One of the more interesting aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is its rate of growth, especially outside the United States. However, the LDS church remains stuck in its American heritage which can now be seen as an obstacle to the mission of the church. A process of de-centralization should take place to create a truly global Church. Part of this plan could include moving its headquarters away from Salt Lake City.
The LDS church now has over 15 million members. Almost 90% of those members live outside of Utah and almost 60% live outside the United States. Despite the rapid internationalization of its membership, the LDS church remains very much American. LDS Church leadership and missionaries mostly come from the Mormon Corridor (Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and surrounding states). Of the top 21 leaders 19 are American (the first presidency, quorum of the 12 apostles, and presidency of the seventy). Similar patterns exist throughout the general leadership of the church.
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