Global Awakening- Second Harvest
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the earth today. It is the Kingdom of God on the earth, but it is not yet God’s Kingdom. Actually this world is Satan’s until Christ comes to subdue him soon. Like you I am looking forward to this wonderful day He comes.
I believe we all need some type of renewal to help us prepare for His coming. It might be a personal renewal or a global renewal and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts. If we as a people who love the Lord have a personal awakening it just may create a global awakening. Repentance and obedience are the keys.
“Global Awakening”
Let me explain. The Church began in 1830 and took a while before it really caught fire. Once it caught fire baptisms took off especially in the British Isles. Then most members left Europe and came to America. Since about 1960 the Church has struggled in Europe, Holland, Finland and other areas.
When I was a missionary in 1975 everyone was speaking about how fast the Church was growing and that by the year 2000 we could have 15 million members and by 2040 we could have 300 million members. Since then the growth of the Church has been about 300,000 per year for the past many years. In other words the membership numbers have stagnated. Today (2021) we have about 16 million members. It surprises most people knowing the Church is true, and yet we are not seeing membership grow in leaps and bounds as many of us thought would happen.
“While Mormonism historically drew most of its converts from Western nations in Britain and Scandinavia, now it has more success in Africa, the Pacific Islands and much of Latin America.” Peggy Fletcher
Here is my theory. The highest baptizing nation in the world is the USA and Latin America then South Pacific and then Africa. The Gentile nations of Europe, have dried up. We are not allowed in China, and the Middle East either. I believe it is corrupt at the government level in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and our missionaries are not allowed to proselyte either.
I believe the thing holding us back from growth is mostly Satan and evil in much of the control. Even with much freedom in Europe and America and Italy etc., there is a huge amount of evil. Satan is now going all out to try and prevent the Lord from coming again. His forces are here in droves right now. The evils in this world are worse than Sodom and Gomorrah in my opinion. We need a “Global Awakening”
This Awakening may Usher in a Second Harvest
We need a wake up call now. We are hanging by a thread. I believe the Vatican, City of London, USA Government in DC, Mafia, Deep State, Child pornography, sex trafficking, Satan worship, sacrificing of children, theft, Big Pharma, Big Oil, Hollywood, Stock Market, IRS, Central Bank, Disneyland, NFL, NBA, Rockefeller’s, Rothchild’s, Illuminati, almost all News agencies, and most newspapers are all a huge part of Totalitarianism today which is defined as, “A Society living by and for continuous warfare in which the ruling caste have ceased to have any real function but succeed in clinging to power through force and fraud”. We have had this totalitarian rule for many years and especially since LBJ was in office up through the Obama administration. The drive for every administration to have constant wars is a telling sign. All of the above people and Deep State countries I call the Cabal. It funds both sides of every war. For example during WWII German trucks were made by Ford and fueled by Standard Oil who are part of the Cabal. You can keep your head in the sand or study about it yourself. Remember Satan is a genius at evil and deception. We must wake up!
I believe the Deep State may be cleaned up by a world wide Alliance of some of the following countries and people. I have studied this and it is only a guess, but I ask you to do your own homework because we are losing our freedoms, unless this type of Alliance steps in and helps us, of course with God’s help as the main factor.
The Alliance I am thinking of could include some of the following. President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why those countries? They are constantly played as the bad guys by our real enemies of Israel, England, and Italy. We need White Hats in the Department of Defense headed by Secty of Defense Chris Miller, Undersecty of Defense Intel Ezra Cohen Watnick, Former Gen. Thomas McInerney, Attorneys Sydney Powell, and Lin Wood, and Gen. Michael T Flynn, (composed of special ops who advise President Trump including Pentagon Generals Chairman Joint Chief Mark Milley, Vice Chief John Hyten, Gen. James McConville, Adm. Michael Gilday, Gen. C.Q. Brown, Gen. Paul Nakasone and Gen. Jay Raymond), (Volunteer Patriots headed by conservative groups), the National Security Agency and various militaries across the globe, including the international force authorized to make arrests in any country, like Interpol.
Former President Trump Has A New Slogan!
We all know Trump’s notable slogans Make America Great Again and Keep America Great.
While in the White House President Trump always used Make America Great Again or Keep America Great as his letterhead for press releases.
Well, recently for his endorsement of Sarah Sanders President Trump changed his letterhead to “Save America”. Source
“Save America” sounds something like, “When the Constitution is on the brink [of] ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation will lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction”. Joseph Smith, 416, July 19, 1840. J.S. Collection, LDS Historical Dept. Of course this is simply my own bias and speculation, but I feel this could be the times spoken of where the Constitution is in deep trouble. Refer to the Act of 1871, which was the beginning of the near end of our Republic today.
I believe the countries like England and Israel and Saudi Arabia and other so called allies of ours, are actually working against us and using Russia and China to take the blame off of these allies who will have to throw off their own Deep State to help us. This is a HUGE leap of mine to say these things, but I don’t know if this is all factual, but my best guess and most hopeful idea. I do believe something like this may be orchestrated by the Lord Himself but I also know the Lord is in full control and NONE of this may happen.
What can we do? Call your representatives. I have emailed Senator Romney three times and his answers so far are inadequate, but he knows how I feel. I have asked him to come clean if he has anything to hide. Volunteer for community involvement, save some of our businesses who have closed, help Tim Ballard rescue some of these children at risk, and most of all PRAY. Prayer will and does make a huge difference. The Lord will answer us.
Why do I risk in sharing my feelings with you? Because if something doesn’t shake us up soon we won’t have a country left. If we bury our head in the sand and don’t try and counter evil, we may be held accountable in the next life for not saying something. I just want us all to wake up! I’m surely speaking to myself as well. Tell your neighbor and shout it from the rooftops today that Satan is raging and we must defeat him. I don’t believe our current government is the answer anymore for it is “hanging by a thread” and I believe some of the Priesthood may have to step in and help us like Tim Ballard and Glenn Beck and of course our wonderful Prophet and Apostles. They will not lead us astray. I know the recent mask idea and vaccinations are part of government control and more of the totalitarians’ rule we are under. I will not get a vaccine.
I hope and pray that the solution could be you and I and an army of Latter-day Saints or the Alliance above or someone that needs our prayers right now that we have not thought of. There is no reason to be alarmed as God is with us, and He will take care of us, but only after we have done all that we can do to assist Him.
My Summary Position
If in the next few months, the United States of America can return to its former legal standing as a Republic and not as a Corporation, we will be blessed with an opportunity to increase missionary work all over the world at a record level. By cleaning up the Deep States in many countries like China, Middle East, Russia, Israel, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America, this will open up missionary work for the Lord’s truth to be shared. One of the reasons I believe the second coming of the Lord will still be quite a number of years away is I think this possible interim shake up will prepare the way to usher in His second coming. We will be able to accomplish a huge amount of missionary work. We must repent as the Lord says, “they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written” D&C 84:57
Graphing the Church
The statistics below are shared with the hope that you can see where we need to work the hardest as members of the Church. What can we do to assist people to Come unto Christ, because this is the greatest solution to the problem. Just think if each of us shared the gospel with one person or helped a less active friend come back into the Church, that could help the world.
“Raw membership growth of 1.54% reverses a trend of six straight years of declining growth.
Total Units (Wards and Branches) was 30,940, an increase of 1.32% from the previous year. Best since four years ago 1.33%. Along with that 1.33% in 2015, that is best since 2006. This is a good indicator of growth in active members. Total membership is not the best number to use to determine actual growth, because there could be members going inactive that doesn’t reflect in total membership. Actual units also isn’t perfect, but is a better picture of how many people are actually going to church, and is pretty close to a true growth indicator.
Stakes came in at 3,437. An increase of 1.60%. Theoretically units and stakes should both correlate and both be good growth indicators, but since unit to stake ratio is not perfectly consistent, I prefer the unit number over the stake number as a growth indicator.
This next chart is a fun one, which I’ve put some effort into modeling. I had been running my own Excel model predicting and forecasting inactivity/activity rates. I combined this model with two other models. One by Matt Martinich, the premier LDS membership data guru, who is involved with the popular church demographics site Cumorah.com and has a personal blog on LDS membership data. The other by Kimball who provides a lot of analysis at his site Fuller Consideration. All three models were pretty close, but I refined my model based on information from all, and I think I have a pretty good model now, which essentially categorizes US and International wards and branches and then allocates an average member size to each and floats with unit changes broken out by US-Intl. I get the following chart this year.
Total active members: 4,867,694 with increase of 1.63% over the previous year and overall activity at 29.4% even from 29.4% last year.
Missionaries are up to 67,021 (or they were up until they all had to come home due to COVID-19). This is up 2.9% from 2018. A very strong number. This number will be very interesting next year. Thirty years ago, would I have gone back to Korea after coming home for a few months midway through? I’m not sure. Converts per missionary is gradually increasing but not yet up to pre-surge numbers.
New converts were 248,835 with very solid growth of 6.2% on the prior year. Perhaps the mission boundary adjustments the last couple years have been effective.
Children of record came in at 94K. The church changed how it does its counting on this in 2008. In 2008, 123.5K children were reported. That number has steadily decreased since then down to 102K last year. The change to 94K this year is a huge drop. If the number is an organic change and not due to methodology change, some possible reasons: members having less children, members pushing out marriage and child bearing age, or impact of active members going inactive or resigning.
Next is total resignations. I am reporting 18,000 for 2019. This is very controversial and very difficult to model. The number is not reported directly. The number comes from total reduction in membership. Reduction in membership is calculated by taking change in membership less new converts less new children of record. The number this year was -91,800. This “plug” number includes: deaths of members that are known, inactive members that can’t be located that reach age 110, children of record that turn age 9 and haven’t been baptized, excommunications, and resignations. This number of -91.8K is an outlier on the low side. Last year was -141K and five year previous average was -116K. Without doing any massaging, the -91.8K number would suggest total resignations was 9,000. But we know from the past that the church often does small adjustments and “true ups” in their counting that cause this number to look wacky. I’m going to bump up resignations to 18K and adjust a couple previous numbers down. I think the best we can say on resignations is that over a seven year time period, they’ve averaged about 30K per year, but identifying a trend is probably impossible.
Tithing. I estimate total tithing in 2019 at $8.5B. That’s an increase of 1.43% using constant dollars on prior year. A large increase compared to previous years. Based on my model, this tracks with active members in the US.
Methodology: I took a report from a study by Reuter’s in 2011, and modeled out estimated tithing dollars. That study estimated tithing dollars by USA and International. I trended it out using activity estimates. Something insightful here is to compare the blue-red USA-Intl split here to the total membership in the first chart. If these estimated numbers are correct, then it shows a major issue the church faces. I imagine the growth that is coming internationally in membership is quite a burden of expense, considering the tithing appears to be minimal, relatively.
These numbers roughly correlate with the report from the “whistleblower” who broke the story about the Church’s “rainy day fund” created by investing surplus tithing dollars over a 30 year time period and growing to 1.2B today. Please see my blog post on an idea that could transform our missionary program by using that money to create a world class charitable service organization.
Here’s the same look in current dollars.
A Second Harvest in Europe
I believe since the missionary work in Europe is so difficult today, Europe, like the world, needs this “Second Harvest” as I call it or a shake up. We need some help from the Lord to put us back on the right track with a lot of help from us.
I share with you the beginnings of the Church in the British Isles along with some of the progress including the amazing growth period up through now where Church growth has become very slow.
From Wikipedia we read, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reported 188,187 members in 45 stakes, 320 congregations, five missions, and two temples in the United Kingdom, as of 31 December 2019. Both temples and the majority of the members are in England.
1837–1841: Early Missions To England
In 1837, Smith approached Heber C. Kimball in the Kirtland Temple and called for him to proclaim the gospel in England. This calling was then also extended to Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, and Joseph Fielding. They left Kirtland, Ohio for New York on 13 June 1837 and were met there by three other missionaries (John Goodson, Isaac Russell, and John Snyder). On 1 July, this group of 7 set off together for Liverpool, England on the vessel Garrick and arrived on 20 July 1837.
Two days later they went by coach to Preston where Joseph Fielding had a brother, Reverend James Fielding, who agreed to allow them to preach in his Vauxhall Chapel during the morning service on 23 July 1837. Kimball and Hyde both spoke at the meeting and the missionaries would return to Vauxhall Chapel to speak further at that afternoon’s service and on the following Wednesday. However, after that, James Fielding became aware some of his congregation had requested to be baptised by the missionaries and they were stopped from giving any further speeches there.
Nine of Fielding’s congregation were baptised on Sunday morning 30 July 1837 in the nearby River Ribble, before a crowd of thousands. The first to be baptised into the LDS Church in England was George D. Watt.[10]:34[9] On 6 August 1837, the first branch of the church was established in Preston, which remains today the oldest continuously functioning unit of the LDS Church.
In September 1837, the group obtained access to a building, “The Cockpit”, in Preston by way of the Preston Temperance Society and meetings began to be held there regularly, including the first general conference of the LDS Church in England, which was held on Christmas Day 1837. By the time this conference was held, there were several branches, or small congregations, established in Alston, Bedford, Whittle, Daubers, Hunter’s Hill, Chatburn, and Penwortham, among other places.
On 8 April 1838, a second conference was held at which Joseph Fielding became president of the British Mission, with Richards and William Clayton as counselors. On 20 April 1838, the other members of this first mission, who were not staying on, left Liverpool to return to the USA aboard, once again, the ship Garrick. In that first year of proselytizing there had been around 1600 baptisms in the United Kingdom, and nearly 1500 were mostly attributable to Heber C. Kimball alone.
The United Brethren donate the Gadfield Chapel
In 1838, Joseph Smith announced that the Quorum of the Twelve should travel to the United Kingdom on a mission.[18] They arrived between January and April 1840. Among the church’s first apostles to arrive was Wilford Woodruff who, in March 1840, was introduced to leaders of the United Brethren and began preaching to their congregation. A constable had been sent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest him. At the close of the meeting, seven people offered themselves for baptism, including four preachers and the constable. Within 18 days, two of the most influential members of the United Brethren, John Benbow and Thomas Knighton, were baptised. Thirty days later, Woodruff had baptised 45 preachers and 160 members of the United Brethren, who put into his hands their Gadfield Elm Chapel and 45 houses licensed for preaching. By 1841, nearly 1,800 additional people had converted, including all but one of the 600 United Brethren. The Gadfield Elm Chapel became the church’s first chapel in the United Kingdom and is the oldest extant chapel of the LDS Church. It was restored between 1994 and 2000.
In May 1840, the first issue of the Millennial Star, a magazine for British Latter-day Saints, was printed. It would be published regularly until 1970, becoming the longest continuously published periodical of the LDS Church. By the end of 1840 there were 3,626 church members in Britain.
1841–1900: Growth, Emigration and Decline
In 1841, richly-bound copies of the Book of Mormon were presented to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by Lorenzo Snow, who received an audience with Her Majesty. On that occasion Queen Victoria autographed an album of Snow’s, which became a prized possession in his family.
After the death of Joseph Smith and the succession crisis that followed, the church in England also experienced schisms over leadership. In 1846 some members in Liverpool were excommunicated for joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) and in 1862 local members were warned to be wary of missionaries from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who had begun proselytizing in England.
By 1850, British membership had risen to 30,747 members (which was slightly more than the total in the United States at that time) and a further 7,500 had already emigrated to the United States. John Moon had brought the first company of 4 converts with him on the ship Britannia from Liverpool in June 1840. By the end of 1840 at least 290 converts had emigrated to the USA and another 800 members made the voyage the next year. Writing of the members preparing for one such ocean voyage, Charles Dickens described these pioneer Latter-day Saints in chapter 22 of his book The Uncommercial Traveller as, by his estimation, “the pick and flower of England”.[30] Following the death of Joseph Smith and the subsequent migration west of the Latter-day Saints from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, migration from the British Isles to the United States increased greatly.[24]:20 This emigration was aided by the church’s Perpetual Emigration Fund.[31]
In 1877, half of the 140,000 Latter-day Saints in Utah were of British origin.[32] This migration would leave its mark upon Utah, which as of 2000 had the highest percentage of population claiming English descent (29%) of any state in the USA.[33] Beginning in 1891 Latter-day Saint leaders in America increasingly began to encourage the European members to remain in their homelands and build up the church in those countries.[34] By 1892, the church membership still in the British Isles had fallen to only 2,604, despite around 111,330 baptisms occurring between 1837 and 1900.[29][35] In a similar period of time at least 52,000[29] and up to 100,000 members had emigrated to the United States.[27]
The Pearl of Great Price, now part of the Standard Works of the LDS Church, was first compiled in Liverpool in 1851 by Franklin D. Richards.
The Emigrants statue, located in Albert Dock, Liverpool, commemorates Mormon emigration from the port of Liverpool…
1900 – 1950 New Growth and Stability
The first decade of the 20th century was a period of rapid expansion unlike any the church in the UK had seen since the 1860s. However, increased visibility led to a new wave of opposition and persecution…
1950–2000
In the 1950s, emigration to the USA began to be discouraged and local congregations proliferated.[47] The first LDS temple in England was the London Temple, now known as the London England Temple, dedicated in 1958 and located south of London in Newchapel, Surrey.
In the late 1950s through to the early 1960s a new focus on growth in convert numbers led to the introduction of “Youth Baptism Program”, which became colloquially known as the “Baseball Baptism Program”. This used baseball and other team sports as a way to bring young teenage boys into the LDS Church. Introduced by mission president T. Bowring Woodbury, who led the British mission from October 1958 to January 1962, it dramatically increased the baptism rate for new converts (in 1962 there were 12,000 converts alone) but controversy over the focus on numbers, the pressure on missionaries from the British Mission headquarters and the use of deception to get boys to agree to baptism led to the program being ended by 1965, and ex-communications (which was the process of cancelling membership at that time) of most of the inactive new converts followed…
Based on studies of information submitted to the Genealogical Society, it was estimated in 1971 that 80 percent of the members of the church in the world were of British extraction.
Special Issue:
150 Years of the Church in the British Isles
The Church Today in the British Isles:
An Interview with the Europe Area Presidency
The sesquicentennial of the Church’s presence in the British Isles is cause for celebration. It is also a time for reflection. What is the status of the Church in the British Isles? What challenges do Latter-day Saints face there, and what are they doing to meet those challenges? To answer these and similar questions, the Ensign interviewed the Europe Area Presidency—President Carlos E. Asay, President; President Russell C. Taylor, First Counselor; and President Hans B. Ringger, Second Counselor.
What is the present religious climate in the British Isles, and where do Latter-day Saints stand as far as religious activity and commitment are concerned?
President Asay: Traditional Christian worship and values have declined in the British Isles since the Second World War. Church attendance in the major denominations has fallen, and their congregations are predominantly middle-aged or elderly—and often largely female.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, the position is much different. Polls by British newspapers show the LDS church to be one of the fastest-growing Christian denominations. From a church membership of around 6,500 in the mid-1950s, we have grown to around 140,000 members today. More than 50 percent of all British baptisms since 1837 have come in the period since 1950. The Church is growing dramatically in Britain—at a rate of about 5.5 percent per year, compared with 3.5 percent for the United States, for example.
We have a much younger membership profile, too. In the British population as a whole, 43 percent are under age thirty; in the Church, the majority of British members—53 percent in fact—are under thirty. Many churches in Britain seem to be struggling with some of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity—the nature of the Resurrection, for example, or the virgin birth. Amid such confusion, it is the unchanged and unchanging declaration of our church that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that truth is timeless, not transitory.
A New Harvest Time Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 1998
This article by Elder Nelson speaks to the need for a New Harvest for Temple work and Genealogical work. I apply it along with the “Second Harvest” of missionary work I think may happen after this shaking up in the world happens, hopefully in the next few months.
“A new era of family history work has arrived.
Today we are reaping a harvest of family love from seeds sown years ago. Preparations to strengthen family ties came in 1823, when the angel Moroni first appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Moroni announced the coming of Elijah, who would cause the hearts of children to be turned to their fathers.3
“The time of harvest is come.”23 A new era of family history work has arrived. As President Gordon B. Hinckley recently noted, “The Lord has inspired skilled men and women in developing new technologies which we can use to our great advantage in moving forward this sacred work.”24 Previously, efforts have focused on gathering names and dates and organizing that information. Now, computer products are available that can actually guide you to find your kindred…
Elijah’s return to earth occurred at the first temple built in this dispensation, where he and other heavenly messengers, under direction of the Lord,4 entrusted special keys of priesthood authority to the restored Church:
- Moses committed the keys of the gathering of Israel;5
- Elias committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham;6 and
- Elijah came to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to the fathers.7
With that, natural affection between generations began to be enriched. This restoration was accompanied by what is sometimes called the Spirit of Elijah—a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.8 Hence, people throughout the world, regardless of religious affiliation, are gathering records of deceased relatives at an ever-increasing rate.9
The Lord declared through the Prophet Joseph Smith: “These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, … they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.”…
Yet there were many Church members who did not fully understand the responsibility for their own kindred. President Wilford Woodruff was so concerned that he made the issue a matter of fervent prayer. Then, at April 1894 general conference,12 he presented a revelation to the membership of the Church. From it I quote: “We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. … This is the will of the Lord to his people.”13
Later that year, the First Presidency and the Twelve established the Genealogical Society of Utah.14…
In describing these achievements, I realize that for some who are less involved in this work, I may have intensified feelings of guilt. I apologize for that. I know that fear and unfamiliarity may stand in your way. For others, even the mention of a computer may be an additional intimidator. Some secretly hope that they can slip through their remaining days on earth without ever having to touch a computer. To those with access to computers, I say: “Reach out! Have hope! Try! I have exciting news for you!”
“The time of harvest is come.”23 A new era of family history work has arrived. As President Gordon B. Hinckley recently noted, “The Lord has inspired skilled men and women in developing new technologies which we can use to our great advantage in moving forward this sacred work.”24 Previously, efforts have focused on gathering names and dates and organizing that information. Now, computer products are available that can actually guide you to find your kindred…
I quote from President Joseph F. Smith: “Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time. … That is his mission…”
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1998/04/a-new-harvest-time?lang=eng
“There will be a second harvest . . .”
A BLOG WITH LETTERS AND PICTURES FROM ELEANOR CARLILE, A MISSIONARY FOR THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, SERVING IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
“April 1, 2019–April is here! Flowers are popping up! The sun is shining! The tank is clean!
The highlight of zone conference, though, had to be President Youngberg’s council on the Second Harvest in Sweden. I actually recorded all 45 minutes of it (and wow, am I glad I did) because there are HUMONGOUS prophecies about the future of the church in Scandinavia. President has been collecting everything that exists on the subject, including promises from President Hinckley, Eyring, Renlund, and Leif Mattsson. I could go on and on about the spine-tingling prophecies, but long story short, according to apostles, the Second Harvest is not dependent on the missionaries. It is dependent on the members’ ability to support their own members so that these thousands of converts can be cared for when they join. The church is significantly overbuilt in Sweden. We have relatively big buildings around the country that only house one ward or branch each Sunday. But President’s point was that we could triple or quadruple our membership without even building any more buildings! And we have a temple here that is under-utilized. The Apostles didn’t build these buildings and this temple to be under-utilized. They are here for a reason. But it’s not until the members stretch their capabilities in ministering each other that the Lord will welcome in this Second Harvest. https://systereleanor.com/2019/04/11/there-will-be-a-second-harvest/
I have written to Pres Youngberg and to Sister Carlisle and after a few months have not been able to reach them. I wanted to share this information as it shows so well what I mean as a “Second Harvest” in Europe. After I began writing about this Second Harvest, I then searched online for some similar information and found this blog along with the information below.
Published in the United Kingdom ©2013 International Journal of Mormon Studies All rights reserved. http://www.ijmsonline.org
Can there be a Second Harvest? :
Controlling the Costs of Latter-day Saint Membership in Europe Armand L. Mauss Volume 1 (2008) [1-59]
CAN THERE BE A “SECOND HARVEST”? : CONTROLLING THE COSTS OF LATTER-DAY SAINT MEMBERSHIP IN EUROPE1 Armand L. Mauss
The Church in Europe must live again. The work of the Church has run on the backs of its European Saints since the beginning. Don’t think that you are just minding the shop waiting for the Savior to come. Don’t think that the great days of gathering in Europe are over. This is our time. . . . 2
Most of the world today is certainly not secular. It’s very religious. So is the U. S. The one exception to this is Western Europe. One of the most interesting questions in the sociology of religion today is not, How do you explain fundamentalism in Iran? but, Why is Western Europe different?3 European exceptionalism [must be seen] in the proper perspective. As long as their religious markets are highly regulated, the apparent secularization of many European nations will be sustained. But should significant and authentic competition arise, it seems likely that other Europeans will embrace religion . . . .4
INTRODUCTION
It is not often that we see a convergence in predictions between apostles and sociologists, though, to be sure, this is not the first prediction from Rodney Stark that has proved pleasing to the LDS leadership.5 Yet, for today’s LDS members in Europe, the coming “great days of gathering,” or, in President Hinckley’s terms, the “second harvest,” must seem as far off as the Millennium itself. And certainly the earlier projections by Stark of enduring Church growth have proved rather optimistic so far, as the influx of new converts has barely kept pace with the defection of unconverted or disillusioned members. The seemingly static Church membership size in Europe (at least in Western Europe) is no secret, nor is the ongoing struggle of the Church to retain its members. Well-researched articles on such topics have been appearing for more than a decade, and in 2005 a series of articles in the Salt Lake Tribune brought the problem starkly to the attention of the general Church membership.6 More recently, a devout and energetic young LDS scholar has established a website rich in data about the nature, distribution, and retention of the membership, and he has published a telling critique of the LDS missionary program, along with many suggestions for improving both the conversion and the retention rates.7 On balance, the prospects so far seem quite mixed for the future of the LDS Church as a worldwide religion in a meaningful sense, especially in Europe
In this paper, I propose first to review what seems to me the most important deterrents to the growth of the LDS Church in Europe, and then to identify both a theoretical basis and some operational developments that nevertheless might justify the optimism of the Church leaders cited above (Note 2). This approach will give my paper a kind of “bad news vs. good news” bifurcation, with the “bad news” reviewed first. I will concede at the outset that my own personal knowledge about the Church membership in Europe is quite limited, based mainly on 1) some fairly extensive study of membership data; 2) first-hand accounts from informed European members (to be cited as I go along), and 3) some interviews and other communications with knowledgeable Church leaders and members in Europe.8 In travels during the past decade or so, I have also attended perhaps a dozen ward meetings of the Church in England, Belgium, and Sweden. I’m well aware that this record does not make me a great expert, but it has left me with some experiences and impressions, both cognitive and emotional. I should emphasize, furthermore, that my observations and generalizations apply mainly to the LDS experience in Western Europe. Some of these will be far less applicable to Eastern Europe, where the religious and political histories are quite different, and where a significant LDS presence is more recent. From my reading and observations, I have concluded that it is not easy to be an active Latter-day Saint anywhere in Europe, for there are many costs of membership, both obvious and hidden, costs which most American members can scarcely appreciate or even imagine. Some of these costs can be mitigated by creative changes in the Church program itself (to be addressed later), but many of them cannot be, for they are built into the cultural and political contexts of European societies.9
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, I have been concerned mainly with the differential cost of LDS membership in Europe compared to North America, with special reference to what the Church can do to reduce the costs of membership among the European Saints. I reviewed three conditions that seem to me especially important as sources of these membership costs: (1) the secularized and regulated cultural and political environment throughout Europe, in which the LDS Church must operate; (2) the special costs to European members, collectively and individually, from various cultural, legal, and even logistical burdens that American members rarely face; and (3) the energy and resources that European leaders and members have had to devote to the retention and recovery of inactive members – with poor prospects of reactivating the latter. I turned then to developments that hold out the prospect for significantly reducing membership costs in the years ahead, especially: (1) the creation of a market niche of well-educated young Europeans with a nontraditional spiritual orientation, as a side-effect of the secularization of the traditional European religions; (2) the extensive campaign being waged by the Church itself to reduce the regulation and stigmatization of the LDS and other newer religions in Europe; and (3) the potential for local adaptations of general Church doctrines, policies, and practices that will make Church activity less costly and more appealing for European members. There are good reasons to be optimistic about the future of the Church in Europe. Old traditions and restrictions on new religions are breaking down. The religious market is stirring, and the LDS brand, with its innovative combination of the familiar and the novel, will find new “customers” in the younger generations. The Church now has experienced local leaders in place and enough organizational stability to maintain successful “franchises” in many wards and stakes. As an Area President put it to me, “ . . . recent developments in Europe can give our . . . members an increased level of confidence about their own 58 International Journal of Mormon Studies membership in the Church here. One . . . challenge (for all of us) is that they deserve to have more confidence than some of them feel.” For my own part, I see a new cohort of general authorities emerging in their fifties and sixties (and younger) who have more experience than ever before in countries outside North America, are more often native to those countries, and are more sensitive than ever to the inappropriate intrusions of American culture into LDS Church life in other countries. I see them also as more open than in earlier generations to the counsel and advice of local Saints and leaders living in Europe and elsewhere, despite the strictures of “correlation.” I see that openness extending also to the work of scholars in the field of Mormon Studies, especially during the past decade or so when President Hinckley has been at the head of the Church. As recently as November 2007, the official LDS news bureau issued a statement supporting academic Mormon Studies at secular universities and referencing President Hinckley himself for its authority. Citing recent academic conferences on Mormonism, this statement declares that “. . . the Church encourages a deeper and broader examination of its theology, history, and culture on an intellectual level . . . [and] open dialogue and conversation between the Latter-day Saints and various scholarly and religious communities . . . [in the belief that] Mormonism has a depth and breadth of substance that can hold up under academic scrutiny.”123
Mormon Studies programs and courses are gaining traction at various locations in the United States, and the organization of the European Mormon Studies Association bodes well for similar academic developments in Europe. The intellectual ferment, which Islam and various new religions have brought to Europe in recent years, has generated a variety of regular scholarly conferences on religion there, most of them under very respectable auspices, such as CESNUR and INFORM.124 If LDS scholars will present papers and join in the conversations at such conferences, “they can bring especially fresh perspectives rooted in their [own] LDS experience in Europe . . . [and the day] may come . . . when there will be courses in Mormon studies at universities across Europe”125 That might seem a far-fetched prospect in 2007, but no more so than a similar projection about Mormon Studies in American academia would have been in 1957.
Some Concluding Statistics
Polynesians are Children of Israel
In a post on LDS Church Growth, researcher Matt Martinich lists the countries with the highest percentages using data from the CIA World Factbook and United Nations. Here are the top 10, as of 2017:
- Tonga: 60.88%. 64,824 Church members in a country of 106,479.
- Samoa: 40.2%. 80,437 Church members in a country of 200,108.
- American Samoa: 31.72%. 16,339 Church members in a country of 51,504.
- Cook Islands: 19.84%. 1,835 Church members in a country of 9,290.
- Niue: 18.76%. 305 Church members in a country of 1,626.
- Kiribati: 18.21%. 19,690 Church members in a country of 108,145.
- Marshall Islands: 10.15%. 7,446 Church members in a country of 73,376.
- French Polynesia: 9.56%. 27,521 Church members in a country of 287,881.
- The Federal States of Micronesia: 5.97%. 6,217 Church members in a country of 104,196.
- Chile: 3.32%. 590,124 Church members in a country of 17,789,267.
An Interesting View:
What the Bible says about Second Harvest
(From Forerunner Commentary)
https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/16692/Second-Harvest.htm
Daniel 9:24-27 God’s annual holy days reveal that this is not the only “day of salvation”—that He is working with only a relative few right now, and the rest of mankind will have an opportunity for salvation either during the Millennium or after the Second Resurrection. Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost hold great significance for the first fruits who have already made the New Covenant, but they have little spiritual meaning for the Israelites who have not. Next, the Feast of Trumpets, the pivot point in the holy day calendar, is meaningful for first fruits, for Israelites, and for all of mankind because it pictures the return of Christ to establish His Kingdom on earth. After that are the holy days associated with the second harvest, the fall harvest—particularly the Feast of Tabernacles, which pictures the Millennium when the resurrected and glorified first fruits will have responsibilities. Yet, the greater meaning concerns Israel. The remnant of Israel—those who survive Jacob’s Trouble—will then have the opportunity to make the New Covenant, even though, as a nation, they will not be a part of the first resurrection. The apostle Paul goes to great lengths to explain this phased approach to salvation, using the metaphor of an olive tree with natural branches, representing Israel, being broken off, and wild branches—Gentiles—being grafted in (Romans 9-11). To summarize, Paul explains that God will use the Gentiles, and by implication, those making the New Covenant now (including individual Israelites), to make the majority of Israel jealous, to bring her back to Him when she sees the spiritual blessings. Paul shows that God has not at all disowned Israel. Even in his day, a small believing minority of Israelites had been chosen by grace, of which Paul was a part. Only the elect—whether Israelite or Gentile—have obtained God’s favor at this time, while the rest of Israel has become callously indifferent to it. Israel was broken off the olive tree because of unbelief, and others were grafted in because of true belief. But, Paul warns, there is no room for pride, because if God did not spare the natural branches when they fell into unbelief, neither will He spare us if we do the same thing. Now notice Paul’s conclusion: For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:25-29)When Christ confirmed the covenant during the 3½ years of His earthly ministry, the covenant was not just for those alive at the time. The first fruits have been making that covenant for nearly 2,000 years now. Similarly, there will be another 3½ years, finishing out that final week, during which Jesus will complete the confirming of the covenant. This will set the stage for the salvation of all mankind, but in particular the salvation of Israel. If we use Jesus’ earthly service as a guide, most of the 3½ years were spent in preaching and in preparing His servants. This is how He “confirmed” the covenant, even though it was not actually sealed until the end of the 3½ years, at that last Passover. If this pattern holds, it indicates that the final 3½ years of “confirming” will also consist of preaching to, and a rigorous and even violent preparation of, a remnant of Israel. Then, at the end, they will enter into the covenant. At that final Passover, Jesus said that He would not drink the fruit of the vine again—that symbol of His shed blood and of the covenant—until He drinks it with His disciples (and, by extension, all of the glorified first fruits) in His Kingdom (Matthew 26:29). That joyous occasion corresponds with the time when Israel will also drink of that cup of the New Covenant, but for the first time. That covenant, then, will be available throughout the Millennium and into the time of the Second Resurrection. The Seventy Weeks will have been fulfilled, but the effects will continue. David C. Grabbe |
My Summary Position
If in the next few months, the United States of America can return to its former legal standing as a Republic and not as a Corporation, we will be blessed with an opportunity to increase missionary work all over the world at a record level. By cleaning up the Deep States in many countries like China, Middle East, Russia, Israel, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America, this will open up missionary work for the Lord’s truth to be shared. One of the reasons I believe the second coming of the Lord will still be quite a number of years away is I think this possible interim shake up will prepare the way to usher in His second coming. We will be able to accomplish a huge amount of missionary work. We must repent as the Lord says, “they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written” D&C 84:57
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