Difference between revisions of "Missionary Training Center"

Latest revision as of 11:45, 18 June 2024

Provo Missionary Training Center

Each week, hundreds of families around the world bid farewell to their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, as they embark on an 18-month (females) to 24-month (males) journey as missionaries, fulfilling the Great Commission of taking the restored gospel to all the world. Because the daily life of a missionary is demanding—a life that is devoted entirely to teaching others about Jesus Christ and serving the needy—the first stop on the journey for each new missionary is at one of the 11 Missionary Training Centers (often called MTCs) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will spend their first week in online training and then afterward anywhere from two weeks (for those not learning a foreign language) to eight weeks in training before departing to serve in one of the Church’s 411 missions (number of missions as of September 30, 2023[1]).

Missionaries generally arrive at an MTC with a basic, foundational knowledge of religion and the scriptures gained from the years of instruction that they receive both at home and at Church. Many Latter-day Saint families have daily prayer and scripture study together. Latter-day Saint youth also attend weekly high school and college religion courses offered by the Church. And the family generally attends Church together on Sundays for two hours of additional religious instruction.

A New Missionary Training Center Created

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opening a new training center for full-time missionaries in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Since 2022, a limited number of local missionaries have received training in a temporary center, leading to the need for a permanent facility. This new MTC will help accommodate a growing number of missionaries in this region of Africa and provide training in advance of their missionary service.

The new training center will have a capacity of up to 200 missionaries who already speak French or will learn French before their service. The training center will be a short drive from the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, which will allow missionaries to attend the temple during their training. The new MTC is scheduled to begin operation in August 2024.

The Origin of the Missionary Training Center

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints originally started the Missionary Training Center to provide language training and to provide a place for missionaries to be housed while they were trained and sometimes until difficulties in obtaining passports and visas to their assigned areas could be resolved.

The MTC was originally called the "Language Training Mission" (LTM). The name was later changed in the 1970s to the "Missionary Training Center." The name was changed to note that it was for more than just language training, although language training would continue to be an important part of the facility's function.

Preparing Missionaries to Teach the Gospel

Accra Ghana Missionary Training Center

From the moment they arrive, the new missionaries are never alone; they are assigned a "companion" who is going to the same mission and will be with them always while at the MTC. Missionaries may communicate with their families on their weekly preparation day via text messages, online messaging, phone calls and video chat in addition to letters and emails. Missionaries avoid entertainment, parties, or other activities common to this age-group as long as they are on their missions, so they can focus entirely on the work of serving and of teaching others the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The rigorous course of study at the MTC is rooted in gospel fundamentals. While at the MTC, missionaries engage in daily practice teaching situations and intense gospel classroom instruction from teachers who are themselves returned missionaries. They also attend weekly devotional addresses from Church leaders and MTC staff and perform weekly service opportunities. Missionaries are encouraged to actively study the Church's doctrine to receive inspiration on how best to teach and help others.

The Provo MTC, the largest Missionary Training Center campus of the Church, teaches more than 50 languages. It ranks second among the nation’s largest on-site language schools, behind only the U.S. Defense Department’s Language Institute in Monterey, California. Each language instructor is either a native speaker or is fluent thanks to his or her own missionary service. In addition to language instruction, teachers provide cultural training—the use of proper manners and non-confrontational behaviors—to help missionaries make a smoother transition into their assigned foreign country.

For many of these 18- and 19-year-old men and women, this is their first experience of living away from home, so they also learn some of the basic, necessary skills needed to live on their own. They do their own laundry, exercise daily, eat nutritious meals provided by each MTC cafeteria, and stay in touch with family and friends once a week.

Regardless of the MTC attended, all missionaries are given the chance to further learn the doctrines of Jesus Christ and to develop and strengthen Christlike attributes. Missionaries learn to teach principles with clarity and to help others have faith in Christ, repent, be baptized in Christ's name, receive the Holy Spirit, and continue in the ways of the Savior.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, missionaries trained virtually while living at home. After COVID-19 restraints lessened, missionaries trained at home and online for the first week of their service, if they were training in their native languages. If they were learning foreign languages, they trained at home for one or two weeks, depending upon the location of the MTC they would transfer to. (See Church Newsroom.)

Missionary Training Centers Worldwide

Provo MTC

In addition to its flagship Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently operates 10 international MTCs worldwide: Brazil, England, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and now Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2][3]

Johannesburg South Africa Missionary Training Center - Courtesy of Provo Missionary Training Center

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that a new missionary training center — its 10th worldwide — would be created in Bangkok, Thailand. Effective January 2024, the Thailand MTC is located in the annex adjacent to the new six- story Bangkok Thailand Temple. The Thailand MTC will help accommodate the training of new full-time missionaries who are from Southeast Asia and other regions.[4]

See above for information on the new MTC in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Provo MTC completed an expansion project in June 2017 that resulted in 200 new missionary classrooms, large meeting spaces, 300-plus stalls in underground parking, open views from classrooms, and artwork and messaging throughout the two new six-story buildings and along the outdoor walkways for the expansive outdoor spaces. It has the capacity for 3,700 missionaries.

The new Ghana Missionary Training Center was completed in August 2017. Built next to the temple grounds in Accra, the new facility replaced the original MTC built in 2002.

Location	Areas Served	Training Language
Brazil Missionary Training Center, São Paulo, Brazil	Brazil, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Angola, South America, Central America, Mexico, Japan, Portugal	Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese
England Missionary Training Center, near Preston, England	Europe	English, English as a Second Language, French, German, Greek
Ghana Missionary Training Center, Accra, Ghana	West Africa, DR Congo, Madagascar	Amharic, English, English as a Second Language, French, Swahili
Mexico Missionary Training Center, Mexico City, Mexico	Mexico, other countries in North, Central and South America; Dominican Republic, Haiti	Spanish, Haitian Creole, K'ekchi
New Zealand Missionary Training Center, near Auckland, New Zealand	Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga	English, English as a Second Language, French (native speakers only), Samoan (native speakers only), Tongan
Peru Missionary Training Center, Lima, Peru	Central and South America	Spanish
Philippines Missionary Training Center, in metro Manila, Philippines	Philippines and Asia	Cambodian, Cebuano, English, English as a Second Language, Hiligaynon, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese (all languages except Tagalog and English as a Second Language are for native speakers only)
South Africa Missionary Training Center, near Johannesburg, South Africa	Southeast Africa, Madagascar	English, Portuguese, Malagasy
Thailand Missionary Training Center in Bangkok, Thailand	Southeast Asia and other regions	English, Thai, and Russian
Democratic Republic of the Congo Missionary Training Center, Kinshasa, DRC	Central Africa	French
Provo, Utah, United States	Worldwide	More than 50 different languages

External Links

Videos

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:mission2.jpg]]   [[Image:mission.jpg]]
+[[Image:New_Provo_MTC_Building.jpg|285px|thumb|<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Provo Missionary Training Center</span></center>|right]]
+Each week, hundreds of families around the world bid farewell to their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, as they embark on an 18-month (females) to 24-month (males) journey as [[Mormon Missionaries|missionaries]], fulfilling the [[The Great Commission: Spreading the Gospel of Christ|Great Commission]] of taking the restored gospel to all the world. Because the daily life of a [[Missionary|missionary]] is demanding—a life that is devoted entirely to teaching others about [[Jesus Christ]] and serving the needy—the first stop on the journey for each new missionary is at one of the 11 '''Missionary Training Centers''' (often called MTCs) of [http://comeuntochrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]. They will spend their first week in online training and then afterward anywhere from two weeks (for those not learning a foreign language) to eight weeks in training before departing to serve in one of the Church’s 411 [[Mission|missions]] (number of missions as of September 30, 2023[https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022/9/30/23379823/map-of-lds-missions-see-area-by-area-breakdown/#:~:text=By%20Scott%20Taylor-,The%20Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter%2Dday%20Saints%20has,countries%20in%20the%20various%20areas.]).
+Missionaries generally arrive at an MTC with a basic, foundational knowledge of religion and the scriptures gained from the years of instruction that they receive both at home and at Church. Many Latter-day Saint families have daily prayer and scripture study together. Latter-day Saint youth also attend weekly [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/seminary?lang=eng high school] and [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/institute/?lang=eng college] religion courses offered by the Church. And the family generally attends Church together on Sundays for two hours of additional religious instruction.
-'''Missionary Training Centers''', or MTCs, are maintained by the [[Mormon Church]] to train their full-time [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/missionary/index.htm missionaries] before sending them around the world. They are trained in expected conduct, proselytizing methods, and if it is required, a foreign language. All missionaries are given at least three weeks in proselytizing methods. This includes lessons on church doctrine and teaching, proper manners and on non-confrontationalism. They are encouraged to actively study the Church's doctrine in order to be inspired on how best to teach others.  Almost all missionaries attend at least one of the MTCs for training prior to serving in their assigned area.
+==A New Missionary Training Center Created==
-There are currently seventeen MTCs:
+The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opening a new training center for full-time missionaries in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
-* Provo, Utah (USA)
+Since 2022, a limited number of local missionaries have received training in a temporary center, leading to the need for a permanent facility. This new MTC will help accommodate a growing number of missionaries in this region of Africa and provide training in advance of their missionary service.
-* Preston, England
-* Buenos Aires, Argentina
-* Sao Paulo, Brazil
-* Mexico City, Mexico
-* Santiago, Chile
-* Bogotá, Colombia
-* Lima, Peru
-* Guatemala City, Guatemala
-* Hamilton, New Zealand
-* Manila, Philippines
-* Tokyo, Japan
-* Seoul, South Korea
-* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
-* Madrid, Spain
-* Accra, Ghana
-* Johannesburg, South Africa
-Regardless of the particular MTC attended, all missionaries are given the chance to further learn the doctrines of [[Jesus Christ]] and to develop and strengthen Christlike attributes. Missionaries learn to teach principles with clarity and to help others have [[faith]] in Christ, [[Repentance|repent]], [[baptism|be baptized]] in Christ's name, receive the [[Holy Spirit]], and continue in the ways of Christ. Because many missionaries are sent to countries or areas where a different language is spoken, Missionary Training Centers provide important instruction on speaking foreign languages.  The Provo MTC, for example, teaches almost fifty languages.
+The new training center will have a capacity of up to 200 missionaries who already speak French or will learn French before their service. The training center will be a short drive from the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, which will allow missionaries to attend the temple during their training. The new MTC is scheduled to begin operation in August 2024.
-Missionaries generally spend between a few weeks and a few months in a Missionary Training Center, depending in part on whether or not foreign language lessons are required.
+==The Origin of the Missionary Training Center==
-The Missionary Training Center was originally started by the Mormon Church to provde language training and a place to stay until difficulties in obtaining passport visas to their assigned areas could be cleared up.
+[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] originally started the '''Missionary Training Center''' to provide language training and to provide a place for missionaries to be housed while they were trained and sometimes until difficulties in obtaining passports and visas to their assigned areas could be resolved.
-Originally called the Language Training Mission, the name was changed to the Missionary Training Center in the 1970s. The name was changed to note that it was for more than just language training, although language training would still continue to be an important part of the facility.
+The MTC was originally called the "Language Training Mission" (LTM). The name was later changed in the 1970s to the "Missionary Training Center." The name was changed to note that it was for more than just language training, although language training would continue to be an important part of the facility's function.
+==Preparing Missionaries to Teach the Gospel==
+[[Image:Missionary_Training_Center_Ghana.jpg|300px|thumb|<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Accra Ghana Missionary Training Center</span></center>|left]]
+From the moment they arrive, the new missionaries are never alone; they are assigned a "companion" who is going to the same mission and will be with them always while at the MTC. Missionaries may communicate with their families on their weekly preparation day via text messages, online messaging, phone calls and video chat in addition to letters and emails. Missionaries avoid entertainment, parties, or other activities common to this age-group as long as they are on their missions, so they can focus entirely on the work of serving and of teaching others the gospel of Jesus Christ.
+The rigorous course of study at the MTC is rooted in gospel fundamentals. While at the MTC, missionaries engage in daily practice teaching situations and intense gospel classroom instruction from teachers who are themselves returned missionaries. They also attend weekly devotional addresses from Church leaders and MTC staff and perform weekly service opportunities. Missionaries are encouraged to actively study the Church's doctrine to receive inspiration on how best to teach and help others.
+The [https://provo.mtc.byu.edu Provo MTC], the largest Missionary Training Center campus of the Church, teaches more than 50 languages. It ranks second among the nation’s largest on-site language schools, behind only the U.S. Defense Department’s Language Institute in Monterey, California. Each language instructor is either a native speaker or is fluent thanks to his or her own missionary service. In addition to language instruction, teachers provide cultural training—the use of proper manners and non-confrontational behaviors—to help missionaries make a smoother transition into their assigned foreign country.
+For many of these 18- and 19-year-old men and women, this is their first experience of living away from home, so they also learn some of the basic, necessary skills needed to live on their own. They do their own laundry, exercise daily, eat nutritious meals provided by each MTC cafeteria, and stay in touch with family and friends once a week.
+Regardless of the MTC attended, all missionaries are given the chance to further learn the doctrines of Jesus Christ and to develop and strengthen Christlike attributes. Missionaries learn to teach principles with clarity and to help others have faith in Christ, repent, be baptized in Christ's name, receive the Holy Spirit, and continue in the ways of the Savior.
+During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, missionaries trained virtually while living at home. After COVID-19 restraints lessened, missionaries trained at home and online for the first week of their service, if they were training in their native languages. If they were learning foreign languages, they trained at home for one or two weeks, depending upon the location of the MTC they would transfer to. (See [https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-missionaries-going-to-5-mtcs-will-do-online-training-at-home-for-just-1-week Church Newsroom.])
+==Missionary Training Centers Worldwide==
+[[Image:MTC.jpg|350px|thumb|frame|<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Provo MTC</span></center>|left]]
+In addition to its flagship Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] currently operates 10 international MTCs worldwide: Brazil, England, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and now Democratic Republic of the Congo.[https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/12/13/23999480/new-missionary-training-center-bangkok-thailand-10th-worldwide/][https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2024/06/18/new-mtc-missionary-training-center-kinshasa-dr-congo-august-2024/]
+[[Image:Johannesburg_South_Africa_MTC.jpg|300px|thumb|right|<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Johannesburg South Africa Missionary Training Center - Courtesy of Provo Missionary Training Center</span></center>|none]]
+The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that a new missionary training center — its 10th worldwide — would be created in Bangkok, Thailand. Effective January 2024, the Thailand MTC is located in the annex adjacent to the new six-
+story Bangkok Thailand Temple. The Thailand MTC will help accommodate the training of new full-time missionaries who are from Southeast Asia and other regions.[https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/12/13/23999480/new-missionary-training-center-bangkok-thailand-10th-worldwide]
+See above for information on the new MTC in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
+The Provo MTC completed an expansion project in June 2017 that resulted in 200 new missionary classrooms, large meeting spaces, 300-plus stalls in underground parking, open views from classrooms, and artwork and messaging throughout the two new six-story buildings and along the outdoor walkways for the expansive outdoor spaces. It has the capacity for 3,700 missionaries.
+The new Ghana Missionary Training Center was completed in August 2017. Built next to the temple grounds in Accra, the new facility replaced the original MTC built in 2002.
+{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
+|'''<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Location</span></center>'''
+|'''<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Areas Served</span></center>'''
+|'''<center><span style="color:#0000FF">Training Language</span></center>'''
+|-
+|Brazil Missionary Training Center, São Paulo, Brazil
+|Brazil, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Angola, South America, Central America, Mexico, Japan, Portugal
+|Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese
+|-
+|England Missionary Training Center, near Preston, England
+|Europe
+|English, English as a Second Language, French, German, Greek
+|-
+|Ghana Missionary Training Center, Accra, Ghana
+|West Africa, DR Congo, Madagascar
+|Amharic, English, English as a Second Language, French, Swahili
+|-
+|Mexico Missionary Training Center, Mexico City, Mexico
+|Mexico, other countries in North, Central and South America; Dominican Republic, Haiti
+|Spanish, Haitian Creole, K'ekchi
+|-
+|New Zealand Missionary Training Center, near Auckland, New Zealand
+|Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga
+|English, English as a Second Language, French (native speakers only), Samoan (native speakers only), Tongan
+|-
+|Peru Missionary Training Center, Lima, Peru
+|Central and South America
+|Spanish
+|-
+|Philippines Missionary Training Center, in metro Manila, Philippines
+|Philippines and Asia
+|Cambodian, Cebuano, English, English as a Second Language, Hiligaynon, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese (all languages except Tagalog and English as a Second Language are for native speakers only)
+|-
+|South Africa Missionary Training Center, near Johannesburg, South Africa
+|Southeast Africa, Madagascar
+|English, Portuguese, Malagasy
+|-
+|Thailand Missionary Training Center in Bangkok, Thailand
+|Southeast Asia and other regions
+|English, Thai, and Russian
+|-
+|Democratic Republic of the Congo Missionary Training Center, Kinshasa, DRC
+|Central Africa
+|French
+|-
+|Provo, Utah, United States
+|Worldwide
+|More than 50 different languages
+|}
 ==External Links==
 *[http://www.mtc.byu.edu/index.htm The Provo MTC website]
-*[http://www.aboutmormonism.com/mormon_missionaries.html About Mormonism] - contains many facts about missionaries and their training.
+*[https://africawest.lds.org/missionary-training-center The Missionary Training Center in Accra, Ghana]
+*[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormon-mtc-life Preparation With Purpose: Life in a Mormon Missionary Training Center]
+*[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mission-presidents-leave-home-behind-to-serve-throughout-the-world Mission Presidents Leave Home Behind to Serve Throughout the World]
+*[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/missionary-program?cid=Mormon_missionary_service_2_Infographic The Latter-day Saint Missionary Program]
+*[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/50-years-of-missionary-language-training-readers-share-how-they-learned-their-mission-language?lang=eng Church News, "50 Years of Missionary Language Training: Readers Share How They Learned Their Mission Language"]
+*[https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/12/13/23999480/new-missionary-training-center-bangkok-thailand-10th-worldwide Church News, "Church to open a new missionary training center in Bangkok, Thailand — its 10th worldwide"]
+*[https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2024/06/18/new-mtc-missionary-training-center-kinshasa-dr-congo-august-2024/ Church News, "New missionary training center coming to Democratic Republic of the Congo"]
+==Videos==
+<embedvideo service="youtube" urlargs="rel=0" dimensions="400x225" alignment="inline">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV5bAl549Qc&rel=0</embedvideo>
+<embedvideo service="youtube" urlargs="rel=0" dimensions="400x225" alignment="inline">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0-0nniCz6k&rel=0</embedvideo>
+<embedvideo service="youtube" urlargs="rel=0" dimensions="400x225" alignment="inline">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfediJ354ls&rel=0</embedvideo>
+<embedvideo service="youtube" urlargs="rel=0" dimensions="400x225" alignment="inline">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycDZp2-7beQ&rel=0</embedvideo>
+[[es:Centros de Capacitación Misional]]
+[[it:Centro di Addestramento Missionario o MTC]]
+[[ru:Центр подготовки миссионеров]]
+[[pt:Centro de Treinamento Missionário]]
 [[Category: Places of Church Interest]]
+[[Category: Missionary Work]]

Difference between revisions of "Missionary Training Center"

Latest revision as of 11:45, 18 June 2024

Contents

A New Missionary Training Center Created

The Origin of the Missionary Training Center

Preparing Missionaries to Teach the Gospel

Missionary Training Centers Worldwide

External Links

Videos

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