SBCWitness

In this article, the Associated Press reports that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has reached a membership milestone of 13 million worldwide. To put this in perspective, that is only 3 million less than Southern Baptists claim to have. Also, more than 1 million Mormon missionaries have served since 1830, including about 53,000 currently serving. In comparison, total number of missionaries for the IMB (as of 5/07) and NAMB (as of 12/05) is 10,548. If this trend continues, Southern Baptists will probably be outpaced in membership by the end of this decade.

I believe most Baptists (and all Christians for that matter) do not serve as missionaries for two reasons. First, it is inconvenient. Many do not want to pick up their family move to the next city, state, or country, or even around the world–even if it is only for a week. Second, many are unwilling to make the financial sacrifice. In response to that, read the following assessment of the Mormon missionary force: "Much of the church's growth comes from aggressive outreach by young missionaries, who typically serve two-year terms that they fund mostly by themselves. 'They face rejection and sometimes verbal abuse. But they soldier on,' said M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a church governing group."

How sad it is that members of a false religion built upon twisting the truth of Scripture are more adamant about sharing their faith than we are. We should feel shame for not going. I pray that we are spurred to more action.

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