SatanWasSetUp wrote:1 million seems reasonable. In fact, since the founding of the church 1 million missionaries actually sounds like a low estimate. It seems like there would be more. The obvious follow up to Hinckley is if the church has had 1 million missionaries, why does it only have 13 million members? That's pretty poor sales performance, it seems to me at least.
Well, if you're counting missionaries since day one, you should probably compare that with members since day 1.
I'm not sure how many members there have ever been.
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
SatanWasSetUp wrote:1 million seems reasonable. In fact, since the founding of the church 1 million missionaries actually sounds like a low estimate. It seems like there would be more. The obvious follow up to Hinckley is if the church has had 1 million missionaries, why does it only have 13 million members? That's pretty poor sales performance, it seems to me at least.
If we were solely interested in sales I can think of more than a few Missions we should just shut down as ineffective.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
SatanWasSetUp wrote:1 million seems reasonable. In fact, since the founding of the church 1 million missionaries actually sounds like a low estimate. It seems like there would be more. The obvious follow up to Hinckley is if the church has had 1 million missionaries, why does it only have 13 million members? That's pretty poor sales performance, it seems to me at least.
If we were solely interested in sales I can think of more than a few Missions we should just shut down as ineffective.
They do that, to a certain extent. I'm not sure about shutting down entire missions, but they do shift missionaries out of certain areas that aren't performing well.
They also throw additional missionaries into areas that are performing well (south america).
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
SatanWasSetUp wrote:1 million seems reasonable. In fact, since the founding of the church 1 million missionaries actually sounds like a low estimate. It seems like there would be more. The obvious follow up to Hinckley is if the church has had 1 million missionaries, why does it only have 13 million members? That's pretty poor sales performance, it seems to me at least.
Well, if you're counting missionaries since day one, you should probably compare that with members since day 1.
I'm not sure how many members there have ever been.
It would be better to compare it to convert baptisms since day 1. From the hip, I'd say 10-12 million convert baptisms since day 1.
It’s relatively easy to agree that only Homo sapiens can speak about things that don’t really exist, and believe six impossible things before breakfast. You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.
I have no idea what the actual numbers are (does anyone, really?) but I would imagine that the majority of members (at least, the ones that "stick") are actually born in the church rather than converted.
Anyone have any more information on this?
God belief is for people who don't want to live life on the universe's terms.
Some Schmo wrote:I have no idea what the actual numbers are (does anyone, really?) but I would imagine that the majority of members (at least, the ones that "stick") are actually born in the church rather than converted.
Anyone have any more information on this?
If I recall correctly, they recently stated that the majority (>50%) of members were converts.
Of course, you have to take them on their word for it.
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
Some Schmo wrote:I have no idea what the actual numbers are (does anyone, really?) but I would imagine that the majority of members (at least, the ones that "stick") are actually born in the church rather than converted.
Anyone have any more information on this?
If I recall correctly, they recently stated that the majority (>50%) of members were converts.
Of course, you have to take them on their word for it.
It wouldn't surprise me, but I've also read that the majority of the 12-13 million number on the rolls is inactive, around 60%. It's not nearly this high in the US, but the majority of the church membership is outside the US where activity rates are in the 20% range, which skews the activity rates. I would assume the overwhelming majority of those active members you see sitting in the pews every sunday with a current temple recommend and a calling are born in the church, and this group of Mormons has become the minority in the church.
"We of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith." - Gordon B. Hinckley
"It's wrong to criticize leaders of the Mormon Church even if the criticism is true." - Dallin H. Oaks
SatanWasSetUp wrote:It wouldn't surprise me, but I've also read that the majority of the 12-13 million number on the rolls is inactive, around 60%. It's not nearly this high in the US, but the majority of the church membership is outside the US where activity rates are in the 20% range, which skews the activity rates. I would assume the overwhelming majority of those active members you see sitting in the pews every sunday with a current temple recommend and a calling are born in the church, and this group of Mormons has become the minority in the church.
Good point. I agree.
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
SatanWasSetUp wrote:I would assume the overwhelming majority of those active members you see sitting in the pews every sunday with a current temple recommend and a calling are born in the church, and this group of Mormons has become the minority in the church.
Which no doubt explains why converts are neglected, overlooked, and generally looked down on: we aren't born in the church, there are many more of us than BIC, and any "goldenness" is brass, when leadership callings are handed out.
SatanWasSetUp wrote:1 million seems reasonable. In fact, since the founding of the church 1 million missionaries actually sounds like a low estimate. It seems like there would be more. The obvious follow up to Hinckley is if the church has had 1 million missionaries, why does it only have 13 million members? That's pretty poor sales performance, it seems to me at least.
If we were solely interested in sales I can think of more than a few Missions we should just shut down as ineffective.
Why when the members pay for the majority of the operation losses?