I asked my Bishop once and he said - Half of all the active members (about 15%, since activity rates are about 30%) pay tithe and about half of them are temple worthy. In other words...not good for the church.
I think that’s about right. I never got into our ward’s tithing records to see what the percentage was. The tithing has the person’s membership number and not name for confidentiality.
As far as temple recommends I was amazed at how many active adults did not have one.
It’s a minority of the membership that even keep the church going. It would really hurt the church if it’s more wealthy and active members left.
Rubicon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think that’s about right... The tithing has the person’s membership number and not name for confidentiality. >
There has always been a line for your name (confidentially? LDS? Hahhaha) and I've never seen a membership # (and never knew, as a youth, that I had one).
The temple isn't recommended to anyone, for anything.
Nailing that figure down is neigh unto impossible.
As an example: the series of McTemples that surged and all look alike have 36 fixed seats in each ordinance room. We'd have to figure out the 100% baseline by taking each temple's seating occupancy x number of sessions it's possible to do in a day.
But the number of sessions in a day that a temple can be operated is a nebulous question since a large part of operating ability is dependent upon the local membership volunteering time at the temple as well as patrons.
The Fukuoka temple is open 3 days a week, offering one session each Thursday and Friday and 5 sessions on Saturday.
The Regina temple is open 4 days a week with 2 sessions on Wed, 1 each on Thurs/Fri and 2 on Saturday.
The Spokane, WA Temple is the exact same size/floor plan and it's churning out session 5 days a week 8 or 9 sessions a day.
Even the new Rome temple is open 5 days a week, but only runs 3 sessions a day with 6 on Sat and the big Sapporo temple that is 4 times the size of the one in Fukuoka is open 4 days with 3 sessions each.
I'd like to know the "occupancy rates" as well, but I think it would be too hard to nail down factually.
Anecdotally, one day, one lovely Fast & Testimony Sunday, Louise Tracy was giving her testimony on temple work and told us that the temple president had told her that out of all of the temples in the church at the time, the Seattle Temple had the lowest percentage attendance based on population in temple district. "Out of the stakes in the Seattle Temple district" he continued, "the Seattle Stake has the lowest attendance rate, and out of the Seattle Stake, the 2nd Ward has the lowest attendance rate". So according to her, her ward was the lowest in the entire church.
"6 days a week, correct?" As memory serves me they are only open 5 days a week, I think they are closed on mondays as well as sundays, and various other times for extended cleanings.
It's the Mormon version of a theme park. It's Mormon Disneyland/Universal Studios/Wally World.
You may scoff. But it's true. I know to normal people the Mormon temple experience is one of the lamest things imaginable.
But I have ultra-faithful TBMs in my extended family and the temples fill them with endless excitement and, dare I say it...giddiness.
I have one TBM relative who recently has been sharing articles and photos concerning the new Rome temple in the same way that a kid might excitedly rave on and on about some new ride or amusement park being opened. Every new temple announcement gives them a huge thrill.
I'm not saying I can understand it. But that seems to be what's going on.
Theme parks are based on fantasies. They use elaborate props and sets to make the fantasy seem more real. Pirates of the Caribbean, Frontier Land, Space Mountain....
Mormonism is all based on fantasies. The temples use props and sets to make the fantasy seem more real. The Celestial Room. The Endowment Room. The Mirrors of Eternity....
opinion time (mine) There are many reasons why people due or do not attend temple sessions. It would seem that the more pressure that you apply to a human being to act in that which he does not believe to be in his or her best interest the greater will be their resistance. There is no real impetus to spend the time and money on these periodic journeys or in other words the member sees no application of the concept "What is in it for me?" Until the hierarchy can demonstrate a here and now value to the member I don't see an increase in attendance in the near future. Once again it is just my not so humble opinion.