New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

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2bizE
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New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by 2bizE » Fri May 06, 2022 12:24 pm

SLtrib:

“While the church enjoyed small gains in membership growth the past two years globally (up 0.8%) and nationally (up 0.6%) amid a worldwide pandemic, more than 40% of U.S. states (21 plus the District of Columbia) saw their numbers decrease during that time frame.

California (down 2.84%), North Dakota (off 2.28%) and Washington (minus 2.03%) were the biggest percentage losers between the start of 2020 and the end of 2021, independent demographer Matt Martinich reports at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, while New Jersey (down 0.03%), Louisiana (off 0.13%) and Nebraska (minus 0.17%) had the tiniest declines.”

Africa:
“If the church continues to boom in parts of Africa at the current rate — a big if, of course — when might it boast more Latter-day Saint congregations than North America?

Data scientist Stephen Cranney wondered and did some basic calculations. He discovered this “highly speculative” shift would happen in about 30 years.

“Maybe at some point in the next half-century we’ll be broadcasting General Conference from Accra [Ghana’s capital],” he wrote in a Times and Seasons blog post. “...Whatever the exact numbers, it’s hard to see a situation where Africa does not become a significant part of church culture and institutions in the long run.”


https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/05 ... nd-church/

http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/202 ... t.html?m=1
~2bizE

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alas
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by alas » Fri May 06, 2022 2:31 pm

Well, I wouldn’t count California losing members as a loss to the church as they are all moving into the St George area. I talked to a recent move in and they were terribly frustrated at how long it took to buy a house, and the rate at which subdivisions and apartment complexes are going in is staggering. Literally 100’s of new homes a week. Fastest growing city in the whole US. They are escaping California like as if the place is (A) burning to the ground (B) political hell. (C) very expensive (D) crime ridden. (E) overrun with the homeless and Mexicans (F) And they have a personal grudge against the governor. We belong to an ATVing club and every month there are 4 or 5 new families that have just moved in from California and my husband says it is the same at church, every week, mostly retired couples bragging about “escaping from hellifornia.” They are quickly bringing all of California’s over population problems and soon to be scarce water that they whine about from there to here.

And North Dakota, takes one family moving out to give you 2.28 percent of their population. (Sarcasm, I think… maybe it is correct)

Anyway, I think your author under estimates how much of Utah culture is being exported to Africa and how Utah centric the top leaders are and will pretty much stay. Years ago, I heard that kind of speculation about South America or Mexico.

I think countries have a lot of converts until there is a church congregation established because in poor countries people want to be as American as they can because they associate it with wealth. But when the missionaries can take their investigator to church and they see a congregation of poor fellow countrymen, it pops the “American worship” bubble. I know several people who went on missions to poor countries like Brazil or Africa and that is kind of a summation of the missionaries experience, well along with dads trying to get a missionary to fall in love with their daughter, marry her and help the whole family immigrate.

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Emower
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by Emower » Fri May 06, 2022 7:52 pm

alas wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 2:31 pm
We belong to an ATVing club and every month there are 4 or 5 new families that have just moved in from California and my husband says it is the same at church, every week, mostly retired couples bragging about “escaping from hellifornia.” They are quickly bringing all of California’s over population problems and soon to be scarce water that they whine about from there to here.
.
I supervise a state park in eastern Nevada and the number of people coming over here to escape st. George is also staggering.

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2bizE
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by 2bizE » Fri May 06, 2022 8:21 pm

Any NOMies living in Vermont? That seems like the ideal escape from Mormonism. Maple syrup….Bob Newhart, Larry, Daryl and Daryl and few Mormons.
~2bizE

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alas
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by alas » Fri May 06, 2022 8:54 pm

Emower wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 7:52 pm
alas wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 2:31 pm
We belong to an ATVing club and every month there are 4 or 5 new families that have just moved in from California and my husband says it is the same at church, every week, mostly retired couples bragging about “escaping from hellifornia.” They are quickly bringing all of California’s over population problems and soon to be scarce water that they whine about from there to here.
.
I supervise a state park in eastern Nevada and the number of people coming over here to escape st. George is also staggering.
Probably because their house has doubled in value in the last ten year, and across the border they have not increased near as much. So, it really is a good time to move away. My sister in law owns land in both places and her building lot overlooking the virgin river has quadrupled in three years, while their several building lots in southern Nevada have hardly changed. And yeah, I am already thinking of escaping because this growth is insane and there isn’t magically going to be more water and we already did the low water use yard, so there is no way to cut back when we are ordered to cut water use by 30% then 50%. The idiots here still think they are going to put in a pipeline to Lake Powell. (Insert hysterical laughter) Guess they don’t believe the people screaming that Lake Powell is drying up, and it can’t because there is no place else to get electricity, cause they already tore down the old coal power plant in Page. They are also drilling for ground water with no idea if there is any even down below, let alone how deep. They are essentially just pretending they will get more water so the builders can keep on getting rich.besides, “the second coming is pretty soon, so no worries.” My husband actually heard that at church a few weeks ago.

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moksha
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by moksha » Fri May 06, 2022 8:55 pm

alas wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 2:31 pm
They are escaping California like as if the place is ...
Once Mormons found out about the Jewish space lasers they sought a land with a protective garment-driven energy dome.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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alas
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by alas » Fri May 06, 2022 8:57 pm

moksha wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 8:55 pm
alas wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 2:31 pm
They are escaping California like as if the place is ...
Once Mormons found out about the Jewish space lasers they sought a land with a protective garment-driven energy dome.
Thanks for the giggle

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Enough 2.0
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by Enough 2.0 » Tue May 10, 2022 10:39 am

2bizE wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 12:24 pm

Africa:
“If the church continues to boom in parts of Africa at the current rate — a big if, of course — when might it boast more Latter-day Saint congregations than North America?
I have a son serving in Africa. When he was called to the Cameroon mission, I thought that he would have a mission filled with African-ready investigators (now called “friends”). I thought Africa would be an awesome place to serve — in the sense that my son would be greeted with gospel-ready, hospitable people.

This has not been the case.

The work is slow — even in Africa.

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2bizE
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by 2bizE » Wed May 11, 2022 1:19 pm

Interesting. I wonder what makes certain countries in Africa harder to convert folks than others? I still think once Africans get the internet more broadly, there is going to be a significant decline in activity.
~2bizE

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Red Ryder
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by Red Ryder » Wed May 11, 2022 3:07 pm

I think the church works hard at pushing an image of success in Africa.

Sounds very similar to the South America growth of the 90’s and early 00’s. Sure they are baptizing and growth is high. But so was South America and it’s retracted with high levels of inactivity.

The church isn’t growing. Converts are not knocking the doors down and sticking with Mormonism.

It simply isn’t expanding like they say it is.
“It always devolves to Pantaloons. Always.” ~ Fluffy

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2bizE
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Re: New church membership decline and GC moves to Africa?

Post by 2bizE » Thu May 12, 2022 7:46 pm

Red Ryder wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 3:07 pm
I think the church works hard at pushing an image of success in Africa.

Sounds very similar to the South America growth of the 90’s and early 00’s. Sure they are baptizing and growth is high. But so was South America and it’s retracted with high levels of inactivity.

The church isn’t growing. Converts are not knocking the doors down and sticking with Mormonism.

It simply isn’t expanding like they say it is.
Having served a mission in the booming Latin America in the 1990s, I know first hand the efforts made to baptize people. I helped convert around 100 people on my mission. I know of none of my converts still active today. I am certainly Africa is very similar to Latin America. The “huge” growth seen in Africa in smoke and mirrors.
~2bizE

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