40% Leaving? Startling Numbers Behind LDS Disaffiliation (Jeff Strong 1 of 4)

Is the LDS Church actually shrinking? We’re talking about LDS disaffiliation with Jeff Strong, author of the new book Torn: Why People We Love Are Leaving the Church and What We Can Learn from Them. While official membership records show steady growth, the reality of active participation tells a much more complex story. In this episode, I’ll sit down with Jeff to break down the startling data behind modern disaffiliation.

https://youtu.be/O5VWoDOPamw

Don’t miss our other conversations Jeff: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jeff-strong

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The 40% Figure:

• Jeff discusses why multiple national studies—including Pew Research (46%) and the Harvard Cooperative Election Study—consistently peg LDS disaffiliation in the 40% to mid-40% range over the last 25 years.

LDS Disaffiliation

• The “Leaky Bucket” Phenomenon: Despite a 60% increase in members of record since the year 2000, the number of actual wards has only grown by about 11%. Jeff explains the math of how converts and children are “entering the bucket” while current members are “leaking out” at an unprecedented rate.

“Not Since Kirtland”

• Drawing on a famous quote from former church historian Marlon Jensen, Jeff explores why the current wave of departures is being compared to the historic crisis in 1830s Ohio

Corporate-Level Research:

• Jeff brings his background as a global executive for Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble to the table, using a team of PhDs and former church researchers to ensure his findings are as accurate and defensible as possible.

Modest Real Growth vs. Decline:

• While some claim the church is in an absolute free-fall, Jeff’s data suggests modest real growth over the long term, though some analysts believe the church in the U.S. may have hit a point of slight decline for the first time very recently.