LDS Church increasingly drawing in Latinos in U.S.

Bishop Roberto Quiroz arrived early to the chapel to help push back the folding wall that divides the sacred room from the gymnasium. He and others set out folding chairs to create an overflow room for guests of the first Spanish regional conference held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ventura County, Calif.

Minutes before the conference began, the chapel bustled with families. One little girl wore a name tag declaring her to be a "Futura Misionera," or "Future Missionary" in Spanish.

Bishop Quiroz had dreamed of this conference for years, part of his vision of seeing the number of Latino Mormons in the county continue to grow.

Early into the gathering, however, the rows of empty chairs almost outnumbered those filled. The anticipation Bishop Quiroz had for greater numbers of people to attend showed his hope for the future, but it was tempered by the reality of slower, but steadier, growth.

"It's a dream of mine," Bishop Quiroz said.

Across the nation, Latinos are increasingly being drawn into the LDS Church. In the past 20 years, their membership has quadrupled from 49,000 to 200,000.

Growth has also been seen in Ventura County, most notably in Oxnard where Bishop Quiroz presides. Three years ago his congregation expanded into a separate ward, the approximate equivalent of a parish. Church leaders expect to see the county's first Spanish-language stake, a collection of five or six wards, within the next few years.

About 3,000 people would be needed to form a Latino stake in Ventura County. There are already about 1,400 members. The Los Angeles area has five Spanish-language stakes, about 15,000 members.

The values the church places on family, hard work and humility fuels the Latino inclination to join, experts say. Latinos are traditionally Roman Catholic, with almost 80 percent of Latin Americans belonging to the faith. For Latino immigrants who are paving a new future in the United States, however, a new country brings a chance to explore other spiritual routes.

The culture's focus on family values parallels the principles taught by the LDS faith, which appeals to Latinos disenchanted with their traditional faiths or seeking fresh spiritual guidance.

As the leader of Ventura County's largest Spanish-language Mormon congregation, Bishop Quiroz embodies the dedication some area Latinos have taken toward the LDS Church. As bishop, Quiroz reserves as many as 60 hours a week for voluntary and unpaid church-related work. The church has no general salaried ministry.