David NoyceThe Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon to receive ad-free podcast episodes, the full newsletter and access to all of our religion content.
Mission matchmaking
Church President Dallin Oaks recently said it was “perfectly appropriate” for Latter-day Saints to marry someone from their missions — provided, of course, they don’t start dating during their missions.
So, the mission field is now a potential marriage field.
The whole notion got Ziff, the pen name for a blogger at the Zelophehad’s Daughters website, thinking less about missionary door approaches and more about missionary pickup lines.
Like these:
• “Did we just leave the Garden of Eden? Because I think I’ve fallen for you.”
• “You’ve got me thinking celestial . . . marriage.”
• “Is your name Ammon? Because your smile is so dis-arming.”
• “Can you help me out with a Liahona? Because I just got lost in your eyes.”
Commenters chimed in with a few of their own:
• “Want to come back to my place to walk the covenant path?”
• “Hey, girl, you must be a fisher of men because you just reeled me in.”
See the full lust, er, uh, list.
Academy Award winner talks genealogy
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Academy Award-winning actor Marlee Matlin addresses the universality of family history work, particularly the importance of inclusion, at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Oscar-winning actor Marlee Matlin, a keynote speaker at last week’s RootsTech 2026, called on family history researchers to seek out, document and celebrate the stories of marginalized individuals and communities.
“Inclusion isn’t just a social value,” she said through a sign language interpreter. “It is a historical responsibility.”
A growth milestone
The church can stake its claim to a new milestone: It has reached 3,700, well, uh, stakes.
These clusters of congregations remain among the most important indicators of global growth, independent researcher Matt Martinich says at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, and 10 more have come on line in recent weeks:
• Two in the Democratic Republic of Congo, upping the African nation’s total stakes to 46.
• Two in Utah, though five were discontinued, bringing the state’s tally to 643.
• One apiece in Arizona (121 total), Ecuador (45), Idaho (148), Nigeria (81), Virginia (26, including the first Spanish-speaking stake in metropolitan Washington, D.C.) and Zimbabwe (13).
In addition, Martinich reports, the church formed a second district (a smaller group of congregations) in Cuba.
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: The diplomat
(John Dinkelman) John Dinkelman, left, gives an American Foreign Service Association award to Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
With much of the world in turmoil, a veteran diplomat with the U.S. State Department discusses how his Latter-day Saint faith has guided him in his career and what part the church can play on the global stage.
Listen to the podcast.
Latter-day Saints don’t have the most kids
If there were an Olympics for U.S. religious parents who have the most kids, Latter-day Saints would finish just outside of the medals.
Gold: Orthodox Christians (averaging 4.1 children).
Silver: Muslims (4).
Bronze: Hindus (3.4).
Latter-day Saints, according to data from the Cooperative Election Study and reported by statistician Ryan Burge, would come in fourth, averaging 3.2 children, just ahead of Catholics at 3.1.
The Big (15) Picture
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency. Front row, left to right: Elder David A. Bednar, acting President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, President Henry B. Eyring, President Dallin H. Oaks, President D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Neil L. Andersen. Back row, left to right: Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Elder Ulisses Soares, Elder Patrick Kearon, Elder Gérald Caussé and Elder Clark G. Gilbert. Photo taken March 4, 2026.
• A new photo of the church’s Big 15 (the three-member First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) has been released. It includes the two newest apostles: Gérald Caussé and Clark Gilbert.
From The Tribune
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A mother and her child at a nutrition event in Peru.
• The church increased its humanitarian aid by 9% last year.
• Some Latter-day Saints are fleeing and others are sheltering in place — including at BYU’s Jerusalem Center — amid the missile strikes across the Middle East.
• Historian Richard Bushman explains how the study of Mormon history has changed: “We have learned to face up to our facts and to be very candid.” Listen to the podcast. Read the excerpts.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Historian Richard Bushman, shown in 2023, says the study of Mormon history has become more open.
• “I like the word Mormon,” says Tribune guest columnist Eli McCann, even though it’s a “‘victory for Satan.’” He talks about his new book, “We’re Thankful for the Moisture: A Gay Guy’s Guide to Mormon Faith, Family, and Fruit Preservation,” in this podcast and these excerpts.
• The calculus of charity in southwestern Utah: A 20,000-pound church donation equals 15,000 meals for 9,000 people.
• Utah’s Lindon Temple has opened to public tours through April 11 in advance of a May 3 dedication.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Celestial Room, representing life with God, in Utah's Lindon Temple.
David is a managing editor at The Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He oversees coverage ranging from local government and west-side issues to growth, development and housing. In addition, he directs religion reporting, co-hosts the award-winning “Mormon Land” podcast and writes the Mormon Land newsletter.