LDS demographic trends

[MikeWaters]

http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/fait...ups?fullpage=1

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/fait...ups?fullpage=1

The LDS message is getting stale. In the 70s and 80s, the members were led to believe, everything historical would be explained and would reveal declarations of faith to be completely factual.

Yet Prop 8 started to turn the tide, with continual admissions and revelations undermining factual claims.

BYU's heyday was the 1980s. It doesn't seem to advance and the Church missionary message isn't spreading very quickly any more. If I were in leadership, this steady decline in places such as South America and Japan would concern me. Is there enough vision within the organization to get over this current plateau?

[MikeWaters]

There are strong national trends going against organized religion.

We are probably the least religious now as a country as we have ever been.

Everyday religious people are dying of old age, and irreligious teenagers are coming of age.

Wouldn't surprise me if some of the international trends are the same.

The big enchilada sitting out there is China.

Africa is probably the last area of the growth. The "new" South America. And I'm betting they are trying to not repeat the same mistakes they made in South America in the past couple generations. Which is lots of members, no retention.

I think the international trend for the church will continue. I expect missionary work in the US to be anemic, and retention more and more difficult.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

There are strong national trends going against organized religion.

We are probably the least religious now as a country as we have ever been.

Everyday religious people are dying of old age, and irreligious teenagers are coming of age.

Wouldn't surprise me if some of the international trends are the same.

The big enchilada sitting out there is China.

Africa is probably the last area of the growth. The "new" South America. And I'm betting they are trying to not repeat the same mistakes they made in South America in the past couple generations. Which is lots of members, no retention.

I think the international trend for the church will continue. I expect missionary work in the US to be anemic, and retention more and more difficult.

Missionary work in China will be among the country's Catholics.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of zeal for religion any more. A lot of the enthusiasm in the LDS Church is now very tame and it has become a very bureaucratic religion.