The Current State Of The FLDS: Who Is The Leader And Where Are They?

What is the current state of the FLDS today? Who is the leader? How many are left? And where are they?

Today I am diving into all those questions!

Last week I wrote about my childhood, check that out here!

In an upcoming articles I will be predicting the future of the FLDS, so make sure you are following me on Instagram for the update.

Now lets jump right in!

Who Leads The FLDS Today?

The answer is simple: Warren Jeffs. The problem is that he does not have a grasp on reality.

That being the case, he makes very few real world day to day decisions.

So who makes those decisions? Heleman Jeffs, his son.

Now you know exactly who is in charge!

Are you wondering if Heleman actually does what Warren Jeffs says to do?

Well that is a bit more complicated. You could assume that he is just taking over. But lets look at it a little differently.

I would explain it like this: Heleman has a powerful moral compass to obey Warren Jeffs. In theory that comes first. But unseen in most of his decisions are the fundamental laws of human nature.

In other words, Heleman is running things even more than he himself would like to admit. In many situations he has to make decisions because almost everything Warren Jeffs says today contradicts reality.

I want to ask you one more question. Why is no one who was in the hierarchy of the FLDS still there? Nephi Jeffs, Isaac Jeffs, or even Lyle. There is a simple answer. They would not disbelieve their own eyes and lie to Warren Jeffs. So away they went.

Lyle might be back but don’t be fooled. It won’t last long.

How Many FLDS Are There And Where Do They Live??

I am going to make some guesses from what I do know. You might need to fact check me on these!

I am going to guess around 1500 really faithful people in the Colorado City, Saint George, Cedar City, Southern Utah Area.

And then I am going to say around 2000 in that same area that are part in, kinda leaving but not quite. They are half out and maybe a little in but they don’t really know.

And 3000 more in the same area that have left completely within the last 5-10 years.

Now let me say there are 100 men throughout the United States, in several different areas that are very faithful. And then 1000 additional people that are those mens families or other men or women and children that were sent away or somehow left the southern Utah area. A good portion of these people are in Idaho, Colorado, Northern Utah, and Oklahoma. Then more are scattered through the midwest, back east, and even over in California. Some are probably hanging in there and some are close to leaving!

Now let me guess that around 50 of Warren Jeffs family lives in North Dakota, Minnesota, or Wisconsin. Mostly North Dakota.

And in those same states there are more FLDS but they are essentially included in the estimate from Southern Utah, because they most likely came from there not so long ago and travel back and forth.

Lets total this up:

Around 1700 faithful stronger believers.

Around 3000 that are struggling but still in it.

So a total of around 5,000 people.

I want to say about 500 of those wouldn’t leave even if the craziest dumb things happened. Around 3000 that are unsure. Some are about to leave. Others have decided that they will still believe but do their own thing. And others just don’t know what to think!

And then around 3000 that have left over the last 10 years and nothing is really going to convince them to come back.

Who Funds The FLDS Today?

The biggest donor is Phaze Concrete. I suppose that number varies from 30K -500k a month, just depending on what is going on. There are other companies as well, but not that big.

Then those 1700 people pay tithing, or at least half of them do. Lets assume it is 700 people making an average of $50,000/year. That is $5,000 per person x $700 = $3,500,000/ year.

Total income for the FLDS is probably around 4-6M/year. This is just an assumption and it could be as high as 10M and as low as 2M. I think my guess is probably close.

I suppose each year has been significantly different and varies based on if members know where to send tithing. The past 3 years have probably been more consistent than the previous 3.

Many members hold their tithing until they can give it in person. There is most likely a couple million sitting in undecided members accounts. Those 3000 people that are sorta in sorta out. They are unsure about the current leadership and don’t know if they should send it.

Conclusion

While Warren Jeffs is calling the shots, and Heleman is trying to obey, it is likely he is making more decisions than he would like to admit. And often does things a bit contradictory to what he is told because that is basically his only option.

Many members have left over the last 15 years. I would estimate around 7,000.

And many current members are in doubt over the leadership and are unsure if they should follow along.

The FLDS is funded primarily by construction companies and individuals working in the construction industry. The likely income is around 4-6M/year.

If some of the other big companies joined in it could easily be 10M/year. But that is unlikely.

Thank you for reading! You would also enjoy this article titled: Inside The Fascinating Mind Of Warren Jeffs

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