What to do with YSA's

[Mormorrisey]

A great new leak, a little older (I think from 2005?) about what to do with those inactive YSAs. And one of the main points? They have NO ACCOUNTABILITY TO LOCAL LEADERS.

https://mormonleaks.io/wiki/documents/4 ... Adults.pdf

Are they serious? Do they have any idea what Millenials are all about? It's that insistence on the need for authority that they are categorically rejecting. Now, I'll give them a bit of a break that this is about 12 years old and we know much more now about how Millenials think, but you'd think that an organization of prophets, seers and revelators can see the future and figure out that Millenials will think this nonsense is a load of bollocks, but what do I know? I know that these leaks have not been what many people envision, but I think they really show the church for what it is. An institution completely out of touch.

[redjay]

And then the internet happened.

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

I remember that awkward transition time well. All my friends were escaping to the student wards back then in order to avoid staying in the home ward post mission. I also bailed because I didn't feel like giving any more RM talks on the stake circuit. Later on when I was the high councilman begging poor RMs to speak with me on HC Sunday, I really hated it and felt badly for the poor kids.

[Bloodhound98]

The other article about GAs responses is pretty awesome too.

[fh451]

Wow - estimated losses of YSA's was 45K per year in 2005, which is in the neighborhood of 1/2 of the birth-rate. I wonder what it is now? That's the kind of number that should panic the leadership.

fh451

[Red Ryder]

Why would anyone expect a group of married men 80 to 90 years old to understand the habits of unmarried 18 to 31 year olds? They are clueless and out of touch so they rely on middle managers to determine the problems and find a solution.

Here's how the process works. Wards keep stats in their local MLS systems. The data looks like shit. The low level GA polishes the shit data and pushes it up. The next level GA looks at the polished shit data and notes it stinks. He polishes the shit data and pushes it up. The next level GA notes the shit data looks bad, but not shitty. He polishes and pushes up. The process repeats itself until the Q12 get the polished data that doesn't look very bad. They then recommend a few minor things like semi annual interviews with a bishop and shazaam! YSA's will remain active. See how easy this is?

[MoPag]

Why would anyone expect a group of married men 80 to 90 years old to understand the habits of unmarried 18 to 31 year olds? They are clueless and out of touch so they rely on middle managers to determine the problems and find a solution.

Yep^
Middle managers who are white, male, straight (probably), married men who are 50 to 60 years. And if they do a good enough job they just might get a $120K promotion.

ysa.png (124.19 KiB) Viewed 8984 times

[Bloodhound98]

It's a good thing I'm married now. I got kicked out of a YSA because I turned 31. I was lucky there was a refugee camp for us old folks and that's where I met my wife. I always felt the Church had not the slightest clue as to what we needed at that age. That article just reinforces what I already knew.

[moksha]

The other article about GAs responses is pretty awesome too.

Link?

[Bloodhound98]

https://mormonleaks.io/newsroom/2017/03 ... rmonleaks/

[Eiriceach]

I find it most interesting that, from my perspective, absolutely nothing has changed. These internal recommendations were made just before I got divorced and returned to YSA. It was a horrid experience and there was absolutely no support system. It was almost comical how leaders didn't know what to do with you after a certain age. Throw in the fact that I was divorced and thus became the local leper of the ward, it was enough to help me realize it was best to step away from that whole group. But now, even as a Single Adult, it's still the same. Swim or drown. Which is probably one of the major reasons why the vast majority of singles in their 30's quit going to church, even the TBM's. It's less a less stressful and happier existence outside of that meat market.

[Just This Guy]

One thing I found very telling was the 2nd sentence of the report.

Best estimates suggest that 550,000 of these individuals were less active.

"Best estimates suggest?" Is that all they can do? I find it telling that they don't know how many members are active any better than people outside the church. Admittedly, part of this is due to the very problem they talk about with the mobility of that age group. Because they move around, it can be difficult for leadership to have an accurate idea. When a kid goes off to college, their membership records stay in their home ward. The local leadership can guess if they are active, but most of the time they have no way of knowing for sure unless they go to a BYU.

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

One thing I found very telling was the 2nd sentence of the report.

Best estimates suggest that 550,000 of these individuals were less active.

"Best estimates suggest?" Is that all they can do? I find it telling that they don't know how many members are active any better than people outside the church. Admittedly, part of this is due to the very problem they talk about with the mobility of that age group. Because they move around, it can be difficult for leadership to have an accurate idea. When a kid goes off to college, their membership records stay in their home ward. The local leadership can guess if they are active, but most of the time they have no way of knowing for sure unless they go to a BYU.

They could start putting RFID chips in garment waist bands or secretly put a tracker app in the Gospel Library app. It would be like wildlife research with radio collars.

[Just This Guy]

On one hand I would not be surprised if they did. On the other, I would because it would cost too much.


On a side note, that may be why they never give better numbers on stats like activity levels. The church itself may not even know what it's real activity level is. Or they don't want to know real numbers.

[MoPag]

They could start putting RFID chips in garment waist bands or secretly put a tracker app in the Gospel Library app. It would be like wildlife research with radio collars.

Oh please let there be a MormonLeaks document where someone suggested this!!