The local Protestant church was small but nice. As visitors and on the young side with kids I felt like a rock star. It was sad - no doubt the population was shrinking.
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that is sad, and surprising.
The Mormon church has been hemorrhaging members for the last 15 years or so and all of the evangelical churches I know in Utah are growing, many faster than they can integrate. I heard from a friend that the Calvary chapel in SLC tripled in size last year alone - I would expect similar things in Rexburg (which has a great pizza buffet btw).
The story about the door does not surprise me at all. A common phrase you used to hear about UT/Idaho as ‘behind the Zion curtain’, and in some ways it is, if you are not LDS you don’t matter, if you are EX-LDS you either keep it quiet or expect serious harassment.
I would go for job interviews and people would ask what ward( Mormon congregation)I was in. Mormons hire Mormons, rent to Mormons, buy from Mormons...they don’t trust or like ‘gentiles’ (outsiders).