Washington Post Article on LDS Church part 1 (Converts to the Church)

The number of convert baptisms is kind of misleading. If 10 years ago we baptized 800 people a day and 50% stayed active (400 people), and today we still baptize 800 people a day but only 10% stay active (80 people), the number of convert baptisms doesn’t tell the whole picture.

Who knows what percentage of people stay active? I sure don’t. What I do know is that when I was a missionary, most people we baptized went inactive. I know of only one lady I baptized who is semi-active, the others I know are inactive, and a few I’ve lost touch with, so I don’t know their status, but I assume them to be inactive, as the numbers were all in favor of the vast majority becoming inactive. This was typical of all missionaries in my mission.

Convert baptisms plus the retention rate would give the real number in the growth of the church.

If people of our church are leaving to attend other churches, it is for the same reason they left other churches to attend ours: to feel the Spirit and feel close to Christ. The only difference between our church and others, according to Joseph Smith, is that we’ve got the Holy Ghost. If, however, the manifestations of the Spirit have become few and far between after baptism, who can blame a person seeking those manifestations elsewhere?

The 50,000 missionaries number is troubling. There should be more than 50,000 now, even with the higher standards.

My feeling is that if we, as congregations, were truly Christ-centered and Spirit-filled, not only would convert baptisms be exploding, but also retention would be very high, as there would be nowhere else to go to receive these experiences and the words of eternal life. I think the number of convert baptisms we have now is a result of the faith and work of the missionaries we have, and not a manifestation of the members showing forth their light that all may see it and glorify God. I think probably a new convert starts attending church, only to see the light of the members as being pretty dim and then has no incentive to keep going. Its a vicious cycle that feeds into itself.

I see many people people fall asleep at church. Our church meetings have a tendency to lull people into a sort of deep boredom. I, myself, am often bored beyond tears, but the covenant I made keeps me going. Not everyone, though, sticks to their covenants come hell or high waters. For many, they are continually assessing the situation. If they feel that the Spirit has left, they also leave.

At any rate, even the active member numbers are misleading. We haven’t had any real controversy over being a LDS in many years. We haven’t had any real persecution. Instead, we’ve been held up by the world as honest, hard-working, conservative, all right, good people. That has made it kind of easy to be a LDS. If the tide suddenly turns and the world starts to hate, persecute and kill us, due to the introduction and practice of new doctrine or the re-introduction and practice of old doctrine, I think we will see many of the “die-hard,” active, even temple recommend-holding members suddenly leaving in droves. The Lord has promised to remove the hypocrites (actors) from his church before he comes. He has also promised to clean his church before he cleans Babylon. So, I think it is a bit too early to be relying on numbers to indicate the faithfulness and health of the church.

LikeLike

Nephi said, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ….”

That would be a start. Many times I can go through an entire meeting without hearing a single reference to Christ, other than the phrase “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Moroni said, “And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.”

That would be the final part, actually doing good works, according to Moroni’s definition of good works, which is working by the power and gifts of God. Moroni said these words right after enumerating a list of the “best” (D&C 46: 8) gifts of the Spirit. Often, we console ourselves that we are doing “good works” because of we pay our tithing, contribute to fast offerings, go to church, go to the temple, but none of these things are the “good works” according to Moroni’s definition. Every single one of these things can be done without the power and gift of God in us. But only prophesying, speaking in tongues, beholding angels and all the other “best gifts” require that we have the power of the Holy Ghost upon us and that we are sanctified. The “best” gifts of the Spirit, in fact, are the outward signs of inner sanctification. For example:

Mormon said, “And as many as had devils cast out from them, and were healed of their sicknesses and their infirmities, did truly manifest unto the people that they had been wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and had been healed; and they did show forth signs also and did do some miracles among the people.” (3 Nephi 7: 22)

“And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—” (3 Nephi 8: 1)

Unfortunately, until we are equal in earthly things, these heavenly manifestations will be, and have been, largely withheld from us:

Yea, even more abundantly, which abundance is multiplied unto them through the manifestations of the Spirit. Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld. (D&C 70: 13-14)

As none of us strive to equalize our brethren in temporal things, I don’t see this happening any time soon. At least, not in a general sense, because for the individual who strives to equalize his brethren temporally, that individual will have the heavenly manifestations attending him.

LikeLike