Globalization in the Church

Jesse Wright

Blog 10

12/2/12

Globalization in the Church

            Globalization is “the spread of political, economic, and cultural dynamics among governments, groups, and individuals beyond the borders of any one particular country.” (Samuels, 2011)  Globalization is the shifting from a state-centered world to a global one; a world comprised of a global population that is interconnected by politics, economics, ideas, and culture.  For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, globalization is not only a good idea, but a necessity.

            Donald Cannon and Richard Cowan in their book “Unto Every Nation” said, “Globalization is an oft-mentioned, all-important matter in today’s world. News media, special-interest groups, and governmental bodies regularly apply it to economics, law, ethics, political science, and sociology. For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, globalization is more than just an interesting topics; it is an urgent priority. The mission of the Church is to bring all people everywhere to Jesus Christ so that they might enjoy the eternal fruits of His gospel. A worldwide Church is certainly in a better position to accomplish this mission than one that is only local or even regional” (Cannon, 2003).  Part of the mission of the LDS Church is to proclaim the gospel to everyone in the world.  We, as members, believe that it is essential that everyone have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel.  Globalization has improved the Church’s ability to become more than just an “American” religion. 

            Some of the positive effects of globalization for the Church are more freedom of movement and greater acceptance for an “American” religion. Greater cooperation and

interconnectedness worldwide allow Church leaders and missionaries in America to be able to travel more freely outside of the United States. This is especially important for the Church’s missionary program.  Because the LDS Church originated in the United States, “Mormonism” is often considered an “American” religion by much of the world. Although this is not true, it often negatively stereotypes the Church to those countries and people that may have anti-American sentiment. However, global diffusion of culture has created greater tolerance for American things things such as “American” religions. 

            There are several examples of how the Church has embraced globalization.  The first is the obvious global growth of the Church outside of the United State.  The third wave of globalization began in 1980 (Martell, 2007). Since then the Church has shown drastic growth.  From the founding of the Church in 1930 until 1980 the Church’s membership grew to 4,638,000. In comparison, from 1980 to 2011 membership in the Church has tripled in size to 14,441,346 (Statistical Report, 1981 and 2012).  Since 1980, the Church’s missionary force has grown from 29,953 to 55,410 and the number of temples in operation has grown from 19 to 136,  56 of which are located outside of the United States (Statistical Report, 1981 and 2012).  These statistics show two things:  first, that globalization has positively affected the membership of the Church, and second that the Church has embraced globalization as a means of increasing its membership.  In 2006 the number of members who lived outside of the United States surpassed the number of those that live in the United States (lds.org, 2006). This shows that the LDS Church has truly become a worldwide religion. 

The Church’s goal is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world, and globalization is helping that goal become a reality.  By transitioning the Church from a local, to national, to global entity, the Church is reaching more people worldwide than ever before.  Globalization is furthering the work of the Lord and will continue to enhance the Church’s ability to become a truly worldwide church.   

Sources

Samuels, David J.  “Comparative Politics”.  Pearson Education,  2012.  p. 346 

Cannon, Donald Q., Richard O. Cowan.  “Unto Every Nation”.  Deseret Publishing, 2003

Martell, Luke. “The Third Wave in Globalization Theory.” International Studies Review, 9, 2,

Summer 2007, pp 173-196.

Statistical Report.  Ensign, May 1981.  http://www.lds.org/ensign/1981/05/statistical-report

1980?lang=eng

Statistical Report.  LDS Newsroom, April 2012.  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article-         /2011-statistical-report-april-2012-general-conference

Lds.org.  “Church Grows Rapidly.”  http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,40-1-3474

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