For the information of the members of the Church, the First Presidency has issued the following statistical report regarding the growth and status of the Church as of December 31, 2013.
|
Church
Units
|
Number
|
Increase*
|
Percent Increase
|
|
Stakes
|
3,050
|
47
|
1.56%
|
|
Missions**
|
405
|
58
|
16.71%
|
|
Districts
|
571
|
||
|
Wards and Branches
|
29,253
|
239
|
0.82%
|
|
Church
Membership
|
|||
|
Total Membership
|
15,082,028
|
299,555
|
2.03%
|
|
New Children of
Record during 2013
|
115,486
|
||
|
Converts Baptized
during 2013
|
282,945
|
10,615
|
3.90%
|
|
Missionaries
|
|||
|
Full-Time
Missionaries
|
83,035
|
24,045
|
40.76%
|
|
Church-Service
Missionaries
|
24,032
|
1,071
|
4.67%
|
|
Temples
|
|||
|
Temples Dedicated
during 2013
|
1
|
||
|
(Tegucigalpa
Honduras)
|
|||
|
Temples in Operation
|
141
|
* Increase and Percent Increase are my own calculations
** The church added 58 new missions in early 2013, crating a total 405 missions for about 85,000 missionaries. Two new missions were announced for July 2014 - both in Africa, bringing the total to 407.
Additional reporting and analysis is here: ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2014/04/2013-statistical-report
With a 40% missionary growth rate and a year long emphasis on the Work of Salvation, I was expecting a higher convert baptism rate and I was especially expected a higher total membership number. Total Baptisms at 400,000 is 100,000 higher than the growth rate, that means a lot of deaths or names removed - a lot.
Surprisingly, 8 year old child of record baptisms was down 6,800 or -5.6%
Rounding up to 283,000 converts is the best number in 12 years, since 2002, but an overall growth rate of 2.03% is the worst since 1947 the year the church reached 1 million members.
Lots to chew on, but my son is a full time missionary in Washington - Tacoma and is loving every week.
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