Church Growth in Times of Pandemic

[græy]

I'm currently (at this very moment) sitting in a "mandatory" stake leadership meeting. The visiting 70 just put a chart up that shows how convert baptisms in our mission are down almost 50% from last year (which was already down almost 60% from the year prior).

His only comment for the leaders of the wards, "How can you fix this?"

Cue many comments about how social media was prepared for us for these times. One lady even said that Nelson'd social media fast was inspired because it helped understand the "true" way to use social media.

Many other thoughts, but I can't type quickly enough on my phone...

[græy]

Wow...

Temple recommend renewals have dropped.
Ministering interviews have dropped.
Tithing rates have dropped

"We need to reach these people! But it's not about numbers. But we need to get these numbers up! We don't want to lose these people! How do we tell them that they need temple recommends?"

[græy]

... And now he says we need to call everyone who doesn't come to sacrament meeting, every week.

He even shared that members in his ward (when he was Bishop) would call him beforehand to let him know they would be on vacation or visiting family.

[græy]

"We're losing people who are offended. We're losing people who are having faith crises."

We need to get them back now. If we wait they won't come back.

[græy]

"People get offended, and if we reach out right away we can get them back. But if we wait, even a single week, it could take years to get them back."

"This is how we grow the church and push people down the covenant path. It is our responsibility to keep them on the covenant path."

[Phil Lurkerman]

Wow...

Temple recommend renewals have dropped.
Ministering interviews have dropped.
Tithing rates have dropped

"We need to reach these people! But it's not about numbers. But we need to get these numbers up! We don't want to lose these people! How do we tell them that they need temple recommends?"

I cannot express how much NOT having a temple recommend has improved my quality of life.

[Just This Guy]

On my mission, it was an early shelf item that for a church that constantly told the members that the numbers were not important, the mission was really focused on the numbers.

[blazerb]

I am currently attempting the slow fade. I'm hoping that, since we haven't been able to go to church for so long, it won't seem strange that I don't return. I guess I'll see if trainings like this cause me to get more visits than I really would like.

[Hagoth]

"We need to reach these people! But it's not about numbers. But we need to get these numbers up! We don't want to lose these people!

Let's just assume the problem is with the people and not the message and then keep scratching our heads about why they aren't showing up in droves.

Did anyone suggest that he denounce the numbers and demand a recount?

[græy]

Did anyone suggest that he denounce the numbers and demand a recount?

If only they would just stop taking attendance or counting tithing! All their problems would go away, like a miracle!

[græy]

Overall, I was just impressed with the tone of fear.

By the stats, many people aren't coming back and we might end up setting the church back a couple decades worth of growth.

[moksha]

"Dispatch a 3rd Stage Apostolic Navigator to the Planet Utah with the message, "The tithing must flow".

Græy, thank you so very much for keeping us informed on this type of thing. It is nice to read the thoughts of Church members on such issues.

[Hagoth]

Overall, I was just impressed with the tone of fear.

I was in a similar meeting back when they first realized that church growth had flattened. The tone was surprised terror: "how could we have let this happen!" It was a call to arms for members to get out there and fix whatever huge mistake we had made that was letting God down. 'Cause we all know how things go for us when we cause the switch to flip from Loving God to Vengeful God.

[StarbucksMom]

This is interesting, kind of what we all expected, but still fascinating to watch the consequences of COVID for Mormon Inc play out. I am supposed to be having SConf this weekend too, but we’re not attending. (hubby is TBM but I am holding my ground so far about not attending til a widely avail vaccine.)

It’s seriously so reckless to even be holding in person SC right now. I’m in AZ, and cases are spiking here again. They have got to be super desperate to be forging ahead with in person church at all, let alone SC. I am curious graey, how are attendance #s for the session(s) today? I think I saw in my spam folder that we could watch ours online, but I didn’t care to try.

Anyone else had SC lately, and did people actually show up?

[Random]

Man, graey, you make me so glad I'm no longer a member. The pressure and guilt over things one cannot control is tremendous.

[hmb]

Overall, I was just impressed with the tone of fear.

I was in a similar meeting back when they first realized that church growth had flattened. The tone was surprised terror: "how could we have let this happen!" It was a call to arms for members to get out there and fix whatever huge mistake we had made that was letting God down. 'Cause we all know how things go for us when we cause the switch to flip from Loving God to Vengeful God.

About when was this? Did they have any thoughts as to why it started? Just wondering if this was before or after the Internet.

[hmb]

"People get offended, and if we reach out right away we can get them back. But if we wait, even a single week, it could take years to get them back."

"This is how we grow the church and push people down the covenant path. It is our responsibility to keep them on the covenant path."

People get offended. That's on the church's greatest hits. I don't even know what they mean. An individual offended them? Leadership offended them? What do people get offended over? Being offended seems a weak reason for people to leave, though maybe it's an excuse? It's like being offended because you didn't get enough "likes" on a Facebook post .

[Red Ryder]

I blame the underwear!

[Red Ryder]

I cannot express how much NOT having a temple recommend has improved my quality of life.

Exactly this! Seriously

[Culper Jr.]

Thanks Graey, for the interesting info.

I believe Covid did the same thing to a lot of members. We were told we wouldnt be happy without church attendance, temple attendance and paying a honest tithe. Members have instead found that staying home on Sunday is actually kind of relaxing. Not attending the temple hasn't filled their lives with sorrow. They haven't fallen into financial despair even though they haven't paid a full tithe. In short, we have found out that for decades we have been sold a bill of goods.

In times like this, with a pandemic, political upheaval, social upheaval... you would think people would really cling to the gospel for comfort, answers and guidance. That the opposite has happened really speaks to the complete emptiness of the church's message. When people ask me what my issue with the church is, I cite two things. Polygamy, and just the simple fact that mormonism doesn't work as advertised. Blessings don't work, priesthood doesn't work, there is no prophecy, no guidance. My life is not measurably better in any way because of the teachings of the church. Anything good I get from the church I can get better from other organizations. Ministering is not effective. Missionary work is not effective. The auxiliary programs are ineffective because they are run by people who often were guilted into the calling and have no passion or talent for running the program and are barely given any funding to be effective. Even the very social interactions with members are often fake and ineffective because we are taught by a "prophet" that the love we feel for others, like god's love for us, is conditional upon whether they do what we want them to or not.

Wow, that kinda turned into a rant. But yeah.. I'm convinced that even among the 30% or less of the people on the records of the church that could be considered at least minimally active, VERY few of that 30% really believe it and live it or even like it; but only go out of a sense of obligation, family relationships, whatever. The pandemic is just making it more convenient for them to slip away.