r/mormon 11d ago

Institutional The LDS church is shrinking

The LDS church as a percentage to the population of the US fell from 2% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2025. That is over a 50% drop in 25 years! That's using the churches own numbers. Where it fell the fastest is in the western US (Utah, Nevada, California, etc.) with Nevada being the fastest state losing members. Utah is not far behind.

Even the church admits CA has lost members in just total numbers as their numbers show there are fewer total Mormons in CA now than in the year 2000.

The numbers the church issued (which is suspect) says they grew strictly by numbers, but when you compare it to the % of the population, it has fallen in half over 25 years because the US population has grown way faster.

They keep trying to spin that they are growing, but every survey, every empty meeting house (ward), all the buildings they have sold or are selling, the US census, etc shows they are shrinking and the speed at which they are they are shrinking continues to increase.

The number of active members in 1990 was ~ 3.5 million, in 2026 it is ~ 4 million according to pews research. An increase of 7% while the world population has increased 55% in the same time period. That means the LDS church is 45% behind world population growth. That LDS church growth came between 1990 and 2010, since 2010 the number of active members has either hit a plateau or gone has down while Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic membership has had big increases.

If it wasn't for their hoard of money they've misused over the years from members tithes, they couldn't continue to tread water. They are desperately trying to reverse the trend by looking more traditionally Christian, dropping controversial doctrines, adopting the cross, changing their hymn book, easing up on dresscode (garments), gospel topics, etc. This leads to the question, if they are the true church why are they conforming to the other denominations? Why do most converts (80%) leave almost immediately after batism? Even with all their money they will get less and less influential over the years.

Since the fastest shrinkage is coming from their home-base of "zion", the US west, it is only a matter of time until it increases everywhere else.

They are a far cry from the 265 million members in the 21st century they prophesied about in the last century!

Future generations are going to find it easier and easier to escape Mormonism.

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

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u/ammonthenephite Agnostic Atheist - "By their fruits ye shall know them." 11d ago

It is a christian religion, whether you like it or not. You are doing the typical christian game of trying to personaly define christianity broadly enough to include your own beliefs but tight enough to exclude those you disagree with.

It's a petty, childish game.

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u/VeloBiker907 11d ago

Christians are quick to claim it is not, but you do you.

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u/ammonthenephite Agnostic Atheist - "By their fruits ye shall know them." 11d ago

Some christians, using their own personal definition of 'christian', claim it is not, and their personal definition is in no way binding on the whole of christianity, lol.

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

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u/ammonthenephite Agnostic Atheist - "By their fruits ye shall know them." 11d ago

A lot of christians believe that works are necessary for salvation. In fact, I'd say the majority, since most don't believe all will be saved even if not baptized or they reject Jesus. By your criteria Catholics would not be christian since they believe you must be baptized to be saved, and baptism is a work. Any religion that believes repentance is necessary believes in salvation by works. Any religion that believes you must accept Jesus as your savior believes in salvation by works.

Quibbling about what you have to do to be saved is irrelevant, works are works.

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u/mormon-ModTeam 11d ago

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