The Journal of Latter-day Saint Missiology is a free peer reviewed e-journal which we will be publishing online biannually starting in December 2008 with the purpose of promoting original missiology research and to foster scholarly discussion and critical practical analysis from a variety of perspectives. There have previously been few publicly-available works on LDS missiology, and we hope to bring greater scholarly rigor and constructive analysis to the examination of important topics. Topics covered will include growth, retention, internationalization, member-missionary work, policy, and other practical matters related to LDS missionary work.

Background

Missiologic articles published to date in LDS scholarly publications relating to missiology have been almost entirely descriptive, non-interventional studies without scientific study design or hypothesis testing. The discipline of LDS missiology, or the study of missions, has not received serious attention from the LDS scholarly community.

Official missionary department research is not released publicly. When research findings are disclosed at all, they are typically released as isolated conclusions stripped of the context and methodology that are essential to determining their quality, relevance, and applicability. Missionary department research continues to be conducted almost exclusively in English-speaking areas, and the token exposure to other languages comes primarily from Spanish-speaking companionships in North America. These slow-growth English-speaking areas with large established member bases poorly reflect the circumstances of missions in the developing world where most church growth is occurring, yet conclusions drawn from such research are extrapolated to the world as a whole. My surveys of missionaries and leaders in areas where research has been done demonstrates no randomization, no blinding, little or no controlling for confounding factors, few efforts to measure compliance, and a primary focus on short-term endpoints (i.e. baptisms) with little or no follow-up regarding convert retention or other outcomes after investigators are baptized. Whatever one may believe regarding the quality of such studies, even good research cannot make a difference when it is not communicated or disclosed.

There is no shortage of assertions and opinions on missionary matters, but there is a shortage of principles backed up by transparent objective data. Missionary work occupies an essential role in LDS theology, and a correct understanding of principles of missionary work is necessary for individual members to successfully meet their responsibilities as member-missionaries and as full-time missionaries. Therefore, LDS missiology deserves more careful and rigorous study in a transparent and scholarly fashion.

Levels of Evidence

Discussion of levels of evidence has been entirely absent from missiologic publications to date, and previously published research has been almost exclusively of low quality studies (level IV or level V). In an effort to increase scholarly rigor and to formalize LDS missiology as a serious scholarly discipline, we will list the level of evidence in each published article.

Levels of evidence are used in contemporary medical research to separate high-quality research from low-quality research and anecdotal observation, fostering greater awareness in researchers of the need for rigorous study design and assisting readers in assessing the relevance and applicability of published articles. More about levels of evidence can be found on the website of the Center for Evidence Based Medicine at cebm.net. The levels of evidence, adapted for missiologic research, are listed below.

• Level I: high-quality randomized controlled prospective studies
• Level II: Original retrospective cohort studies, and low-quality randomized controlled prospective studies (i.e. <80% follow-up). Also systematic reviews of cohort studies.
• Level III: Case control studies, non-consecutive studies
• Level IV: Case series and poor quality cohort and case-control studies
• Level V: Expert opinion without evidence-based critical appraisal, based on desk research or "first principles."

Author Guidelines

We are soliciting relevant original articles for e-publication. Articles should be prepared in standard scholarly format and should range from 4,000-12,000 words. Authors will receive a $500 stipend for any article accepted for publication, with an additional $500 prize ($1000 total) awarded to the author of the best article in each issue.

Papers should be from 4,000-12,000 words and should be prepared in standard academic format with references cited in footnotes.

The focus of articles should be practical and constructive. Papers should be written in a candid yet respectful tone.

Missiologic research faces certain challenges, especially with regard to privacy of individuals. Dates and locations of research should be documented along with relevant methodology. Authors are requested to remove personally identifiable information of individuals in the study, except when the individual has given permission. We urge courtesy and caution in avoiding the identification of mission leaders or other individuals without their permission.

In each article's conclusion, authors should also specifically address any limitations of their research that are relevant in determining the rigor and applicability of their research, as well as identifying unresolved questions that they believe require further study.

Most articles will fall into one of three classes: descriptive articles, topical articles, and original research.

Descriptive Articles

Descriptive articles provide observational data with limited analysis, but present no specific recommendations for action. A descriptive article might describe and analyze church growth in Peru or Japan, or it might examine trends in convert retention among minority groups in a specific country. Most of the sociologic articles published in Dialogue fall into this category.

Original Empirical Research

Challenges must be recognized before they can be addressed. Yet observational studies alone are inadequate to quality improvement. For instance, observation of convert retention challenges in congregations in Guatemala or Taiwan foster insights that may suggest better ways of working, yet such observations in themselves do not prove that a proposed intervention would lead to superior outcomes. This connection can only be proven by interventional studies documenting that the proposed intervention leads to superior results than those achieved by controls.

In contrast with the purely descriptive nature of most published field research, empirical research involves a scientific study design in attempting to ascertain the impact of a specific intervention.

Original research articles should include an introduction, description of methodology, results, and analysis, with discussion of any limitations of study design.

Topical Articles

Topical articles focus on a specific theme, such as various finding methods, member-missionary work, or factors contributing to convert retention. Topical articles will typically address:

• Directives from scriptures and modern prophets on the subject
• Objective data regarding actual present performance
• Review of the literature
• Evidence and analysis regarding more or less effective practices
• Specific principles that may be derived from existing data.

Examples of topical articles can be found in my book, The Law of the Harvest: Practical Principles of Effective Missionary Work.

Research Grants

Research grants of up to $2,000 will be offered for qualifying original empirical missiology research projects which can demonstrate a need for additional funding, with half paid in advance and half paid upon receipt of a manuscript. Four grants are available per year. If you wish to apply for a grant, please submit a detailed research proposal describing your topic, your methodology, what questions you hope to answer, and how the funds will be used. Grant proposals may be accepted or rejected, or the submitter may be asked to revise and resubmit the proposal, at the sole discretion of the Cumorah Foundation board.

Suggestions for Research

Below is a list of some topics which, with appropriate study design, may be appropriate for investigation. These topics are simply examples which may provide some idea of the type of research we are looking for.

Meetingplace Accessibility Study
In specific areas of the developing world, how much time and money does it cost members to attend local meetingplaces? How does accessibility of the local congregation (or lack thereof) impact member participation and investigator turnout?

Church planting vs. Centers of Strength
How do growth rates in new congregations differ from those of established congregations? How do other pertinent factors (i.e. fellowshipping, social opportunities, etc.) rate in comparative analysis?

Convert Retention
A sequential prospective or retrospective case series (without identifying personal information) of convert retention in a ward or branch over a two year period, with pertinent details of the teaching process and the investigator’s status, various interventions performed, and outcomes regarding church participation and other performance measures. What practices or policies, either from full-time missionaries or ward members, may have impacted retention? For individuals who were not retained, what warning signs may have been missed, or what necessary interventions were omitted?

Member-Missionary Participation
Case studies of specific congregation, stake, or regional member-missionary programs, with member participation and outcome data.