LDS Church membership tops 16.5 million

The Conference Center plaza in downtown Salt Lake City may have been virtually void of people Saturday — due to the coronavirus clampdown — but The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is still attracting crowds.The latest statistical report, released Saturday, put total membership above 16.5 million at the end of 2019, up by more than 251,000 from the previous year.That’s a 1.54% increase, according to independent demographer Matt Martinich, and represents the “fi