The LDS church claims 15 million members yet real activity rate is around 5 million. Although a large number of the 5 million members of the LDS church pay tithing, a much smaller number of members generate significant income/wealth that impacts overall church tithing figures. Such members would include individuals/families such as the Romney's, Huntsman's, Marriott's, Sorenson's, and many others. These wealthy/elite families can make significant contributions to the church that can more than offset losses from middle/lower income households who leave the faith. Even if current tithing numbers overall are flat, wealthy families can maintain church revenues for some time because of their wealth and resources. In other words, the wealthiest LDS members can continue to pay tithing at an accelerated rate, which can more than offset a reduction in tithing from middle to lower income households that leave the faith. Further, wealthy families may have a more incentivized (financial) reason to stay in the faith.

The question that come to mind is how many affluent members actually exist within the LDS church that can pay tithing that offsets losses from less wealthy members who are leaving the church?

Kind of like the idea that the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer. From what I understand,current converts are a liability to the church. I would think the richest 100,000 members make up half the tithing but since LDS inc doesn't release financial statements we will never know.

Since local positions in the Mormon church are filled by volunteers, it wouldn't take that many tithe payers (paying 10%) to keep the church going -- no more than a quarter of active members, in my opinion, and probably less.

This church hardly spends a dime on its own members, so it doesn't affect them nearly as much as it does for other churches that don't have a 10% tithe.

One full tithe-payer per ward would more than cover the ward budgets. That obviously wouldn't cover new chapel/temple construction, but if the church is really in decline, there wouldn't be any new construction anyways.

Did anyone see the article on John Hunstman Sr. who referred to paying tithing is like paying your social club dues. I love that he said this. The article was about how he is a philanthropist or some sh*t, but the great thing is that he referred to the church as a social club, and tithing is like paying social club membership fees. I couldn't agree more. Hilarious!

gazelam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ......but the great thing is that he referred
> to the church as a social club, and tithing is
> like paying social club membership fees. I
> couldn't agree more...

I thought this was an incredibly important statement because it is so accurate...and also because it can be used as a quote for the next many years/decades to accurately describe the real truth...

The church IS a social club......and tithing IS "paying social club membership fees." Both of these statements are factual truth.

If this statement were to become a standard refrain when discussing the church, it would gradually---like water dripping on a stone mountain face---dissolve many of the purported pretensions which have, up to now, protected the church from focused general scrutiny.

So if Huntsman does not consider the cojcolds to be a charity, why are they still tax exempt? They are a self-serving for-profit corporation, and we pay their taxes.

Because in the US religions and charities are tax free. There is no requirement that a religion be a charity at all.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkrzewzliwbsrvl/2014%20Europe%20Area%20Plan%20Executive%20Version%20-%20English.pdf

This link is for a leaked European Area Presidency Report.
The statistics are that, out of 500,000 members only 100,000 attend Sacrament Meeting and there are only 48,000 adult recommend holders.

That is fascinating data!

Stumbling Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkrzewzliwbsrvl/2014%20E
> urope%20Area%20Plan%20Executive%20Version%20-%20En
> glish.pdf
>
> This link is for a leaked European Area Presidency
> Report.
> The statistics are that, out of 500,000 members
> only 100,000 attend Sacrament Meeting and there
> are only 48,000 adult recommend holders.

Need to keep this handy for when that troll Wellsville posts about how the crutch is growing.

The standard assumption was that the morg was 1/4 of the fake number provided by the talking heads. But 1/5 is even less.

Lovely to hear that the morg is circling the drain.

I agree this is eye-opening. It's nice to hear my dismal assessment was rosier than the true figures!

I generally liked the "thirds" analysis--a third of the claimed number are active, and a third of those are the core membership.

But this report says that only a fifth are active, and less than a tenth are core membership.

Actually, it's worse than that.

The 100,000 number is the average head count at Sacrament meeting, so it will include non member visitors.

Both of them?



;-)

Where us report for north america? Come on data leakers dont be shy.

What is the source of the 500,000 figure mentioned in stumbing's post: is it derived from the report, sourced from elsewhere, etc?

from me it sure is

Activity levels are higher in the US than internationally. International seems to be in the 20% range and US activity in the 40% range. That gives an overall activity level of about 30%.

That's an educated guess. It may be a little high, but it is in the ballpark.