Latest from Mormon Land: Only one U.S. state saw its LDS membership decline

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Tithing talk

(Illustration by Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)

The church is two for two in high-stakes courtroom showdowns over its handling of tithes.

Last week, a federal judge tossed out a proposed class-action lawsuit that had accused the global faith of fraud involving members’ religious donations. And earlier this year, an appellate court rejected a similar suit brought by wealthy Utahn James Huntsman.

Here are some notable quotes from this long and winding legal road:

• “[T]his is not a case about faith. It is a case about fraud and corporate greed.”

— James Huntsman’s original 2021 lawsuit.

• “There is nothing in the tax law that prevents churches from accumulating wealth.”

— Peter J. Reilly, Forbes contributor.

• “Tithing funds have not and will not be used to acquire this property [for City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City]. Nor will they be used in developing it for commercial purposes. Funds for this have come and will come from the commercial entities owned by the church. These resources, together with the earnings of invested reserve funds, will accommodate this program.”

— President Gordon B. Hinckley in a 2003 General Conference address seen as pivotal in these cases.

• “The church had long explained that the sources of the reserve funds included tithing funds, and Huntsman had not presented evidence that the church did anything other than what it said it would do. … Although the church stated that no tithing funds would be used to fund City Creek, it also clarified that earnings on invested reserve funds would be used.”

— 9th Circuit, in throwing out Huntsman’s case.

• “You don’t escape fraud liability just by creating a church.”

— Robert Shelby, federal judge, during oral arguments in the would-be class-action case.

• “The LDS Church’s annual donations are respectable, but it’s a drop in the bucket and leaders know it. The church could easily commit billions, not millions, but billions of dollars each year into programs around the world to help address poverty, hunger, low education and literacy rates, improve health care and lift the lives of countless people globally. That would be a beacon to the world worthy of a church claiming Jesus’ name.”

— James Huntsman, in a Tribune interview.

• “[The plaintiffs] say specifically, ‘We don’t dispute that the Book of Mormon is true. We don’t dispute that it was translated by the gift and power of God. We dispute whether it was translated using the Urim and Thummim, a clear [seer] stone or an opaque stone.’ That almost sounds silly. Churches have the right to define, develop and evolve their own history. ... Who knows what happened in 1820 or whether [church founder Joseph Smith] sat at a table and looked at gold plates?”

— David Jordan, attorney for the church, in arguments before a federal appellate court.

• “We remain committed to fighting for full transparency and accountability for the millions of members around the world.”

— Christopher Seeger, plaintiffs’ attorney, after dismissal of the potential class-action lawsuit.

Another tithing fraud case remains on appeal before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Will the church keep batting a 1,000?

Church growth in the U.S.

Only one state saw its Latter-day Saint membership slip last year.

Although Wyoming’s church rolls dipped by 0.26%, the Cowboy State added a third temple, in Casper.

That lone loss marks a “notable decrease compared to five [states] in 2023, 22 during the 2020–2021 period, 13 in 2018, and nine in 2017,” independent researcher Matt Martinich reports on ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com.

Leading the way on membership growth in the U.S., Martinich points out, were Washington, D.C. (up nearly 3.8%), Kentucky (3.48%), New York (3.46%) and Missouri (3.45%).

Although the largest state, California, barely reached positive territory (plus 0.01%) that bump reflected positive news. The Golden State, Martinich notes, had experienced net membership declines every year since 2014.

Other Western states logged modest gains in 2024 just ahead of California: New Mexico (up 0.03%), Alaska (0.11%), Oregon and Washington (0.16%), Nevada (0.17%), Colorado (0.36%) and Arizona (up 0.43%).

As for Utah, home to the global faith’s headquarters, the best it could manage was 38th place, with a 0.66% increase.

Total U.S. membership rose to 6,929,956, an uptick of 0.8% from 2023.

See Martinich’s full list.

The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Rooting out racism

Mauli Bonner, a prominent Black Latter-day Saint songwriter and filmmaker, says members still have work to do in answering the prophetic call to “root out racism.” He offers some suggestions.

Listen to the podcast.

Elevating Easter

In celebrating the “greater love” of Jesus Christ — through streams of messages, musings and music — Latter-day Saints leaned into a greater love for Easter.

Church President Russell Nelson capped off the holy season Sunday with a social media post that included a video of remarks he has made from 1984 through 2023 about the Christian Savior.

“As a newly called apostle, I felt the importance of sharing my witness of Jesus Christ’s literal resurrection,” he wrote on Instagram. “Now, 41 years later, the urgency I feel is even greater.”

From The Tribune

• The First Presidency praises Pope Francis, who died Monday, for his “courageous and compassionate leadership.”

• Remembering the day a Catholic pope and a Latter-day Saint prophet met for the first time — faith to faith and face to face.

• On topics ranging from evolution to medicine to the age of the Earth, the church says, science and religion can be allies instead of antagonists.

• While the Trump administration targets foreign aid, the church remains all-in with its U.N. partners.

• The church prevails in yet another tithing lawsuit, one that could have affected billions of dollars from millions of members. The federal ruling leaves unanswered questions about the faith’s abundant wealth and skimpy financial transparency.

• How obeying church teachings can leave some women in poverty.

• Yummy news: Those mouth-watering Lion House rolls will return this year, and other Temple Square renovations in downtown Salt Lake City are on the completion menu for 2025.