[DelphiUser]

A more direct answer is called for. There must be a breakdown of whether the growth is internal growth (via new births) or external growth (via new converts). Otherwise these numbers are essentially useless.

Totals that go up are useless? IT's called the "Big picture"

I think that you are underestimating how much internal growth can affect overall growth. A couple has six children over 12 years. That is a total 300% increase in the family or 25% annualized increase. In a church with lots of families in child-bearing years, this increase can be very substantial. That is every before considering the exponential growth potential when the children start bearing children.

Not if those children leave like was being posited.How about a personal anecdote? I have four children, If you divide those children by how old I am you get less than one every ten years. On my mission (2 years), I baptized more than four people actually, more like 8, so a mission is way more productive than "Organic Growth" I think you are underplaying Missionary efforts, the problem is retention.

[CommerceComet]

Totals that go up are useless?

To disprove the assertion that was being refuted, YES.

As colorcountry points out in post 187, some of the data seem pretty suspicious. Since you introduced personal ancedotes, I'll use mine. I would question the exit numbers reported by the LDS Church since I know two people from wards in different states who had to hire attorneys to get their names removed from the LDS membership roles. Neither had attended LDS services for years.