BYU just hosted an international conference

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Ah, I see. Concern about racial under-representation for LDS blacks in the leadership ranks is "bellyaching." And, fyi, the under-representation is among ALL general authorities (there are just a handful of blacks among all of the Quorums of the 70), but is particularly pronounced among the highest ranking leadership positions (the First Quorum of the 70 and the 12) where there are exactly zero.

Somehow, you see within the current trends that we will have lots of black LDS GAs in the near future. Given that the church has now been around for over 175 years and we haven't had one yet, I am not as optimistic as you are.

I do love how lightly you treat the topic.

Indy:

No black members of the 12, blah blah blah, none in the First Quorum of 70, yadda yadda yadda, racial under-representation, b-o-r-i-n-g, blah blah blah, will be fixed in the future.

We have only Caucasian in the Twelve, First Presidency and what type of diversity within the First Quorum of Seventy?

I don't think Indy should just write it off as a numbers game, i.e., too few, not enough experience. That may be true for one racial group, but for all others?

No Asian, no significant numbers of Brazilians, no Africans, no American Indians, no Mexicans, no Filopinos, no other representation in upper management of any significance at all. That's not a pure numbers game but a many in which leaders are selected. Utahns select those with whom they are comfortable. Some day, it will change, but probably not soon enough. I'll submit the lack of diversity is subconcious, not an intentional omission.

[Indy Coug]

So are we talking about the top 22 positions?

First Presidency - 3
Quorum of Twelve - 12
Presidency of the Seventy - 7

If so, how many openings in the above have presented themselves in the last 10 years?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

So are we talking about the top 22 positions?

First Presidency - 3
Quorum of Twelve - 12
Presidency of the Seventy - 7

If so, how many openings in the above have presented themselves in the last 10 years?

About four in the top 15, and I haven't followed the Seventy First Quorum, but I submit there have been a few in light of Hanks departure and a few others.

I would submit that the Church may be less than half caucasian, yet none of the key leadership positions have gone to a noncaucasian. Strange don't you think?

[MikeWaters]

The circle is expanding when you look at it historically.

David O. McKay was a relative outsider when he was called as an apostle. Nepotism would be the impolite word. A more polite way to call it would be "a small circle of trust."

It's just a slow, slow process.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

About four in the top 15, and I haven't followed the Seventy First Quorum, but I submit there have been a few in light of Hanks departure and a few others.

I would submit that the Church may be less than half caucasian, yet none of the key leadership positions have gone to a noncaucasian. Strange don't you think?

No, not given the extremely small turnover over a very long period of time. The various quorums of the Seventy are chock full of non-Caucasian members.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

The circle is expanding when you look at it historically.

David O. McKay was a relative outsider when he was called as an apostle. Nepotism would be the impolite word. A more polite way to call it would be "a small circle of trust."

It's just a slow, slow process.

It is true. However, I wonder if leaders are even aware of the limitations they suffer due to their lack of diversity. We constantly see new leaders from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and California. I'd almost put a moratorium on leaders called from those regions just to insert new blood.

When the first quorum has a Chinese, a Ghanan, two Brazilians and a Mexican national, you'll know the small circle of trust has expanded. Until then, we're just a regional church with outreach to Mission Zones.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

No, not given the extremely small turnover over a very long period of time. The various quorums of the Seventy are chock full of non-Caucasian members.

Well, until they recognize the need for new blood, we not be a world church, just a Utah Church with outreach.

Utahns run and control the epicenter.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Well, until they recognize the need for new blood, we not be a world church, just a Utah Church with outreach.

Utahns run and control the epicenter.

LOL! The "need for new blood"? Are you suggesting we bump off some high-ranking leaders of the church so more openings will appear more quickly?

1. The vast majority of the Seventy callings are roughly on a 5 year basis. These callings have frequent turnover and are currently populated with fairly representative ethnic/nationality ratios.

2. The "callings for life" positions do not open up that frequently. Given the very small turnover in this group over the past few years....

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

LOL! The "need for new blood"? Are you suggesting we bump off some high-ranking leaders of the church so more openings will appear more quickly?

1. The vast majority of the Seventy callings are roughly on a 5 year basis. These callings have frequent turnover and are currently populated with fairly representative ethnic/nationality ratios.

2. The "callings for life" positions do not open up that frequently. Given the very small turnover in this group over the past few years....

We've probably had eight new ones over the last ten years and not one had any diversity at all? I mean I doubt any of the new ones were even from the east coast. Well Uchtdorf but he's of European extraction any how.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

We've probably had eight new ones over the last ten years and not one had any diversity at all? I mean I doubt any of the new ones were even from the east coast.

Elder Didier from Belgium or Elder Uchtdorf from Germany don't count for some measure of diversity in becoming a "world church"?

It only counts if they have darker skin?