This aligns much more closely with my lived experiences. I know that alone isn't a metric of truth, but I do find it a relief that I'm not totally crazy. I wish the church would release the numbers of active temple recommends in the world rather than just the number of people who've at some point been baptized and confirmed. I feel that would be a much more accurate, if still imperfect, metric of LDS activity and retention.
Very enlightening, well-balanced. Church leaders have long pointed to the Church’s growth as evidence supporting its truth claims. President Russell M. Nelson’s wave of temple announcements has seemed to reinforce earlier statements such as President Jeffrey R. Holland’s questionable assertion that the Church was experiencing “double-digit growth of stakes every week of our lives.” Yet for many, the reality is more complicated. In numerous congregations, attendance is thinner than in years past, raising questions about whether official narratives of growth fully reflect reality.
Ireland offers a useful example. In 2022, the Church reported roughly 4,000 individuals on its membership rolls in the country, while the national census recorded just over 1,000 citizens who identified as Latter-day Saints—a discrepancy of about 75 percent. Differences of this magnitude invite reasonable questions about how membership figures are counted.
Given the Church’s emphasis on detailed record-keeping, greater transparency regarding membership and activity rates (following the example of the Adventists) would go a long way toward clarifying these discrepancies and reducing speculation about the Church’s current trajectory.
Well done. Your information coincides well with other data, particularly the closure and sale of LDS buildings, eliminating Wards, combining Stakes, etc.
Growth is occurring in Africa, but retention tells the story. The LDS church is reportedly spending enormous sums of money there. The overall plan appears to be education that leads to employment that leads to tithe payers. The ROI remains to be determined.
This aligns much more closely with my lived experiences. I know that alone isn't a metric of truth, but I do find it a relief that I'm not totally crazy. I wish the church would release the numbers of active temple recommends in the world rather than just the number of people who've at some point been baptized and confirmed. I feel that would be a much more accurate, if still imperfect, metric of LDS activity and retention.
Very enlightening, well-balanced. Church leaders have long pointed to the Church’s growth as evidence supporting its truth claims. President Russell M. Nelson’s wave of temple announcements has seemed to reinforce earlier statements such as President Jeffrey R. Holland’s questionable assertion that the Church was experiencing “double-digit growth of stakes every week of our lives.” Yet for many, the reality is more complicated. In numerous congregations, attendance is thinner than in years past, raising questions about whether official narratives of growth fully reflect reality.
Ireland offers a useful example. In 2022, the Church reported roughly 4,000 individuals on its membership rolls in the country, while the national census recorded just over 1,000 citizens who identified as Latter-day Saints—a discrepancy of about 75 percent. Differences of this magnitude invite reasonable questions about how membership figures are counted.
Given the Church’s emphasis on detailed record-keeping, greater transparency regarding membership and activity rates (following the example of the Adventists) would go a long way toward clarifying these discrepancies and reducing speculation about the Church’s current trajectory.
Well done. Your information coincides well with other data, particularly the closure and sale of LDS buildings, eliminating Wards, combining Stakes, etc.
Growth is occurring in Africa, but retention tells the story. The LDS church is reportedly spending enormous sums of money there. The overall plan appears to be education that leads to employment that leads to tithe payers. The ROI remains to be determined.
Fascinating info, thanks for doing this!