Mormon Missionaries May Have to Stay with Members of the Church

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints may soon find themselves housing young missionaries that the church sponsors in the near future. The change does not affect all mission presidencies that the church controls, but only a few select places in the West. Posters on the popular Recovery from Mormonism site and the less active Further Light and Knowledge message boards said that an announcement was made to family members of their stakes that they were looking for members willing to house the program, but the change in church policy now has an official document.

Skeptics of the move believe that this policy may be an attempt to save money because the temple building program started in the 1990s by current Mormon prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, has drained the church finances. As churches are currently not required to divulge financial information in the United States, this assertion cannot be proven. The Church of Jesus Christ has not released financial information since 1959, according to the Deseret News.

A PDF distributed by the Mormon church lists several benefits of this policy. Among these are reduced costs of missionary support, the missionaries generally being more reverent and obedient, promoting missionary work among the members, and flexibility in housing arrangements for the members. Members will not be expected to house the missionaries for free. The church will provide the members who volunteer with a monthly stipend of $85. Members are encouraged, according to a document released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Members who agree to this are expected to keep the missionaries they house away from activities that would detract from their service to the lord such as television, video games, or music. The new guidelines in what seems to be a concern over possible hanky panky warns that missionaries should not be allowed to spend a lot of time in a house where an unmarried member or spouse of the opposite sex is present.