unofficial church gatherings. The Southern District in Pusan was created in February 1968; the Central District remained in Seoul. Because missionary policy required that missionaries focus on heads of families, friends of the Church, and generally older individuals, the average age of the Church increased by five years. More families joined the Church, tithing payment increased, and membership increased from 2,529 in 1965 to 3,317 in 1968. The mission home was constructed in 1966; Palmer insisted that the building parts be entirely made in Korea to show the LDS Church's loyalty to Korea and its industry. Palmer also bought the property in Seoul on which the first LDS temple would be built. In 1966, member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, Hugh B. Brown became the first general authority to be invited to speak in Korea at Yonsei University. On the last day of Brown's visit, he participated in a flag raising ceremony at the Church headquarters in Seoul. Brown told Korean members of the Church to be proud citizens and to be an example by serving the Lord through serving their country. Robert H. Slover became the next mission president in August 1968. During his service, baptisms increased to around 500 per year, on average. The average number of baptisms per missionary per year at the end of 1969 was 7.1 with nearly one hundred missionaries serving in Korea. New branches and proselyting areas were opened and the Honam District was established. Robert H. Slover became the next mission president in summer 1968. Slover focused on improving the administrative and organizational aspects of the Church in Korea. Under his direction, the number of districts increased to four and the number of missionaries increased from 75 to 125. Baptisms began to increase in 1969, in part, because of the establishment of the Language Training Mission in Hawaii. This allowed missionaries to come to Korea with greater Korean language skills and a greater ability to proselyte and teach the Korean people. Other organizational changes related to missionary work and housing improvements allowed for missionaries that were in better health, better trained, supervised, and motivated. L. Edward Brown became mission president in 1971. In contrast to Palmer and Slover's strategy to send missionaries to every established area in South Korea, Brown believed that concentrating missionaries in large cities and creating strong church centers was the best strategy. Brown also emphasized