I understand that there are upwards of 15 million Mormons worldwide. A number based on “baptism lists”. I am of the belief that these lists include members who are deceased. So, my question is, what is the population of the worldwide LDS community of members who are alive?
One Response to “I understand that there are upwards of 15 million…”
Ricardo Campos
2016-01-03 11:55:06
Hi friend. There's no reason to "believe" that the numbers include some deceased members. It's a certainty. The LDS Church makes a good-faith effort to include all Mormons in its list, but with millions of them all over the world, some assumptions have to be made.
As best I can tell, these assumptions include:
1) Anyone who has joined the LDS Church is a "Mormon" unless they have been excommunicated or asked that their name be removed. It would be impossible for the church to determine whether each of the folks on its lists still personally considers him or herself to be Mormon.
2) Children born into Mormon families are counted as Mormons, though they only officially become members when they are baptized at 8 years old.
3) Members who die continue to be counted as Mormons unless their records are updated. Records are often updated, but not always. Eventually the church assumes a member has died, but they use a pretty high age cutoff.
So how many Mormons are there in the world? That's an impossible question to answer. Is someone who hasn't gone to church in years still a Mormon? What if they still self-identify as a Mormon? Is a 6-month-old child who understands nothing about Mormonism still a Mormon, or is being a Mormon more of an externally defined cultural identity in that case? How many recently deceased members have out-of-date church records? Depending on the answers to these questions, you'll get very different numbers.
There isn't necessarily a "right way" to count membership, and different churches certainly do use different methods. As the LDS Church has posted on its website: "...despite its increasing numbers, the Church cautions against overemphasis on growth statistics. The Church makes no statistical comparisons with other churches and makes no claim to be the fastest-growing Christian denomination despite frequent news media comments to that effect. Such comparisons rarely take account of a multiplicity of complex factors, including activity rates and death rates, the methodology used in registering or counting members and what factors constitute membership. Growth rates also vary significantly across the world. Additionally, many other factors contribute to the strength of the Church, most especially the devotion and commitment of its members."
As best I can tell, these assumptions include:
1) Anyone who has joined the LDS Church is a "Mormon" unless they have been excommunicated or asked that their name be removed. It would be impossible for the church to determine whether each of the folks on its lists still personally considers him or herself to be Mormon.
2) Children born into Mormon families are counted as Mormons, though they only officially become members when they are baptized at 8 years old.
3) Members who die continue to be counted as Mormons unless their records are updated. Records are often updated, but not always. Eventually the church assumes a member has died, but they use a pretty high age cutoff.
So how many Mormons are there in the world? That's an impossible question to answer. Is someone who hasn't gone to church in years still a Mormon? What if they still self-identify as a Mormon? Is a 6-month-old child who understands nothing about Mormonism still a Mormon, or is being a Mormon more of an externally defined cultural identity in that case? How many recently deceased members have out-of-date church records? Depending on the answers to these questions, you'll get very different numbers.
There isn't necessarily a "right way" to count membership, and different churches certainly do use different methods. As the LDS Church has posted on its website: "...despite its increasing numbers, the Church cautions against overemphasis on growth statistics. The Church makes no statistical comparisons with other churches and makes no claim to be the fastest-growing Christian denomination despite frequent news media comments to that effect. Such comparisons rarely take account of a multiplicity of complex factors, including activity rates and death rates, the methodology used in registering or counting members and what factors constitute membership. Growth rates also vary significantly across the world. Additionally, many other factors contribute to the strength of the Church, most especially the devotion and commitment of its members."
I hope this answer helps! All the best.