The prospects for Mormonism becoming a major world faith are beyond reach

[malkie]

I joined the church in Scotland (1970s), in a town of about 80,000. All I really knew at the time about membership was that attendance at sacrament meeting was about 25-30 people, including 2 or 3 pairs of missionaries.

When I was called as president of the branch, and looked at the membership file, I discovered we had about 350 members, some of whom nobody in the branch had ever heard of. More than 100 were "inactive prospective elders" - that is, males 19+ who were not holders of the Melchizedek priesthood. It didn't take long to figure out that they were from the infamous baseball baptism era, courtesy of Bernard Brockbank - likely baptized in their early teens.

We had a beautiful 2-story building with a cultural hall, and seating room in the chapel for about 120.

I was told by some of the older members that the building had been constructed about 12 years earlier based on fudged attendance numbers.

As BP I was saddled with the upkeep and heating of a building that was well beyond our means. Before my time we were constantly being threatened with having our electricity cut off for late payment. In the winter we had sacrament meeting in the Relief Society room, heated by little electric heaters that members brought from home.

Since this is still a branch, not a ward, I expect that the membership has not grown substantially since the late 1970s, when I left Scotland. Absent a miracle of some sort, I cannot imagine what might trigger noticeable growth.

I wonder how common this situation is, especially in Europe.