New Ward because .. why?

[Cnsl1]

Our stake recently added a new ward, pulling members from adjacent wards, which seems odd given that these wards seem much smaller than they've ever been, and sac mtg attendance cannot currently fill the chapel, much less the over flow.

Stake leaders report the new ward is needed due to new converts and new members moving in, but no one that I've talked to has really seen any significant growth.

I wonder if it's more about putting feathers in caps, and pressing for a closer temple. Who knows? Really makes no matter to me.

Any one else observe "growth" that doesn't seem to be real?

[wtfluff]

Ever work for one of those companies where you change offices every other month or so? Because moving furniture around = "Progress."


Yeah, "The Church" is one of those companies.

[nibbler]

I was curious about the average number of members per unit and made a quick graph using numbers from the statistical reports on membership and the number of units (wards + branches):

mpw.png (27.39 KiB) Viewed 3184 times

I was surprised to see that the average number of members per unit has gone up in the last 20 years. I was half expecting to see the number of members per unit to go down in the last few years. I had made the assumption that creating wards could be a method for creating an illusion of growth.

The number of members per unit has leveled off in the last few years but it's interesting (to me) how the average number of members per unit hovered around 400 people for about 60 years, then took off like a shot in the late 90s.

I'm not sure how to interpret that. Maybe greater quantities of members are required to arrive at the magical "ten members that do everything." Like before they could find ten such people among 400 members, now they need 500 or more to find those ten.

With the recent changes during Nelson's tenure, fewer PH holders are required to run a ward (no more YMP, no more WML, no more HPG). That seems like the perfect setup to create a lot of new wards... or again, an indication that they're having a harder and harder time finding people to do things. If that is the case, maybe there will be a stern, "do your callings " talk or two during GC.

[Cnsl1]

It would be interesting to see that graph with only US LDS members per unit.

[nibbler]

That would be interesting. It would weed out wards in countries where there are 900+ members on the roles with less than 100 attending.

[Hagoth]

It would be interesting to see that graph with only US LDS members per unit.

It would also be interesting to see ward size charted against tithing & fast offerings intake. Also, a version of that chart counting only members who attend regularly (e.g. at least 3 Sundays per month).

[Cnsl1]

If I remember correctly, average activity rates have decreased. So, more members per unit is necessary in order to fill callings and keep a ward running. My guess is that decisions regarding ward splits are based primarily on # of average sac attendance.

Back when I was one of those ward leader guys, I remember there was a lot of attention placed on average sac mtg attendance and it seemed that the number affected what the ward budget would be. I also remember bishops discussing how to get that number up during thinner times, like summer vacation or spring breaks, by scheduling missionary homecomings or farewells during those times if possible.

I remember a lot of concern about some numbers. Avg sac attendance, # of prospective elders, and # of members without TR.