AN INTERESTING STATISTICAL REPORT

The LDS Church prints a monthly publication titled the ENSIGN. In the May edition each year, the First Presidency releases the statistics of the Church as reflected on the last day of the previous year. (The report below was for the year 2008).


The report is fairly typical for a year within the last two decades. The number of "stakes" has grown since the last year -- a stake is the organization of several congregations (Wards) totaling, usually between 3000 and 5000 members in any particular geographic location. So, worldwide, there were 2,818 stakes throughout the world.


There were 348 missions throughout the world wherein there were 52,494 full time missionaries laboring (at their own expense, incidentally).


From the labors of those 52,000 plus missionaries came 265,593 convert baptisms in 2008.

Now, in all fairness, we are a missionary church. A past President of the Church, David O. McKay, instructed us that we should all be missionaries (Every member a missionary). So, technically, not all of those baptisms came from full time missionaries.


You can read the rest of the statistics at your leisure. And, while you are considering them, you should keep in mind that most of the the Christian Churches throughout the world are declining in church membership, particularly in youth. Yet, during every other church's decline, our Church keeps baptizing new members every year. Why? A good question you should think about. If you want some answers, look in your phone book for a listing of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - preferably a mission home, call the number and request a free copy of the Book of Mormon and ask that the Elders deliver it to your home so that you can ask them why our Church membership keeps increasing every year while your church declined. (The LDS Church membership at the end of 2009 should be a little over 14,000,000.)

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“Statistical Report, 2008,” Ensign, May 2009, 30

Brothers and sisters, the First Presidency has issued the following report concerning the growth and activity of the Church as of December 31, 2008.

Church Units

Stakes	2,818
Missions	348
Districts	622
Wards and Branches	28,109

Church Membership

Total Church Membership	13,508,509
Increase in Children of Record	123,502
Converts Baptized	265,593

Missionaries

Full-Time Missionaries	52,494

Temples

Temples Dedicated during 2008 (Rexburg Idaho, Curitiba Brazil, Panama City Panama, and Twin Falls Idaho)	4
Temples Rededicated during 2008 (Mexico City Mexico)	1
Number of Temples in Operation as of December 31	128

Prominent Church Members Who Have Passed Away since Last April

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Sister Alice Thornley Evans, widow of Elder Richard L. Evans of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder J. Thomas Fyans, an emeritus General Authority; Elder Douglas H. Smith, a former member of the Seventy; Sister Harriet Barbara Washburn, wife of Elder J. Ballard Washburn, a former member of the Seventy; and Brother Daniel H. Ludlow, former director of the Church Correlation Department and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.