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The third release from the Church on its membership in two days. This one briefly discusses the number of Mormons in Utah and offers some statistics to refute the impression that it is declining.
The net growth in Utah among members of the Church is growing steadily, approaching 1.8 million or 72 percent of the population according to end-of-year 2006 statistics.
That may come as a surprise to some who know that the percentage of Mormons in Utah overall is dropping because of the continued influx of non-Mormons moving into the state.
(That last paragraph seems awkward. Is it saying those who “know” are wrong and actually don’t know?)
In 2006, the Salt Lake Tribune ran a series of articles with much fanfare, heralding the end of the Mormon majority in Utah.
The often cited claim that Utah is 70 percent Mormon is not true - and hasn’t been true for more than a decade, according to the church numbers. While continuing to grow in actual members, the LDS share of the state population showed a slow but constant decline every year from 1989 to 2004.
According to the 2004 count, Utah is now 62.4 percent LDS with every county showing a decrease.
Perhaps the Tribune was jumping the gun?
Tags: media, membership, mormon, newsroom.lds.org, utah
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18 January 2008 at 1:22 am
Clark Goble
They are probably measuring different things. The church typically measures members of record. So unless you are excommunicated or ask to have your name removed the Church considers you Mormon. The SLT is probably talking about self-identification. That is do you consider yourself Mormon.
So there is about 10% of the Utah population that are still technically members but who don’t consider themselves members. That’s actually a surprisingly small number, all things considered.
Of course there is then the number who aren’t even remotely active and who are very nominally Mormon.
18 January 2008 at 9:30 am
David H. Sundwall
Clark,
That may explain it.
As the previous releases state, the Church’s attitude is to be as inclusive as possible when considering membership as its a dynamic process over one’s lifetime.