Church Membership is Beyond Statistics

The Church’s Newsroom published a news release and a commentary on the Church’s methodology for counting its members.  Church membership is or will soon be passing 13 million.

In an age in when so many aspects of life are measured by statistical formulas and metrics, the incalculable value of the human dimension — devotion, dedication, compassion — is often overlooked and underappreciated. How does this relate to statistics gathered by churches? It is impossible to fully measure the faith and commitment of any person of faith by statistics. Likewise, a complex set of beliefs can never translate into a number. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes its statistics seriously but does not treat them as an end in themselves. Rather, keeping a record of Church members is a spiritual injunction enshrined in scripture, the main purpose of which is to make sure that they are “remembered and nourished by the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). Thus, the main purpose of statistics is to help the Church help its members.

The news release explains when the Church creates a membership record for someone and why it doesn’t automatically delete it if one stops attending services. Since there is no standardized way for denominations to track membership, there is no good way to compare different churches’ membership rolls .  The best indicator of church growth may actually be new building statistics.

Why doesn’t the Church just remove records if someone stops coming to church?

But since there is no universal standard for compiling statistics among the various churches in the United States, the Church remains as inclusive as possible in its membership rolls so as not to preclude any potential return or change of heart of a member who has become inactive. Taking such individuals off the records does no one any good. No particular statistical methodology should serve as a means for the spiritual write-off and disfellowship of any member. Statistics do not operate in that realm, nor do they aim to.

The release notes that “remembering all members, despite their activity level, is important, because 20 percent of members in congregations today have at some time become disassociated with a congregation.”