Is the Church still fit for purpose?

[_UnicornMan]

Why won't they do these things?

1. The people at the top serve for life. They are steeped in the old ways of doing things, and therefore, change happens very slowly.

2. There is likely strong financial health, therefore there is no crisis to spur positive changes like we suggest.

3. The people at the top come from industry and business mostly, and therefore, bring a temporal focus in which the Church is managed more like a business than an Church, compared to other Churches which are run by a trained clergy. The LDS laity brings their business experience to the Church and tends to lead it using those principles. Service missions do little other than provide some PR. I suspect hard, cold baptisms generate more in commitment, membership growth and tithing donations than the spillover effects of Service-related PR efforts.

4. They won't open the books because as a Church we are constantly beaten up, represented unfairly, etcetera. I know that with my current commitment crisis I would probably interpret the opened LDS financials somewhat cynically. I don't think they will get much in terms of organizational goodies (growth, increased tithing payments) by showing the world how much they DON'T need donations given their huge wealth.

5. The Church has a long history of reminding its membership of accountability the members have to the Lord for serving well, keeping covenants, yet is generally uninterested in assuming such accountability to the members for its own actions. Therefore, opening the books runs counter to the culture of our Church.

[_Zelder]

There are some good ideas in here. I think the church is mostly hindered by its weakness in focusing on the two great commandments. It's all about love. The rules are supposed to be guidlines to help us figure out what love is. The rules are not ends in and of themselves. When and if Mormons figure out how to love each other, the church will explode.

[_Buffalo]

You may have missed it, but the LDS Church's 4th mission statement is to help the poor and needy.

I'm pretty sure that's something that just exists for PR purposes. Until they start spending more as a percent of total income on charity than the average for profit corporation, I'll remain skeptical.

[_Drifting]

There are some good ideas in here. I think the church is mostly hindered by its weakness in focusing on the two great commandments. It's all about love. The rules are supposed to be guidlines to help us figure out what love is. The rules are not ends in and of themselves. When and if Mormons figure out how to love each other, the church will explode.

Unfortunately it will take the leaders to change first and they're hanging about waiting to hear what God himself has to say on the matter...

[_bcspace]

These programmes, schedules, activities and structure were set up for a Mormon society that was ill educated (in terms of Mormonism) and was primarily in large family units.

I'd say "Mormon society" was very well educated in terms of Mormonism at the time these were set up and that seems to continue to be the case.

[_Drifting]

These programmes, schedules, activities and structure were set up for a Mormon society that was ill educated (in terms of Mormonism) and was primarily in large family units.

I'd say "Mormon society" was very well educated in terms of Mormonism at the time these were set up and that seems to continue to be the case.

How do you get earth Internet access on your planet?

[_logjamislds]

If I were in charge, I would immediately head to S.L.C. and return all of my authority to President Thomas S. Monson, to whom it currently rightfully belongs, and I would beg his forgiveness and pardon for putting the Kingdom of God into exceedingly slippery and unworthy hands for even those few hours. To say the church is falling down in its three-fold mission is to ignore the most basic of statistics. It is growing, via missionary work. (Proclaim the Gospel.) The great increase in temples and the work done in them, plus the amazing technical advances aiding family research is certainly raising Elijah's eyebrows as we "redeem the dead", and as far as "perfecting the saints" goes; seems like you . . . and I . . . both have our work to do, starting with ourselves.

[_Drifting]

To say the church is falling down in its three-fold mission is to ignore the most basic of statistics. It is growing, via missionary work. (Proclaim the Gospel.)

It is shrinking via resignations and inactivity.
As a proportion of the worlds population membership numbers are insignificant and getting smaller.

The great increase in temples and the work done in them,

How are you measuring the effectiveness of temples and the quantity of work one in them?
Most reports are of temples being under utilised, with some of them reduced to a part time operation. This is further supported by the constant drive to try and get members to attend the Temple.

plus the amazing technical advances aiding family research is certainly raising Elijah's eyebrows as we "redeem the dead",

what are these amazing technical advances or do you actually mean the Church is installing computers and operating a website - things that ancestry.com has been doing for a lot longer?
Why are so many names recycled over and over again?
Why did the Church steal Jewish names without permission?

and as far as "perfecting the saints" goes; seems like you . . . and I . . . both have our work to do, starting with ourselves.

I agree. But at least I'm looking for the truth!