By Veeda Ware
Over the last two years, the rapid growth in church membership for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines has declined with the missionary focus largely on retention and reactivation.
“Out of the 49,000 converts who joined the church in 2001 and 2002, only 1,000 remain active,” said Dave Brinsfield, former senior missionary for the Manila Philippines mission.
Dave Brinsfield served a two-year mission with his wife Tita Brinsfield as an office couple. They finished their mission on Aug. 4, 2003, and will remain living in Manila.
“The mission was averaging 120-170 baptisms a month two years ago, but only do around 80 now,” Brinsfield said. “Even if the numbers are lower, the church members are stronger.”
He said less emphasis is placed on baptisms, and more missionary work is done to strengthen members and new converts.
Brinsfield said Elder Dallin H. Oaks wants full-time missionaries to work directly with bishops and branch presidents to help with reactivation.
Elder Oaks was called to be president of the Philippines Area in 2002. He is one of the two Apostles serving as an area president for the church. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is president of the Chile Area. All other presidency members belong to the Quorums of the Seventy.
“The missionaries put in 20 hours a week under the bishop or branch president”s direction,” Brinsfield said. “They stay in those areas with a minimum of six months to build solid relationships with the members.”
Tita Brinsfield said the highlight of her mission was when the couple spent time outside the mission office working in various branches.
The Brinsfields spent two to three months in three different branches working closely with ward members.
“When we first came to the branches, we told the bishop to inform the members we were only visiting,” Tita Brinsfield said. “We wanted to get to know the members before we started to help strengthen them. We didn”t want to intimidate them from the beginning.”
Brinsfield said the Filipino saints were eager to learn how to progress, but didn”t know how.
“The rapid growth of the church in the Philippines is wonderful,” Brinsfield said. “The influx of members created new branches and wards, but not so many leaders.”
Brinsfield said church leadership in the Philippines is weak, but members are anxious to learn and grow.
“It”s surprising how many things we take for granted growing up in the church,” Brinsfield said. “New converts have to learn everything from scratch. From how to pass the sacrament, to being reverent during meets.”
Brinsfield said because the Filipino saints learn gospel culture from one another, many practices are taught incorrectly, if taught at all.
“When I first got to one branch, the Relief Society president was unsure how to run her presidency,” Brinsfield said. “After we went over visiting teaching and other programs, she was so happy to understand the purpose better.”
Melanie Marquez is an actress and public figure in the Philippines. She joined the church five years ago, and said she loves serving her people.
“The Filipino saints are very sensitive to the spirit,” Marquez said. “When they hear the message from the missionaries, they feel the importance of the gospel in their lives and have a sincere desire to join.”
Marquez said many people join the church in the Philippines because they feel it is right, but soon become less active because they are unfamiliar with the church organization and structure.
“The people need strong leadership to help nurture their seeds of faith in their young stage of gospel,” Marquez said. “Without proper guidance, they don”t know where to grow.”
Marquez is currently Relief Society president of the Makati Village Branch. The English speaking branch is made up of mainly senior missionary couples in the Philippines, and a few families from the area. Starting this week, the branch will be dissolved and current members will integrate with local wards.
“The branch has been around for many years, and was created to help many foreigners to the Philippines feel comfortable in an English speaking branch,” Marquez said. “Under direction of Elder Oaks, we want to help spread leadership to local wards.”
Grant Pace, managing director of JDH Marketing in the Philippines, has attended the Makati Village Branch for the 11 years his family has lived in Manila. He serves as the Stake Teaching Improvement Coordinator as a High Council Member in the Makati Stake.
“It”s hard to part with the members of the Makati Village Branch. We consider them family,” Pace said. “I am looking forward to meeting my other brothers and sisters in the local wards.”
Pace said there is a feeling of community among the Filipino saints.
“I will attend church in some of the little chapels or homes out in the providence,” Pace said. “The small meeting houses and rooms allow members to see what”s going on everywhere. Everything is in the open air, you can hear the kids in primary sing or the Sunday school teacher teach.”
Pace said he travels to wards and branches in the stake to help instruct teacher training.
“Many of the members are new in the church, but teach the doctrine correctly,” Pace said. “They stick close to the lesson books and scriptures because it is the only source of information they have.”
Pace said the challenge in teaching is providing branches with experienced leaders who can provide sophisticated instruction.
Rob Nielson, a sophomore from Houston, served as a full-time missionary in the Angeles Philippines Mission.
“The most amazing thing about the Filipino people was their strong hold on hope,” Nielson said. “Most of the people are poverty stricken. Even though they have nothing, they still have so much love for God.”
Nielson said even though retention was low, the converts who stay active are very strong.
“In a country where there is little room for social growth, the gospel helps the people enlarge their surroundings, their hope,” Nielsen said. “They grow closer to who they are and what they can become.”
