Saturday, March 31, 2018

2017 Statistical Report for 2018 April Conference and Anti-Mormon Conspiracy Theorising

It was announced by the Church during the Saturday morning session of General Conference that the Statistical Report for 2017 would be posted on its Website at the close of the session (in previous years, it would be read out during Conference). Naturally, instead of waiting until the end of the session and checking the Church's Websites, some critics proved their conspiracy-theorist mindset like Bill Reel with the following public facebook post:


Lo and behold, here is the 2017 Statistical Report:

2017 Statistical Report for 2018 April Conference


CHURCH UNITS
Stakes.......................................................... 3,341
Missions.......................................................... 421
Districts........................................................... 553
Wards and Branches................................. 30,506

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Total membership............................... 16,118,169
New children of record during 2017......... 106,771
Converts baptized during 2017................ 233,729

MISSIONARIES
Full-time Missionaries ............................... 67,049
Church-service Missionaries...................... 36,172

TEMPLES
Temples dedicated during 2017.......................... 4
(Paris France, Tucson Arizona, Meridian Idaho, Cedar City Utah)
Temples rededicated during 2017....................... 1
(Idaho Falls Idaho)
Temples in operation...................................... 159



As a friend wrote on Reel's post:

Some conspiracy theories can survive for, say, a few years before they are refuted. Some, if they're really good, a few decades.

Bill Reel's conspiracies are so flimsy they don't even last a few hours.