Someone on a University of Utah sports fan site (I know I should avoid these topics) stated that last year there were approx. 220,000 conversions and 116,000 baptisms. That doesn't sound right to me, but I don't have a clue how to confirm these numbers. (These weren't the exact numbers, but close, and I don't want to wander into that cesspool of conversation again.)

I've always just felt the majority of growth in the LDS church is birth rate.

What do you think?

Those numbers done seem right anyway. Converting without being baptized? How does that work?

Sorry, I'm probably using the incorrect terminology. The implication was conversions vs. born in the church. Is it a blessing that baby receives in the LDS church? I wanted to say christening, but I don't think that's right.

I don't know where his numbers are coming from either. I do trust a Pro-LDS site cumorah.com because he tries to give honest stats and numbers by country and metro areas. Although they may be using "number" magic to show confusing stats. i.e. a family in Africa joins. A man, a Wife= 2 baptisms with 2 or 3 kids... so it's 2 baptisms with 5 conversions.
http://www.cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_news&news_id=4

I assumed the numbers reflect 220,000 convert baptisms, and 116,000 8 year old, born in the church to believing parents baptisms.

Didn't they just report just under 300k convert baptisms? I don't believe they count 8 year olds...but they do count 9 year olds. You have to keep in mind that 75% of these "converts" will quickly leave.

I would guess they add about 50k "children of record" from TBM families each year. However, these would be offset by deaths of active members.

So, they might be adding ~75k members per year through converts that stick around a while. How many are resigning, quietly walking away, learning the truth but staying for whatever reason, etc...? I think they're already losing ground...treading water at best. They're not growing.

Here is the statistical report for 2014:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/2014-statistical-report-for-2015-april-general-conference

Converts: 296,803
New Children of record: 116,409

Note that "New Children of record" includes babies who have been blessed, less any children who turn 9 and have not yet been baptized.

We don't have any hard statistics, but everyone knows that most converts stop going to church within the first year after being baptized, so that most of the growth is from births.