Baptism numbers are decreasing.

[UtahDan]

I am really worried when I appear before the judgement bar I will be told "your trite cynical remarks about the church kept Boylen from joining the church." Your punishment is to hang out with SU and Robin.

Particularly since Robin has said he will be leading a revolt whilst engaging in an orgy of some kind that will somehow be accomplished sans genitalia, perhaps just symbolically. Will SU join in?

[Viking]

If I was an investigator who looked up mormonism on wikipedia, I'd have serious doubts within a few link clicks.

Access to information is a real buzzkill for baptisms, I surmise

[Viking]

This makes me feel better about my mission experience. In 1973, in my mission (Franco-Belge), we had 93 baptisms for the entire year. In 1974, in an effort to clean up the rolls, weed out those who no longer desired membership, and otherwise deal with some out and out apostates, our mission president conducted church courts throughout the mission, and we ended up excommunicating about 500 people. So in essence, my mission was significantly in the red when it came to increasing church membership. Notwithstanding this, those experiences created a number of strong leaders in the Church today, both in France and amongst the missionaries who served there.

That's very French of your mission president, even if it was in Belgium. La guillotine claimed her bloody prize (h/t peart).

[UtahDan]

This makes me feel better about my mission experience. In 1973, in my mission (Franco-Belge), we had 93 baptisms for the entire year. In 1974, in an effort to clean up the rolls, weed out those who no longer desired membership, and otherwise deal with some out and out apostates, our mission president conducted church courts throughout the mission, and we ended up excommunicating about 500 people. So in essence, my mission was significantly in the red when it came to increasing church membership. Notwithstanding this, those experiences created a number of strong leaders in the Church today, both in France and amongst the missionaries who served there.

My ward has a huge number of people on the rolls that no one knows or knows where they are. I mean, we really do have a serious problem with our rolls. Simply excommunicating them all is actually not a bad idea. Help me out though, we should we accuse them of?

[Viking]

My ward has a huge number of people on the rolls that no one knows or knows where they are. I mean, we really do have a serious problem with our rolls. Simply excommunicating them all is actually not a bad idea. Help me out though, we should we accuse them of?

Treachery.

[mUUser]

I'd hope its the result of raising the bar on prospective members -- get tired of seeing how fast and how many we can dunk, regardless of their readiness.

[scottie]

I'd hope its the result of raising the bar on prospective members -- get tired of seeing how fast and how many we can dunk, regardless of their readiness.

If my mission is any indication, the raising of that bar started in 1993.

[Solon]

http://www.mormontimes.com/mormon_vo...pins/?id=12892

Interesting. Reminds me of this thread that has several posts related to this.

http://www.cougaruteforum.com/showthread.php?t=15354

[Surfah]

Our ward has had a large increase in baptisms recently. It's barely February and I think our ward has already hit its goal for the year. Wednesday I went out with the Elders here and visited two more people committed for baptism. In fact one was a sister (RN who moved here from Florida last month to take care of her ailing mother) who was to be baptized last weekend but it was rescheduled due to the snowstorm.

[Indy Coug]

Our ward has had a large increase in baptisms recently. It's barely February and I think our ward has already hit its goal for the year. Wednesday I went out with the Elders here and visited two more people committed for baptism. In fact one was a sister (RN who moved here from Florida last month to take care of her ailing mother) who was to be baptized last weekend but it was rescheduled due to the snowstorm.

Are your baptisms primarily ethnic minorities? It's my observation that is the where most of the baptisms come from these days. Virtually everyone that joins the church in the three units in our building are Latino or African or African-American.

Caucasian baptisms seem to be a trickle at best. The point I'm really trying to make is wondering aloud what happens when the Latino/Black "market" gets tapped out?

[Surfah]

Are your baptisms primarily ethnic minorities? It's my observation that is the where most of the baptisms come from these days. Virtually everyone that joins the church in the three units in our building are Latino or African or African-American.

Caucasian baptisms seem to be a trickle at best. The point I'm really trying to make is wondering aloud what happens when the Latino/Black "market" gets tapped out?

No they are not. We had one in December. A Nepali guy who is a refugee from Bhutan. The rest of his family is being taught now. But we had 3 last month that were all Caucasian. And the 2 lined up for next weekend are Caucasian as well.

[pellegrino]

Treachery.

you'd have better success with lechery.

I'd always thought it might be interesting to announce the number of members that attended church at least one time per month during the past year...

Do they keep that stat? It would be interesting to know.

[Indy Coug]

Do they keep that stat? It would be interesting to know.

They certainly don't keep that stat for sacrament attendance.

[pellegrino]

They certainly don't keep that stat for sacrament attendance.

I didn't think so, but isn't that the long held definition of "active" church attendance? If they don't keep it, why define it?

[RobinFinderson]

I'm still willing to come back if promoted to Q12... it would help the numbers.