As thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lined up to enter a religious meeting in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on June 9, 2019, a sudden and violent rainstorm erupted. But the line did not disperse. Those waiting did their best to cover up with jackets, purses and other objects, and then — soaked to the skin — joined a congregation of 15,500 to hear President Russell M. Nelson speak.
It was a scene I had seen before and would see again.
Just two weeks earlier on May 23, 2019, in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, some 10,000 Latter-day Saints sat for four hours under wet and windy skies on the Liahona High School sports fields for a similar meeting. But, in spite of the rain, they did not move from their seats — waiting to be part of a historic religious gathering in their country where President Nelson and other leaders would address them.
And just two months later on Aug, 24, 2019, 22,000 people waited all day at the Estadio Cementos Progreso stadium in the hot, humid temperatures. There was little shade and no relief from the heat. Still they endured and then waved white handkerchiefs in joyful acknowledgement of President Nelson and his message.
Those meetings during a four-month period are single snapshots of the dedication and commitment of the fiercely loyal membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world. Undaunted by the elements, thousands were drawn together in worship for a cause much larger than any individual.
That same year, Pew Research Center’s 2019 Religious Landscape Study showed that Christianity in the United States was in decline. But in the years since, between 2019 and 2024, Pew has seen a new trend emerge — the Christian share of the adult population has been relatively stable, hovering between 60% and 64%.
And as I could have predicted in 2019 after watching Latter-day Saints gather in spite of the elements, members of the Church of Jesus Christ are one of the most devout religious groups in the country, with significantly higher rates of religious participation and daily prayer than the national average. According to a Pew study published in February 2025, 73% of Latter-day Saints in the United States pray daily.
That is why I was stunned to read a Wall Street Journal article about “Exmo influencers” who are mounting a “TikTok war” against the faith. The article noted that the Church of Jesus Christ is “facing a 21st-century reckoning, driven by social-media.”
With only passing reference to any positive counterpoints, this narrative amplifies and exaggerates the influence of self proclaimed “Exmo influencers” — who dedicate full-time energies to assailing faith online.
This does impact the faith of some who take these influencers to be credible and honest sources of information. Yet, the truth of what’s taking place is actually much more complex. Simply said, while the Church of Jesus Christ — like all faith traditions — is grappling to engage the rising generations, Latter-day Saint faithful are encouraged by so much that is happening today.
For example, rebutting the popular narrative about young adults losing faith, nearly 1 million students enrolled in Latter-day Saint colleges and universities and in religious instruction at the church’s seminaries and institutes in 2024.
And last year, when the number of full-time young adults who serve as missionaries rose to more than 80,000, the church had to create 36 new missions.
This army of missionaries — the majority of whom are 18, 19 and 20 years old — is affecting global growth.
From July 1, 2024, through June 30, convert baptisms were the highest of any 12-month period in church history, said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles this summer. He further noted that new members of the faith are attending weekly worship services at higher rates.
I personally have observed the influence and evidence of faithful Latter-day Saints across the earth.
This year marked the 100th anniversary of the church in South America, where there were no Latter-day Saints in 1924 — the year President Nelson was born.
Today the church has nearly 4.4 million Latter-day Saints currently residing across the 12 South American nations and one territory.
In Guatemala — the nation where members sat in the hot sun for hours before a historic meeting — the church has almost 300,000 members. And Tonga — where the members endured heavy rain to receive religious instruction — has the largest number of Latter-day Saints per capita of any nation in the world.
Days before the Wall Street Journal article was published, thousands of young Latter-day Saints again stood in long lines — this time to gather for a three-day conference in Salt Lake City. The conference was reminiscent of gatherings in Florida, Tonga and Guatemala just six years ago — as well as hundreds of thousands more Latter-day Saint gatherings supported by faithful members each year across the world.
Event co-chair James Fetzer said the conference offered young people the chance to find what they need, whether it’s spiritually, socially, physically or even economically.
“We have an opportunity to learn how to be strong, capable, powerful individuals and faithful members, disciples of Jesus Christ, all at the same time, and to do it together,” he said.
His words — coupled with the actions of faithful Latter-day Saints across the globe — do not feel like a “21st-century reckoning” to me.