Retaining converts begins with understanding difficulties
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PROVO, Utah — Retaining new converts in the Church begins with understanding who is being baptized and knowing something of the challenges they face, said Elder Dallin H. Oaks while addressing the New Mission Presidents Seminar June 27.
Drawing upon surveys and statistics, Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve said, "Most of those we baptize are children, youth and very young adults. Most of this majority are very young. Children ages 8 to 15 make up 40 percent."
They are at a much higher risk for inactivity if their parents are not active, he cautioned. And most are not.
"Children and youth converts require special attention by the ward council, which should understand that they need to focus their help on the activity of the parents as well as the child or youth convert."
Another challenge faced by many converts worldwide is that a significant percent are not native to the country where they are baptized, he said. This illustrates "the magnitude of our challenge to see that new members have a friend, a responsibility, and nourishing by the word of God," he said, quoting President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Notice, continued Elder Oaks, "President Hinckley did not say a calling, he said a responsibility. In other expressions, he has referred to this as an assignment. Although he did not say a calling, too often we have taken responsibility or assignment to mean a calling. Certainly a new member should eventually receive a calling, but the timing is critical."
Members shouldn't be surprised, he added, that some new converts who suddenly face a strange and challenging new responsibility, without the close support of seasoned friends, simply quit coming. "How much better," he said, "to begin by giving new members a responsibility or an assignment, rather than a calling."
The best measurement of retention, he said, is the number of males 12 years and older who receive the Aaronic Priesthood within four to six months after they are baptized, he said.
Other important measurements of a convert's likelihood to remain active include attending Church before baptism, the number of addictions, and the source of converts.
"All three of these have important lessons to guide us in our retention efforts," he said. "If investigators attend Church many times before they are baptized, they are a great deal more likely to attend Church thereafter, and therefore, be retained in activity. In other words, pre-baptism Church attendance is closely related to retention."
A serious retention factor for adult and youth converts is conquering their use of addictive substances like smoking, alcohol and pornography.
Most adult converts had to give up at least one addictive substance to be baptized, he said. And most of these, especially smokers, continued to be troubled by their addiction after baptism. In the past, most converts reported that neither missionaries nor members helped with this problem.
"Help is desperately needed if we are to retain," Elder Oaks said.
"Assistance in overcoming addictions is vital, and it simply will not happen if we do not teach and see that our missionaries do all that they can to assist and to get members to assist."
Elder Oaks reported the results of a survey in which converts where asked who helped them live the Word of Wisdom as to tobacco — the most addictive substance in the survey.
More than 40 percent of the converts said no one helped them.
"These distressingly low figures for member help show how far we have to go in our education and encouragement of members to help in this vital area of assisting new members to stay out of the clutches of their old addictions," Elder Oaks said.
He cautioned that "priesthood leaders and members should not be shocked or discouraged if they learn that an investigator or new member might be struggling with such problems. They should show confidence in the individual and not be judgmental if the person yields to an old craving."
The last vital data he presented on retention stressed the importance of having a friend.
The percent of new adult converts in North America who had close active LDS friends or family before they started their investigation was 69 percent.
"In other words," he said, "our members are participating in the missionary effort by living the gospel and being active in Church and close to their non-LDS acquaintances, even if they do not give their names as referrals."
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