BOOK of MORMON RESOURCES

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Saints upon All the Face of the Earth

1 Nephi 14:12 is explicit. The Saints of God will be few in number but extensive in their geographical distribution. We know this refers to the latter days because of references to the marvelous work (1 Nephi 14:7) which in 1829 was imminent (Doctrine and Covenants 4:1). Ditto 1 Nephi 14:17 which refers to the great latter-day work commencing and 1 Nephi 14:22 which mentions John the Revelator's writings about the end of the world.

We just published numbers documenting the fact that Latter-day Saints (17,509,781 at the end of 2024) only constitute 2/10 of 1 percent (.002) of the world population (8,090,000,000 at the end of 2024) so the relative scarcity of the Saints of God is attested.

The Church currently operates Family Search Centers in 149 countries. Elder Gary E. Stevenson today in General Conference said the Church's visual identifier (logo) is translated into 145 languages. 193 countries belong to the United Nations and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has congregations established in more than 160 of them. This fulfills Nephi's prophecy that the church of the Lamb of God will be "upon all the face of the earth."

Map showing Latter-day Saint Congregations

in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia

As with all images on this blog, click to enlarge. The Saints are relatively few in number but widely distributed spatially.

Church Growth 2024

I always look forward to the annual statistical report as part of April Conference. At the end of 2023, Church membership stood at 17,255,391 and had grown by 1.49% year over year. At the end of 2024, Church membership stood at 17,509,781 and had grown by 1.47% year over year. World population growth in 2024 was .89% so 2024 was the third year in a row where Church growth outpaced world growth. With 17,509,781 Church members worldwide among 8.09 billion humans on the planet, there is 1 Latter-day Saint for every 462 people on earth. 1/462 = .0216 or 2 tenths of 1 percent. This explicitly fulfills the prophecy in Matthew 7:14 "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way ... and few there be that find it." It also fulfills the prophecy in 1 Nephi 14:12 that the members of the Lord's true Church will be "few" and their "dominions ... small."

Church Annual Growth Rate for the 50 Years 1975-2024

Red Line is World Population Growth Rate

As with all images on this blog, click to enlarge. The Church is on a 4-year strong growth track post COVID.

A chart of the numeric increase in Church membership over the last 50 years looks like this:

Annual Church membership increases range from a low of 98,627 in 2020 (COVID year) to a high of 587,234 in 1989 (the year after President Ezra Taft Benson's famous talk asking us to "Flood the Earth with the Book of Mormon."

Since its organization in 1830, the Church has grown every year except 1839 (Missouri persecutions) and 1855 - 1857 (handcart tragedies, Johnston's Army). From 1858 to 2024 we have seen 166 years of uninterrupted growth. Starting from a membership base of 1,693,180 at the end of 1960, 1961 was the first year the Church grew by more than 100K members.

How does recent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints growth compare with the growth of global Christianity generally? My numbers for worldwide Christianity come from the annual "Status of Global Christianity" report published by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. In the 4 years from 2021 to 2025 Christianity worldwide grew by 99,738,000 starting from a base of 2,545,579,000 for a real growth rate of 3.92%. In the 4 years from 2020 to 2024 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints grew by 846,118 starting from a base of 16,663,663 for a real growth rate of 5.10%. The Church is outgrowing global Christianity and its growth over the last 4 years (846,118 additional members) represents .85% of global Christianity's growth (99,738,000 additional members). This despite the fact that the Church's total membership (17,509,781) is only .66% of global Christianity's membership (2,645,317,000).

Both global Christianity (3.92% growth in the last 4 years) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (5.10% growth in the last 4 years) are growing faster than world population (2.9% growth in the last 4 years starting with 7.856 billion in 2020 and ending with 8.09 billion at the end of 2024).

Elder Ronald A. Rasband gave a great General Conference talk today on the Lord hastening His work. We have 367 temples operating, under construction, or announced. 80K missionaries are currently serving in 450 missions. 308K converts joined the Church in 2024. 800K students are enrolled in Seminary and Institute classes. 75K students are enrolled in BYU Pathway Worldwide, 1/3 of whom are in Africa. Hurrah for Israel!

Monday, September 23, 2024

History of Moroni Day

On Friday, September 20, 2024, I stood up in front of 500 people in the main ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Salt Lake City. I announced that we (Scripture Central) were making Moroni Day into a thing around the world. Moroni Day corresponds to the Autumnal Equinox (September 20 - 22). This is the back story.

The first Moroni Day 2015 was celebrated with a BBQ in my back yard. About 15 people attended. Book of Mormon Central was just getting started and would begin digital publishing on January 1, 2016.

The second Moroni Day 2016 was a fundraising event held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square.

Postcard Promoting Moroni Day 2016

Since the fourth quarter of each year is prime fundraising season, we determined that Moroni Day would be an ideal event to kick off our annual appeal.

We did not hold Moroni Day 2017. The spectacular Chiasmus Jubilee was on August 16, 2017 on BYU campus culminating with the evening celebration keynoted by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

Elder Holland Embracing Jack Welch

1,300 people attended the Chiasmus Jubilee which firmly established Book of Mormon Central's bona fides in the eyes of many influential Latter-day Saints.

Moroni Days 2018, 2019, and 2020 were low key affairs in Jack and Jeannie Welch's back yard. The foundation was growing, maturing, and beginning to reach large audiences. We had a lot to celebrate. We just did it internally with staff rather than putting on a large public gathering.

With COVID behind us, Moroni Day 2021 was at the Aquarium in Draper. Elder Tad R. Callister was our keynote and Elder Kevin W. Pearson an honored guest. About 250 people attended. We were gearing up for exciting things ahead as Jack and Jeannie Welch announced in a BYU Hawaii devotional.

Welches Announcing the Start of Something Big

Momentum was building.

Moroni Day 2022 was back at the Aquarium with about 350 in attendance. We introduced the Martin Harris Award for major donors who give as much in modern currency as Harris gave in 1829.

Martin Harris Award

2023 was the 200th Anniversary of the first visit of the Angel Moroni to the Prophet Joseph and we celebrated in style. About 400 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Salt Lake City and listened to Elder Ronald A. Rasband tell stories of his personal ministry sharing the Book of Mormon.

Elder Rasband with his Missionary Book of Mormon

Former Governor Gary and First Lady Jeanette Herbert unveiled two heroic sized statues of Moroni that eventually will be installed at the Monument of the Americas sculpture park in Heber City.

Lynne Wilson, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, Jack Welch
and Moroni Statue at Moroni Day 2023

Moroni Day 2024 was again at the Hyatt Regency with about 500 attendees. Elder Marcus B. Nash was the keynote speaker with Elder Matthew S. Holland an honored guest.

Postcard Promoting Moroni Day 2024

Moroni Day has become enough of a phenomenon that other groups besides Scripture Central are helping us celebrate. For example, several years ago Book of Mormon Central was the fiscal sponsor for Angela Johnson's magnificent Tree of Life sculpture park at Thanksgiving Point. We eventually spun that project off into its own dedicated non-profit organization. Scripture Central Board Member Trace Mayer was a key player who got that project over the finish line and the grand opening will be held on October 8, 2024.

Angela Johnson's Sculpture Studio with Tree of Life

On Thursday, September 19, 2024 Sculptor Steven Neal was given the deed to 10 acres in the hills above Heber City where the Monument of the Americas will be built. That project is now moving ahead quickly enough that we should be able to unveil a permanent statue of the original Captain Moroni waving the Title of Liberty on Moroni Day 2025.

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Christian Divisions

When Joseph entered the Sacred Grove in the spring of 1820, he was unsure whether the Methodists, Presbyterians, or Baptists had the stronger claim to truth. He was confused by their continual sectarian "war of words and tumult of opinions." Joseph Smith History 1:10.

The US Census Bureau tabulated statistics on religious denominations in 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1890. Indeed, the Methodists (13K congregations in 1850), Presbyterians (5K congregations in 1850) and Baptists (9K congregations in 1850) were among the most powerful religious bodies in the US during Joseph's lifetime. Methodism began in Oxford, England in 1738 following the ideas of John Wesley (1703-1791). Presbyterianism grew out of the Church of Scotland ca. 1650 following the ideas of John Calvin (1509-1564) and John Knox (1514-1572). Baptism began in Holland in 1609 following the ideas of John Smyth (1554-1612) and Thomas Helwys (ca. 1575-1616).

In 1820 when Joseph went into the grove to pray, there were about a dozen major religious denominations in the US including Congregationalists, Jews, Lutherans, Quakers, and Roman Catholics. By 1850, the US Census Bureau recognized 18 principal religious denominations in the country, including the relative newcomer "Mormon" church. By 1870, that number had grown to 27 principal denominations, and by 1890 there were 145 religious denominations in the country according to the government tally.

The 20th Century saw a literal explosion in the number of religious organizations on earth. A reliable source for statistics within worldwide Christianity is the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. According to the CSGC, there were 47,300 Christian denominations in the world in 2023 and that number could reach 60,000 by the year 2050.

Joseph in 1820 had 12 organizations to choose from. Today he would have tens of thousands. Christian groups splinter from:

differences of opinion in the interpretation of the Bible.
different attitudes about contemporary social issues.
personality conflicts among leaders.
potential pastoral economic opportunity.
a trend among megachurches toward independence.

Splinter groups have broken off from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over the years, but the long-term effects on the main body have been minimal. By and large, the 17 Prophets and 103 Apostles called in this dispensation have done a remarkable job holding the center together since the Church was organized 194 years ago on April 6, 1830. Of course, the True Church has a huge advantage over the other Christian organizations on earth. We all have the Bible, which is a great start, but just like an infinite number of lines can be drawn through a single point, an infinite number of interpretations can create biblical cacophony.

An infinite number of lines can be
drawn through a single point

On the other hand, the True Church has both the Bible and the Book of Mormon and we all know how many lines can intersect two distinct points.

Only one line can intersect two points

This is a good example of the well-attested law of witnesses described in 2 Corinthians 13:1. It is also part of the sense of Ezekiel 37:16-20 where the stick of Judah (Bible) and the stick of Joseph (Book of Mormon) will become one. This is the meaning of 2 Nephi 3:12 that the Bible and the Book of Mormon will grow together to confound false doctrines, lay down contentions, and establish peace.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Joseph Smith as Writer

Joseph Smith finished dictating the text of the Book of Mormon on or about June 30, 1829 and the printed volume went on sale in Palmyra, NY on March 26, 1830. 10 days later, on April 6, 1830, the Prophet Joseph organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fayette, NY. On that day, Joseph received D&C Section 21. D&C 21:1 says "there shall be a record kept among you."

More than 2 years later in Kirtland, OH, Joseph Smith was motivated to begin writing a personal journal. After many crossed out words, his first entry reads:

2 days later, the Prophet continued writing:

4 days afterward, the Prophet wrote in his journal again:

December 6th translating | and received a Revelation | explaining the Parable the | wheat and the tears &c

10 months elapsed before Joseph's next journal entry on October 4th, 1833.

First Page of Joseph's Journal
Documenting 27 November 1832
from The Joseph Smith Papers

Joseph Smith's personal journal demonstrates the veracity of Emma's oft-cited comment "Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon...It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible." Saints' Herald 26 (1 October 1879) pp. 289-90.

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Wealth Doing Good

It is common knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints manages its assets productively and has amassed considerable wealth.

Salt Lake Temple and Environs Under Construction April 2024
This is a $1B+ Project

The true Church D&C 1:30 undertakes large projects routinely without even so much as breaking a financial sweat. What does the word of God say about wealth? It is a blessing to be used for righteous purposes.

Proverbs 3:7-10 "Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thy increase; So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine."

Proverbs 10:20-22 "The tongue of the just is as choice silver...The lips of the righteous feed many...The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

The Church has virtually no long-term debt. Romans 13:8 "Owe no man any thing."

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 "God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Jacob 2:17-19 "Be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good - to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."

Here is one small example of the way the true Church blesses lives worldwide.

Tabernacle Choir Touring Organ
Photo by Kirk Magleby April 19, 2024

The Church has world-famous organs in the Tabernacle (Aeolian-Skinner) and the Conference Center (Schoenstein) played by 3 professional organists (Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, and Brian Mathias). All 3 organists have performed as guest artists with the Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra (TSO),

April 2024 Brian Mathias with the TSO

For the 2013 concert with Richard Elliott, the TSO had to rent a portable organ at considerable expense. By the 2017 concert with Andrew Unsworth, the Tabernacle Choir had acquired a touring organ which they transported and installed at Timberline Middle School in Alpine, Utah. This was done at no cost to the TSO. Ditto the 2024 concert with Brian Mathias at Orem High School in Orem, Utah.

This touring organ, a magnificent instrument in its own right, was recently in the Philippines where the Tabernacle Choir gave a series of acclaimed concerts in February 2024. The Tabernacle Choir has been broadcasting continuously since 1929. The TSO has been enriching northern Utah County's arts scene since 2011. Both organizations, world's foremost choir and a local community orchestra, benefit from the support of a Church that gives the gift of music to the world.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Presidential Succession

The organization Jesus established during his earthly ministry was a kingdom Luke 12:31-32.

Kingdoms are generally passed on through hereditary succession rather than through committees, conclaves, conferences, contests, conventions, councils, etc. People nor their representatives generally do not vote for a new prince or king.

If the religious organization to which you belong chooses its new leader through a human process, you are justified in asking if it really is the kingdom of God on the earth.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which we affirm is the kingdom of God on the earth, D&C 65:1-6 selects its new leader through a divine process.

Quorum of the 12 as of December 7, 2023

Men are called to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in seniority order. At the death of the current president, the senior apostle in seniority, not biological age, becomes the new president. Through His control over life and death, God literally decides who the next President of the Church will be.

At any given time, some apostles may serve in the First Presidency, so there can be more than 12 living apostles. Currently, there are 15 living apostles.

Russell M. Nelson, age 99, is President of the Church. He was ordained an apostle on April 7, 1984.
Dallin H. Oaks, age 92, is President of the Quorum of the 12 and First Counselor in the First Presidency. If he is living when President Nelson dies, Elder Oaks will become the next President of the Church. He was ordained an apostle on May 3, 1984.
Jeffrey R. Holland, age 83, is Acting President of the Quorum of the 12. He was ordained an apostle on June 23, 1994.
Henry B. Eyring, age 91, is Second Counselor in the First Presidency. He was ordained an apostle on April 1, 1995.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, age 83, was ordained an apostle on October 2, 2004.
David A. Bednar, age 71, was ordained an apostle on October 7, 2004.
Quentin L. Cook, age 83, was ordained an apostle on October 6, 2007.
D. Todd Christofferson, age 79, was ordained an apostle on April 5, 2008.
Neil L. Andersen, age 72, was ordained an apostle on April 4, 2009.
Ronald A. Rasband, age 73, was ordained an apostle on October 3, 2015.
Gary L. Stevenson, age 68, was also ordained an apostle on October 3, 2015, but after Elder Rasband.
Dale G. Renlund, age 71, was also ordained an apostle on October 3, 2015, but after Elder Stevenson.
Gerrit W. Gong, age 70, was ordained an apostle on March 31, 2018.
Ulisses Soares, age 65, was also ordained an apostle on March 31, 2018, but after Elder Gong.
Patrick Kearon, age 62, was ordained an apostle on December 7, 2023.

Is there a more elegant system of leadership training leading to presidential succession on the planet? It there is, I am not familiar with it. God controls who the senior apostle is, and that person is guaranteed to have years or even decades of experience in Church leadership.