The church has been growing at 1% in the 2000’s. Born in church members being baptized is the biggest contributor. Non-member conversions are way down and so is the LDS birth rate. Exits are up and deaths will go up with boomers dying. The church will begin to shrink.

The church is now spinning that temple work counts as gathering Israel. I see this much like the dead voting. The church is focusing on temples because that’s all they have. They can claim the church is still gathering Israel by baptizing stiffs.

It’s quite pathetic and silly.

There seems to be a double standard between the living and the dead.

Isn't the greatest group of missionaries going to the save and grow the church?

Isn't that what the latest tools of the LDS leaders have said regarding the greatest group of missionaries the church has ever had?

These kids using their phones, tablets and computers are going to bring in millions because they know and love technology.

I believe all things.

Yeah. I remember when my generation was told we were the chosen ones who would kick ass. God saved us for this special time There’s always a new generation and new programs who are going to kick ass. Who’s getting their ass kicked is the church. Now it can’t even follow its own Family Proclamation that hangs in frames all over church building walls. Well what do you expect. Gordo gave the proclamation and he couldn’t even figure out Mark Hoffman was selling him forgeries.

IF "Girls just want to have fun!"

AND "Boys just want girls!"

THEN "Let's make mormonism fun!"

More people have left Mormonism than are still in. They get to be counted as members until they reach age 110, since the church will not be informed when they actually die. That means the "official" number of Mormons will shrink much more slowly than the actual number.

The nice thing about counting baptisms for the dead in some form is that there is none of this "until age 110" nonsense. You can count them forever. Cool.


I agree that in general, shrinkage is already happening (Europe for example, and Canada), and will become more widespread as Boomers age.

AHA!!

The church needs to work more closely with Jesus to keep boomers from dying!

Also, Boomer to Boomer Missions

How about 2nd Annoying raffles?

"The church needs to work more closely with Jesus to keep boomers from dying"

I think that is reserved for the Q15. For some reason they chose not to bring Ballard back from the dead.

When you are an apostle and you die, you find out who your friends really are.

Church statistics are about as true as the religion is.

Their 17 million member claim is pure fiction. At MOST 1/3 of the 17 million are people who are alive today who consider themselves to be members of TCOJCOLDS (and I’m sure that my 1/3 estimate is very generous). As Brother of Jerry pointed out, many of the “members” are dead. Probably millions have moved on to other faith traditions, or have abandoned religion altogether. Some are probably unaware that they were ever Mormons (either they were counted as “children of record” when they were infants, or maybe even baptized at age eight, but long ago forgot about that).

Even though I formally resigned three years ago, I wouldn’t put it past them to still count me.

But even with all the nonsense, it’s going to get harder to claim growth as time goes on. I think they’ll need to pivot from the OT prophecy of the rock rolling forth to fill the earth to in the latter days, only the most faithful will stay true.

I've always put the number of actual members at 1/3 the number of claimed members as well. And that's the best case scenario.

I'd put more trust in their numbers if they sent Christmas Cards to each of us.

I resigned in 1991. Wrote the letter, met with the bishop, and a SP I think. I was baptized into Presbyterian USA in early 1992. They would not accept my Mormon baptism, so I had to do it all over again, which I did.

Fast forward to 2016 or 2017. My uber TBM brother was doing genealogy work and questioned if I ever resigned. He said that I was still listed as a member; and even gave me my member number.

So even though I did it the way I was supposed to, someone must have decided to not finalize my resignation. Probably the bishop or SP.

I could've been the first Lamanite Apostle and you could have been the first Presbyterian Apostle!!

I don't know how to read the church's figures, but I once saw your personal record and someone had scribbled the number "365" on the upper right-hand corner.

...so they WERE aware I took only one day off from righteousness every four years!!

yes and yes.

They can survive with their perpetual investments with very few people.

Zoroastrians are still out there with less than 200,000 people after 4,000 years, so I think Mormons can keep from dying too. Mormons will just have to roll with whatever is needed to keep a core believing in some dead prophets. There are a lot of Mormons who identify to Mormonism as a culture.

These are unfounded and deliberate lies. Boomers are part of the immortal class and can never die destined to be a burden on others forever.

The Boomers will pass away, but the national debt they ran up will last forever.

Immortality of a sort.

Yeah, well, I didn't see you volunteering to be born within a decade of brutal war!

Thank you for your service, Private 365.

That is my ambition. I want them to keep sending my pension checks until it hurts.

I would certainly rather be a deceased Mormon than a living one. Eventually, the church can be all dead people. It belongs dead.

You can baptize them and forget them. There's not much difference really.

Dead people can't pay tithing, though.

Ahhhh....Mormon boomers come from very large families and some of us are still....uh..... very young.
(not ready to kick the bucket yet).

and with them, lots of timely perspective about Mo history & culture; the wise also can foretell the future of ChurchCo

I feel that way about my job -- that when the last of the Boomers retire, a lot of institutional memory will go with us. Ah, well -- it's obvious that it's a different experience for the younger people anyway. They don't get us, and they don't get our needs. But one day when they are our age, they might.

I read several articles lately about Millenials getting smacked in the face with middle age. For many it is not going well. When you are young you know intellectually you will get old. But you don't really believe it.

Also a lot of the Genzeers are doing botox and fillers in their twenties thinking they won't age at all. Ever. Cells come with a sell by date haha. Always have. Always will. Cake goes stale no matter how much frosting you slather on.

Personally, unlike a lot of people nowadays, I plan to wait until I am actually dead to be embalmed.

In the end I just don't like being lumped into any group. Like everybody I just navigated "what was" as best I could. Helps to have a dash of outlaw in you.