Part IV. The Third Six Months: "Small Is Beautiful" 

Overview 

One of my three years as mission president was over. Even though as a mission we had progressed from the bottom to near the top in terms of convert baptisms, we were nowhere near our goal or vision. I was actually a little discouraged. On the first day of this new period, I wrote in my journal (Groberg, 1978-1981): 

            One year ago we arrived here to start a new mission. I never would have believed things would go so slow the first year. We are growing slowly--but growing. Our missionaries have diminished slightly, but our efficiency has increased slightly. A higher percent of missionaries are baptizing; more are getting multiple baptisms; more are baptizing consistently. But, oh what disappointments we have! Each baptism represents three or four others that should have been baptized--people that were right there ready, but didn't make it. 

            I felt I knew what was wrong. I commented on it in my journal (Groberg, 1978-1981): 

            I still am making the mistake of assuming that missionaries are doing what I ask them to do. They often don't. Habit rules their actions. In fact, I'm coming to realize that I don't really know what the missionaries are doing. That's the hardest thing to look at. As I look closely at them--teach with them, etc.--they change from what they usually do and I don't get a clear picture at all. Yet to help them, I must know.

            I sought ways of finding out what the missionaries were really doing and attempted to take action to help them. Getting more accurate and timely feedback on what was happening became one of my high priorities. Another priority was reducing the various units to more manageable sizes. With a continual emphasis on building and

reinforcing the vision and skills, reducing the size of things became a valuable means to accomplish this.  

24. Implementing the Small Unit Program 

Problem or situation. The activity rate of our new converts was relatively high for Japan. While the average activity rate for the Tokyo area had been around 24% (Inouye, 1981), the activity rate for all members for which our mission had responsibility was 42% (as measured by sacrament meeting attendance, January through June 1979) (Mission statistics, 1978-1981). Feedback from the mission branches suggested that a much higher percentage of our new converts--as high as 80% to 90%--were actively attending (see accompanying inserts).

However, there were still problems in the transition of new converts into the wards and branches. New converts were taught almost exclusively by the missionaries, often at the proselyting posts. When they were turned over to the members at a nearby ward or branch, they sometimes "fell through the cracks" and were lost. After the great effort required to bring them in, this was a source of some discouragement for me and my missionaries. It did require considerable time and effort for the missionaries to contact people, to teach introduction lessons, to get to know and understand the investigators, to teach them the regular lessons, to bring them to an understanding and acceptance of the gospel, and finally to help them reach the decision to be baptized. When the new converts whom the missionaries had loved and worked with and cared about so deeply were fellowshipped and accepted with open arms into a regular body of the Church, it was highly reinforcing to the missionaries. But when these new converts began to "fall through the cracks" due to the lack of care and attention, the missionaries became discouraged.

At a local mission presidents' seminar, Elder Kikuchi had introduced the concept of "small units." It was presented as a Church program which Elder Kikuchi encouraged us to implement appropriately in our respective missions. He gave us English versions of the Church handbook for this program, which he was having translated into Japanese, and encouraged us to implement it in our missions. (See Figure 12.)

            The Small Unit Program consisted of bringing people into the Church wherever they happened to be and building a unit of the Church around them. The program started with a single "group leader," expanded to a small branch with a branch president and counselors, continued building towards a regular branch, and finally into a full ward. Since we already had established proselyting posts (or "Dendo-shos") throughout the mission, the Small Unit Program seemed ideal for us. Instead of transferring the new converts taught at the proselyting posts to the nearest branch or ward, this program allowed us to retain them right there as the nuclei of a small unit and build a new unit of the church. Elder Kikuchi assigned me and the missionaries to be responsible for the operations of the small units operating within the mission. 

Action taken. (10-79) HOLD SMALL UNIT MEETINGS IN THE MISSIONARIES' OFFICE/APARTMENTS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MISSION. (Productivity label: Organizational.) 

            JOURNAL ENTRY (October 23, 1979): Today was a historic day in Japan! We held the District Leaders' Conference and presented the SMALL UNIT PROGRAM (Groberg, 1978-1981). 

I began implementing the Small Unit Program at the locations where we had previously established proselyting posts. As new converts were baptized, they became members of that small unit of the Church. They met at the same proselyting post for their Sunday meetings. Initially, the missionaries presided over and conducted the meetings. The new converts were assigned to bear testimonies, give talks from the Gospel Principles text (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978), and, as they received the proper priesthood, to assist in preparing, administering, and passing the sacrament. 

Results of the action. Journal entry (October 31, 1979): 

            The District Leaders’ Conference really helped things get going again! Everyone is super excited about the small unit program and the new vision of the work that it brings with it. We were able to end the month with 186 baptisms, which is just 14 short of 200 and the best month we have ever had. I feel that things will continue to pick up and grow from here on out (Groberg, 1978-1981).

            The results of the Small Unit Program were far reaching for three primary components of the proselyting effort: the missionaries, the members, and the new converts.  

1. The missionaries: The missionaries immediately saw the Small Unit Program as a means of helping them realize the larger vision they were working towards. The pieces seemed to be coming together and the barriers falling down. With the Small Unit Program, they felt it was truly within their grasp to do what they envisioned. As two of them reported to me:

            I really feel like the things that were introduced there [at the District Leaders' Conference] will be the things that change our mission around. . . .  I'm anxious to see this new program work and I know that we can make it go. I feel that it is just the key that we need to get off the plateau that we’ve been on. I hope that we’ll all be able to go forth and accomplish our goals. I know the Lord will bless us so that we can do what he asks. 

            This week has been the most exciting week of my mission. When our D. L.’s told us of the plan that will start an ensign for our mission I was super excited, especially when me and my companion can be the first to try this new program out. Now when we street we are looking for people--for Group Leaders and Elders Quorum Presidents (Missionary Letters, 1978-1981). 

The new responsibilities of overseeing the small units demanded much from the missionaries in terms of both time and effort. In addition to proselyting, they were now ecclesiastical leaders as well. They made the physical arrangements for and conducted the church meetings. They handled the finances, kept the records, did the reports, often taught Sunday School and Priesthood lessons, taught after-baptism lessons, and did home teaching.

It might seem these additional demands would seriously detract from their proselyting efforts and thus reduce the number of new converts, but the opposite occurred. The number of new converts continued to grow, and the missionaries became even more engrossed in their proselyting efforts. 

            2. The members: The members were also quite enthused about the Small Unit Program. Journal entry (October 31, 1979): 

            We have met with both Stake Presidents and District Presidency on the Small Unit Program and other things and they are fully behind it. I have invited them to attend the next round of Zone Conferences and talk with the missionaries (Groberg, 1978-1981). 

The new program had two major impacts on the members: (1) they no longer had the responsibility of these new members coming into the Small Units, and (2) they began to have fewer missionaries assigned to their regular wards and branches and thus fewer new members coming into them. In a few cases, where the missionaries felt that members had continuously "dropped the ball" in the transition of new members, I pulled the missionaries out completely and assigned them to a small unit. Occasionally some members in these units blamed the loss of new members on the lack of conversion and said, "If they were truly converted, they would be active on their own without any help from us." I found that the missionaries were simply not productive in such environments.

3. The new converts: Perhaps the biggest impact was on the new converts themselves. In the new Small Units, they generally felt more needed (as indeed they were). They had more growth experiences, they worked more as a unified group, and they tended to be more active. An example will illustrate this.

Prior to formally establishing the Small Unit Program on a wide scale, I pilot tested one near the mission office in Fuchu. I assigned two of my finest missionaries there. The unit progressed very well. Within a matter of nine or ten weeks--just over two months--they brought in close to 20 new members, almost all of whom were active. The small office/apartments in which they were meeting couldn't hold too many more than that, so I consulted with the local stake leaders and the area supervisor, Elder Kikuchi, about what to do.

We decided to rent a larger space nearby and create a new branch under the stake. For leadership, we decided to bring in two couples from a near unit in the stake. Just before we made the transition, I visited a meeting at the small unit. What I observed was thrilling.

There were almost 20 recent converts filling the small space almost to capacity. One of the missionaries conducted the meetings, but that was about all he did. The new converts did everything else. One of them led the music; another gave the opening prayer. One of them blessed the sacrament with the other missionary; two of them passed it. One of them gave a touching lesson directly from the lesson manual for new converts, Gospel Principles (The Church, 1978); others gave brief but sincere testimonies. One of them gave the closing prayer: another gathered up the hymn books. Almost all of them participated in some way. This was an inspiring example of the conversion process in action.

The next week we made the transition to the new branch and the larger facilities. In the process, the stake leaders had-with the best, of intentions--made a small change. They felt that two experienced couples were not enough for a new branch, so they brought in 20 to 30 old, established members from adjoining branches. I expressed my concern over having so many, but they felt they needed them.

I attended a meeting at that branch shortly after it was formed. What I saw was alarming. One of the old members conducted. One of the old members led the singing. One of the old members gave the opening prayer. Two of the old members blessed the sacrament. Three of the old members and one of the new converts passed the sacrament. It seemed to me that the old members spoke somewhat condescendingly to the new converts, telling them how many years and how much experience it takes to become "full-fledged" members. The meeting continued in that fashion to the end. The only participation I could see of the new converts--who had only a week or so ago been doing almost everything--was the one young man helping to pass the sacrament. When I asked the Branch President about it, he said the new converts didn't want to participate.

A few weeks later I attended a meeting there again. What I saw was discouraging. The attendance was sparse. Only three or four of the new converts were there. When I asked about them, an old member said the new converts were not very strong and had simply stopped coming. He further said that it was a good thing they had brought so many old members to form the branch or there wouldn't even be one.

I felt the old members had missed the point of the "Small Units.” They had overlooked the feelings of the new members. I didn't think the new members had just "gone inactive." It seemed more like they had been "pushed inactive." They had been told--through actions, not words--that they were no longer needed. They were told, "We are old members here who have lots of experience and can do things right. You just pay attention and learn." When they were asked to participate, they hesitated. This was very different than when they were in their own Small Unit. Now they were surrounded by experienced members who knew far more about the Church than they did. It seemed that everything they were told about they did "wrong." Soon, many of them just stopped coming.

After this experience, Elder Kikuchi instructed me to retain all Small Units under the jurisdiction of the mission. That way they could grow internally and provide opportunities to the new converts for growth and service. By leaving them under the mission, the Fuchu experience was not repeated.

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