LDS should promote positive image, Elder Perry says

PROVO, Utah — Significant misperceptions shape the LDS church's image and standing in America, said a church apostle Friday.

Speaking during Women's Conference at Brigham Young University, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve, asked more than 16,000 women gathered in the BYU Marriott Center to dedicate themselves to strengthening the image of the church.

"Your personal experiences can be of comfort and a blessing to many," Elder Perry told the women.

Now in its 34th year, Women's Conference draws thousands to Provo annually. The two-day event is co-sponsored by BYU and the LDS Church's Relief Society.

Offering the conference's closing general address, Elder Perry said that church leaders have been looking at the church's image to better understand how the organization approaches its missionary efforts. "We have employed some professional firms to help us define and project our true image to the world."

Recent studies, he said, found that "51 percent of people have no awareness of Mormon practices and beliefs," that "47 percent of people do not have a favorable view of Mormons," and "that 31 percent of people believe that Mormons are not Christian."

"These statistics clearly show the imperfect way we have communicated who we are and what we believe," said Elder Perry.

Further, he said, one-word impressions of the Church include: polygamy, family, cult, different, and dedicated. Three wrong impressions out of five "is not a good batting average for us," he said.

It is evident, he said, that significant misperceptions exist about the church and its members.

Elder Perry said that although 84 percent of Americans have seen Latter-day Saint ads, been given LDS literature, and/or had missionaries approach them, less than 30 percent can identify the church's main claim — "that we follow Jesus Christ, and are the re-established original Christian church…"

So, he asked the women, "How do we close the gap between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us?"

A person's view of the Church is the sum of personal experiences they have had that relate in any way to the church organization, he said. Outside influences, church media, missionaries and members all shape the image of the church, said Elder Perry. But, he added, the members are the most important.

There are several things church members can do to help people become "more aware of our true beliefs," he said. They can listen, know the doctrine, live their standards, be exemplary citizens, be good neighbors, open their mouths, extend invitations, use technology and be bold but not overbearing.