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“The Annual Report of the Church,” Ensign, Jul 1972, 131

As of December 31, 1971, membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was 3,090,953, it was announced at the first session of the 142nd Annual General Conference of the Church.

This figure represents an increase of 160,143 over the 1970 membership total and a numerical growth rate of 5.46 percent. The number of convert baptisms for 1971 totaled 83,514, compared with 79,126 for 1970.

There were only six male members (the legal number required by state law) the day the Church was organized at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, on April 6, 1830. All six men had been previously baptized. Before the day was over, additional converts had entered the waters of baptism.

From that humble beginning, the membership of the Church has grown rapidly and continuously.

The number of stakes of the Church has likewise increased over the decades. However, with the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the exodus of the Saints from the Midwest, existing stakes were disorganized, and stake organization began anew with the Salt Lake Stake in 1847.

The story of missionaries and missions is a story all its own. Samuel Smith, a brother of the Prophet, was the first to devote himself to full-time missionary activity. And he slept the first night under an apple tree!

The following statistics of missionaries set apart (accumulative by decade) do not include local missionaries who often serve in the same mission field where they were baptized and who begin their labors in their own native tongues:

More full-time missionaries (not including local missionaries) were set apart to begin their labors during the single year of 1970 (7,526) than the total number of such missionaries serving between 1830 and 1890 (7,495).

The following statistical report was issued by the First Presidency at April conference, concerning the membership of the Church at the end of the year 1971:

• Stakes 562

• Wards 4,342

• Independent branches in stakes 793

• Wards and independent branches in stakes 5,135

• Mission branches 1,942

• Full-time missions 98

Church Membership, December 31, 1971

• Stakes 2,622,439

• Missions 468,514

• Total 3,090,953

Church Growth During 1971

• Children blessed in stakes and missions 68,659

• Children of record baptized in stakes and missions 53,524

• Converts baptized in stakes and missions 83,514

The graphs on page 132 indicate the growth of the Church by membership and by stakes, wards, branches, and missions.

Social Statistics

• Birthrate per thousand 28.50

• Number of persons married per thousand 15.12

• Death rate per thousand 4.92

Priesthood

Members holding Aaronic Priesthood

• Deacons 136,969

• Teachers 98,814

• Priests 152,886

• Total 388,669

Members holding Melchizedek Priesthood

• Elders 252,051

• Seventies 23,914

• High Priests 88,416

• Total 364,381

• Grand total of members holding priesthood (an increase of 23,824) 753,050

Auxiliary Organizations

• Relief Society (membership) 377,840

• Sunday School (enrollment) 2,387,509

• Young Men’s MIA (enrollment) 355,107

• Young Women’s MIA (enrollment) 386,735

• Primary (enrollment) 487,951

Welfare Plan

• Number of persons assisted 100,722

• Number placed in remunerative employment 12,048

• Man-days of work donated to the welfare plan 195,932

• Unit-days of equipment use donated 5,589

Genealogical Society

• Names cleared for temple ordinances 1,750,416

(Genealogical records microfilmed in 17 countries during the year brought the total to 712,945 100-foot rolls of microfilm, the equivalent of over 3,401,301 printed volumes of 300 pages each.)

Temples

Number of ordinances performed in 13 operating temples

• For the living 62,672

• For the dead 6,898,428

• Total 6,961,100

Church School System

• Total cumulative enrollments in church schools, including institutes and seminaries 235,861