LDS Church's European offices to merge

FRANKFURT, Germany — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has

consolidated its European headquarters to Germany as it undertakes a bid to

increase its membership across the continent.

The church boasts some 13 million members worldwide. In August it

consolidated its former western European head office in Birmingham, England,

with its central European offices in Frankfurt in west Germany.

More than half the members of the Salt Lake City-based church live outside

the U.S., with about 450,000 members living in Europe.

The newly appointed senior church leader, or elder, in charge of European

operations, Robert C. Oaks, a retired U.S. Air Force general, said the

aim is to improve efficiency as it strives to increase the ranks among

Europeans.

"From the fusion, we expect more efficiency and closer cooperation between local management of the church," Elder Oaks said Friday.

He said he also hopes to raise membership and to improve the quality of the weekly sermons and teachings in Frankfurt and across Europe.

"We wanted to give more ecclesiastical responsibility to individual churches. We wanted to reduce the number of headquarters."

Elder Oaks served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and commanded combat pilots at the U.S. air base in Ramstein. The 64-year-old was raised in the LDS Church and has participated actively in it ever since.

He explained his unusual background for someone who has become the leader of a church. He told reporters the ability to make choices is a necessary part of religious worship, and Mormons have a tradition of defending that freedom.

"Freedom is a critical tenant for God's plan," he said. "There has to be a system where people can make a choice."