Reaching the Nations

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By David Stewart and Matt Martinich

Geography

Area: 702 square km. Located between Hawaii and Indonesia, the Federated States of Micronesia consist of 607 islands divided among four major island groups in the North Pacific Ocean. Terrain varies by island and may include rugged mountains, coastal plains, coral atolls, and volcanic outcroppings. Tropical weather occurs year-round with frequent heavy rain. Typhoons are a natural hazard. Environmental issues include overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Micronesia is divided into four administrative states.

Peoples

Chuukese/Mortlockese: 49.3%

Pohnpeian: 29.8%

Kosraean: 6.3%

Yapese: 5.7%

Outer Yap islands: 5.1%

Polynesian: 1.6%

Asian: 1.4%

Other: 0.8%

Indigenous ethnic groups (Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, and Yapese) are of Micronesian ethnic stock and constitute 91% of the national population. Many Micronesians have immigrated to Guam and the United States, primarily to Hawaii, California, Oregon, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Nevada.

Population: 103,643 (July 2018)

Annual Growth Rate: –0.55% (2018)

Fertility Rate: 2.37 children born per woman (2018)

Life Expectancy: 71.3 male, 75.6 female (2018)

Languages: Chuukese (46.5%), Pohnpeian (28.0%), Kosraean (6.4%), Mortlockese (5.7%), Yapese (4.9%), Kapingamarangi (2.9%), Pingelapese (2.4%), English (1.3%), other (1.9%). English is the official and common language, spoken by most as a second language.

Literacy: 89% (2017)

History

The first Micronesian settlers likely arrived several millennia before the birth of Christ and established a centralized empire based on the largest island by the time European explorers arrived in the sixteenth century. The Spanish ruled the islands until 1899 when they were transferred to German control until 1919. The Japanese occupied the islands until the end of World War II when they came under administration by the United States under the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Four of the island districts formed the Federal States of Micronesia in 1979, while other Micronesian islands such as Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands remained under United States sovereignty. Since independence, Micronesia has maintained strong ties with the United States.

Culture

Christian churches occupy an important role in local culture and society, as most Micronesians are active in a church. Most the population converted to Christianity in the nineteenth century but have retained many indigenous beliefs and traditions. Agriculture, fishing, and village functions dominate Micronesian life considering most live in rural areas. The four island groups boast unique and individual cultures and histories. Found on the island of Yap and originally quarried on Palau and sometimes as far as New Guinea, Rai stones where made from limestone rocks and traditionally used as a form of currency, ranging in diameter from 0.5 to three meters.[1] Kissing in public is against local culture, even during marriage ceremonies. Dating is socially unacceptable; instead, men must approach the family of the woman he desires to marry and make wedding arrangements. Cigarette and alcohol consumption rates are low. Like much of Micronesia and the Southeast Asian region, locals chew the red areca nut (betel) frequently, which is a known carcinogen, stains the teeth, and is addictive.[2]

Economy

GDP per capita: $3,400 (2017) [5.7% of U.S.]

Human Development Index: 0.627 (2017)

Corruption Index: N/A

The economy relies on fishing, subsistence farming, and aid from the United States to function. Distance from developed countries, small population, poorly developed island infrastructure, and fragmentation of the population throughout the many islands creates major barriers to economic development. Timber, fish, minerals, and phosphate are natural resources but are limited in abundance. Nearly two-thirds of the labor force are government employees. Services account for 93.9% of the workforce and generate 54.8% of the GDP, whereas industry employs 5.2% of the workforce and generates 18.9% of the GDP. Tourism, construction, fishing, and crafts are the largest industries. Agriculture employs 1.1% of the workforce and generates 26.3% of the GDP. Primary crops include black pepper, fruit, vegetables, coconuts, cassava, sakau, betel nuts, and sweet potatoes. Common livestock includes pigs and chickens. The United States is the primary trade partner.

Corruption is most rampant in Chuuk, especially in the government. Judicial delays, discrimination against women, child neglect, and domestic violence are concerns.[3] Micronesia is a major consumer of marijuana.

Faiths

Christian: 99%

Other: 1%

Christians

Denominations – Members – Congregations

Catholic – 57,003

Evangelicals – 27,006

Latter-day Saints – 6,238 – 22

Seventh Day Adventists – 1,756 – 8

Jehovah’s Witnesses – 162 – 4

Religion

Catholics and Protestants account for nearly the entire Micronesian population, but the ratio of Catholics to Protestants varies by island. The United Church of Christ is the foremost Protestant denomination. Ninety percent (90%) of the Kosraean population is Protestant and 40% of the Chuukese population is Protestant. Pohnpei’s population is evenly divided between both religious traditions, whereas Yap is 80% Catholic. Other prominent Protestant denominations include Baptists, Assemblies of God, and Salvation Army. Attendance at church is high among most religious groups, as churches are strongly intertwined with civil society.[4] Only Yap appears to have some interdenominational rivalry resulting from the conversion of village chiefs to differing Christian denominations.[5] Latter-day Saints are among the largest and most rapidly growing Christian minority denominations.

Religious Freedom

The constitution protects religious freedom, which is upheld by the government. Missionaries operate freely, and religious groups may establish private schools. There have been no recent reports of societal abuses of religious freedom albeit some citizens have called to outlaw the operation of non-Christian religious groups in the country.[6]

Largest Municipalities

Urban: 22.7% (2018)

Weno, Palikir, Nett, Kitti, Kolonia, Madolenihmw, Tol, Dublon, Fefen, Uh

Municipalities listed in bold do not have congregations.

Eight of the ten largest municipalities have a congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Forty-eight thousand seven hundred reside in Chuuk (47%), 36,200 on Pohnpei (35%), 11,400 on Yap (11%), and 6,600 on Kosrae (6%). Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the national population resides in the ten most populous municipalities.

Church History

Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived on Pohnpei in 1976, but the first convert baptism did not take place until 1981. Full-time missionaries opened Chuuk and Yap to missionary work in 1977 and Kosrae in 1985.[7] Seminary and institute were established by 1980. The Church completed translations of select passages from the Book of Mormon in Pohnpeian and Chuukese in 1988.[8] Church members on Guam have conducted a “Christmas Drop” for decades in Micronesia and in 1999 alone delivered 25,000 pounds of gifts and supplies to fifty islands.[9] In 2002, a local member educated in the United States became president of the College of Micronesia.[10] The Book of Mormon translation into Yapese was completed in 2004. In 2006, the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission was created from the Micronesia Guam Mission, leaving the Micronesia Guam Mission with administration of Micronesia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. In 2010, apostle Elder D. Todd Christofferson visited Chuuk and dedicated a new district center meetinghouse.[11] The first stake in the country was organized in Pohnpei in 2014. The Church completed the Kosraean translation of the Book of Mormon in 2015,[12] the same year that the translation of the entire Book of Mormon in Chuukese was completed.[13] A branch for Chuukese and Pohnpeian members was organized in the United States for the first time in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2015.

Membership Growth

Church Membership: 6,238 (2018)

In 1980, membership numbered 170 in Chuuk and 150 on Yap.[14] Rapid membership growth occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s. By 1988, there were 700 members on Pohnpei and 1,200 in Chuuk[15] and about 1,900 members nationwide. By year-end 2000, there were 3,110 members. Slow membership growth occurred in the 2000s as membership increased to 3,419 in 2003, 3,504 in 2005, 3,754 in 2007, and 4,193 in 2010. Annual membership growth rates during the 2000s ranged from a high of 3.9% in 2009 to a low of 0.3% in 2004. In mid-2010, there were 1,200 members in Chuuk.[16]

The Church reported accelerated membership growth rates in the 2010s compared to the previous decade as annual membership growth rates often raged from 4-10%. Church membership increased to 4,998 in 2013, 5,987 in 2016, and 6,238 in 2018. The most rapid membership growth occurred on Pohnpei during this time.

In 2018, one in seventeen was a member on Church records, or 6.02% of the population.

Congregational Growth

Wards: 5 Branches: 17 (June 2019)

The first branches were organized on Pohnpei in 1977, Chuuk and Yap in 1979, Kosrae in 1986. There were three branches on Pohnpei in 1988[17] and sixteen nationwide. The number of congregations increased to twenty in the early 1990s and reached a high of twenty-three in 1995. There were eighteen branches in 2000, which declined to seventeen branches from 2001 to 2003. The number of congregations increased to nineteen in 2004 to twenty in 2008 twenty-one in 2011, and twenty-two in 2015. All new branches organized in the country during the twenty-first century have been located on Pohnpei, including the Palikir (2004), Uh (2004), Kitti (2007), Eirike (2011), and Wone (2014) Branches. In 2019, a mission branch was organized for in Micronesia Guam Mission for administrative purposes. The branch serviced isolated islands and atolls throughout the Federated States of Micronesia such as Pulap and Woleai.

The Namoneas Chuuk District was created in 1985. Additional districts were created on Pohnpei (1985), Yap (1989), and Kosrae (1990). In 2001, the Namoneas Chuuk District had nine branches, Kosrae Micronesia District had three branches, the Pohnpei Caroline Islands District had four branches, and the Yap Micronesia District had two branches. In 2010, the number of congregations in districts in Chuuk and Yap remained unchanged, the Kosrae Micronesia District had two branches, and the Pohnpei Caroline Island District had seven branches. Only the Malem Branch on Kosrae was closed in the 2000s. Several member groups opened in the 2010s such as in Awak (Pohnpei), Fono (Chuuk), and Udot (Chuuk) albeit none of these member groups had become branches as of mid-2019. In 2018, the Yap Micornesia District was closed and the two remaining branches were reassigned to the Barrigada Guam Stake. In 2019, the Church reported five wards and four branches in the Panasang Pohnpei Stake, nine branches in the Namoneas Chuuk District, and two branches in the Kosrae Micronesia District. As of June 2019, it was unclear whether member groups continued to operate in Awak, Pohnpei; Fono, Chuuk; or Udot, Chuuk.

Activity and Retention

The average number of members per congregation increased from 173 in 2000 to 199 in 2009 and 284 in 2018. Six hundred eighty-three were enrolled in seminary or institute during the 2007–2008 school year. The Uh Branch had approximately fifty attending church meetings in 2006.[18] Branches in Chuuk have historically struggled with low attendance as full-time missionaries in late 2012 reported that most branches had fewer than fifty active members. Periods of rapid membership growth have occurred in Chuuk, such as in 2012 when there were forty-four converts baptized in a single month. [19]  Convert retention one year after baptism in Micronesia is approximately 50% for most years. Returned missionaries in the mid-2010s reported the following church attendance by congregation in Chuuk: Romanum (90), Mechitiw (60), Uman (40), Fono (30),Wichap (30), Sapuk (20), and Pata (15-30). In 2017, missionaries serving in Chuuk reported that attendance at district conference increased from 478 to 1,024 within a period of six months. However, inactivity and a lack of active Melchizedek Priesthood holders prompted church members in the Northern Mariana Islands to hold a special fast in the late 2010s to help the Church reach the minimum number of active Melchizedek Priesthood holders to organize a stake in Chuuk within the near future. Similar inactivity problems are reported on other islands. In 2013, full-time missionaries reported that only approximately one hundred of the 600 members on the branch records for the Kolonia Branch were active.[20] Youth activity rates appear highest on Pohnpei. Ninety youth and forty leaders of the Church in Pohnpei participated in the first pioneer trek on the island in 2017.[21] Pohnpeian members regularly serve full-time missions. Most branches appear to have thirty to ninety active members, whereas most wards appear to have fifty to 125 active members. Nationwide active membership is estimated at 1,350, or 22% of total membership.

Language Materials

Languages with Church Scripture: Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosraean, English.

The Book of Mormon is available in Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, and Kosraean. Many missionary, family history, Sunday School, church declarations and proclamations, young women, young men, and priesthood materials are translated in Chuukese, Pohnpeian, and Kosraean, whereas Church materials in Yapese are limited to approximately two dozen items. General Conferences addresses are translated into Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, and Yapese. In 2017, the Church announced plans to translate the Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price into Pohnpeian.[22] In 2018, the Church updated its Yapese translation of the Book of Mormon, which included a translation of the entire Book of Mormon.[23]

Meetinghouses

In 2005, the Church completed a new meetinghouse for the Uh Branch.[24] In October 2010, a new chapel was dedicated for the Sapwalap Branch. In 2010, there were approximately twenty meetinghouses, some of which were renovated buildings or shelters. In 2019, the Church reported nine meetinghouses each on Chuuk and Pohnpei and two meetinghouses each on Kosrae and Yap.

Health and Safety

Medical treatment and emergency aid in many areas is limited due to small populations, low standards of living, and remoteness.

Humanitarian and Development Work

The Church has conducted 124 humanitarian and development projects in the Federated States of Micronesia since 1985, including community projects, clean water projects, emergency response, wheelchair donations, and maternal and newborn care.[25] In 2003, the Church donated a forty-foot container of medical supplies to Yap, which included examination tables, fetal monitors, an oxygen concentrator, and a hematocrit centrifuge.[26] Later that year, the Kosrae Legislature honored the Church for several humanitarian and development projects recently completed, which included donating twenty-five sewing machines to the Kosrae Girl Scout Organization, installing a computer lab at Kosrae High School, delivering medical supplies, and providing medical training.[27] In 2004, the Church donated 125 wheelchairs to the disabled in Chuuk.[28] In 2010, the Church donated a sea water desalinization unit and generator to Chuuk due to lack of fresh water and reliance on rainfall to sustain fresh water needs. The unit was capable of converting 26,500 gallons of sea water into fresh water a day.[29]

 

Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospects

Religious Freedom

The Church enjoys full religious freedom and maintains a positive relationship with the government. Members may freely worship, assemble, and proselyte.

Cultural Issues

A strong Christian tradition actively practiced by most creates challenges and opportunities for church growth. Many are entrenched in their faith and are unwilling to learn about the Church from full-time missionaries or members and have at times harassed missionaries, particularly from religious groups based from outside of Micronesia. Nevertheless, many returned missionaries report that they were well-received by most and many people had positive opinions about the Church. The Church benefits from a population that exhibits regular church attendance and many other religious behaviors often difficult to instill in investigators and new converts. High rates of marijuana use is a barrier to proselytism. Church leadership in the region has openly opposed the consumption of Areca nut.

National Outreach

Latter-day Saint congregations operate in cities and villages inhabited by 67% of the population. At least two mission outreach centers operate in each of the four administrative states. The Church performs nearly the same intensity of mission outreach in three of the four administrative states (Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Yap), as each of these states have one congregation per less than six thousand inhabitants. The percentages of Latter-day Saints in the general population is likely similar throughout these three states. Kosrae experiences the highest degree of mission outreach, as there is one congregation to every 3,300 inhabitants.

Opportunities to expand national outreach appear highest on the Chuuk and Pohnpei as these states together are home to 83% of the national population and have some unreached or lesser-reached areas, especially in the Chuuk Islands. Additional mission outreach centers may be established in Fanomo (Chuuk), Sapota (Chuuk), Sapou (Chuuk), and Tol (Chuuk). Holding cottage meetings in these locations may lead to the creation of groups or dependent branches if local populations are receptive to missionaries. Eleven percent (11%) of the population lives in villages inhabited by at least 500 people on islands and atolls that are not part of the Chuuk Islands or on the islands of Kosrae, Pohnpei, or Yap. Notable examples of these remote outer islands include the Mortlock Islands, Namonuito Atoll, Nomwin Atoll, Pulusuk, Ulithi Atoll, and Woleai Atoll. These locations are difficult to reach due to remote location, small populations, and use of other languages such as Mortlockese. Local church leaders and mission leadership present the greatest opportunities to identify members or interested individuals in these locations and explore opportunities to establish member groups, particularly through the Micronesia Guam Mission Branch. There is no Church Internet outreach for Micronesia aside from translations of materials on the Church’s main website. In 2017, 35% of the national population used the Internet.[30] However, Internet accesses appears to primarily occur in locations with a Church presence already established, thereby presenting few opportunities to reach unreached communities.

Member Activity and Convert Retention

Member activity and convert retention rates for Latter-day Saints are low in Micronesia with the exception of Pohnpei where most congregations appear to experience moderate member activity rates. The Church appears to report lower member activity rates than many other denominations. Inadequate pre-baptismal preparation and a lack of self-sustainability for many congregations have reduced member activity and convert retention rates. Quick-baptism techniques appeared most widespread in the 1980s and 1990s when the most rapid growth occurred. Failure to retain many of the converts baptized during this period is apparent in the consolidation of six branches between 1996 and 2001. A lack of progress with sustained improvements in convert retention and member activity is evident in the Church organizing no new branches in the Chuuk Islands, Kosrae, or Yap since the mid-1990s. Double affiliation of some Latter-day Saints in other Christian denominations is a source of convert attrition.

Ethnic Issues and Integration

Geography generally separates ethnic groups, resulting in few ethnic integration issues. Religious affiliation drawn upon clan lines on Pohnpei appears the only foreseeable obstacle toward integrating differing people groups into the same congregations, as there have been some social challenges in the past related to these issues.

Language Issues

The Church has invested considerable resources translating materials into Micronesian languages despite the small numbers of speakers and the lack of other institutions providing literature in these languages. All indigenous languages with over 6,000 speakers have materials available and at least portions of the Book of Mormon translated, resulting in 86% of the Micronesian population speaking a language with Church materials translated. However, no Micronesian languages have translations of the Doctrine and Covenants or The Pearl of Great Price available as of early 2019. Nevertheless, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, and Yapese all appear likely candidates for future translations of the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, which may be in the translation process at present.

Missionary Service

Over forty full-time missionaries were stationed in Micronesia in mid-2010, including six missionaries assigned to Yap, seven to Kosrae, twelve to Chuuk, and eighteen to Pohnpei. Approximately half of full-time missionaries were North American, and half were from Oceania. In June 2013, there were twenty-eight young full-time missionaries and three senior missionary couples serving on Pohnpei. In September 2013, there were twenty-six young elder missionaries assigned to Chuuk. Full-time missionaries serve regularly from Micronesia but not in large enough numbers to staff the current number of full-time missionaries assigned. Senior missionary couples and local church leaders have achieved success attracting youth to seminary and institute, which may increase the number of local members serving full-time missions in the future.

Leadership

Local members have demonstrated self-reliance in staffing church leadership as in November 2010, the Sapuk Branch was the only branch with a full-time missionary as the branch president. In June 2019, all congregations appeared led by a local member. There has been sufficient strength in the number and quality of local leadership and active membership to organize a stake in Pohnpei. Additionally, none of the members in the Panasang Pohnpei Stake presidency were Church employees when the stake was organized in 2014.[31] However, the Church continues to struggle to meet the minimum qualifications to organize a stake in the Chuuk Islands. Self-sustainable Micronesian church leadership will depend on the consistent staffing of local branch presidencies entirely by native members and the creation of additional congregations as membership increases.

Temple

Islands in Pohnpei and Kosrae are assigned to the Suva Fiji Temple, whereas islands in Chuuk and Yap are assigned to the Philippines Cebu City Temple. However, all of the Federated States of Micronesia will likely be assigned to the Yigo Guam Temple once it is completed. In 2005, a small group of Chuukese members traveled to the temple for the first time.[32] In 2006, thirty-five members from Pohnpei attended the temple for the first time.[33]

Comparative Growth

Micronesia ranks average among nations in Oceania regarding the percentage of Latter-day Saint in the population, extent of national outreach, and self-sustainability. In the Micronesia sub-region, only Kiribati and the Marshall Islands have a higher percentage of Latter-day Saints and more members than the Federated States of Micronesia. Other Micronesian nations or territories like Palau, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands have fewer members, a smaller percentage of Latter-day Saints, and tend to have lower member activity rates. Micronesia lags behind progress made in Polynesia, where in some nations, active Latter-day Saints account for over 15% of the population, as in Tonga and Samoa.

The most prevalent Christian denominations converted the population with great fervor after their initial introduction to the islands and have maintained high member activity rates but gain few numbers of converts at present, largely due to the competitive atmosphere for proselytism. Unlike many developing areas of the world, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses have a relatively small presence and experience slow membership growth. Witnesses have reported stagnant growth in the past decade and fewer than 200 active members as of year-end 2018. However, Adventists have experienced an approximately 60% increase in membership during the past decade. Growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appears to have largely come from dedicating greater amounts of mission resources to this sparsely populated, remote region of the Pacific than many other contemporary missionary-oriented Christian groups.

Future Prospects

The Church has achieved moderate growth in the Federal States of Micronesia despite high church activity and discipleship in other Christian denominations. Much of this growth has come with the Church concentrating large amounts of missionary resources on a nation with a small population that has been historically receptive to Christianity, and the greatest recent successes have been overwhelmingly concentrated on Pohnpei. Receptivity of the Church has varied by island group in recent years, with Pohnpei exhibiting the strongest receptivity and church growth as evidenced by the number of congregations increasing from four to nine since 2000, and other island groups showing little or no growth. Self-sustaining church growth in the coming decades will require less reliance on foreign full-time missionaries in an era of limited missionary manpower to staff island nations of just a hundred thousand like Micronesia. Consistent increase in the number of priesthood holders and the development of fully functioning branches entirely staffed by local members will be required for the district in Chuuk to become a stake over the medium term. Congregation planting approaches in Chuuk and on Pohnpei may lead to greater increases in active membership and national outreach. The few congregations on Yap and Kosrae make branches vulnerable to dissolution unless active members do not emigrate and active membership remains stable or increases. Outreach in the outer islands such as Mortlock Islands, Namonuito Atoll, Nomwin Atoll, Pulusuk, Ulithi Atoll, and Woleai Atoll may occur in the foreseeable future if primarily headed by local church leaders and mission leadership. However, many of these remote, sparsely populated islands will likely remain unreached for years or decades to come if any Church presence is established at all one day.