I wish I had had the foresight to see the "Christ focused home church" coming. I didn't. My problem is I'm too close to Mormonism to see it for what it is - a multi-level marketing product.


And it is obvious that Mormonism is in decline - thus the rebranding. They have few options now which are maintain, harvest or drop the declining product and leave it there run completely by volunteers. The problem is the huge tax advantage and reason for being that the product of Mormonism is for LDS for-profit Corp. These two reasons alone warrant the millions of dollars spent to keep their light on in their churches.

It is obvious to me that the highest levels of leaders don't have much empathy for the social costs and difficulties of their members.

Boyd said it best in quoting his colleagues.

"...YOU REPRESENT THE BRETHREN WHO APPOINTED YOU."
https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2257104,2257213#msg-2257213

And they do.

They graftingly gladhandingly self serve each other as a new leader joins their Kolobian merry-go-round. They have zero interest in inspiring, guiding, or helping their members. They clawed their way to the top and see a vast for-profit corporation of goodies and perks expanding out before them as they crisscross the world all expenses paid.

So I see this as a pretty accurate assessment of where they are going.

"The main objective in the decline stage should be to reduce expenditure and “milk” the brand. General strategies for the decline stage include cutting prices, choosing a selective distribution by phasing out unprofitable outlets and reduce advertising as well as sales promotion to the level needed to retain only the most loyal customers."

And therefore my predictions for their General Conference are guided by this information.

We all know that GC is for the people. IT is their ONLY attempt to care for their people. All other things are policies and changes outside of GC. In GC it is all about promoting the product to the product. It is where their collective patriarchal patterned bald-faced lying appears. It where the Mormonism BS detector breaks trying to gauge something too high to Kolob to gauge.

So I predict some GC things might happen given their declining product.

We've seen reduced expenditures in subtle "home church" ways. I just heard they are closing their Guatemala MTC to focus on their Mexico City one.

My predictions now would be more along the lines of new missions announced in areas where sales are better so focusing even more on missionary SERVICE as in offering the world more free labor as well as asking for more to "milk" their product.

Cutting prices by not charging for their magazines, materials and possibly exempting local leaders from tithing.

I don't see any movies, television spots, or much Internet ad space being bought by "The Mormons" anymore. They are going to go all out Christ on the world instead of marketing their product. They are going to spin themselves as Jesus Jackson where they are the world of all that is Jesus from New World to Old and only they can heal it by converting all the dead people who have lived on it.

Source:
"Also for the decline stage, careful selection of product life cycle strategies is required. The reason is that carrying a weak product can be very costly to the firm, not just in profit terms. There are also many hidden costs. For instance, a weak product may take up too much of management’s time. It requires advertising and sales-force efforts that could better be used for other, more profitable products in other stages. Most important may be the fact that carrying a weak product delays the search for replacements and creates a lopsided product mix. It also hurts current profits and weakens the company’s foothold on the future.
Therefore, proper product life cycle strategies are critical. The company needs to pay more attention to its aging products to identify products in the decline stage early. Then, the firm must take a decision: maintain, harvest or drop the declining product.
The main objective in the decline stage should be to reduce expenditure and “milk” the brand. General strategies for the decline stage include cutting prices, choosing a selective distribution by phasing out unprofitable outlets and reduce advertising as well as sales promotion to the level needed to retain only the most loyal customers.
If management decides to maintain the product or brand, repositioning or reinvigorating it may be an option. The purpose behind these options is to move the product back into the growth stage of the PLC. If management decides to harvest the product, costs need to be reduced and only the last sales need to be harvested. However, this can only increase the company’s profits in the short-term. Dropping the product from the product line may involve selling it to another firm or simply liquidate it at salvage value."
https://marketing-insider.eu/product-life-cycle-strategies/

GC isn't, per se, for the people.

It's more an attempt to herd the people towards the goals and behavior that best serve the General Shepherd Authorities.

I beg to differ. It is their meme generator and Facebook godsend.

Beg all you want, but I shan't change my mind, so there!

I hope they rename their product to "Mormon Manure"

-You can smell it a mile away.

The stuff that goes out over that pulpit definitely stinks.

I think the idea of having a conference is a great thing every community needs. Every city should have something they are especially good at.

1) in LA they create the narrative of our lives, the "news." there is performing arts and the film industry, that all showcase innovative creativity.

2) in Aspen they have the Aspen festival, where leading thinkers come together and discuss new intellectual concepts and research that can affect the full development of the individual. As Papke once said a mature community offers it's citizens "recreation, a way to make a living, and intellectual opportunities."

3) San Francisco offers the latest in technology. Research into the future.

4) SL and GC should showcase what it has to offer. Which is what Joseph Fielding Smith said along the lines that "the best people on the planet are the mormons." What makes the mormons and Utah so much better?

I predict that GC will showcase the latest investments they have made which is the millions they've been spending on re-doing the book of mormon movies and bible movies. They've hired an army of Mo's to work on all the aspects of them. 15 minutues of CES crap costs over a million dollars after each subcommitee gets it's hands on the reel. I've got some relatives who have been on salary all summer down south living it up and having a gay-old-time on set. Just check out Youtube the first of these hagabaloos is out for us all to behold!

Yay!

"4) SL and GC should showcase what it has to offer."

This leaves me unimpressed. Greatest snow not show.

Beg all you want, but I shan't change my mind, so there!

A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL!

I would never try to change EOD's mind. It isn't possible. I do disagree with him and his alter egos often. I just don't usually reply informing him of my contrary opinion.

My alter beagle...

You are a Shisnoopi - the guy that's hard to get.

Can't they CANCEL GC ... just Once so people can stay home & minister?


Some will minister while hiking, some while visiting a hospital or nursing home, some will renew friendships, some will re-think mistakes they've made in their lives & (try to) make things right.


Sheesh Mormons, how long can you ignore the obvious?

This is the same as the TV show "Happy Days," with the now-famous episode of The Fonz jumping the shark--which we refer to today in many other contexts as "jumping the shark," used to describe a person's or organization's attempt to resurrect something that has lost its appeal to the public.