Where the church is growing, shrinking and running into evangelical pushback

Also: Where the church is shrinking; a surviving Easter pageant thrills thousands; apostle Henry Eyring’s famous father is honored; a celebrated historian dies; and a rendering is revealed of another Utah temple.

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Where the church is growing fastest

Africa. Wow.

The continent continues to set the pace in the church growth race.

If you set aside a statistical anomaly in Russia, the 10 countries where the faith is expanding the fastest, according to newly released data for 2024, are all in Africa — from Rwanda (with a 61.9% growth rate) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (at 16.6%).

In fact, independent church tracker Matt Martinich reports at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, 16 of the top 19 slots are filled by African nations.

The DRC also led the global pack in congregational growth, with a net gain of 57 wards or branches, followed by Nigeria, with 30 additional units.

“Growth rates in East Africa and Central Africa have not only been sustained from 2023 but accelerated in some nations during 2024,” Martinich writes. “This is especially impressive, as higher rates of membership growth become more difficult to achieve as membership grows larger.”

Overall African membership is closing in on 1 million. The 933,511 on church rolls at the end of 2024 is up nearly 10% from the previous year.

(As for that statistical hiccup in Russia, Martinich pins that on a change in reporting membership figures there.)

Where the church is shrinking

The Pacific island nation of Palau saw its Latter-day Saint membership dwindle by 23.3%, Martinich reports, followed by Israel (down nearly 5.8%) and Luxembourg (off by 3.5%). All of these countries, it should be noted, have teeny Latter-day Saint populations numbering in the hundreds.

Brazil, the nation with the most members after the U.S. and Mexico, saw the largest loss in congregations, with a net decline of 76 units, followed by the U.S. (minus 15).

“For the third consecutive year, the United States saw a net decrease in congregations. However, this was an improvement over 2023 (minus 21) and 2022 (minus 62),” Martinich writes. “Despite this trend, the church reported a net membership increase of 125,928 over the past two years.”

The total U.S. membership of 6,929,956 represents a 0.8% gain from 2023.

The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: All about church growth

We’re not done with independent researcher Matt Martinich. On this week’s show, he brings even deeper insights to the latest membership stats — from the record number of missions and a 27-year high in convert baptisms to the still-slumping children of record and the most-ever membership record removals.

Listen to the podcast.

A voice of warning

With the public opening of Kenya’s first Latter-day Saint temple, The Gospel Coalition Africa, centered on the ministry of biblical Christians, has launched a two-part series warning evangelicals about the Utah-based faith.

The piece mentions the “sufficiency of Christ and salvation by grace alone”; the church’s former racist priesthood/temple ban for Black members; its additional scriptures, including the Book of Mormon; and temple rites being off-limits to all but devout Latter-day Saints.

“The body of Christ must be concerned with the cult’s core beliefs and efforts to convert evangelicals,” the article states. “… Many Mormons are sincere individuals who try to live morally upright lives and genuinely seek God….[But] Mormonism is not merely another Christian denomination. It is a theological system that distorts the gospel and leads people away from biblical truth.”

Mesa amazes — again

Most church pageants are relics of the past, but the Easter spectacle outside Arizona’s Mesa Temple lives on.

Now in its 87th year, the show, with a cast and crew approaching 700, depicts the life and love of Jesus, drawing nearly 10,000 spectators a night through Easter eve.

Another Eyring is honored

The University of Utah honored the father of First Presidency member Henry B. Eyring last week, unveiling a statue of renowned chemist Henry Eyring in the atrium of the campus building named in his honor.

The senior Eyring wrote the 1983 Latter-day Saint classic “Reflections of a Scientist” about balancing religion and science.

From The Tribune

• Methodist Jan Shipps, a celebrated historian who knew Latter-day Saints and their faith inside and out, has died. Because of her, a prominent Mormon studies scholar says, “I have a job.”

• Learn about the “most important Latter-day Saint theologian of the 20th century” and his anti-evolution fight over “pre-Adamites.”

• Latter-day Saint women can find themselves lagging behind their peers when they enter the workforce. Tribune columnist Natalie Brown explains why and what can be done about it.

• The Tribune’s editorial board lauds church President Russell Nelson’s conference call for more kindness.

• The church releases an exterior rendering of the West Jordan Temple, Utah’s 32nd existing or planned Latter-day Saint temple.