Mormon Missionary Work Online

Mormon (LDS) missionaries going door-to-door is a classic image of the type of evangelizing that religious groups used in days past, but times are changing.  And this is true for Mormons as well as they are expanding their online proselytizing efforts.  The church now staffs an increasing number of missionaries at computers to connect and interact with religious investigators online, rather than sending those missionaries out to knock on doors.

The motivation is well stated by one of the church leaders:

We recognize that the methods and the approaches that we’re using to do missionary work need to change with what’s going on in our society with technology.

Adaptation in the face of changing circumstances is one of the secrets to long-run proselytizing success.  In this case we see adaptation in the face of changes in how people interact with technology drives.