The Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of developments in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Support us on Patreon and get the full newsletter, exclusive access to Tribune subscriber-only religion content and podcast transcripts.
The biggest winners and losers in congregational growth
Utah, unsurprisingly, remains the place for congregational growth.
The Beehive State, home to the church’s headquarters and more than 2.17 million members, had a net gain of 37 wards and branches last year, independent researcher Matt Martinich reports at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com.
Texas (up 7) finished a distant second, followed by Michigan (up 3).
At the other end, California was the biggest 2022 loser (down 55 congregations), behind Washington (down 32) and Arizona (down 10).
In all, according to Martinich’s list, 17 states were net winners, 16 states were net losers, and 18, including Washington, D.C., stayed even.
Meanwhile, he notes, three stakes were created in Utah in recent weeks (in Lehi, Eagle Mountain and West Haven), while four were eliminated (two in eastern Salt Lake County and one each in Sandy and Kearns). That leaves the Beehive State with 628 stakes.
Martinich also points to new stakes formed in Oklahoma, Idaho, North Carolina, Washington, Peru, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Mozambique and Togo.
A stake, the church’s website explains, is a cluster of “five to 10 congregations” and “generally consists of about 3,000 to 5,000 members.”
Take Pride in these LGBTQ stories, podcasts
In honor of Pride month, here are some Latter-day Saint LGBTQ stories and podcasts from The Tribune worth revisiting:
• From Affirmation to Mormons Building Bridges, here are key support groups for LGBTQ members and their allies.
• The church stunned insiders and outsiders alike by giving its blessing to the federal Respect for Marriage Act, later signed by President Joe Biden, essentially codifying same-sex marriages.
(Andrew Harnik | AP) President Joe Biden applauds after signing the Respect for Marriage Act, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorsed the legislation.
• That move spawned dueling “Mormon Land” podcasts — one generally in support of the church’s stance and another dead-set against it.
• A Latter-day Saint legal scholar raised more than a few eyebrows by suggesting a “covenant” path to same-sex sealings in the church’s temples.
• “American Idol” sensation David Archuleta made headlines with his coming out. Read about his anguished journey from being true to his Latter-day Saint faith to being true to his LGBTQ feelings.
• Relisten to our “Mormon Land” podcast with a Latter-day Saint apostle’s openly gay brother as he reflects on the now-discarded exclusion policy.
• And, finally, read about and listen to another apostle’s gay son as he discusses his trek from inner war to inner peace.
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Quest for political balance
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams speaks in Salt Lake City in April 2023. McAdams discussed the letter from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on political participation in a "Mormon Land" podcast.
Prominent Latter-day Saint Democrat Ben McAdams, a former congressman from Utah, discusses the governing First Presidency’s warning against straight-ticket voting and how it could — or should — affect the partisan political balance among Latter-day Saints. Listen to the podcast.
Tab Choir on tour
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A mariachi band welcomes members of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to Mexico City at hotel on June 13, 2023.
For the first time in half a century, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square is back in Mexico.
The church’s premier performing troupe, in its first appearance outside of the U.S. in four years, will be singing in concerts throughout the week in Mexico City.
“The greatest gift our music can give the world at this time is hope,” choir director Mack Wilberg said in a news release. “That’s what I want people to feel from our music.”
Wilford Woodruff’s ‘other’ revelation
(Tribune archives) Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Most Latter-day Saints know of President Wilford Woodruff’s 1890 “Manifesto” ushering in an end to polygamy in the church. Far fewer, however, know of his 1894 change that forever altered Latter-day Saint sealing practices.
His landmark “revelation” stopped the “law of adoption” in which members were sealed to church leaders. Instead, Woodruff instructed children to be sealed to parents along family lines.
“Wilford expanded and extended the scope of temple ordinance work and changed the sealing practices that had been taught in the church since the Nauvoo period,” Jennifer Mackley, executive director and CEO of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation, said in a recent “From the Desk” interview. “...He then announced that it was the will of the Lord for the Saints ‘from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers.’”
Scholar Nate Oman explained and expounded on this oft-overlooked but transformative reform in a 2021 “Mormon Land” podcast.
From The Tribune
• Exciting new forensic evidence bolsters the argument that a recently discovered daguerreotype really is an image of church founder Joseph Smith.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Housing in St. George in May 2023. Tribune guest columnist asks: When is a big house too big?
• Tribune guest columnist Natalie Brown poses a provocative question for Latter-day Saints and all of us: Do we really need such large homes?
• Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess interviews a Utah State University psychology professor whose research shows that as LGBTQ Latter-day Saints become less religious, they report less meaning in life and more depression.
• A new Public Religion Research Institute study, meanwhile, reveals that 8 in 10 Latter-day Saints believe there are only two genders.
