How are LDS adjacent groups funded? Scott Vance recently presented a paper at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) in Salt Lake City on how LDS adjacent groups are funded directly and indirectly by the LDS Church.
First he talked about affiliated groups. There are good ones and bad ones. The PTA, for example, is a private organization that assists the school system. Everyone would agree that this is a good group. On the other hand, Russia has hired the Wagner Group to do military operations in Ukraine and elsewhere. The Wagner Group often commits war crimes and other terrible atrocities that the Russian government can plausibly deny responsibility for. The Wagner Group is a private group that is not a good organization.
Ryan compares groups like the More Good Foundation, FAIR, Interpreter, and other groups to a group of citizens in Britain who helped crack the Nazi codes in World War 2. Obviously these are good groups. But how close are the ties with the LDS Church for groups like FAIR, More Good Foundation, etc?
A few years ago, the LDS Church switched from 3 hour church to 2 hour church. Is that helpful or hurtful to retention of members? Scott Vance weighs in, and we’ll also discuss the loss of Church pageants and other activities. Scott (who is no longer a member) argues that less church reduces the number of interactions between members and actually hurts cohesion within a ward.
He also acknowledges that some of the pagenats (like Manti) had problematic elements of the Book of Mormon. However, these loss of pageants once again cuts down on group camaraderie and group cohesion. Do you agree?
Where do LDS adjacent groups like FAIR, Saints Unscripted, and the More Good Foundation get their money? Scott Vance recently presented his findings at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and gives more answers. Scott looks at 990 forms available on these non-profit groups to look at funding. It appears that about 20% of funds to the More Good Foundation come from the LDS Foundation, while the rest comes from rich Mormons such as the founders of WordPerfect, NuSkin, and other rich benefactors.
What do you think of Scott’s detective work? What do you think these “independent” Mormon groups’ work?
Wheat & Tares 
Wow I was really impressed by Scott Vance’s approach. He comes across as straightforward and humble in his work. I didn’t realize until partway through that he is no longer a member–he seems to have a really healthy approach to his work, taking on a scholarly approach free of animosity. Thank you for interviewing him–I was intrigued by his contributions to the field of Mormon studies. I looked up his website and found interesting posts written in his straightforward and respectful tone.
I think the pruning of pageants, road shows, meaningful youth programs, etc. has had a devastating effect on the culture and community. I don’t think it’s the root cause of of the stagnant growth, but I think it has accelerated it. It’s really a shame. The Nelson presidency has seemed to value efficiency over culture and control over community.
I went to the Manti pageant as a young kid with my family, as a teen for youth conference staying in the Snow College dorms, and as an adult youth leader. The pageant itself hasn’t aged well and needed a rewrite, but it was fun to hang out with friends, eat fresh-cut tornado potatoes, and laugh at both the anti-Mormon antics and the silly over-the-top parts of the pageant.