Thousands of young Mormons participate in missions each year in an effort to recruit others to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The BBC was granted access to the training centre in Chorley, Lancashire, where 19-year-old Rebekah Cooper and her fellow young missionaries are taught how to teach Mormon beliefs and use social media to reach converts.
The training facility instructs missionaries on how to adhere to a strict schedule by using an app to plan every minute of their days. Social media posts are also used to recruit converts, but missionaries may encounter ridicule and hostility from the general public. During the mission, Internet access is restricted to mission-related activities only, and missionaries are required to send at least 50 social media messages per day.
Rebekah had to give up her first name, stop calling her friends on the phone, and give up her alone time. She was also required to follow general Mormon rules based on religious scriptures, such as a prohibition on premarital sex and the consumption of tea and coffee. Typical activities of Generation Z, such as gaming and TikTok, are also forbidden.
Rebekah may find it difficult to communicate with the public or over the phone during the mission, as some members of the public may argue with them and call them insane. But Rebekah recalls being given the number of a 19-year-old auto mechanic, Josh, whose number turned out to be authentic. After five weeks, Josh was invited to join the Church through baptism.
After one of her classmates committed suicide, Rebekah claims that her faith helped her through a period of anxiety and depression. This experience persuaded her to undertake a mission. Living with two roommates in a small Wrexham apartment was difficult to adjust to, but Rebekah gained a great deal of confidence as a result.
Now that Rebekah has returned to a normal life, she hopes to study psychology and child development in college.
The Mormons Are Coming is a BBC Two documentary that follows three young Mormon missionaries through their first few months of training and work in the field. It will air on Tuesday, February 28 at 21:00 GMT and be available on BBC iPlayer.
Every year, thousands of young Mormons volunteer to serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Young missionaries learn how to teach Mormon beliefs and use social media to reach converts at the UK Missionary Training Centre in Chorley, Lancashire, which the BBC was granted access to.
19-year-old Rebekah Cooper from Tring, Hertfordshire, is one of these volunteers who had to give up her first name, stop calling her friends on the phone, and give up her alone time. She was also required to follow general Mormon rules, such as a prohibition on premarital sex and the consumption of tea and coffee. Gaming and TikTok are also prohibited as typical Gen Z activities.
The training centre teaches missionaries how to adhere to a strict work schedule by using an app that allows them to plan every minute of their days. Through the creation of Instagram Reel videos and Facebook posts, social media posts are also used to find people for conversion. Missionaries who are expected to send at least 50 social media messages per day may face ridicule and hostility from the general public.
Rebekah recalls receiving one phone number that turned out to be legitimate: that of 19-year-old auto mechanic Josh. After five weeks, Josh was invited to join the Church through baptism. Living with two roommates in a small Wrexham apartment was difficult to adjust to, but Rebekah gained a great deal of confidence as a result.
The Mormons Are Coming is a documentary on BBC Two that follows three young Mormon missionaries through their first few months of training and fieldwork. It will air on Tuesday, February 28 at 21:00 GMT and be available on BBC iPlayer.
The Mormons Are Coming is a documentary that will air on BBC Two on the 28th of February. It follows three young Mormon missionaries through their first few months of training and fieldwork. Additionally, it will be available on BBC iPlayer.
Every year, thousands of young Mormons volunteer to serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Rebekah Cooper, 19, from Tring, Hertfordshire, is one of these volunteers who had to give up her first name, stop making phone calls to her friends, give up any alone time, and adhere to general Mormon rules such as a ban on premarital sex and the consumption of tea and coffee.
