Technology is helping spread the gospel message, according to Elder Robert L. Backman of the Presidency of the Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department.
"For more than 10 years the Church has been paying for advertisements in mass media to help more people learn about the Savior and His teachings," said Elder Backman. "Increasingly the Lord is blessing the world with the technologies that allow recipients of these messages to ask for missionaries to answer their questions and help them understand more, if they desire," said Elder Backman.And media messages are second only to the example of members in drawing people toward the gospel, said Sherman M. Crump, managing director of the Missionary Department.
The Missionary Department is effectively using the media to appeal to the varied interests of non-members. Through the department's direct media ad campaigns, paid LDS advertisements are being run on cable and local television stations in the United States and Canada, with limited advertisements in magazines. Radio spots and newspaper ads have also been tested, but are not being used currently. The program also includes follow-up telephone calls and letters, if people so desire.
A toll-free telephone number is given with each U.S. and Canadian advertisement and a free copy of the Book of Mormon or other items are offered.
Elder Backman explained that these campaigns talk about the gospel and the Restoration in ways that non-members understand.
He explained that people generally seem to be interested in family, the purpose of life and Jesus Christ - subjects dealt with in the media ad campaigns.
Brother Crump noted the media messages are effective in piquing a person's interest in the gospel. He said a media ad may be the experience that helps people take that final step to investigating the Church. "But I think we've got to understand that no one just suddenly decides to listen to the missionaries," he said.
"They've being influenced over a period of time by a number of experiences," he added."There's no one single reason why people investigate."
During 1990, 679,815 people in the United States and Canada responded to the Church's media advertisements. Of those, 198,091 agreed to have missionaries deliver the free copy of the Book of Mormon or other items, and teach the discussions.
Test media programs conducted during 1990 in Germany, England, and Australia resulted in 24,852 responses and 5,784 referrals. That makes a 1990 total of 704,667 responses with 203,875 referrals.
This year, the department will continue tests in Germany, Australia and England.
During 1991, as of April 24, 312,656 people had responded to the ads in the United States and Canada, while 144,239 had agreed to receive the missionaries.
Elder Backman explained that the department's other media efforts help people realize that the Savior's teachings can solve today's problems. The Missionary Department's public service campaigns include the "Homefront" series, designed to help families. The department also produces seasonal programming, such as "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" and "Easter Dream," that teach about the Savior.
Video presentations, such as "Our Heavenly Father's Plan," "Together Forever," "What is Real?" "Labor of Love," and "The Prodigal Son," are also produced by the department.
Brother Crump pointed out that the paid media ad campaigns, which began in 1986 with the motivational audio tape "Bounce Back," were initiated to help viewers "understand that our message isn't only about families."
"Our message is about the restoration of the gospel," he added.
In 1989 in Hamilton, Ontario, Roy Miller had been impressed by the "Homefront" messages, but did not know how to contact the Church. He came home from work one day, reported John W. Hardy, who was then mission president, and turned on his television set. One of the Book of Mormon ads was airing right then, and he hurriedly called the toll-free number to request a copy of the book and asked that missionaries visit. As he heard the gospel message in the discussions, he knew that the Church was true. He was baptized, and he has now attended the temple, reported Bishop Raul Abraham of the Hamilton 2nd Ward.
Last September, Bertold Helesky, in the Germany Hamburg Mission, had been praying for several weeks for guidance, reported mission Pres. Robert W. Peterson. He picked up a copy of a publication that had an advertisement for the Book of Mormon in it. He ordered the book, which was delivered by missionaries. As they taught him, Brother Helesky became very enthused about the Joseph Smith story and the Book of Mormon, and was subsequently baptized. "We have been able to see several strong baptisms as a result of the last campaign," Pres. Peterson wrote.
