LDS Church drops 'student' wards, stakes for 'YSA' units

Mormon Times ^ | April 15, 2011 | Scott Taylor

[Colofornian]

SALT LAKE CITY — Fifty-five years after it created its first student wards and stakes at BYU, the LDS Church is doing away with its "student" unit designation.

And in its place are newly formed "young single adult" wards and stakes throughout Utah as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reorganizes, realigns and renames its congregational units for Mormons ages 18 to 30.

* The reorganization: Gone are the single student wards and stakes and the designated young single adult wards and branches in the conventional home stakes, being replaced by general, all-encompassing young single adult wards and stakes for any Latter-day Saint — student or not — in the 18-to-30 age group. And the average YSA ward, or congregation, will average between 100 and 150 members, with a YSA stake typically comprised of a half-dozen to 10 wards. Many student and current YSA wards try to have similar membership numbers, although some are larger.

* The realignment: Young single adult wards and stakes are being realigned geographically, in some cases ending up with a smaller area than previous student units. And the YSA stakes are aligned more closely with the conventional home stakes to enhance communication and coordination between the leaders of both when it comes to young single adult members, efforts and activities.

* And the renaming: Except in rare circumstances, young single adult wards stakes will not carry institutional names like BYU 5th Stake but rather city or other community-related names, such as Provo Utah 1st YSA Stake or Salt Lake City 10th YSA Ward.

Currently under way along the Wasatch Front, the changes could affect 90,000 such members in the Salt Lake and Davis counties and another 65,000 in Utah County.

"It's a transition to young single adult stakes — the distinction between student and non-student is gone because that's become more and more blurred as the years have gone on," said Elder Steven E. Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy, who oversees the church's Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City and Utah South areas.

Previously, members ages 18 to 30 might have attended a conventional home ward, a student ward, a young single adult branch or ward in the home stake, or a cultural or language-specific unit (such as Tongan or Spanish).

Saying, "this age group tends to drift a little," Elder Snow said the result of the changes is that a young single adult simply has two options — either the home ward/stake where they live or the new, corresponding young single adult ward/stake.

"We hope it reduces confusion in their minds — where their priesthood leaders are, where they should go to church, where they should worship," Elder Snow said.

"We hope it will provide enhanced opportunities to serve in leadership positions and to teach and lead. We hope it enhances their opportunities to meet other people and to give opportunities. And we want to deliver this opportunities in a geographic area and not require them to travel clear across the valley to attend church."

Some of the YSA ward and stake composition may not change much in Utah County in the areas of high student residency surrounding the BYU and Utah Valley University campuses. However, with the University of Utah being more of a commuter campus, changes may be more obvious — with a young single LDS student in Herriman no longer having to drive close to the U. campus for church participation but instead able to attend a YSA ward much closer to home.

While Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties currently are in the throes of the restructuring and realignments, other parts of the stake have already made the change.

Early last year, the church's First Presidency asked that all student stakes in Utah — previously restricted to only enrolled college students — be opened up to all young single adults.

The transition began a year ago this month with Weber State University units becoming Ogden young single adult wards and stakes, simultaneously folding in any conventional young single adult wards created by regular, neighborhood stakes in the Ogden area.

Similar transitions followed in Cedar City, St. George and Ephraim with student church units at Southern Utah University, Dixie State College and Snow College, respectively.

In August, it was Cache County's turn with the half-dozen student stakes predominantly comprised of Utah State University students. After the changes, an additional two YSA stakes were added in Cache Valley.

"Then we just kind of watched for a few months, to see how that was going and what we could learn — and it's been very successful," said Elder Snow,

"We've seen a lot of young people who previously haven't been engaged with the church for a long time start to come back. We found our young people are better at reaching out to their peers than anyone else, so that rescue effort we've seen in place has been very, very rewarding.

"And it creates a lot of synergy and social interaction among our young people, which we encourage as well."

Even after the realignment and geographic reshuffling, the restructuring still will result in an additional dozen new YSA stakes between Farmington and Santaquin — two new stakes in Davis County, eight in Salt Lake City and two in northern Utah County.

The creation of the new YSA units already has begun in Utah County and will continue the next couple of weeks. YSA units in Salt Lake City will be created through the first of May, with a series of special informational meetings scheduled for later this month at the LDS Conference Center.

Bishops and other YSA leadership will still come from conventional home stakes, but the callings for a YSA stake will better align with a more geographical-corresponding neighborhood stake.

Elder Snow noted the new YSA unit restructuring does provide enhanced social opportunities for the young adults, acknowledging the emphasis on pursuing marriage and family as a key topic from the church's recent general conference.

"We'd like to see them happily married and creating families," he said, adding "we had some pretty direct messages in conference — they weren't sugar-coated."

With 4,300 attending a special January 1956 conference meeting in the BYU Smith Fieldhouse, the LDS Church created its first student units — the Brigham Young University Stake and its 12 student wards, named B.Y. Campus 1st Ward and so forth. Each ward had between 300 and 700 members.

With 4,300 attending a special January 1956 conference meeting in the BYU Smith Fieldhouse, the LDS Church created its first student units — the Brigham Young University Stake and its 12 student wards, named B.Y. Campus 1st Ward and so forth. Each ward had between 300 and 700 members.

[Colofornian]

From the article: ..in its place are newly formed "young single adult" wards and stakes throughout Utah as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reorganizes, realigns and renames its congregational units for Mormons ages 18 to 30.

They're basically combining the singles wards in Utah County (the highest concentrated % of Mormons in Utah). They're lumping singles together with the idea of trying to increase the dating pool.

From the article: Elder Snow noted the new YSA unit restructuring does provide enhanced social opportunities for the young adults, acknowledging the emphasis on pursuing marriage and family as a key topic from the church's recent general conference. "We'd like to see them happily married and creating families," he said, adding "we had some pretty direct messages in conference — they weren't sugar-coated."

Of course, this doesn't address the over-30 crowd, where Lds women have even slimmer marriage prospects. A BYU Web site, citing a Goodman and Heaton study, said:

Furthermore, single LDS men and women are "mismatched on salient demographic characteristics. Single women over 30 have higher levels of education, occupation, and Church activity than single men. For example, never-married women over 30 are more likely to have four years of college (42 percent compared to 18 percent for never-married men) and professional occupations (70 percent compared to 38 percent)" (Goodman and Heaton, pp. 90-91). Goodman and Heaton conclude that "marriage to an active male is demographically impossible for many active single females over 30. And even when there are available males, they may possess other characteristics that rule them out as potential mates. Obviously, marriage is not a universal solution to singleness if the only acceptable marital option is marriage to an active LDS partner" (p. 91). Source: http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Single_Adults

The same source says: Results of a demographic study indicated that among LDS single adults, 23 percent were divorced or separated, 13 percent were widowed, and 63 percent had never married.

The above realities will probably mean more over-30 active Lds women "settling" for either less active Lds men or men who aren't Mormon at all!

[Elsie]

What is your church doing to help the male to stay true?

 

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"All of this should be conveyed without having priesthood leaders focus upon intimate matters which are a part of husband and wife relationships. Skillful interviewing and counseling can occur without discussion of clinical details by placing firm responsibility on individual members of the Church to put their lives in order before exercising the privilege of entering a house of the Lord. The First Presidency has interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice. If a person is engaged in a practice which troubles him enough to ask about it, he should discontinue it."
- Official Declaration of the First Presidency of the Church, January 5th, 1982

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"Prophets anciently and today condemn masturbation. It induces feelings of guilt and shame. It is detrimental to spirituality. It indicates slavery to the flesh, not that mastery of it and the growth toward godhood which is the object of our mortal life. Our modern prophet has indicated that no young man should be called on a mission who is not free from this practice. What is more, it too often leads to grievous sin, even to that sin against nature, homosexuality. For, done in private, it evolves often into mutual masturbation-practiced with another person of the same sex and thence into total homosexuality...."
- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, Pages 77-79, 81-82

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"Among the most common sexual sins our young people commit are necking and petting. Not only do these improper relations often lead to fornication, [unwed] pregnancy, and abortions - all ugly sins - but in and of themselves they are pernicious evils, and it is often difficult for youth to distinguish where one ends and another begins. They awaken lust and stir evil thoughts and sex desires. They are but parts of the whole family of related sins and indiscretions. Almost like twins, 'petting' and fornication are alike."
- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, page 65

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"Also far-reaching is the effect of the loss of chastity. Once given or taken or stolen it can never be regained. Even in a forced contact such as rape or incest, the injured one is greatly outraged. If she has not cooperated and contributed to the foul deed, she is of course in a more favorable position. There is no condemnation where there is no voluntary participation. It is better to die in defending one's virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle."
- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, page 196

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"And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth." (Genesis 4:9-14.) That was true of murder. It is also true of illicit sex, which, of course, includes all petting, fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, and all other perversions. The Lord may say to offenders, as He did to Cain, "What hast thou done?" The children thus conceived make damning charges against you; the companions who have been frustrated and violated condemn you; the body that has been defiled cries out against you; the spirit which has been dwarfed convicts you. You will have difficulty throughout the ages in totally forgiving yourself."
-Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, "Love Versus Lust", BYU Speech January 5, 1965. Often-used quote still used today in LDS seminary classes.

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"I do not find in the Bible the modern terms "petting" nor "homosexuality," yet I found numerous scriptures which forbade such acts under by whatever names they might be called. I could not find the term "homosexuality," but I did find numerous places where the Lord condemned such a practice with such vigor that even the death penalty was assessed."
- Apostle Spencer W. Kimball, "Love Versus Lust", BYU Speech January 5, 1965

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"If adultery or fornication justified the death penalty in the old days, and still in Christ's day, is the sin any less today because the laws of the land do not assess the death penalty for it? Is the act less grievous? There must be a washing, a purging, a changing of attitudes, a correcting of appraisals, a strengthening toward self-mastery. There must be many prayers, and volumes of tears. There must be an inner conviction giving to the sin its full diabolical weight. There must be increased devotion and much thought and study. And this takes energy and time and often is accompanied with sore embarrassment, heavy deprivations and deep trials, even if indeed one is not excommunicated from the Church, losing all spiritual blessings."
-Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, Page 155

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"How like the mistletoe is immorality. The killer plant starts with a sticky sweet berry. Little indiscretions are the berries -- indiscretions like sex thoughts sex discussions, passionate kissing, pornography. The leaves and little twigs are masturbation and necking and such, growing with every exercise. The full-grown plant is petting and sex looseness. It confounds, frustrates, and destroys like the parasite if it is not cut out and destroyed, for, in time it robs the tree, bleeds its life, and leaves it barren and dry; and, strangely enough, the parasite dies with its host."
- Apostle Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference Address, April 1, 1967.

[svcw]

I have never understood the lds assigned seating. Why can’t people go where they want, whatever ward, whatever service whatever group of people.
The churches I have attended have (usually) called college age groups but anyone can go. We live in a world of mixed ages, mixed experiences, mixed wisdom why on earth would a church want to limit exposure to these assets to certain groups.
Old women are supposed to train up young women, how can they do that if they are not in the same sphere.
Old men are supposed to train up young men, how can they do that if they are not in the same sphere.
Men of all ages are to gather together to pray for one another, commune. Women of all ages are to gather together to pray for one another, commune. Children are to gather together to pray for each other, commune. Families are to gather together to pray for each other, commune.
Sinners are to gather together to pray for each other.

[laotzu]

They're lumping singles together with the idea of trying to increase the dating pool

Clearly a dangerous cult. When will you people wake up?!!

[rickomatic]

They're lumping singles together with the idea of trying to increase the dating pool Clearly a dangerous cult. When will you people wake up?!!

This never would have held water in Joey Smith's day. It would have diluted HIS dating pool.

[dragonblustar]

This never would have held water in Joey Smith's day. It would have diluted HIS dating pool.

It might have but then he was the "prophet". He could have just demanded the woman sleep with him or they would go to hell.

[Colofornian]

It might have but then he was the "prophet". He could have just demanded the woman sleep with him or they would go to hell.

Smith was all about monopolizing...Even claimed Orson Hyde's wife (an "apostle" in the church) after Smith sent Hyde as a missionary to Palestine.

And, of course, the habit of monopolizing was absorbed by the top leaders in the church...like First President Heber C. Kimball, who took over 40 wives:

“Kimball always kept an eye out for romance. ‘Brethren,’ he instructed some departing missionaries, ‘I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been heretofore. The brother missionaries have been in the habit of picking out the prettiest women for themselves before they get here, and bringing on the ugly ones for us; hereafter you have to bring them all here before taking any of them, and let us all have a fair shake.” The Lion of the Lord, by Stanley P. Hirshon, pp. 129-130

[dragonblustar]

Kimball sounds like a real pig.

And roasting like one in hell......

[Tennessee Nana]

where they should go to church, where they should worship,” Elder Snow said.

and not require them to travel clear across the valley to attend church.”
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so much for freedom of worship

in an area where there is a mormon temple or a mormon religious building on just about every corner, why are mormon members being told where to practice their religious beliefs ???

Why cant they just go to the mormon temple on their own block ???

This is another thing that sets the religion of mormonism apart from Christianity

Nobody demands that I attend a certain Christian Church

I have the FREEDOM to worship whereever I wish too..

[SZonian]

Good little sheeple.

Go to church where we (SLC) tell you to go. That you’re single and want to attend the ward across the street is inconsequential. You will go where we tell you.

Freedom of association by attending the ward of your choice is forbidden. You will attend the ward we designate by our choice of selecting geographical boundaries.

Your “records” are in this ward, you must attend this ward. You cannot accept callings in any other ward.

Doesn’t matter if you’re happy or enjoy the friendship in that other ward, or if you do have to drive across town because you’re on the wrong side of the street(boundary marker). You “belong” to this ward.

Families will attend the ward within their boundaries, they cannot regularly attend another ward where other family members attend.

[Colofornian]

so much for freedom of worship
in an area where there is a mormon temple or a mormon religious building on just about every corner, why are mormon members being told where to practice their religious beliefs ???

It's real simple...at the last General Conference (earlier this month), the Mormon hierarchy told men in no uncertain terms to get married [as this article says, they didn't "sugar coat" that directive].

Why was that directive made? And why, as you've pointed out, TN, is the Mormon hierarchy simply telling people where to worship and fellowship?

It's simple. They are trying to be sovereign match-makers. And why are they doing that?

Well, that's all in the stats.

More Lds young adults are remaining single; that, in turn, is effecting a decrease in the birth rate, which has long-term implications for Lds, Inc. coffers.

#1Mormon singles and decline in marriage:

More & more young Mormons are simply starting to disobey the Mormon “prophets.” But secondarily many single Mormon woman do want to get married & raise a family; yet despite the state having about 6 ½% more never-married men than women, more Utah young adults are choosing to remain single than ever.

Utah boasts the most number of married-family homes…a % that actually even rose 2% in the past few years. This means Utah culture is marriage-focused in deterring divorce as couples go through their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.

Yet when we check under the hood among Utah singles, we see that the stats are moving the other way.

If you check Statemaster.com & averaged the % of unmarried by state, you’ll see 17 states have more once-married adults (%-wise) than Utah. (A couple of years ago, that was 16 states). Even Nevada has 1% more once-married women than Utah! And when you compare Utah to other Western states that also has a high Mormon population – states like Wyoming & Idaho – Utah has about 2.5% more never-married men than those states. [29% of Utah men have never married: Percent of Men Who Never Married (most recent) by state … see also Percent of Women Who Never Married (most recent) by state]

Hence, % - wise, marriage is down even tho the actual # of marriages are still high in the state. BYU’s newspaper noted this January, 2010:

…fewer BYU students are getting married during their college years than ever before. According to the Y Facts University Marriage Statistics page, the percentage of married students at BYU has steadily declined from 29 percent in 1992 to 25 percent in 2009. While a 4-percent drop may not seem like much, it reflects a national trend of the aging single population. Source: BYU Daily Universe: Sister missionaries and the aging single population (Jan. 22, 2010)

The thing is that marriage is HEAVILY stressed in Lds culture. How heavy?

Lds “prophet” Joseph F. Smith: ...this doctrine of the eternal union of the husband and wife and of plural marriage, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase... (Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, pp. 9-10)

So, Lds "prophets" have said that Mormons can't "become gods" minus marriage...that's how much import is placed on marriage in Mormon culture!

#2Mormon decline in births

Per this January 2011 article found at Utah Births Appear To Dip For Second Consecutive Year: From 2009-2010, births at hospitals owned by IHC, MountainStar Hospitals and the University of Utah Health Care and Health Sciences dropped by 2.5 percent, or a little more than 1,000 births.

Beyond being a reflection on the economy, why is this article significant?

(a) Utah has the lowest median age in the country…Aside from any Mormon context (Utah is 60% Lds), its increase of child-bearing women these past few years should actually have shown an increase given previous state stats.

(b) Look @ the premium Mormon culture places on childbirth – reason being is because Mormons believe baby-spirits from Kolob are waiting their turn for a new body to show up so they can come down & inhabit it…(yeah, I know, it sounds both pagan – like cultures that used to kill twins because they thought the second baby was inhabited by an evil spirit…as well as overdosing on Greek philosophy – an overkill in separating spirit & body)…

Below is a quote from Lds “prophet” Joseph Fielding Smith, who in turn quotes Brigham Young...Young's words are in the single quotations:

"President Brigham Young has this to say...'There are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty? To prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of EVERY righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles FOR ALL the spirits THEY CAN.' If these iniquitous practices find their place in our hearts and we are guilty, then when we arrive on the other side - and discover that we have deprived ourselves of eternal blessings and are accused by President Young has said, they were forced to take bodies in the families of the wicked-how will we fell? Moreover, may we not lose our own salvation if we violate this divine law?" (Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines, of Salvation, Vol. II, p. 88).

There ya go...the Lds "prophets" are COMMANDING BY DIVINE LAW THAT MORMON WOMEN GO OUT & HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS POSSIBLE!

Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie wrote: Today the cry is heard in some quarters that these statements calling upon parents to provide bodies for the spirit hosts of heaven are outmoded...But God's decree and the counsel of the prophets remain unchanged...the position of the true Church remains fixed." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 86)

Bottom line: Lds "prophets" have suggested that Mormon women who don't have as many children as they can -- to accommodate all these supposed spirits up there awaiting a body -- can "lose their salvation."

If it wasn't true...then why did Joseph Fielding Smith suggest it? Why does McConkie claim that "the counsel of the prophets remain unchanged...the position of the true Church remains fixed..."???

The church is "stuck" re: militating vs. singles -- claiming that they can't live forever without being married ...and its doctrine of a "pre-existence" of spirits awaiting bodies!

[Colofornian]

Kimball sounds like a real pig.

(Kimball was one of the top three highest-ranking Mormons in the 19th century...part of the First Presidency. Between him & Brigham, they had almost 100 wives!)