Joining and Leaving Mormonism

Why People Join 

• LDS Church has 16 million members at present, roughly doubled in the past 25 years
• LDS Ch grows by birth of children AND baptizing converts
  • About 30% of church members are converts
  • About 4 in 10 converts were raised Protestant / same raised Catholic
  • Growth rate has decreased = from 5% per year in late 1980s → 1.5% per year in 2017
• People join LDS Church for a myriad of reasons
• Many → testimony experience received while studying Mo’ism
• Some, M provides satisfying answers re: meaning of life
  • Some like emphasis on righteousness & achievement
  • Others like idea → everyone goes to some form of heaven
    • Or that there is 2nd chance for salvation after this life
  • Many find that LDS Church makes God comprehensible
    • Compared to the biblical doctrine of the Trinity
• For others, emotional reasons play a role
  • The appeal that families can be united forever
    • Or a dead loved one has 2nd chance for salvation
  • People find security in the structure & authority of Mo’ism
  • Some encounter LDS Church when searching spiritually
    • Or while looking to fill a void in their hearts
  • Others find a welcoming, supportive community 
    • When going through tough times emotionally
  • LDS Ch → safe haven from society’s evils for families
• Some join for relational reasons
  • Young ppl growing up in LDS majority → join to fit in
  • Others join through a romantic relationship with a Mo
• Some join during a time of material need
  • After Church provided practical or financial help
• But MOST LDS are members bc they were raised in Mo’ism
  • Officially → church members at age 8, when baptized
  • The majority stay in the Church
    • Though probably experience periods of increased/decreased activity
• Regardless of why people join…
  • M provides a positive way of life & caring community
  • Gives sense → bldg something significant in this life & next
• ALL LDS are urged to experience a personal conversion
  • Both those who grew up in it and those who join it
  • Conversion is not moment of spiritual regeneration as in traditional Xianty
    • But the moment they come to know with divinely-inspired certainty
      • That JS is a prophet, the BOM is true 
      • The LDS Church is the only true church
  • Church membership is important, but faith journey starts at this point of conversion
    • By gaining assurance / testimony of truth of LDS Church
• Application: to those outside, the LDS Church may seem irrational or strange
  • Might have a hard time understand why ppl believe it
  • Let’s have some empathy due to the powerful forces at work that confirm the LDS identity and commitment in ppl

The Role of Missionaries

• Serving a mission is a vital rite of passage that strengthens the commitment of young Mos
• In 2022, ~ 90,000 missionaries worldwide, from many countries
  • Serving in 407 different geographical missions.
• Seen as an expectation / duty for young men
  • As an opportunity but not obligation for  young women

• On the “mission field”
  • Go in pairs: junior & senior companion
  • Frequently transferred – every few months
• A day in the life
  • Rise at 6:30 am → 1 hour to pray, exercise, prepare for the day
  • Personal & companion Study – 2.5 hours of scriptures, lessons, manual, language, etc.
  • Teaching People – begins at 10:00 am
    • Referrals from members, knock on doors, pass out tracts, speak to anyone
  • Follow-up visits → formal lessons / push toward baptism as an LDS member
  • Work with members → activate inactives / help members reach out
  • Return to lodging at 9:00 pm → planning, journaling, prayer = until 10:30
• Everyone who joins the LDS Church will go through the missionary lessons
  • Designed to convince them of LDS truth claims
  • Also: to prepare them for the commitments involved in living as a Mormon
• Application: being an LDS missionary is a tough gig
  • Long hours, far from home, lots of rejection
  • Treat them with kindness
  • But don’t be afraid to engage in open, truthful but loving conversations

Why People Leave

• In spite of positive elements of LDS life, ppl are leaving Mo’ism in unprecedented numbers
  • Up to 50% of converts in the US drop out after a year
• When it comes to lifelong members → retention rate in adulthood is about 5 in 8
• Of those who leave, only ⅓ find a home in a new religion → ½ of those in some form of Protestant faith
• Many factors that contribute to LDS de-conversion
• Some don’t want to live demanding LDS lifestyle
  • Constant busyness, time & money pressure
• Tire of stress of living up to high expectations / pressure to be worthy
  • Pressure to be worthy
• Discover unsavory episodes in Church’s history → cast a bad light on LDS prophets
  • Or contradict official Church accounts
• Converts uncover info they were unaware of when baptized
  • Such as temple practices / the idea of becoming gods
• Honest Qs go unanswered / discouragement sets in → people told not to question the faith
  • Some leave bc they discover that LDS truth claims can’t stand up to intellectual scrutiny
  • Others decide that Mormon doctrines don’t stack up to BIble
• More & more → leave due to LDS conservative stand on social issues
  • Patriarchal vs feminism / traditional marriage vs. LGBT inclusion
• Some leave bc LDS Church feels like big business to them
• Others find Church too monolithically white and American
• Many leave because they never fit in culturally
• Some are poorly treated and don’t come back
• As many LDS have their faith confirmed by warm spiritual experiences
  • Some also leave because of an experience → a dream or spiritual feeling caused them to doubt
• Application: don’t think your LDS friend is impervious to the gospel, or even to deeper friendship
  • But realize → they have to trust you a lot to open up about their doubts / questions / concerns

• Closet doubters: some Mos reject claims & teachings of LDS Church
  • But choose to stay in the church → quiet about their doubts
• Disaffected Mos stay in the Church for various reasons
  • May appreciate some, if not all, Mo teachings & practices
  • Marriage compels some to stay for family stability / to avoid divorce
  • Some stay because of their family history / traditions
  • Job security is an issue for many, esp in Utah
    • One’s boss and co-workers may be LDS
  • Many → no idea where to go / what to do w/o Mormonism
  • Some hope to influence the church to change
  • Others → church still seen as a safe place to raise kids w/values
• Application: your LDS friend might not be as convinced or loyal as it seems on the surface

Leaving Is Difficult

• For those raised LDS, leaving Mormonism is hard
  • Going vs. tide of deep roots & strong group identity
• When a person rejects authority & truth claims of Mo’ism…
  • Considered apostate → a very negative label
  • LDS are taught to fear apostasy
  • Warned that if they leave the Church…
    • Abandon safe umbrella of priesthood care & authority
• LDS sources claim → ppl leave the church out of pride, sin, or pettiness
  • Or because they were deceived by Satan
• When people do finally leave, they do so at a cost
  • Ex-Mo may suffer sense of anguish over loss of ID
  • Family life and personal relationships are disrupted
  • Those who leave are often stereotyped & slandered
• A doubting Mormon may go through agonizing transition period – perhaps years long
  • Marked by insecurity, alienation, anger, and confusion
  • Before ultimately accepting a decision to leave Ch
• Application: have compassion on ppl as they navigate a difficult faith transition
  • Patience / kindness
  • Give them space to sort things out
  • Empathize with the emotional disequilibrium & relational challenges
    • It’s not like going from Baptist to Presbyterian church