Growth of the LDS Church
"...I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it... It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America - it will fill the world." - Joseph Smith Jr., founder and first President of the Church
"And this is only the beginning. We have scarcely scratched the surface. We are engaged in a work for the souls of men and women everywhere. Our work knows no boundaries. Under the providence of the Lord it will continue. Those nations now closed to us will someday be open. That is my faith. That is my belief. That is my testimony." - Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth President of the Church
"And this is only the beginning. We have scarcely scratched the surface. We are engaged in a work for the souls of men and women everywhere. Our work knows no boundaries. Under the providence of the Lord it will continue. Those nations now closed to us will someday be open. That is my faith. That is my belief. That is my testimony." - Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth President of the Church
The ancient prophet Daniel prophesied, "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth... And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
According to a journal entry by Henry W. Bigler, Joseph Smith had this to say about it in 1838: "I will correct the idea in regard to the little stone rolling forward – that is not so, it is stationary like a grindstone. And like a grindstone it revolves (Joseph made a circular motion with his hands) and said that when the Elders went abroad preaching the gospel and people believed and obeyed the gospel and became believers in the Book of Mormon, they were added to the little stone – thus they gathered around it so that it grew larger and larger until it had already began to pinch the toes of the image – and it [the stone] would finally break it [the image] in pieces and be carried away like the chaff of the summer thrashing floor while the stone kep[t] growing until it filled the whole earth."
The Church of Christ (later renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was organized in 1830 with six members to meet New York state's legal requirements, although several others were already waiting to be baptized. From that moment on it spread like wildfire through New England and the Midwest, much to the chagrin of its detractors, and the same persecution that threatened to snuff it out ultimately only publicized it and fueled its growth more. Over the course of the nineteenth century it also found great success in Canada, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Polynesia, and Mexico, although missions or planned missions to Chile, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, the Ottoman Empire (now several nations), Palestine, Russia, South Africa, and Siam (now Thailand) didn't gain much of a foothold at the time. Growth was relatively dormant for many decades, and based more on population growth than on conversions, while the Latter-day Saints were busy fleeing persecution and settling the frontier.
The turning point came around 1907 when the First Presidency urged foreign converts to build up the Church in their native lands instead of emigrating to Utah, which now held a sufficient nucleus of members to ensure the Church's permanent stability. After that there were some more false starts (in Japan for instance) and growth was again delayed by World War II, but the Church was gaining unstoppable momentum. Under the leadership of President David O. McKay it grew from being a Utah church (that is, a vast majority of its members resided there) to an American church. Under President Spencer W. Kimball it grew to a western hemisphere church. And under President Russell M. Nelson it has become a truly global church and perhaps, as predicted by sociologist Rodney Stark, the first major world religion since Islam. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't the fastest growing religion in the world by any measure, nor has its growth rate remained constant, but globally it has continued to grow even through times of crisis.
There is a less positive side to the faith-promoting numerical statistics, however. The Church's success, both actual and anticipated, apparently led many members and leaders to become complacent and believe that it would take care of itself. During the 1970s and 80s the Church achieved some of its greatest numerical growth, but many of these people had been baptized in a rush by overzealous missionaries - who, in fairness, were often pushed to do so by arbitrary quotas and other mission policies - without becoming truly converted. As thousands of them slipped into inactivity over the next three decades, hundreds of congregations were consolidated in Latin America, Europe, Japan, and the Philippines, with Russia soon suffering a similar fate. In third-world countries, such as Guatemala, downright unethical practices exacerbated the problem. I personally find nothing in church history more shameful than the "baseball baptism" era when young kids were baptized so they could join sports teams or attend beach parties.
David G. Stewart, himself an active Latter-day Saint, wrote in 2007, "Study after study demonstrates a vast discrepancy between official LDS membership claims and participating or self-identified membership. I am not aware of a single large population-based, self-identified affiliation study or national census that has come anywhere close to demonstrating parity with church membership claims. Nominal membership increases that far outstrip gains in active membership beg the question: what is growth? When individuals are baptized but do not attend church, do not identify themselves as members of the Church, and do not believe or live the teachings of the Church, has the Church grown? In nations where total membership figures have increased but the number of individuals attending church is stagnant or even in decline, has the Church grown? When so few converts become participating members that durable new church units cannot be organized and some existing units are collapsed because of the loss of previously active members, has the Church grown?
"Most media sources convey the impression that all of these scenarios constitute growth, since LDS growth is measured and reported almost exclusively in terms of raw membership numbers, while activity rates are never officially disclosed. The reader of LDS periodicals comes away with the impression that the Church is growing and flourishing as never before and that the missionary effort throughout the world has been a story of unmitigated success, dynamic growth, and constantly inspired programs and policies."
The Church learned a sobering lesson. President Gordon B. Hinckley said in 2003, for example, "The days are past, the days are gone, the days are no longer here when we will baptize hundreds of thousands of people in Chile and then they will drift away from the church. When you begin to count those who are not active, you are almost driven to tears over the terrible losses we have suffered in this nation." Around this time Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was sent to oversee Chile and Elder Dallin H. Oaks was sent to oversee the Philippines; an unprecedented move indicating the severity of the challenges there. The Church now takes much greater care to achieve true conversions and real growth with programs such as "Preach My Gospel" in 2004, which standardized and overhauled the discussions and many mission policies, and "Hastening the Work" in 2013, which integrated technology and member participation like never before. Yet many members remain unaware of the extent of the inactivity problem that persists today.
The creation of new congregations and announcement of new temples are far more reliable indicators of real growth than raw membership numbers, because both require a certain threshold of members who are actually active. The exact number of congregations is higher than the one reported by the Church, because some are located in "sensitive" countries where they are allowed to legally operate but under severe restrictions, and they are not reported. Vietnam was a sensitive country until 2014 and China still is; English-speaking expatriate congregations are reported but not native ones (by law they must meet separately). It is probable that every major city in China has a congregation. Additionally, smaller gatherings known simply as "groups" are not counted as congregations because each is dependent on, and considered an extension of, a ward or branch nearby. A group only requires one priesthood holder to operate. They're more common in recently reached areas, and when they grow large enough they become branches.
Speaking of China, Elder Dallin H. Oaks once said, "People sometimes ask me about what can be done to 'open China.' In response, I state my belief that China is already 'open' - it is we who are closed. We are closed because we expect the Orient to be the same as the West, China to be the same as Canada or Chile. We must open our minds and our hearts to the people of this ancient realm and this magnificent culture. We must understand their way of thinking, their aspirations, and their impressive accomplishments. We must observe their laws and follow their example of patience. We must deserve to be their friends."
Speaking more generally, shortly after becoming President of the Church, Thomas S. Monson said, "There remain, however, areas of the world where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely. As did President Spencer W. Kimball over 32 years ago, I urge you to pray for the opening of those areas, that we might share with them the joy of the gospel. As we prayed then in response to President Kimball’s pleadings, we saw miracles unfold as country after country, formerly closed to the Church, was opened. Such will transpire again as we pray with faith."
The Church of Christ (later renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was organized in 1830 with six members to meet New York state's legal requirements, although several others were already waiting to be baptized. From that moment on it spread like wildfire through New England and the Midwest, much to the chagrin of its detractors, and the same persecution that threatened to snuff it out ultimately only publicized it and fueled its growth more. Over the course of the nineteenth century it also found great success in Canada, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Polynesia, and Mexico, although missions or planned missions to Chile, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, the Ottoman Empire (now several nations), Palestine, Russia, South Africa, and Siam (now Thailand) didn't gain much of a foothold at the time. Growth was relatively dormant for many decades, and based more on population growth than on conversions, while the Latter-day Saints were busy fleeing persecution and settling the frontier.
The turning point came around 1907 when the First Presidency urged foreign converts to build up the Church in their native lands instead of emigrating to Utah, which now held a sufficient nucleus of members to ensure the Church's permanent stability. After that there were some more false starts (in Japan for instance) and growth was again delayed by World War II, but the Church was gaining unstoppable momentum. Under the leadership of President David O. McKay it grew from being a Utah church (that is, a vast majority of its members resided there) to an American church. Under President Spencer W. Kimball it grew to a western hemisphere church. And under President Russell M. Nelson it has become a truly global church and perhaps, as predicted by sociologist Rodney Stark, the first major world religion since Islam. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't the fastest growing religion in the world by any measure, nor has its growth rate remained constant, but globally it has continued to grow even through times of crisis.
There is a less positive side to the faith-promoting numerical statistics, however. The Church's success, both actual and anticipated, apparently led many members and leaders to become complacent and believe that it would take care of itself. During the 1970s and 80s the Church achieved some of its greatest numerical growth, but many of these people had been baptized in a rush by overzealous missionaries - who, in fairness, were often pushed to do so by arbitrary quotas and other mission policies - without becoming truly converted. As thousands of them slipped into inactivity over the next three decades, hundreds of congregations were consolidated in Latin America, Europe, Japan, and the Philippines, with Russia soon suffering a similar fate. In third-world countries, such as Guatemala, downright unethical practices exacerbated the problem. I personally find nothing in church history more shameful than the "baseball baptism" era when young kids were baptized so they could join sports teams or attend beach parties.
David G. Stewart, himself an active Latter-day Saint, wrote in 2007, "Study after study demonstrates a vast discrepancy between official LDS membership claims and participating or self-identified membership. I am not aware of a single large population-based, self-identified affiliation study or national census that has come anywhere close to demonstrating parity with church membership claims. Nominal membership increases that far outstrip gains in active membership beg the question: what is growth? When individuals are baptized but do not attend church, do not identify themselves as members of the Church, and do not believe or live the teachings of the Church, has the Church grown? In nations where total membership figures have increased but the number of individuals attending church is stagnant or even in decline, has the Church grown? When so few converts become participating members that durable new church units cannot be organized and some existing units are collapsed because of the loss of previously active members, has the Church grown?
"Most media sources convey the impression that all of these scenarios constitute growth, since LDS growth is measured and reported almost exclusively in terms of raw membership numbers, while activity rates are never officially disclosed. The reader of LDS periodicals comes away with the impression that the Church is growing and flourishing as never before and that the missionary effort throughout the world has been a story of unmitigated success, dynamic growth, and constantly inspired programs and policies."
The Church learned a sobering lesson. President Gordon B. Hinckley said in 2003, for example, "The days are past, the days are gone, the days are no longer here when we will baptize hundreds of thousands of people in Chile and then they will drift away from the church. When you begin to count those who are not active, you are almost driven to tears over the terrible losses we have suffered in this nation." Around this time Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was sent to oversee Chile and Elder Dallin H. Oaks was sent to oversee the Philippines; an unprecedented move indicating the severity of the challenges there. The Church now takes much greater care to achieve true conversions and real growth with programs such as "Preach My Gospel" in 2004, which standardized and overhauled the discussions and many mission policies, and "Hastening the Work" in 2013, which integrated technology and member participation like never before. Yet many members remain unaware of the extent of the inactivity problem that persists today.
The creation of new congregations and announcement of new temples are far more reliable indicators of real growth than raw membership numbers, because both require a certain threshold of members who are actually active. The exact number of congregations is higher than the one reported by the Church, because some are located in "sensitive" countries where they are allowed to legally operate but under severe restrictions, and they are not reported. Vietnam was a sensitive country until 2014 and China still is; English-speaking expatriate congregations are reported but not native ones (by law they must meet separately). It is probable that every major city in China has a congregation. Additionally, smaller gatherings known simply as "groups" are not counted as congregations because each is dependent on, and considered an extension of, a ward or branch nearby. A group only requires one priesthood holder to operate. They're more common in recently reached areas, and when they grow large enough they become branches.
Speaking of China, Elder Dallin H. Oaks once said, "People sometimes ask me about what can be done to 'open China.' In response, I state my belief that China is already 'open' - it is we who are closed. We are closed because we expect the Orient to be the same as the West, China to be the same as Canada or Chile. We must open our minds and our hearts to the people of this ancient realm and this magnificent culture. We must understand their way of thinking, their aspirations, and their impressive accomplishments. We must observe their laws and follow their example of patience. We must deserve to be their friends."
Speaking more generally, shortly after becoming President of the Church, Thomas S. Monson said, "There remain, however, areas of the world where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely. As did President Spencer W. Kimball over 32 years ago, I urge you to pray for the opening of those areas, that we might share with them the joy of the gospel. As we prayed then in response to President Kimball’s pleadings, we saw miracles unfold as country after country, formerly closed to the Church, was opened. Such will transpire again as we pray with faith."
Every Member a Missionary
What I must stress above all else is that growth doesn't just "happen". Far too many Latter-day Saints like to look at faith-promoting statistics, convince themselves that the Church is thriving all over the world, and pat themselves on the back for doing nothing. Imagine how much faster the Church could grow, and how many more converts would be retained, if Latter-day Saints as a whole really took seriously the divine mandate - repeated countless times in scripture and by modern prophets and apostles - to share the gospel with their friends and neighbors, and even with the whole world.
Elder David A. Bednar commented, "We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work! If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith - if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express - then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way."
I advise all members to pray for missionary opportunities, for the perceptiveness to notice them, for the courage to accept them, and for the guidance to handle them well. If you do so, the Lord will respond.
Elder David A. Bednar commented, "We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work! If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith - if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express - then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way."
I advise all members to pray for missionary opportunities, for the perceptiveness to notice them, for the courage to accept them, and for the guidance to handle them well. If you do so, the Lord will respond.
Church Growth Timeline
April 6, 1830 - Church organized in Fayette, New York, USA
1907 - Church asks members to remain in their native lands instead of emigrating to Utah
1947 - Church reaches one million members
1963 - Church reaches two million members
1971 - Church reaches three million members
June 1, 1978 - Revelation on priesthood makes the full gospel available to anyone in the world
February 17-18, 1979 - Church organizes 1,000th stake in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA
December 11, 1994 - Church organizes 2,000th stake in Mexico City, Mexico
Circa February 25, 1996 - More than half of nominal church membership resides outside the United States
December 2, 2012 - Church organizes 3,000th stake in Freetown, Sierra Leone
2015-2018 - Church reports lowest growth rates since 1937
1907 - Church asks members to remain in their native lands instead of emigrating to Utah
1947 - Church reaches one million members
1963 - Church reaches two million members
1971 - Church reaches three million members
June 1, 1978 - Revelation on priesthood makes the full gospel available to anyone in the world
February 17-18, 1979 - Church organizes 1,000th stake in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA
December 11, 1994 - Church organizes 2,000th stake in Mexico City, Mexico
Circa February 25, 1996 - More than half of nominal church membership resides outside the United States
December 2, 2012 - Church organizes 3,000th stake in Freetown, Sierra Leone
2015-2018 - Church reports lowest growth rates since 1937
