Proselytizing and Home Improvement - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

BigFatMeanie · 01-09-2007, 12:08 AM

On Saturday I went to Home Depot to pick up some blinds and a dryer hose. When I pulled in the parking lot I noticed two Mormon missionaries proselytizing. It was bitterly cold and people were either running to or from their cars. Each missionary was approaching a different person but staying within eyesight of the other.

In the two minutes that I watched them, they approached an elderly lady that smiled and chatted for a few seconds and then went to her car. I'm guessing a member already. Another man patted the missionary on the back, smiled, and went to his car. Again, my guess is a member already. A third man had his wife and two kids. This was a blue collar type guy and he gruffly waved off the missionary before he could even say anything. The missionaries never approached me or my wife (with two kids). I wonder if their "Modar" ("Mormon radar") told them that we were already members?

I personally never tried proselytizing in a Home Depot but that's because there weren't any Home Depots on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. Did anyone else ever try the "parking lot of a busy place" techinque? Was it successful? In my experience, the least successful techniques were:

- Church Headquarters referrals (i.e. someone filled out a card at Temple Square or called a number to get a free video or something like that). Half of the time, the names and addresses were bogus. The other half were people that had filled the thing out six months ago and couldn't even remember that they had requested missionaries.
- "Tracting" (i.e. knocking door to door). This sucked, plain and simple.

The most succesful technique was referrals from members which were few and far between. The most successful technique involing unsolicted conversation with the public was what I would call "street contacting" - just walking around talking to people. This was generally more efficient than tracting because if people didn't want to talk to you they would just cross to the other side of the street or ignore you and walk on by. You didn't have to spend time waiting for someone to answer the door, you didn't have to get yelled at when they answered the door (although some people would yell at you on the street), and you didn't have to get the door slammed in your face (or, in many cases, the curtain over the opening in the grass hut flapped in your face). In fact, usually when we started tracting it would quickly evolve into just walking through neighborhoods saying "Hi" to people and trying to get a conversation going rather than knocking on every single door.

My other favorite activity was getting the branch list and crusing around trying to find the hundreds of people that had been baptized at some point in the past but never came to church. This was fun because people had moved, or would hide from you (always fun), or pretend they weren't members, etc.

I would like to go on a service mission with my wife one day but have zero desire to do another proselytizing mission again - once was enough.

Archaea · 01-09-2007, 12:12 AM

I had an encounter with missionaries.

We were exiting our car to approach the soccer fields to which the lads could see we wanted to hurry off to, but they wouldn't leave us alone, so I ran interference for the nonMormons, everybody but me, because they couldn't see the annoyance they were being.

I felt sorry for the lads, but annoyed all the same.

ute4ever · 01-09-2007, 01:16 AM

When the missionaries approach me, I ask them questions and it makes their day. I let them give me their number and say I'll call if I'm interested.

I'm sure it gives them a boost. They probably walk off saying "he was golden!" and talk about me in district meeting.

myboynoah · 01-09-2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ute4ever

When the missionaries approach me, I ask them questions and it makes their day. I let them give me their number and say I'll call if I'm interested.

I'm sure it gives them a boost. They probably walk off saying "he was golden!" and talk about me in district meeting.

I do the same thing with JWs. I wonder if they hold district meetings.

il Padrino Ute · 01-09-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myboynoah

I do the same thing with JWs. I wonder if they hold district meetings.

My first mission companion and I were approached by a pair of JWs. When they told us of the 144,000, my companion told them that he was one of those 144,000. They, of course, told him he wasn't and when my comp reminded them that it was they who said only the 144,000 know who they are, these JWs got angry and stormed away.

RockyBalboa · 01-09-2007, 07:30 PM

When I'm approached by missionaries I'm always cordial and enjoy their company.

Anyone in the church who is aware of what they are SUPPOSED TO DO and is annoyed by them has issues and it's their arrogant attitude that they need and should work on, not the missionaries problems.

01-09-2007, 12:08 AM	#1
BigFatMeanie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: South Jordan Posts: 1,725	Proselytizing and Home Improvement On Saturday I went to Home Depot to pick up some blinds and a dryer hose. When I pulled in the parking lot I noticed two Mormon missionaries proselytizing. It was bitterly cold and people were either running to or from their cars. Each missionary was approaching a different person but staying within eyesight of the other. In the two minutes that I watched them, they approached an elderly lady that smiled and chatted for a few seconds and then went to her car. I'm guessing a member already. Another man patted the missionary on the back, smiled, and went to his car. Again, my guess is a member already. A third man had his wife and two kids. This was a blue collar type guy and he gruffly waved off the missionary before he could even say anything. The missionaries never approached me or my wife (with two kids). I wonder if their "Modar" ("Mormon radar") told them that we were already members? I personally never tried proselytizing in a Home Depot but that's because there weren't any Home Depots on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. Did anyone else ever try the "parking lot of a busy place" techinque? Was it successful? In my experience, the least successful techniques were: - Church Headquarters referrals (i.e. someone filled out a card at Temple Square or called a number to get a free video or something like that). Half of the time, the names and addresses were bogus. The other half were people that had filled the thing out six months ago and couldn't even remember that they had requested missionaries. - "Tracting" (i.e. knocking door to door). This sucked, plain and simple. The most succesful technique was referrals from members which were few and far between. The most successful technique involing unsolicted conversation with the public was what I would call "street contacting" - just walking around talking to people. This was generally more efficient than tracting because if people didn't want to talk to you they would just cross to the other side of the street or ignore you and walk on by. You didn't have to spend time waiting for someone to answer the door, you didn't have to get yelled at when they answered the door (although some people would yell at you on the street), and you didn't have to get the door slammed in your face (or, in many cases, the curtain over the opening in the grass hut flapped in your face). In fact, usually when we started tracting it would quickly evolve into just walking through neighborhoods saying "Hi" to people and trying to get a conversation going rather than knocking on every single door. My other favorite activity was getting the branch list and crusing around trying to find the hundreds of people that had been baptized at some point in the past but never came to church. This was fun because people had moved, or would hide from you (always fun), or pretend they weren't members, etc. I would like to go on a service mission with my wife one day but have zero desire to do another proselytizing mission again - once was enough.

01-09-2007, 12:12 AM	#2
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	I had an encounter with missionaries. We were exiting our car to approach the soccer fields to which the lads could see we wanted to hurry off to, but they wouldn't leave us alone, so I ran interference for the nonMormons, everybody but me, because they couldn't see the annoyance they were being. I felt sorry for the lads, but annoyed all the same. __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

01-09-2007, 07:30 PM	#6
RockyBalboa Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 7,297	When I'm approached by missionaries I'm always cordial and enjoy their company. Anyone in the church who is aware of what they are SUPPOSED TO DO and is annoyed by them has issues and it's their arrogant attitude that they need and should work on, not the missionaries problems. __________________ Masquerading as Cougarguards very own genius dumbass since 05'.

01-09-2007, 01:16 AM	#3
ute4ever I must not tell lies Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 5,103	When the missionaries approach me, I ask them questions and it makes their day. I let them give me their number and say I'll call if I'm interested. I'm sure it gives them a boost. They probably walk off saying "he was golden!" and talk about me in district meeting.