JW- Mormons- Seven-day adventist The more they preach- fewer come in

sspo

Keeping members a challenge for LDS church
Mormon myth: The belief that the church is the fastest-growing faith in the world doesn't hold up

By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune

Keeping members a challenge for LDS church
Mormon myth: The belief that the church is the fastest-growing faith in the world doesn't hold up

By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune



	Mormons sing hymns in Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during Gordon B. Hinckley's 1998 visit. (Rick Egan/Tribune file photos )

The claim that Mormonism is the fastest-growing faith in the world has been repeated so routinely by sociologists, anthropologists, journalists and proud Latter-day Saints as to be perceived as unassailable fact.
The trouble is, it isn't true.
Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 12 million members on its rolls, more than doubling its numbers in the past quarter-century. But since 1990, other faiths - Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God and Pentecostal groups - have grown much faster and in more places around the globe.
And most telling, the number of Latter-day Saints who are considered active churchgoers is only about a third of the total, or 4 million in the pews every Sunday, researchers say.
For a church with such a large, dedicated missionary corps constantly seeking to spread its word, conversion numbers in recent years tell an unexpected story.
According to LDS-published statistics, the annual number of LDS converts declined from a high of 321,385 in 1996 to 241,239 in 2004. In the 1990s, the church's growth rate went from 5 percent a year to 3 percent.
By comparison, the Seventh-day Adventist Church reports it has added more than 900,000 adult converts each year since 2000 (an average growth of about 5 percent), bringing the total membership to 14.3 million. The Assemblies of God now claims more than 50 million members worldwide, adding 10,000 new members every day.

I found it interesting that both the JW and mormons after spending so much time in evangelizing they are not doing as well as Seven-day ad. and other religions
.

Seeker4

Very interesting. I also liked the comment about the actual number of active churchgoers in the pews every Sunday.

I don't have the figures handy, but perhaps someone could compare when the largest year of growth for the JWs was and how it's doing now by comparison.

I remember doing this as I was leaving, and at that time it had hit a peak in around 1994, then began dropping off after that. Perhaps it's going back up again now, a decade later, but I don't think so.

Also, even back when I was an elder in the 70s to the early 90s, there were many, many congregations with considerably less than 100% meeting attendance. I was shocked at that, because my congregation always ran about 120% on Sundays. How that is figured is based on the total number of active publishers equals 100%.

Now, say the average attendance at Sunday meetings is 80% of publishers. According to this article, that means out of 6 million JWs worldwide, only 4.8 million would be "filling the pews" at any given meeting.

S4

sspo

seeker4

Last congr. , it had 154 pubs but usually on a sunday at most there were 120 in attendance and as you well know they count also a week old baby since they feel he is learning.and listening to God's word.

Really then if you eliminate all the babies and unbaptized ones the numbers would be very low.

For decades book study and TMS and SM were always low and every visit of the CO, the elders got the blame for not trying to make theses meetings more interesting and lively so that the friends would show up and don't forget the shepherding program so we could get these people at the meeting.

How about blaming the Society for coming up with boring information, going over the same book over and over again or listening to 2 sister going over a 4 minute talk ( how often did we use that info). Did anyone ever pay attention to a Wat. and awake presentation from the stage? How could you remember a 4 minute presentation and use it in the field?

Even the Public Talks, for those that have been around for decades we have heard the same talks over and over again, no wonder many feel that the meetings are boring and stay home.

Seeker4

sspo,

Yes. An interesting public talk by a good speaker is a rare event in JW-land. I would say if we had one exceptional speaker and talk, it was maybe every six months or so.

S4

sspo

In the 60 or70's I beleive the elders had some freedom to come up with their own talks but eventually the society took that away and made sure that the brothers stuck with the outline and not deviate from it.

The GB are Control freaks or godlike ones that have to have full control of every aspect of the JW's life

I wish i would have read the book " 30 years as a slave of the watchtower" 30years ago maybe my eyes would have been opened at that time or should have listened to my worldly friends that it was a lot crap.

badboy

I ONCE HEARD FROM SOMEONE THAT A MORMON MISSIONARY TRIED TO PUT HIS SHOE TO STOP HER CLOSING DOOR!

Qcmbr

I guess we'll see if any of them have any truth soon - JWs have the ticking clock of the anointed, Mormons will surely either be destroyed or proven by archeology and all the other growing congregations will eaither implode or usher in a new era of dominance - my money's on Islam growing faster than everyone else.

It's a very emotionally attractive concept to be the biggest or fastest but only to man - God was never apparently all that bothered.

Mind you if you count our missionary work amongst the dead we kick butt :P

JW- Mormons- Seven-day adventist The more they preach- fewer come in

sspo

Seeker4

sspo

Seeker4

sspo

badboy

Qcmbr

stevenyc

badboy

Geronimo

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