies, Vol. 52, no. 4
In 2013, a unique Church school north of Mexico City, which had operated for 49 years, was converted to a missionary training center. Read about the founding and growth of this school, which allowed young Mexicans to work for their education.

“‘Nothing Less than Miraculous’: The First Decade of Mormonism in Mongolia,” Steven C. Harper, BYU Studies, Vol. 42, no. 1
In the 1980s, Monte Brough made contacts in Mongolia. In the 1990s, the Church made initial contacts, with the first missionaries in 1992 serving as language tutors. By 2003, the number of Mongolian Latter-day Saints surpassed four thousand, in a country of about three million. This essay includes the stories of three remarkable converts.

Maps
By Brandon Plewe, from Mapping Mormonism: An Atlas of Latter-day Saint History, 2nd ed.

• Growth of Missions Worldwide, showing each mission with a dot and noting the number of missions over time
• Missionary Work by the Numbers, showing numbers of missionaries compared with convert baptisms over time
• Worldwide Membership Distribution, Regional Distribution of Church Membership 1905-2010, by world area, showing that the percent of Church members in the US has declined and other parts of the world have increased

Video

Provo Missionary Training Center Tour